Former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent has given his first public interview in 20 years.
He appeared over the weekend at Atlanta’s Kiss Expo and was later interviewed by Sirius XM’s Eddie Trunk, where he described the last two decades as “hell.”
He reports he was persuaded to appear at the expo thanks to promoter Derek Christopher and says (via Blabbermouth): “My life became small. I wanted to become as small as I could be. I became very happy, very content.
“All I do is I play, I write, I record, I take care of my dogs. I have a really private, peaceful life now, and I haven’t had that in a long time.
“A lot of fans know a lot of things, but they also don’t know a lot of things.”
Vincent was fired from Kiss following 1984’s Lick It Up tour, with the guitarist subsequently filing lawsuits against his former bandmates for alleged unpaid songwriting royalties.
He says: “I spent 20 years in hell. The broad strokes could have been not so broad. They could have quickly and amicably eliminated 20 years of pain.
“I would say pertaining to Kiss, these are my friends. These are guys I love. I love them to this day. I’ve got tremendous memories that are wonderful. Most of them are.”
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He continues: “Not always can you have a band and have a certain… I hate this word ‘magic,’ but it is a magic.
“It’s something you can’t put into words. The Beatles had that. The Who have it. Zeppelin had it. I always looked for that, and I never found it until I met them.”
Vincent reveals he’s talking to publishers regarding a book about his life, and adds: “When it’s ready to be told, you don’t want to miss it.
“It’s a hell of a book. You wouldn’t want to miss it. I read Kitty Kelley’s unauthorised biography of Frank Sinatra, and I’m not a reader, but I couldn’t put that book down. This will top that book.”
Vincent also reports that his appearance in Atlanta might not be his last and a live comeback could be on the cards, saying: “This is what I do. I’ve not stopped doing this. Publicly, if the fans want me back, I can’t wait. This is what I’ve been waiting for anyway.”
Vincent was invited to appear in Nashville in April with Kiss star Gene Simmons in support of the bassist’s The Vault. Asked whether he’ll be there, the guitarist answers: “Absolutely. I will show up for him.”
Watch footage of Vincent’s appearance at the expo below.
