The Truth about VINNIE VINCENT (& the KISS Expos)
AJ
the excellent www.kissnews.de homepage and who was the promoter of the
European Expo Tour 1996 with Vinnie Vincent. Read about his crazy
adventures with a sick personality...
The Truth about VINNIE VINCENT (& the KISS Expos)
After all the mess with the Expos I felt I had to tell everyone, what
has really happened. Vinnie Vincent did the first two Expos in
Stockholm, afterwards the Promoters from those shows drove him in a van
to Malmö, where he arrived about one hour late. The Promoters told me,
that it was just impossible to get him to the show in time, because he
was too late. Besides the one hour delay everything went fine.
The next day we had to get up early to get to Oslo in time. We planned
to leave at 5 a.m. in the morning. Vinnie Vincent was supposed to drive
with some dealers and the cover-band in a big bus, like Peter Criss did
in 1994. The only difference was, that there were less people on the
bus this time, but more luggage, so we took out the last 17 seats at
the back of the bus. Anyway, the first surprise was, that someone put a
restaurant-bill (around US $ 150,-) on my hotel-bill. It took a while
until I found out, that it was Vinnie Vincent, who had dinner the day
before, who put it under my room instead of his. The bigger problem was
getting Mr. Cusano on the bus in time. He had several wake-up calls,
and a couple of people went up to his room to help him... but it still
took him more than an hour to get on the bus. We left about 2 hours
late, and we had to delay the show in Oslo for one hour, because we
arrived in Oslo at the venue at 16.00, only one hour before scheduled
opening time. We drove directly to the venue, Vinnie got driven to the
hotel, later l've been told that he changed the hotel for whatever
reason to the Radison hotel (very expensive first class hotel). Instead
of getting to the venue right after checking in at the hotel Mr. Cusano
had several "important" things to do first, I think he went to a
restaurant first, had a shower or whatever, in fact he should have been
on stage at 19.00 (that was already the delayed scheduel). He finally
arrived at 21.00.
The local person, who took care of Vinnie that day told me he had lots
of Problems with him all the time (delays, he did not want to play with
the cover-band etc.). I gave him one of my helpers to do his table at
that day, which was also not in the contract. His wife was with him at
all times on the whole tour, and also got paid for the flight, hotel,
travel and food, but she has never been behind his table.
At the sign-session I saw (and this is NOT a joke!) 2 people searching
the people for guns and knifes, who were queuing up for the
sign-session. Besides that he had another 2 people at his table, 3
people besides his table and I think another 2 people behind his table
for security. I was also Standing beside his table for some time, he
told me several times to make sure that nobody comes up to him from the
side... there were 2 other people and also a barricade besides myself.
A person, who wanted to get a photo with him wanted to put his arm
around him to pose for a picture. He immediately refused to get touched
at all. In his own words..."...no, no, don't touch me; stand like this
(shows him how he should stand), don't touch me...". The show should
have been over at 23.00, in fact the band did not even go on stage
before about 24.30. The show was over at about 02.00 a.m.!!! .
After the show Vinnie asked for the rest of the tour for a person from
Stockholm (one of the Promoters of the Stockholm-Expos) to do his table
for the rest of the tour, and (again, this is NOT a joke!) a
professional security-person. The next day he did not want to get up
early, so I already delayed the departure for 2 hours. Even though he
was still an hour late after we picked him up from his hotel. The bill
for his food topped again the lim it of US S 50,- (which was the limit
he agreed on and was in the contract) by far.
We arrived very late in Gothenburg, the entrance was delayed for half
an hour. We went directly to the venue because of the delay, so someone
drove Vinnie to his hotel. Later I found out, that he again checked in
at the Radison hotel, because he did not like the hotel we all stayed
in. He arrived as usual more than an hour late because he disappeared
for a while. He complained about still having jet-leg (after being more
than a week in Europe) and being tired because he gets no sleep. I told
him, that he will be able to go to bed and sleep, if he is on time and
if we can end the show in time, and not being late for 2 hours every
day and have no sleep.
In Gothenburg he had a local professional security person, who was a
friend of one of the dealers. He again did not want to play with the
cover-band, but he finally did after he got told, that he had to
because its in the contract and it is advertised, and people expect it.
The next day we had to catch a ferry to Denmarkat 07.15 in the morning,
we had to be there at 06.45. I already had the feeling of having delays
in the morning, so I told everyone to leave at 05.00 am. Just after
05.00 a.m. I got a call from Vinnie from his hotel, he tells me, that
he is sick, and he does not want to go on the bus and ferry for that
long trip to Holland. So besides giving him some more money for food in
cash to his Swedish helper, who stayed with everybody else at the same
hotel, he also wanted 3 plane-tickets for himself and his wife, and his
helper. Plane-tickets are usually pretty cheap from Gothenburg to
Holland, it was 2 days in advance and KLM is based in Amsterdam, so I
was expecting a ticket to be about US $ 2-300,-. I also gave him my
credit-card info in good faith for him to buy the plane-tickets, and
now things are really starting to get crazy...
He was also supposed to FAX me the flight-info to the hotel in
Rotterdam. When we arrived in Rotterdam late at night, there was no FAX
or other information from Vinnie. The next day in the morning: still no
info. The dealers were already setting up their tables (at 10.00 a.m.),
and I still haven't heard from Vinnie Vincent! I was at almost all the
time at the venue to take care of the show. At 11.00 a.m. I was just by
accident at the lobby at the hotel for a minute when Vinnie called me.
He told me, that he can't buy the tickets with the credit-card info
alone. The plane was going at 11.45 a.m. He was supposed to be on stage
at 17.00, so he could have made it with that plane. The next plane was
not arriving before 18.45 in Amsterdam, and it was another hour drive
from Amsterdam to Rotterdam. He said he did not have that much cash on
him to buy the tickets although I know he made enough money on the
table at the Expos...
I found out, that the tickets he wanted to buy would have cost US $
2.000,- (in words: two thousend), because he waited until the last
minute, and did not book the tickets in advance. He told me, that I had
to buy him those tickets or he will not show up and go back to the US.
I also have to say, that the Rotterdam-show was the biggest and the
best one on the tour with about 550 people showing up, and I just could
not disappoint all those people...
Of course it was too late to get the tickets for the 11.45 flight. I
had to go to the airport to buy the tickets, where I found some cheaper
tickets (about $ 700,-cheaper, but still very expensive). He obviously
just wanted to book the next best tickets, which were very expensive.
Anyway, so I bought him those tickets, and there were 2 people with 2
cars who picked him & his wife up from the airport, so that he did not
have to go by train to Rotterdam. He afterwards complained about the
"car in the size of a breadbox". He had 2 cars to choose, which were in
at least the size of his private car.
Instead of driving directly to the venue he told the driver to drive
him to the hotel. He showed up unbelievably 4 (in words: four) hours
late, at 21.00. The show had to end at 22.45. The band went on stage
right after the question & answer-session, where Vinnie joined for 3
songs at the end. He refused doing the sign-session at the same time
the band is playing. He first refused to sign autographs, I had a long
discussion with him until he finally agreed to sign autographs for the
people in the basement, after he got 10 (in words: ten!) security
people. He was in the basement behind a cashier-box behind the door
with him looking out of a little window. He looked like a prisoner
looking out of his room in jail. 2 people were with him behind the
door, another 3 or so in front of the door, another one or 2 at the
door where people left, and another 2 or 3 at the other side where
people were coming from. Only one person at a time was let through to
get his autograph. He refused posing for pictures.
He was demanding a professional security person to travel with him at
all times now, and also staying at the same hotels with him. Not
enough, he also wanted a van from a professional company (like Avis) to
drive him by a professional driver. Of course none of this was in the
contract which he signed. He did not want to go on the bus again for
whatever reason, I think it was in his believe unsafe, overloaded, not
enough space or whatever... The bus was hired from a professional
company with a professional driver, who of course would have not driven
the bus if it was unsafe or dangerously overloaded at any time. Anyhow,
since it was Easter holiday, and all companies were closed for a couple
of days, he agreed on going with a van to the next show in Castrop
Rauxel (3 hour drive).
We left the next day early in the morning, he was supposed to leave at
about 9 a.m. After we arrived at our hotel in Castrop Rauxel at about
11 a.m. there was already a message, that someone should call him at
his hotel in Holland. He did not like the van nor the other car he got
offered to travel in. Anyhow, after an endless discussion he finally
agreed on traveling in the car. The car was driven by a Dutch person,
who couldn't find the hotel in the small city immediately, so it took
him 5 hours instead of 3 hours to get to the hotel in Castrop Rauxel.
He surprisingly did not change the hotel, but came much too late to the
show as usual, I think about 2 hours late. He also invited some other
people for lunch at my expenses. He told the person "to show me the
bill, and I should pay for it". He played only 2 songs with the
cover-band, the sign-session even topped the one in Rotterdam on
curiosity. He did the sign-session in a big room, his table was at the
end of the room, about 8 security people again at every possible place.
Only one person at a time was let in to get his autograph, who first
had to walk through another room to finally get to his table. He
refused to pose for photos or to get video-taped, although according to
his contract he had to pose for pictures and let people video-tape.
At the hotel we had a discussion about all the problems, he handed me a
letter and a list of things that he wanted to get arranged, or he would
leave to the US. The main discussion was "a professional
security person", which was not just not in the contract, it was also
impossible and illegal to get one. He wanted to have a Swedish
professional security person to get flown in. To have a Swedish person
work in several different countries is illegal, if he doesn't have a
working permission in those countries. I've been told he said to
someone: "...what if I get out at a tank-station and the guy doesn't
like the way I look and shoots me..." In the letter it also said, that
if he doesn't get all those things within' 3 days, he will leave to the
US and send out explanations to the fanclubs and the press, why he had
left the tour.
He also should have been Special Guest on a KISS Expo in Wolverhampton,
England on April 21, the promoter there was responsible to take care of
Vinnie Vincent for a couple of days. After Vinnie told me already in
Gothenburg, that he will also demand the same things for that show
(Swedish helper, security person to be flown in from Barcelona,
professional van with a professional driver, the best hotel in town)
and also change the airline to British Airways (he was booked on a
lesser known airline, which he thought he would crash with). After he
still did not let the promoter know his demands until then, I gave the
Promoter a call and told him about it.
Vinnie still refused to go on the bus, but a fan who had hired a
Mercedes drove him to Berlin. He did not complain about the Mercedes.
In Berlin he checked in at the Radison hotel without even looking at
the hotel where everybody including him were supposed to stay with the
usual delay. The show in Berlin was done with some delays due to Vinnie
Vincent again.
Since he was always showing up hours too late he was missing sales at
his table, he did not make much money at his table, and hardly anyone
bought his "new" CD 4-track EP, which he was selling for $ 25,-. He
only wanted to sign for the people who bought his CD, which would have
been a sign-session for 2 people in Berlin (2 people bought his CD in
Berlin as far as I know). After some discussion, he finally did sign
for everybody queuing up, in the same way as in Rotterdam, behind a
door with a little "window" open with lots of security people.
I later found out, that he was using my credit-card without my
knowledge to pay for his hotel and food bills. I hired a car from Avis
for him to go to Hamburg. In Hamburg I got sick due to constant stress
and 2 weeks of no sleep at all due to all those problems (and I am
mentioning only the bigger problems we had...). He complained about the
car being too small. It was a bigger than average car, anyway I got him
a bigger one in which he should have gone to Hanau. Should have...
After the doctor advised me to go to the hospital, I went home by train
over night and Rikk (manager of the cover-band) took care of business
in the meantime. We had to cancel MTV, because nobody was sure what is
going to happen next or if the show was going to happen at all. When he
was doing press, instead of being happy to get promotion, he was
complaining about "work" or being busy. At the Expos he constantly
wanted to have his new 4-track EP played over and over and over again
and again... We all got sick of it...
He also "did not care about the fans at all" (in his own words!) at any
time, he never wanted to sign anything or pose for pictures, he was
only concerned about selling his CD's or getting money out of someone
somehow. Hamburg was a complete desaster again, he did not show up
before 22.00 (4 hours late!), he did play with the cover-band, but the
sign-session I've been told was the biggest joke on the whole tour. He
did the sign-session upstairs in the main room (holds 1.000 people,
bigger than the other room where the Expo was held), so people had to
go upstairs, queue up, then they were let in one at a time, had to walk
all the way through the main room to the other side, through body
guards and security people where Mr. Cusano was willing to sign one
autograph (no photos!), and if someone came who bought his CD, he gave
3 autographs. If someone did not have his CD he got told he should buy
one.
One big fan, who went to 3 Expos, the one in Castrop Rauxel and Berlin
before, and now also to Hamburg, was already disappointed, that he did
never get a photo with Vinnie, did also queue up in Hamburg for an
autograph. I've been told, that Vinnie recognized him from the day
before and told him, that he won't give him another autograph, because
he already got one the day before, and that he had to buy something
from his table first to get another autograph !!
At one time someone came with something in his pockets to his table
where he was signing; Vinnie thought he had a bomb or something in his
pockets and went 5 Steps back until he realized that it was not a bomb
or something...! At one point another fan came with a cigarette, Vinnie
took some steps back telling the guy "...take away the cigarette, take
away the cigarette, the smoke is killing me...". The next day in
Hamburg (second show) basically the same procedure, but this time
Vinnie did not play with the cover-band at all.
He had 3 options to get to the next Expo to Hanau: either go on the bus
with everybody early in the morning with about 10 other people in a
half empty 50 seater-bus (he refused, the bus was "too dangerous" for
him). Another option he had, was going to Hanau already the day before,
which was a day off, in a new hired bigger car. He refused, because he
was "too tired". The last option he had, was going in the car the day
of the show with 2 other people (and his wife of course with him also
as on the whole tour). He was supposed to leave at 9 a.m. It was a 6
hour drive. He was supposed to be on stage at 18.00. I went home.
When I arrived at home I found a FAX-message from Vinnie, that I
"should get someone to pay for his hotel-bill". At that time he had
already tried to use my credit-card information to pay for the
hotel-bill, which the hotel refused without my permission and
signature. Afterwards I found out, that he has done this also in Berlin
before, where it worked. I called the hotel, and they said the bill is
(and I have the receipts to prove it!)... $ 1.700,- (in words:
onethousendandsevenhundret) (which was DM 2.500,-). I asked the hotel
to fax me a list of the bills, so they faxed me a 7-page list of bills
including bills he had signed with my name !(??). I clearly told him,
that I won't take care of the complete bill, because it includes
numerous phone-calls to the States, he also sent a lot of CD's home by
DHL (he brought 11 boxes/ suitecases of stuff to Europe!), which he has
put on the hotel-bill, which I should have paid for, as well as $ 100,-
food bills from the most expensive restaurant I have ever heard of
etc.. He faxed me, that I should pay the bill, and that it is all hotel
and food money.
Since it was then already after 14.00, he faxed me that I had to pay
for another day at the hotel, since the checkout-time was already over.
Rikk and another person, who should have driven Vinnie to Hanau, had to
leave at 17.00, because they had to go to the Expo. After 8 hours of
trying to get Vinnie leave the hotel, they finally could not find him
anywhere at the hotel, Vinnie has not left any messages, and after
hours of waiting, they finally had to leave at 17.00 without Vinnie.
They left a message for Vinnie, where he can reach them etc..
Vinnie also refused to drive with Rikk and Alex Eckert, a German fan,
who wanted to buy one of his guitars from the KISS-days. After Alex had
already paid him $ 1.400,- in advance, he found out, that the guitar is
a 1986/ 87 model (one that he has seen as a second hand guitar in a
guitar-shop for $ 300,-) and not from 1983 (those models are very rare
and expensive!). Vinnie refused to drive with Alex in the same car
because he is "too unexperienced"!!!??? Alex is a local person from
Germany, who is driving for years, which he has refused to drive with
because of being too unexperienced for that, but he finally agreed on a
Swiss person to drive with him, which he has never heard or seen
before.
At that time he had already cancelled his appearance in Wolverhampton,
because the promoter of course did not agree with his demands. He got
already paid for that apprearance in advance at the Expo in Atlanta in
March. Vinnie never gave him the money back nor has the promoter heard
anything from him of my knowledge. Since he cancelled that appearance
he wanted me to take care of all his expenses during that time where he
should have been in England.
Vinnie never appeared in Hanau, he left to the US after faxing me his
"resignment" for the tour, which he was also not allowed to according
to the contract he signed. He literally broke EVERY point in the
contract (except one I think) at least once. He got paid in advance for
his appearances, he did know what to expect, and after he saw he did
not sell as many of his CD's as he had expected, he just left back to
the States. He never paid back the money to me or the other
promoter(s). He also took the "KISS-guitar" with him without any
message for Alex. I've been told, that he always said, that it was a
KISS-guitar after it was already obvious, that it wasn't (different
colour, different neck, different switches at different places etc.).
He was supposed to give it to Alex.
With all the money he got in advance he printed up all his CD's and
Merchandise, which he brought. The "new" CD sounded like just some very
poor bootleg-outtakes from the first Invasion-album, it looks like he
has made his own bootleg-CD from his outtakes he found somewhere from
his old band. I wonder, if all the Ex-members know about it. I've also
heard, that in his new CD there is a Merchandise form, where you can
join his "fanclub" (which I doubt does exist at all) and order
bootleg-CD's like studio-outtakes from the recordings of "Lick it up".
If someone ever joins his "fanclub" or sends in money for any kind of
Merchandise, don't be surprised if you never get anything in return,
you have been warned. I can only advise people not to buy his CD or to
order anything from him, they might not get anything in return, and
this is the main reason why I am making this public! I do not want to
see this person ripping off more people.
He fucked up twice with KlSS, with the Invasion and also his manager
had to quit working with him because he couldn't handle him anymore. It
has been more than one month since Vinnie left back to the US and I
have not heard a word from him ever since nor did he send me or anybody
else any money back.
This Information is being sent out to the media and the press and all
people involved in the KISS and music-business.
Gerhard Wimmer/May 1996
Two restaurant bills. The left one is signed as "Wimmer", faked by
Vinnie himself and paid with Gerhard Wimmer's credit card. The right
one is signed with his real name:
Reactions from the press:
KISS-Expo: Realsatiric Fun with "Superstar" Vinnie Vincent
It could have been a great evening, if not the "star" of the evening
was playing important (...) Vinnie Vincent came unbelievably 2 and a
half hours late (...) The "wanna-be-rockstar" did his sign-session
upstairs in the Art Stage where the fans were let in one by one. More
than one person would have caused some more Paranoia to the poor guy,
that's why also he did not take any photos with people (...) When he
was playing with the cover-band the paranoia-rocker had the body-guards
queuing up behind him on stage (...) Where are my bodyguards?...
(description to a picture of Vinnie playing with the cover-band)
QUOTES:
I did like the Expo itself. Vinnie Vincent thought he was he big star
attracting a lot of people, but he wasn't
(Michael Mißbach, Spektrum)
Who was that guy on stage?? (2 people at the bar)
Let's make a photo without Vinnie (People after queuing up for 3 hours
for "Santa Claus")
taken from: Ruhr Nachrichten, 11.4.1996 (daily newspaper)
Reaction from fans:
l'd like to say something about the KISS-Expo '96. I've been in
Dortmund in '94 (great!) and Oberhausen '95 (brilliantl), but I have
never seen anything like Hamburg '96! (....) Mr. Vincent did not come
before 22.00, and was only answering questions from the Guest Host
which he knew, and it seemed that he also knew the questions he was
going to be asked. You could at least expect him to be roughly on time
(...) Photo-session? Rather not... (....) Only one person was allowed
to "King" Vincent, and only WITHOUT camera, and only if you bought his
CD you got 3 autographes, otherwise just one??? I'm sorry, but it seems
that he's just looking to make some quick money in a rather rude way.
(...)
Good bye Vinnie, go ahead and kill yourself!!!
(H. Welzel, jr., Germany)