Vinnie Vincent on How Much He Made During His KISS 'Lick It Up' Days - Why He Left, Interview X
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- A full in bloom Flashback
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At the 2018 Atlanta Kiss Expo, Vinnie Vincent talked about why he left KISS after the "Lick It Up' tour and how much he was paid while he was in the band.
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INTERVIEW PART I:
• Vinnie Vincent - SATUR...
INTERVIEW PART II:
• Vinnie Vincent - Inter...
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Intro & Outro by FOOL OF FATE
#KISS #GeneSimmons #PaulStanley #VinnieVincent #EricCarr #LickItUp
Kiss would not have survived the 80's without Vinnie Vincent and Bruce Kulick.
@Nigel Barker
Probably would've been just as well.
Those weren't the only two guitarists in the 80s. Kiss would have found another. Don't fool yourself.
The only reason you know those two names are because they were in Kiss.
@Dwight Renfield
Thanks for laying down the facts, Dwight.
@@scottawes921 Dwightfully so
@@scottawes921 Thats why Gene and Paul used them the way they did. I can see Gene when Vinnie said he was leaving saying “Go ahead, make my day”. The egos that Paul and Gene have are, and always have been, out of control. They only valued hired guns if they benefited from those guys talent. Once they got Tommy and Singer locked in they were able to insure that they had what they’ve always wanted, hired guns that do as they’re told and they rake in the lions share of the cash. Im sure Thayer and Singer do better than $550 a week but if Gene and Paul had their way they would pay them zero and tell them they should be so happy to be in the band they should sleep on their Moms couch.
Gene & Paul are NOTORIOUS for being ALL about the money.I'm not surprised they had an attitude of "You should be thankful we don't CHARGE YOU for the opportunity to play with us"
Kiss, mainly Gene and Paul, have always thought “you get the keys to the kingdom” to the other members. They still to this day haven’t gotten over their childhood bullying for being different, so they just manifested that crap themselves.
True
Straight up
then explain ozzy, dio and every other band 🤣 that's the business, kid, dog eat dog
@@robertstan2349 They're just greedy self absorbed narcissists.
Life Long KISS fan. I believe this story. Love KISS. I know Vinnie was difficult to work with. Shame they couldn't figure this one out.
But in the end. Vinnie did what we all would have done. You gotta be able to pay your bills.
Unbelievable how you can write songs and get no royalties from them! I can understand a 'hired gun' who just plays guitar, maybe writes some parts and helps with arraignments just pulling down a check, but whole songs? Sheeeit, that sucks.
Why would you give away your royalties. I think he has his publishing but that don't amount to much.
@@billy6220 The Sharon Osbourne playbook, pure exploitation.
@@bobshenix that's what I was thinking as well. If you value the band member throw him a friggin bone he wasn't asking for millions of dollars just a cut of merchandising or a bonus payment to get started 50,000 to 75,000 would have gone a long way for Vincent at that time. I always did wonder why he didn't stay in the band longer. I can believe that Gene wouldn't throw him a nickel let alone a penny but for Paul to do the same was pretty sad.
@@bartsullivan4866 It's basically what Sharon (and Ozzy bears responsibility for what he allows his wife/manager to do to his bandmates) did to Bob Daisley, Jake E. Lee, and to a lesser extent Randy Rhoads... although before his untimely death Randy wanted out for similar reasons as all Ozzy's hired guns inevitably leave: They simply are not treated fairly and are treated as disposable tools in service of the "real star".
Paul and especially Gene have the same mentality. Then they wonder why fans give Ace so much more love.
KISS could've paid Vince $2- 3,000 a week easily and he'd still be way underpaid, but at least it would've given Vince something to sustain he and his family on.
This is why Ace is still the fan favorite and he hasn't officially been with the band in decades LOL
Gene and Paul are a cheap asses Vinnie was do big .money 💰💰💰💰 for what he brought . I would have quit to .there loss.
I
I never liked Vinny Vincent but I think you're 100% correct
Bear in mind $550 a week in 1983 would be equal to $1661 a week in 2023.
You’re going to believe Vinnie telling how much KISS paid him?
I believe that Vinnie is in the right in this case. They were paying him crumbs even though he was 25% of Kiss and wrote most of the songs on Creatures and Lick It Up, not to mention he practically saved KISS !!! He was not a session musician, he was part of KISS !
Gene and Paul for ya, the reason why this half a KISS cover band took a dump. Sonic Boom... that is all
He jumped into a band that had already sold ten million albums. And Vinnie did not write the majority of any Kiss album. He was a cowriter. Kiss had hits before and after Vinnie. For some reason, Vinnie wasnt this great writer on his own. That says it all. And he got writing credits on Kiss albums which means he got paid in addition to his weekly money. Sure hired musicians should get paid more. Heck Dio paid Vivian Campbell like $500 a week and he was an original band member who wrote on all their hits.
@@rticle15 kiss is the make up, hype, stage show, poor song writers.
Vinnie wrote I love it loud
@@drmidnight2419 100 million albums sold with just music on them.
@@rticle15 that's what hype can do for you. I hardly call that music.
Vinnie has had a rough life. I hope he finds peace.
Could have been so much more
maybe he will now he's a woman.
1:55 ... 🐟
He’s also not a saint, he brought a lot of stuff on himself.
He's had a rough life being screwed over by guys like Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons
He was right about one thing, they DIDN'T want him in the band.
They DIDN’T want Ace or Peter either.
Correct! 😄
That Vinnie Vincent Invasion release kicked ass, too...
All Systems Go was awesome
Love both. All Systems by a slight margin.
I may not believe everything Vinne says, but I do believe him when he says Gene and Paul screwed him over financially. They do that with everybody.
With everybody? No, these stories come only from people who had ego problems and/or were greedy. Yes, Paul and Gene admitted thay had big ego too. What about people who were team players and weren't greedy? Eric Carr and Singer, Bruce, Tommy. These guys are satisfied they're part of Kisstory. Peter thought he was screwed cause he was offered $10k less than Ace. I'd love to have problems like that. He was always bitching but he would've never made that much money if he hadn't gone on the Reunion Tour. His solo career was a a joke.
It's hilarious how you talk about "Ego problems" in all theze guys who were unequivocally the Best musicians the band ever had. They made Gene n Paul look n feel like the fking Hack-wannabes that they actually Were. A big big threat to THEIR Egos n limelight. And therein my friends, was the real problem. The dictators could never handle being outshined or making Equals out of the actually Talented musicians who threatened their spotlight and control. First Ace, then Vinnie, and of course Peter just got fed up with all this bllsht & left. But go ahead n believe Gene & Paul's highly distorted and spun accounts of what happened. Yeah, real stand-up & trustworthy guys that pair. Good work Sherlock. 👌
Not to mention the biggest threat of all. To Gene & Paul's fking GREED. Never ceases to amaze me how fking blind & Dumb you idiots are, smfh ...
If Vinny didn't like the money why did he go with the band
@@davidviton1065 Listen to this clip again.
The more I hear people talk about Vinnie… the more I get the feeling he and Dio were similar in that if they liked you they really liked you and if they didn’t then they pretty much despised you. Nice to hear a spot with him… from what I’ve read he’s been somewhat of a recluse since Vinnie Vincent invasion broke up.
I think he may have mental health problems.
If you only knew the half of it.. His wife turned to being an escort because they were hurting for money , She was brutally murdered, this was while her and vinnie were married. I dont remeber the reason why but the sheriffs searched his house which in the pictures was filthy . The bad thing was they found 2 or 3 dogs in his freezer. He said they were family pets but still kinda weird.... He has two daughters . i believe are twins but you dont hear much about them...
Did you just compare vinnie also ran to dio?
@@ianmason2003 Yes, but just in attitude, not talent. Vinnie hates Dana Strum and Mark Slaughter in a similar way to how Dio (under the management of his wife) hated Viv Campbell, was bitter about him up to his death. They were both pretty jealous Viv fits in better with Def Leppard than he ever did with Dio… it was a little more complicated with Vinnie, who probably thought Mark Slaughter was a bit of an upstart I mean they did have a twelve year age difference and also Dana, Mark & Viv were all a ton more successful afterwards then when they were in Vinnie Vincent Invasion and Dio.
@@dragonqueen6589 I think most people agree that the original Dio lineup with Vivian in the band was fantastic. Deaf Leotard have made him more money but his playing is so much more pastionate on those first three Dio albums.
The last thing you said and it broke his heart it really did break his heart he never got over it he was sad throughout Vinnie Vincent invasion he was covering it up he was a broken hearted man after kiss never recovered
This same story has been told many times before. Van Halen made Michael Anthony relinquish his rights to royalties and sign a contract to become a paid employee. Jake E. Lee claims he wrote the Bark at the Moon album but Sharon Osbourne told him to sign over all of his rights and become a paid employee or he would be fired and they would hire someone else to re-play all of his parts. And of course Dio shafted Vivian Campbell even worse than Kiss shafted Vincent. I could go on all day with other examples. I guess the moral of the story is to never join a famous band but I guess if these guys didn't they would run the risk of never being heard of at all.
Eddie Van Halen re-did the song Beat It for Michael Jackson, because Jackson wanted it to sound more rockish. Eddie was also the guitarist for Beat It on the studio album. Eddie didn't receive any money for this. Not even paid to re-write the song or record it. And he never got any royalties.
@@samuelmadden6811 that’s because Steve Lukather wrote the guitar part…
I would agree with you except for Vivian Campbell. He has a reputation for being a primadonna and had the same "issue" with not only Dio, but Thin Lizzy and White Snake as well. That's not just a run of bad luck for Vivian lol.
@@samuelmadden6811 I truly do not think of all people, EVH cared. 😂
First. Lukather played the parts on beat it. Eddie did the solo only.
Seems some of these acts, Dio, Blizard of Oz, we’re supposed to be BANDS, but then management changed the deal after hit records, and the other members besides the front men got screwed.
I don’t like the Michael Anthony deal what happened, but I have heard Eddie the book Eruption bitch that Michael didn’t contribute shit to the long hours/writing process. Eddie has the vault and tapes to kinda prove his side. So although I don’t like it, I feel that one is warranted.
Ozzy though got everything and didn’t write Jack shit. At least Dio writes stuff.
What Vinnie was asking for was MORE than fair...How Gene and Paul could treat anybody this way makes me sick
Paul and Gene were fair: 550$ a week was double the minimum wage! For a beginner! And you should consider, when Vinnie came to KISS, their instruments and gear disappeared. Paul's guitar etc. He didn't write that Vinnie is a thief. But he couldn't trust him! *When they treated him so bad, WHY DID HE THEN ASK TO COME BACK FOR THE ALBUM REVENGE?
Whatever problems or tension Vinnie Vincent has had with his relationships in bands past & present---whatever kind of "dooshbag" he is/isn't/or might be...according to who you ask...I don't think anyone can deny the fact that the dude knows how to write hit rock n roll songs. The VV era with Kiss was always pretty much my favorite era, musically, even tho personally, I don't think anyone was ever stronger or a better guitarist w/KISS than Bruce Kulick. He just fit in with those guys so well...but that's another story. I also own and still listen to both of the VV Invasion albums, and they are great and still hold up well 30 years on. In fact, the 2nd & final Vinnie Vincent Invasion album when Mark Slaughter took over lead vocals was the first compact disc I ever bought, around 1987-88. Luckily I was a radio DJ at the time and had access to a LOUD & BITCHIN Audio set up at the station that rattled windows for blocks. but i digress. Bottom line: if you wrote it, you should own it. Vinnie should be sharing royalties with Gene & Paul on his contributions, not have been degraded down to an hourly stock-boy position. I love Gene & Paul, but fair is fair. Yes, it's show BUSINESS, but it's Rock and Roll, Man! If the music doesn't take priority, then why should anyone listen?
$500 a week - is a ridiculous offer taking into perspective how much he brought back to the band. If that is true then I understand his grief with the band.
Unfortunately, Eric Carr was in the same boat with pay.
I used to do business with his sister, Loretta, back in the late 90s early 2000's.
And during one of our lengthy phone conversations, I asked about his pay, and she informed me that he made less than $100,000.00 a year, and he had to purchase his own clothes for the tour, and he lived in an apartment he shared with Carrie.
I love KISS, and they are my favorite band.
I try not to get into the finances or politics of it, I just want to enjoy the music and the larger-than-life persona they have created.
$500 a week was decent money back then - especially for a nobody. Most of you wouldn't know that, of course.
And Kiss wasn't doing that well either, so why would they pay him any more than that?
550 then is around 1800 a week these days. How can somebody not support a family on 1800 a week?!
He probably qualified for government assistance, food stamps,WIC😃
@@metalmickey Uh.. No. That works out to $28,600/yr take home. (Assuming they pay him for the whole year and not just when working) Even in the 1980's this is a piss poor salary. I was making more than that right out of HS as a printer's apprentice in 1983. In addition you are asking him to travel and be away from family for long periods of time. Plus he was probably asked to do promotions, album signings, etc. in addition to concerts. He may have been a PITA but he did write some great Kiss songs. If true he had every right to ask for better compensation.
Kiss - McDonald's of rock n roll.
McDonald’s is delicious
@@a3103-j7g
You need to find a new band to listen to that doesn't lip sync.
Paul, Gene, Ace, Peter, Vinnie... hell even Eric Carr... none of those guys have always been right in their dealings with each other and there's always two sides to every story, but when it comes to VV, you have to look at the bigger picture and listen to the way the vast majority of other people who have worked with him talk about him also. And that's without factoring in his dealings with fans and (more recently) promotors. Ripping people off, scheduling, cancelling, disappearing. You'd be a brave or foolish person to swallow everything Vinnie wants to tell you.
Not defending him, but sometimes people who are treated badly go on to treat others badly. It's tough to survive being treated like shit and pass good vibes on to others. Just saying, I doubt he is lying hear, and I'm sure he was no picnic to work with himself. Bands like KISS need to pay some of their success forward, and it's a shame to hear that they can't do that, and Gene himself gives off vibes of treating everyone like shit.
The same style of dealings exists with Gene and Paul (not giving publishing to Eric or Mark, giving low salaries with no other participation no matter how big the contribution, undermining other band members from Ace to Peter to Eric to Vinnie, lying about every part of their history, etc.), the stories are just less incendiary. Look up the interview Mark St. John gave to, I think, Kiss Asylum... it's remarkably similar to Vinnie's story.
@@matsumoku1 As I said elsewhere, if you can believe Chris Lendt, Kiss were virtually broke at this point in their career and as someone else has pointed out, $550 a week then equates to 6k a month now. Not bad for a struggling business.
@@insidetheblackmusic I'd be the last person to defend Paul & Gene, but you don't get paid publishing unless you are writing songs. None of them are cleanskins as far as treating each other well all the time goes, but Vinnie stands alone simply because pretty much everyone else he has worked with tell the same stories about him, and his long history of ripping off fans marks him as someone not to be trusted.
@@ajo3085 Very good pay would have been about 1000 a week. But I agree it's not as bad as all that.
As far as kiss being broke, that's probably not so clear cut. It's true that the salad days of the original Kiss were over and the merchandizing money was probably not that big at that point. The best determination of VV's worth would be find out what Carr got paid.
Call me crazy but I believe every word of this and it's a shame too I love KISS with VV and Lick it up is top 3 of the KISS catalog for me
I believe this as well. How much do the roadies make? Brutal world out there.
@Gordon VV is just quoting his salary for being a member. He purposely skipped his signing bonus and presumed touring pay, which I wildly guess was at least a few $100,000 a tour.
@@ReigningOnYourParade I bet roadies made less than him. $550 in the 80s was worth more than $550 today. It was a nice salary. Probably he didn't have to pay for food, hotels etc. so he had most of the money in his pocket.
Dave Mustaine was the same way with guitarist Chris Poland.
Kiss was never a band about the music. They were an entertainment-based business.
Not true when they started in 1973 they had fuck all money. They're far better musicians that they're given credit for.
I remember an interview with Gene around 1980-81 where Gene said that Eric Carr was "being paid in the high 6 figures". That would be over $600,000 per year folks! What they did to the very talented Vinnie Vincent was very stupid of them. He SAVED their asses!
In fairness the band was at a completely different level of popularity when they took on Eric, I wouldn't have been surprised if they were starting to have a few financial issues when they hired Vinnie. Creatures, though a great album, was a financial disaster especially the US tour
It's been proven Eric Carr only made $100,000 a year not $600,000. Someone put on eBay a letter his management sent to a credit card company for rejecting him because he used his stage name by mistake on the application.
I love the Vinnie era KISS, and I wish it could have worked out .. But $500 in 1983/84 is the equivalent of $1500+ nowadays, and had he stayed grounded and professional, with KISS' success into the 80s, Vinnie could have probably added greatly to his earnings in endorsements, plus, songwriting and publishing ( not sure why he said he wasn;t interested in royalties ) .... Vinnie is a unique figure in the history if music but he was his own worst enemy ..
@Varity Topic I can see your point, however, from what I have heard from Gene and Paul, and everyone else who has ever worked with Vinnie, his guitar talents and songwriting abilities were never in question ..Vinnie had worked with successful artists like Laura Nyro and Dan Hartman prior to joining KISS, and Gene and Paul collaborated with Vinnie again for Revenge, with Vinnie writing "Unholy" ... Vinnie, the musician, was never in question ...
I think Gene and Paul's hesitancy with Vinnie early on ( Creatures era ) was due to his behavior and personality, not his musicianship ..... Having dealt with Ace and his sometimes unprofessional behavior ( I love Ace btw ), it seems Gene and Paul wanted extra reassurance that the next guitarist in KISS was going to be an absolute, reliable pro .. and yes, they might have gone overboard as far as wanting control at that point, but the band was close to falling apart, so I cannot really blame them ..
There have been a lot of bizarre incidents involving Vinnie over the years - the dead dogs at his ranch, the mysterious disappearance of his first wife, his Invasion line-up's munity and reformation with another guitarist - none of which has to do with his abilities on guitar, but his skittish behavior ...... I am a big fan of Vinnie's in no way do I mean to sound as if I don't like the guy, but it certainly seems as if dealing with him on a professional level was difficult ...
$1500.00 a week in today's money? When you are writing songs with two schmucks that are making millions? No royalties or residuals to boot? Financially, his only fault was being incredibly naive and not knowing his worth. As for Gene and Paul? Two of the greediest, manipulative and narcissistic figures in the business.
I don't think so...Eric Carr was making the exact same amount when he died as he was when he joined in 1980
$550.00 a week in 1983 was good money. Doesn't mean that he shouldn't have been paid more but facts are facts.
Kiss had problems in 1983, very poor ticket and album sales. They weren't making a lot of money.
@@emberdo please...
It sure was, but they could have rounded it up to say 40-50 grand a year at least. Again, why did he bother writing songs if that was the case? He should have stayed put, make what crumbs they served him and then go on to make lesson video tapes, private lessons, books, tour small clubs with an own album afterwards. Knowing how crazy Kiss fans are, he would have to actualy work a single day in his life again, which he probably didn't.
Favorite kiss album easyly creatures of the night awsome drum sound
This is the best channel
Look at it this way - $550 in the mid 80s is about $1500 today. He was making $6000 a month in today's money after taxes. The average cost of rent in the mid 80s was about $400 a month, so he would have $1800 a month left over for utilities, food, etc. for his family. I don't know whether he had to pay his way while touring and recording, or if that was taken out of a general band budget. Making $6000 a month (or $72,000 a year) in 2023 would be a pretty decent and livable income, depending on your location. It's not rockstar money, but it's livable. Considering I only made about $2200 CAD ($1600 USD) per month at my $17 an hour full time job, $6000 a month would definitely get me out of my mom's house. It would have been nice of Gene and Paul to give the man royalties for his work, but this is Gene and Paul we're talking about.
As far as I understood a part of Vinnie's (insane) 14 lawsuits: he lost his royalties or income for Lick It Up when he declared bankruptcy. Then in the 90's he reopened bankruptcy...etc. For REVENGE he was definitely paid. But he sued again, because allegedly he didn't sign...etc.
Bill Aucoin (RIP) called Vinnie "very paranoid".
Creatures and Lick it Up were the 2 of the best Kiss studio albums ever. There's "two sides of the coin" but I believe what he is saying.
I seen Vinnie with Invasion and he is very talented.
Why would you EVER believe a single word this man/woman says? Vinnie has been scamming KISS fans ever since the day he left, up to present day.
@@Skulllywag Not only that , Vincent overplays too much. Ever see his instructional video? It's lame af.
@@DoktorDamagewhere's your instructional video??
Here is what is messed up. KISS was getting around $50K-$100k per show for artist fees. Depending on the size of the venue. A venue that seats around 5000 people would be a $50K artist fees. This $50 too $100K is to cover trucking, tour buses, drivers, fuel, the actual KISS road crew, tour manager and any other fees it takes to get the band from city to city. I would say the actual band was clearing $20K per show times 5 show a week. That is $100K net. And they could only pay VV $550 a week.
The Vinnie should have owned his rightful publishing.
Wow, this makes perfect sense!
He got the opportunity of a lifetime. The $ would have come w/time. It wasn’t like KISS was in their heyday in the early 80’s.
I’ve been a KISS fan since the beginning, and I’ve got three things to say, and they’re simple.
1) Anyone who’s been around knows how Paul and Gene can be.
2) Anyone who’s been around knows how Vinnie can be.
3) There are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the truth.
Period.
Pretty simple answer to them not getting along and ripping people off.
Just STOP at #1
💓VINNIE ROCKS!💓
If you’re a professional musician: show up on time, keep up with the music physically, and are positive towards the band, you deserve a living wage. Whether you’re in a punk band or in an orchestra.
Nobody "deserves" anything. If you aren't satisfied with the money you're making, then go find another job.
@@dwightrenfield2241 Which is what he did. If the numbers Vinnie is quoting are true then he was WORTH more and had every right to ask for more and walk if he didn't get it. Which is apparently what happened.
$2100 a month was a high income back in the 80s. But if you consider the money other band members were making; it was peanuts. They should have paid him 1/4 of all income. That’s only fair.
you are forgetting that people actually have to buy your product. if it sucks, you don’t deserve anything.
You wouldn’t of ever lasted as a professional musician then. Bands aren’t always making millions of dollars like people romanticize. The music business is shaky. It could be less than minimum wage.
Vinnie is known as a difficult personality to say the least. Here though, and especially when it comes to $ It makes sense.. Especially where the band was..still, he wrote a lot of material for Lick It Up, that's a fact..always a debate the Vinnie "saved" Kiss...don't know about all that, BUT you cannot deny that his participation was an asset.. except his personality.. All things considered the band was lucky to have him even in that capacity. It really could have been the end.
He was amazing at Songwriting and playing that’s the main reason they hired him.
It certainly wasn’t his image… On stage, he looks so tiny and frail, like a mosquito that had just been through a rain storm… Not that that should matter, but it was a major reason they were reluctant to hire him in the beginning, image. If he had had solid character, he would’ve been with the band for decades.
@@j_freed today he looks like your 60 yr old woman boss at an office
You know why cuz paul and gene hate somebody that can write music better than them
@@diegorodriguez2442 and the Bruce Kulick band slays annually on the Kiss Kruise, but they’re not permitted to go on tour and play those songs.
@@diegorodriguez2442 every Kiss album before and after Vinnie with the exception of The Elder had as many good songs as anything VV was on. He certainly contributed and produced cool stuff with Kiss but they wrote just fine without him and with other writers. Vinnie on the other hand didnt write anything of note without them.
Keep in mind that $550 in 1983 would be about $1500 today. So Vinnie was taking home the equivalent of $78,000 a year at the time, which means his salary was the equivalent of well over $100,000 per year in today's money. Plus, Gene and Paul (or the KISS corporation) were paying for his travel, hotels, meals, equipment, etc while on the road or in the studio. KISS was also paying for the cost of producing the albums, promoting and marketing the band, and the huge overhead costs the band incurred from touring. All Vinnie had to do was show up on time, play well, and not act like a total asshole, and in return, he got to play lead guitar in one of the world's biggest rock groups, with all professional and touring expenses covered, plus the equivalent of a six-figure income in today's money. Oh, what a tragic life. The bottom life is that Vinnie had a golden opportunity and he blew it because he is his own worst enemy.
Well said. And as someone else mentioned, he likely received a nice signing bonus on top of it all.
It's fantastic to see some people can not only follow emotions but also think.
true but they was only paying him when they worked and they didn,t pay all his up keep . they didn,t pay for all his meals we talk about gene the guy who ran into the streets for a penny he wrote some of the songs he got riped off
No..the record comapnaies were paying for the room and board and records to be made.....record companies (back then) would LEND the band money to cover all theor cost from recording to PR to touring to food and hotels.....the KISS corporation had to pay the loan back of course with profits from the album sales. Gene and Paul were just being greedy imo....im sure they felt just being in the band KISS was payment enough for Vinnie.
@@markherring3513 If the band had to pay back the record company, then the KISS corporation was ultimately footing the bill for all of that.
$500 a week is totally disrespectful. considering that Gene and Paul were making millions. shameful
Makes me wonder what they were paying Eric.
Paul and Gene's hair do's were totally on top of their game during this era of Kiss. The bouffant, the feathering, the layers, the hightlights, it didnt get much better than this for them.
As shady as VV can be at times, I have to admit, it must've been aggravating as hell to play to packed arenas and write songs for gold and platinum-selling albums, only to take home pay that's equivalent to what a dishwasher in a restaurant makes. Your bosses are making out like bandits, and you're barely scraping by. No wonder he didn't sign that contract!
To be fair though, Dishwasher's actually know how to play within the context of a song. 😂
Ouch, so it's a dishwasher with a clean sense of structure, dishwasher be like hold my plate and lick it up while I noodle with my mixolydian b9 mode a bit...
@RJC 72 I think you need to revisit that period of "Kisstory" as far as those album sales and packed arenas go. It took Creatures until 1994 to be certified gold and the tour was a failure. Despite the "excitement" around the unmasking Lick it Up took until 1990 to be certified platinum and the average attendance for that tour was only 5,000 people. No one in Kiss was making out like a bandit during that period of the band's history.
A dishwasher certainly didn't make $550 a week in 1983
Ozzy did the same thing to Jake E Lee. Here's the deal. Your a young guy who has nothing. Then you get the opportunity to join a big name band and tour the world. You are told you have to write songs for the band and you are also told you will not receive any royalties. Do you say no and go back to nothing? or continue with the band with a $500 weekly check? Very difficult decision to make as a struggling musician. As a young guy i would take the $500 and stay in the band. But as you get older the bullshit factor will start to creep in.
One my times great. Wow what a player
I actually believe BOTH sides: KISS's side and Vinnie's side.
I do think that Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons can be cheap and thankless jerks to work for - as Ace Frehley and Peter Criss have stated MANY times.
I also think that Vinne Vincent could be a weird, selfish Head-Case - like not only Gene and Paul point out, but so does Carmine Appice.
And when a fellow paison labels you as trouble, you really are trouble.
When i first watched the video, i was like "wow," that sounds brutal....no good guys, no bad guys, the whole world is insane.
550 a week is about 13.75 an hour and in 1982 minimum wage was 2.50 an hour. Median income was 23,430 annually and he was making 28,600. So I terms of time frame, that was great money. In 2018 that sounded bad, but you can’t look a the past through the lenses of now.
Eric Carr is so underrated
Creature of the Night - he sounded like Bonham !
Read the book “ Eric Carr Story “. It’s a pretty good interesting read.
Agree, Eric is my favourite member of KISS and he is definitely underrated, plus he wasn’t treated well by Paul and Gene in his last days.
@@jemstar3388 from what I understand, when Eric was really sick they pretty much turned their back on him
KISS sounds the best live when Eric Carr is on drums. No other drummer plays the songs as good as he did before OR after.
From Wikipedia: "Following his departure from Kiss in mid-1984, Vincent used his money that he made from his tenure in the band to take a long vacation and traveled the world for a full year visiting places like Tahiti, Philippines, Mozambique, India and Europe, including a visit to the small town Mora in Dalarna, Sweden." How did he pay for that if he was making so little? Something doesn't add up...
And where came the money from for 14 lawsuits? Vinnie didn't explain that in this EXPO talks. I watched Part I and Part II of this interview and I think so too: There must be something wrong with Vinnie.
I believe everything Vinnie said. Those comments was the truth and anyone with common sense knows that there is two sides to every story. History, real meaning is His-Story. Written by the winners, and Paul Stanley and Gene took full advantage of Ace, Peter Chris. And this i believe is now fact. I have listened to all of Ace's comments after i listened to Paul Stanley's audio, the entire book. It was a great book. But smart people like me will listen to what the other band members had to stay. In the case of Vinnie, Vinnie got screwed and had to take action to become a rock star, and bad people created the conditions, i believe to force him to take drastic measures. Had he not acted, he would have literally ended up on the streets. His album in unlike anything i have ever heard. Its literally at another level. Paul and Gene at literally in for themselves and any brainless idiot can figure this out.
Vinnie overplays way too much. His instructional video is a joke.
Adjusting for inflation, that would mean he'd be making about $1200 a week now.
Not bad, and the financial strain on the group was likely a factor, but not getting a raise after Lick It Up had it's success is cruel. This is if he was actually a band member, anyways. Gene and Paul, at least in retrospect, have made it clear they didn't like or want to keep Vinnie anyway. In that sense I can't blame them too harshly, as Vinnie clearly wasn't a good fit with his endlessly indulgent guitar wankery.
A firing via unfair contract is a bit Machiavellian, though.
It's hard to believe what anyone says nowadays. Actors wrestlers artist musicians none of them tell the truth
$1200, I make just a bit more than that per week working in construction, that’s dreadful money to be paid by a band that grossed millions each year , I know that a very well known female country artist that was huge in the late 90’s early 2000’s that was paying her hired band 5 times more than Vinnie was getting from Kiss and they weren’t even writing material just live performances.
@@ShaneSG Now that you mention it, it seems a lot more unfair than I was thinking before. That's one more for the "Gene and Paul being assholes" jar.
That's decent, working, professional musician money, just not "rock star" money. Personally I would've taken it, if it meant not working a dat job in the mainstream world. Kiss were no longer as huge as they once were.
I am a lifelong KISS fan. I reckon Vinnie was easily the most talented songwriter they had on lead guitar. I’ve read all the biographies etc, and I believe this story Vinnie has provided on why he was dropped. Gene & Paul wouldn’t even let him have his publishing. Having said that, there are plenty who felt he was very difficult to work with. Still, Lick it up is an awesome album. They restrained his playing, whereas VVI he overplays at every opportunity.
Many other famous musicians have all said that Vinnie was a nut case, troublemaker & an asshole. Everything he says are lies.
Put alot of scary make up and scary looking costumes on the Bee Gees or ABBA and you have KISS. They had one hell of a ÷ and 0ow was/is a genius. Their music ÷ e sub par and very easy. I was playing their stuff and could play most of their songs by the time I was 10. And for F sake they lip sync and Paul wears a fkn wig. They are not real they are fake as F. But Gene is one hell of a biz man and has every corner covered on the marketing side of things.
Don't believe everything you read. If he was a registered ASCAP artist he got paid everytine his name showed up on anything. I can't remember the split but he got paid.
@@oatmealstickdorn6497
That’s correct; as a song writer, he got the publishing money.✌️
"Gene & Paul wouldn’t even let him have his publishing".That is stealing,at least in a moral sense.Poor bastard got ripped off.
I like the narrator of this video. He sounds fucking cool.
Thank you, Rocktopuss!
I believe every word of this.
I don't.
😄 🤣 😂
If its true that Vinnie never signed the contract legally making him a member of Kiss then No, he wasnt 25% of any band.. he was a hired contractor. period.
I too,..believe every word. To think this was the origin..of my most favorite V.V. songs is a startling
And illuminating tale about the business and the band Kiss.
Who knows if I would have ever heard his material if they'd kept him in the band.
In the end I'd bet his solo album did better saleswise than the next Kiss project did...?
? History-buffs please refute my theory
Vinnie Vincent and Eric Carr were the best original character replacements KISS ever had. After they removed the makeup, they became just another faceless, generic mediocre band of the 80s. Gene and Paul got fat. People criticize Billy Squier for the “Rock Me Tonite” video, while Paul was prancing like a ballerina all over the decade to the tune of truly awful albums. “Love Gun” (1977) was the last credible KISS album they ever made. I’ll take “The Elder” over anything they released afterwards. All shit.
All very valid points!
It breaks my heart when I hear stories about how heartless Paul and Gene seem to be. I guess there were reasons they wouldn't 'make it work' with Vinnie, but from Vinnie's point of view, it wasn't handled very well. I've read similar stories from Bruce Kulick. One day he's a member of KISS, the next he's out and Peter and Ace are coming back. But, according to Paul, he finally has the band, with Singer and Thayer, exactly how he envisioned it way back in the 70's. Probably because both members have other income streams, they're clean and sober, do whatever they're told, and Paul and Gene don't have to pay them much.
Gene is all about money. $550 a fucking week?😳
@@BoslagerBBQ Yeah, that's pretty sad for what Vinnie actually provided them.
Kiss would be nothing without someone producing their sound. No doubt the Vinnie was impossible to work with. Fact is I NEVER cared much for KISS becuase they were great showman but lousy musicians. Vinnie Vincent had more talent then all the other members put together. I know that hurts feelings, but if you understand anything about music it's absolute truth. Kiss can't hold carry a tune with a handle. Their producer made them musically what they are in the studio.
To be fair, the minimum wage in 83 was $3.35/hr. or $134 a week. -500 was the equivalent of 1500 a week back then. Yes, he was being ripped off, but I'm so stupid I'd think I was set for life.
@@billy6220 Yep, true.
Without another guitar n drums KISS is dpne.....and to pay him that little is an insult.
550 bucks per week was a nice salary in 1983/1984. Don't forget Kiss was at a very low point then. Very poor album sales, cancelling shows because of low interest... They were struggling.
Gene and Paul = salt in the wounds.
In case you are not aware, Vinnie has sued Gene and Paul FOURTEEN TIMES. He has also lost these lawsuits all FOURTEEN TIMES. Please take his complaints with a grain of salt. If he really had been “cheated” out of his publishing or anything else, don’t you think he could have convinced at least one out of fourteen judges?
And his self-victimization!
Unbearable...
Ya know there's always 2 sides to every story.. I've heard horror stories about Vinnie.. I've heard the same about Gene & Paul.. Who knows? I've got to say though..Lick it up is by far one of best Kiss albums if not the best.
There is 3 sides to a story.... yours, mine, and the truth. Gene and Paul are notorious assholes, but Vinnie should have had a better lawyer. 🤷♂️
So, while the other guys were probably making millions, they paid that guy $550 a week? That is a huge scumbag move. I can't imagine doing something like that, I'd feel too guilty.
in this time period, $ was actually tight for them. when eric carr joined, things were much better due to all the merchandising and covert revenue flowing in. eric recvd a new porsche when he joined to welcome him in. they couldn't do that for vinnie. paul said vinnie wasn;t a team player, but they were desperate for a replacement for ace, so they brought him in.
Vinnie was/is a talented guy. I thought, a perfect replacement for Ace but more dynamic in that he was in the mold of shredders during that hair-band time period. I did get to see Kiss with him. In a crowd of about 3500 if you can imagine that. I think Kiss missed out on something good, possibly great. I've heard both sides. I'm sure this was just a low-ball offer to get him to leave.
You should check out his Invasion album. It's pretty mediocre.
@@Gamevet You must not be a trained musician. Kiss would be nothing without someone producing their sound. No doubt the guy was impossible to work with. Fact is I NEVER cared much for KISS becuase they were great showman but lousy musicians. Vinnie Vincent had more talent then all the other members put together. I know that hurts feelings, but if you understand anything about music it's absolute truth. Kiss can't hold carry a tune with a handle. Their producer made them musically what they are in the studio.
@@peaceprayer595 Invasion is a mediocre album dude. No amount of Vinnie Vincent shredding changes that.
You can have all the musical talent in the world, but without good writing and sound production, it doesn't mean jack shit.
Oh and trained musician? Stevie Ray Vaughan didn't have any professional training. He played it all by ear and would blow Vinnie Vincent off of the stage.
@@Gamevet I was thinking more of harmony melody layering and collimation. One reason kiss sounded like absolute garbage live was they didn't have the capacity back then to replicate all the studio bs. They rarely even played on their own instruments on their albums and then just simply attempted to mimmick a dumbed down non technical version on stage. Musical clowns who made a fortune off of stage shanigans. A genius in and of itself but in no way overshadowing their musical ineptitude.
@@peaceprayer595 That was 80s Kiss. The band of the 70s actually put in the effort. I'm not the biggest fan of their stuff after Dynasty.
1. Lick it up only had 2-3 decent songs - tops.
2. Was the contract more than $550/week? Notice he never discusses what was in the contract
3. Vinnie wasn’t the ideal guitarist for Kiss. Kiss needed Jimmy Page solo licks, not Van Halen/shred stuff. This is why Ace was perfect and Kiss later programmed Thayer into being an Ace clone.
Vinnie doesn’t seem like the most honest dude either.
Damn, if I made $550 a week, first thing I'd do is go to Family Dollar and buy the Bluetooth speaker I saw other day
Me too and the fresh sushi rolls that are on sale for 4 for a dollar.
Gene spends that $550 on one dinner.
@@seagullpoet Gene is a partner in the band. Besides, that doesn't matter. VV was nothing without Kiss.
@@dwightrenfield2241 And when he left Kiss was still a lame band with crap material. They eventually had to go back to the makeup because without it they wouldn’t be anything other than what they were, has beens!
😂😂😂
I was there at the expo and met vinnie!
Not hard to believe at all. Gene and Paul are a couple of shady New Yorker businessmen and are notorious for being hustlers. They are cut from the same cloth as Sharon Osbourne in that regard. I’ve heard their side of the story about how he’d play those long solos etc and fuck things up for them. Him feeling cheated might’ve played a role in that.
LOL, the shady one is Vinnie. This guy sued Kiss 15 times. Lost every time. What's more, he had to pay Kiss $80k in damages. Didn't sign the contract and was shocked when they had fired him. In the musicians circle it's well known he's a crazy, narcissistic, controlling, impulsive, lying crook who screwed his fans. If you don't believe Paul and Gene, ask for example Bobby Rock, Mark Slaughter. Carmine Appice, New England members, promoter Derek Christopher, Goran Edman or people who paid for his album in 1997 and received nothing.
C'mon, "feeling cheated" has nothing to do with solos. He wanted to be a star. next Van Halen. Every solo was an opportunity for show off. That's the reason why his solos were so long.
I agree, but Sharon Osbourne did some of the most vicious things to creative people. Not giving Jake writing or publishing for Bark. The worst was overdubbing Bob and Lee’s parts. Absolutely disgusting.
Gene banging Eric girl and then claiming he didn’t know to Eric’s face…..wow.
@@emberdo I’m not defending Vinnie. Yes he is a scoundrel but Kiss are as well. He didn’t sign the contract cuz he would have gotten a shitty deal. I do believe that part of it. He’d joined the band on Creatures of the night the previous year in 82’ when they were at a career low point and because that album made no money upon its release and the tour was a disaster none of the members were really making much money. But when their fortunes improved the following year in 83’ they should have given him more. Again I know the guy is said to be a douche but I can believe his side of it here. Kiss aren’t exactly fair with how they’ve done things over the years.
Why are you bringing they're Jewish up? Er....
Paul's take on Vinnie VIncent's playing is accurate. "The problem is Vinnie had no sense of what to play and when. He had no ability to self edit. His playing was like puking. It just came splattering out. He wanted to show how fast he could play and how many notes he could play. He didn't think things out."
Vinnie Vincent was a terrible player which is why KISS treated him like shit.
I don't think they treated him like shit. Because VINNIE CALLED and asked them to come back for REVENGE.
Gene was the behind the scenes financial hammer of the band, merchandiser and etc profiteer. He's always looked out for him and Paul as they are the 2 original friends and remaining formula that is the essence of KISS. But 550 after taxes and no royalties definite ensures the financial empire of Gene and Paul to stay exactly where it was most coveted. But what father could expect another father to feed his children cat shit on a Ritz cracker while he feeds his own face with anything that he damn well wants to ???? A good man ?? Not saying he has to go halves on everything... not at all, but damnit, business is business and abuse by neglect is the topic of this conversation..... NOT BUSINESS. But be yee ever forewarned.... "live by the sword; die by the sword." Let the heads roll !!!
One thing you have to delve deep into is the fact that Vinnie absolutely saved Kiss from a timely demise with his song writing and talent.
Absolutely, They abused Vinnie, i had the Vinnie Vincent invasion cassette
I saw this tour at Maple leaf Garden Toronto 🤘
$550/w =28k/y
1983 average salary - 24500k/y
Vv was living ok but definitely not getting his fair share if there was money coming in. Maybe there was too much incompatibly but he should have gotten paid more if there were no pending problems.
28K/year was good money back then. He was a nobody. Kiss was failing when VV joined, and didn't do all that well throughout the 80s. VV got his "fair share."
It said "$550 a week after taxes."
Minimum in 1983 was $3.35 an hour, just under $7000 a year if you worked full-time.
Vinnies pre-tax pay was around $34,000 a year.
So he was offered more than 4 times minimum wage and I would believe he would also have been given a per diem while on the road.
Not a bad living for starting out .
People are short sighted. I'm sure there would have been increases over periods of time. Bruce Kulick doesn't complain about what he made with KISS.
It was an employment opportunity. You take it or find something else. The Vinny Vincent Invasion only got a deal because of his exposure with KISS, and they didn't last long.
@@malone6005
Unless they couldn't, they should have paid a rock star who wrote a significant amount of their successful cd after their not so successful cd a larger amount than 4x minimum wage. This isnt a normal everyday position, this is a creative engineering position that also requires performing almost flawlessly in front of 1000s + people on a regular basis. Minimum wage is not in the discussion.
Vinny could play. 💪🏻👍
That weekly salary was an insult. Sometimes your heros aren't.
He was taking home over 2k a month in 1983. How much were you earning then?
@@ajo3085 adjusted for inflation that’s 6k a month which isn’t horrible but not great.
Not that I'm buying that of figure of $550 a week for a moment, but I started work in 1982 and my take home pay was $105 a week. And the "I wasn't being paid royalties" line sounds fishy too. If he got paid by cheque every week he was in Kiss, proving his royalties were stolen from him should have been the easiest thing in the world to do, yet when he sued them he lost. Even when he wrote with them again for Revenge, he back flipped on a deal and tried to renegotiate. He track record speaks of a guy who is never satisfied.
@@chefgromano5025 It's not great, mainly because we all have this view that our rock star heroes are making millions, but assuming Chris Lendt is to be believed, Kiss were virtually broke during this period of the band anyway. I'd always had the idea that if you had a big album or two you were set, but I was really interested to listen to Eddie Trunk talking about how many of these 80's guys have to work normal jobs between doing their nostalgia tours simply because they never made the money most of us assumed they did. If this had been coming from Eric Carr or Bruce I might have been a bit more sympathetic and believing, but Vinnie's shady history makes him a fairly unreliable voice.
@@aflsteve9139 he lost all lawsuits and even had to pay Kiss 80k in damages. This guy is extremelly shady.
Do believe Vinny is NOT lying about the take home pay, $550. Why? A friend of mine played with a major group, went on a Major Tour. He was a hired hand. Played MSG and all he made was $300 for a 45 minute opening act. He told me, it looks good, playing Madison Square Garden, touring, etc. But when it comes down money, all you your to them is an employee!!! Also, unless your name is on the copyright, you're getting NOTHING!!! Gene and Paul CONTROL the band!!! END OF STORY!!!
Of course he’s not lying. Did you see his house that he vacated ?
Gene and Paul didn’t even give Eric Carr a fair shake. Read Eric Carr story.
Thanks for uploading this. As time marches on, Kiss are really coming off as being as underhanded as they claim Vinnie was. No doubt, Vinnie did some dishonest things in and out of Kiss, but really? The way they treated Eric Carr, Doc McGee (shadiest manager since the Colonel), li syncing and this Covid disaster. By now, you would think that they would have the people skills to treat people in their organization fairly. Who knows what will come out next. Paul and Gene probably pay people off to keep these type of stories off the radar. I have always enjoyed their music but their decisions are starting to get in the way.
How much was Vinnie making before 💋 Kiss - if he was a pro- he would have an attorney and CPA - never represent your self -- I bought his Ins instructional DVD he was never a great guitarist
What has Vinny done since becoming famous.- he should have had his own backing - they made him famous
He's griping about $41,000 yearly in 1983? Adjusting for inflation, that comes out to over $124,000 a year today. He couldn't live off of that?!
What a shame Paul and Gene couldn't pay Vinnie Moore he was a hell of a guitar player and a good songwriter 2000 even $3,000 a week would have been great money for the year 1983 some people say Vinny saves kiss I don't think he's saved them but I think he did help them out because if it wouldn't have been him it would have been another guitar player but he definitely deserve more than what they were paying him and he deserves royalties
Its more!
@@chrishertel2046 oh sorry schoolteacher my mistake didn't know I was in school and have to get everything exactly right with no mistakes
@@billycain9890 you are forgiven!
Those albums carried kiss through the 80s. Kiss was done by then, just a novelty band on a fan boys faded lunch box.
Gene was trying to be an actor. Paul was lost. Vinnie saved them.
Gene and Paul shorted their band mates to keep their layabout families living lavishly.
Imagine if Boyz are Gonna Rock was on a kiss album. Woulda Ben huge
It was, Gene rewrote it as "On the 8th Day"
Agree. Great prediction that never happened.
KISS is just Gene and Paul with Paul having the final say.
Well be did come back and wrote a bunch of songs for Kiss's heaviest album, Revenge. He wanted publishing for the songs he wrote and they refused.
He lost all (15 I believe) royalties lawsuits against Kiss. :P
@@emberdo yeah because they're Kiss. There are no good guys in this situation since Vinnie is still an ass but Gene and Paul are extremely greedy and have the money and the lawyers.
Eric was never given full membership either... he was under contract the entire time...
Man! I believe Vinny over Paul any day! I had a feeling that was what was going on with him
Kinda makes you wonder how much Gene and Paul are paying Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer. I hope when it's all said in done that Gene and Paul get what they deserve. 2 greedy,sorry individuals.
They gave Vinnie twice the minimum wage in 1982!
For a beginner. Early on, the members of KISS were salaried at less than $100 per week. Vinnie's self-victimization is unbearable (and tactical).
The thing about Vinnie is he is such a hypocrite. Every interview with him he whines about how bad Kiss treated him. Then when he formed Invasion he treated Mark Slaughter and Dana Strum the same friggin way.
Same can be said about Kiss. Vennie,Ace,and Peter have always said Gene and Paul treat their bandmates like shit. Even when Eric Carr was dieing the band were already auditioning new drummers. The dude hadnt even passed and they were disrespecting him like that. Gene and Paul come from the same sewer pipe,theyre both pieces of shit.
@@Markis5150 you got that right.
@@Markis5150 every other band Vinnie has played with or attempted to play with, said Vinnie was liar a nutcase or very unprofessional to work with.
@@Markis5150 That's just stupid - you don't end the company just because someone dies. Eric Carr did very well being in Kiss.
Who said they needed to quit? I'm saying they disrespected the hell out of him by already looking for a new drummer when he was sick. That type of treatment is bullshit,that guy was family to allot of fans and they treated him like shit. @@dwightrenfield2241
I saw KISS during the Creatures tour it was spectacular. I personally think Vinnie saved the band after KISS took a lot of shit for The Elder album. They treated Vinnie like garbage in my books.
Not true! They praised Vinnie, how many times?
He is brilliant, even a better musician than Ace Frehley! Etc.
Paul made an example about Vinnie selling a fan a guitar that was sold More than it's worth,. Sounds like Vinnie had to do what he had to do to make ends meet. Greed kills everything good
I always thought Vinnie in KISS make up / costume was, by far, the most evil of everyone !
Lick it Up is Kiss's best song.
The Kiss sweat shop.
To this day, I'd bet that Tommy and Eric S are referred to as 'hired guns' and aren't full members of the band.
Of course they aren't. They are employees. There's nothing wrong with that, and I'm sure they are making good money or they wouldn't still be there.
Sign the contract Vinnie, it had to be more that $550 a week.
He should have tried to have them to sign a contract which said if you use my songs I get the royalties or I contribute nothing creatively.
I just can’t believe anything Vinnie says
No, you certainly can't.
I still haven't received my TWO box sets that were promised before the end of 2018, and the end of 2019, and.... and... still waiting.
If HR had signed the contract he would have gotten more money. He was apparently afraid to lose his rights. That's why he lost more than ten lawsuits against KISS.
He lost all fourteen.
The irony is: a member of Vinnie's own band then refused to sign his contract! I don't believe, that Vinnie was "afraid". Paul described him as "sly".
The more I hear these stories, the more I sense that G&P basically screwed everyone else out of $$$ and made everyone a salaried employee. Paul was living in an apt pre 96 reunion, and both he and Gene used Ace and Peter to benefit themselves financially.
Uh... pretty sure Paul has had money for 45 plus years as of right now, 2021. It became clear that Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were the leaders of KISS since Destroyer. Paul living in a apartment? Maybe a high rise....
Paul may have owned an apartment and im sure it was decked out...but he also owned a home down the street from Gene.
Gene even banged Eric Carr’s girlfriend.
Gene laughed it off and said, “ that’s rock n roll. Sorry. “.
Kiss didn’t do well in the 80s. People think they were all rolling in cash but that’s just not the case.
@@dwightrenfield2241 They were for lick it up and asylum.....there were nothing from 79 to 81....82 saw glimmers of hope but fell flat even though Creatures is a great album....83 t0 86 was the Lick it Up, Animalize and Asylum run and it was very successful for them.....then it all went away starting around 87-88-ish and there were pretty much over until the 1996 reunion. So I'd say for half of the 80's they had a good run. Their career was 75-78...then nothing...then 83 to 86...then nothing...then 1996 and the rest is Kisstory haha.
Kiss was paying him better than Ozzy was paying his guitar players (up to Zakk anyway).
funny bruce never seemed to have a problem.
Same with Eric Carr. Even when Kiss were struggling and couldn't afford to buy him a Porsche.
Probably because Bruce was the most well adjusted guitarist KISS ever had.
Bruce was an apple polisher type personality.
He and Eric had to travel on another bus on the road.
so what...i'm sure they both made a nice living in kiss.....vinnie is just a flake.
@@jonlate4581 probably because he's always been a team player.
Rumor has it that Tommy and Vinnie are still being paid 550 a week while Gene and Paul say we started the band.
Aaaahhhhh greed... you gotta love it. He was a hired gun, not a permanent member, something he needs to accept and needs to go on with life and quit harping on the past. He fired Mark Slaughter and the band from the Vinnie Vincent Invasion and got dropped from the label like a bad habit. Then Mark and the band Slaughter turned around and got signed and wound up being more successful than Vinnie Vincent Invasion ever was. What happened there Vinnie? Not everybody else is responsible for your failures...
I saw Kiss on the Lick it Up tour in Austin. Helix / Vandenberg opened.
He got $500 a week, exposure to the industry and a potential future fan base. An established band will rarely, if ever cut in a new member on publishing/royalties.
It's incumbent on the hired gun to use that exposure and fan base to hustle his/her own band, like Zakk Wylde, Richard Patrick( Filter) and many more.
Damn right.
Intro music is too loud. But then again I’m getting old🤷🏼♂️
As much as Vinnie has screwed people over, I totally believe all of this.
Lick It Up was a good album too.
They should have tried for another one
Greg C,
DON'T believe a word that comes out of VV's mouth.
There's part of a podcast on UA-cam where Carmine Appice talks about him.
Carmine vehementliy stated that Vinnie Vincent is a selfish, lying piece of 💩 !
In '79 Carmine was in z band with him. They lost their record contract due to VV. Carmine continued his diatribe agsinst VV and said. " after all 4 band members agreed to a fair, four way split, he (Vinny) came back on the eve of the record being mixed and released, wanted 80% of royalties & residuals and permanent copyright. "
Carmine Appice expanded on the copyright issue. Appice said "if you agree to Copyright, you receive royalties whether your album sells one thousand, one hundred thousand OR 10 million copies like Led Zeppelin.
Every time your song is played on radio, TV, commercials and especially movies that are hits, you permanent receive these royalties."
NOTE - Carmine went into depth about the legal difference between royalties and Copyright. Appice asserted, ' you definitely want Copyright as you receive it for ever
E.g. Robert Plant & Jimmy Page received $US21 million for only the last decade for Stairway to Heaven alone as its played on US radio hundreds of thousands times per year.
Carmine was the one who warned Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Appice told them, ' whatever you do DON'T give Vinny Vincent legal Copyright and royalties. That turd destroyed our band and he will want KISS royalties for ever and claim Copyright on all future albums. "
NOTE - KISS were still working on Creatures of the Night when Appice warned them.
This is why Paul and Gene consulted lawyers and Howard Marks and put Vinny Cusano on a tight Employee only contract.
@@FrostedSeagull Sounds like some real greaseball sh!t. “It was among the Italians, there was nothing we could do.”
$550 back in 1984 was worth $1,501 at the time. While obviously low considering he was touring with KISS, he could have easily bought a house with that weekly salary back then.