Gene Simmons states Vinnie Vincent will not be joining KISS on stage during ‘End of the Road World Tour’

Gene Simmons states Vinnie Vincent will not be joining KISS on stage during ‘End of the Road World Tour’

KISS co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were recently interviewed by Guitar World and were each asked about the possibility of former members Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Bruce Kulick and Vinnie Vincent joining KISS on stage during the band’s End of the Road World Tour.

In regard to Frehley and Criss, Simmons indicated: “Well, let me address that. You know, in life, mother nature is nonjudgmental. Whether you’re a baby and have never experienced life or whether you’re old and grey and have gone through the trials and tribulations, both of you, when you put your hand into the fire, get burned equally. So life doesn’t give you three chances. You get one chance. But Ace and Peter have gotten three chances. They were in and out of the band — fired — three times. For drugs, alcohol, bad behavior, being unprofessional… all the clichés are clichés. Even suicide is overrated. It’s been done many times. So the only reason Ace and Peter were let go the first time, and then the second time and then the third time, is that they weren’t carrying their load. You can’t be in a car with two flat tires. It’s not going to go anywhere. It’s your responsibility to change the fucking tires so that the whole car doesn’t stop. It’s nothing personal. Because remember — being in a band is a gift. You hardly work. Physically, anyway. So the short answer to your question is we’d love to have Ace and Peter join us here and there. And if they don’t, it’s not going to be because of us. But they’re never going to be in Kiss again.”

Simmons continued: “Three times is the charm. “I promise I’ll pull out” doesn’t work. It’s the boy who cried wolf : “Oh, I’ve been straight for a million years.” Terrific! Have a good life! Would we welcome Ace or Peter to jump up onstage for a song or two? Of course. Could we depend on either Ace or Peter to do a full set night after night? Not on your fucking life.”

With respect to Vincent, Simmons opined: “Listen, there’s personal and there’s business. It’s worth stating that Vinnie has sued the band and lost 14 times. I’m not here to cast any aspersions. He’s a talented guy. That’s why he was in the band. But would I depend on him to get up onstage and do anything? Never.” When asked about Vincent joining KISS on stage to play a song such as “Lick It Up”, Simmons reiterated: “No. Never. Never happen. No. How many times do you want to get sued before you say that’s enough?” Simmons added: “Can he come to the shows? Of course! Anybody can. But onstage? Never.”

As far as Kulick goes, Simmons stated: “We love Bruce. Bruce and Ace were on the Kiss Kruise and they both came up and jammed a few songs with us and all that stuff. And Bruce never did anything wrong. He was always professional and showed up on time. But, you know, times changed and we decided to do what was right for the band [Kulick’s tenure in Kiss ended when the band reunited with Frehley and Criss in the mid Nineties]. So I can never say anything bad about Bruce. Total professional. Great guitar player. Just a real stand-up guy. I would call him a friend.”

Stanley provided a different response than Simmons when asked if Frehley and Criss might join KISS on stage during the band’s final tour as he advised: “It’s really not up to me. But I’ll say that this is a celebration of this band and its accomplishments and its history. So anybody who was short-sighted enough to think this should be a reunion is missing the point. That being said, I would love to see everybody at one point or another be onstage. And if that doesn’t happen, it’s their choice, not mine.”

In terms of whether “everybody” includes Kulick and Vincent, Stanley indicated: “Well, Bruce’s band played on the Kiss Kruise [the band’s festival at sea], and they were phenomenal. I was listening to some of the Eighties and Nineties Kiss songs that he did live and frankly it made me very proud. He did a terrific job. So Bruce is somebody who shouldn’t be overlooked or underestimated as far as his role in this band. Now Vinnie, that’s one exception, and for so many reasons. I would say that’s not someone who I want to celebrate.”

You can read the rest of the interviews with Simmons and Stanley at Guitar World‘s website.