George Sewitt was head of security for Kiss in late 70's, early 80's, he wasn't their road manager as he has claimed, and was unceremoniously fired by them. He took on Vinnie Vincent & later on he represented Ace Frehley & Peter Criss during their lean years in the 90's (Bad Boys Of Rock&Roll Tour '95). He caused major problems for both when they reunited with Kiss & was part of the reason Ace fell out with Gene & Paul again. He has been accused of ripping off multiple artists under his roster. And Vinnie's own band left him & took the new record deal as Slaughter, where they initially had far greater success than Invasion. Vinnie's own band were embarrassed by him & it's been documented Vinnie treated Mark Slaughter very poorly during his tenure. Ironically Slaughter are still around & they seem grateful for the few fans they have left. As you probably know Vinnie burned all his bridges in the industry & even ripped off his own few die-hard fans & supporters he has left by taking their money for pre-orders of merchandise & a box-set that has never been released. His recent appearance last weekend at the Creatures Fest 2022 (organized by an super-rich Kiss mega-fan, the only people who would still attempt to book Vinnie for performances) was bizarre & he could not find a group of musicians willing to be his supporting band. He played a ridiculous guitar solo for 40 minutes, and even when he appeared with the other ex-Kiss members later it was on his terms, playing to a backing tape & standing on a platform high above the rest. He has always been delusional & has become a joke amongst the general Kiss Army, but forgotten by the world at large. LA Guns have their own dysfunctionality with 2 versions of the group (Steve Riley & Kelly Nickels in one, Tracii Guns & Phil Lewis in another, Mick Cripps isn't involved with either) with constant mudslinging in the press. Not the most professional conduct. But I guess they are still going in some form. Interesting road story! Hope to hear more, good luck with the channel
He played a ridiculous guitar solo for 15 minutes not 40 minutes. The rest of it was letting Bruce and Ace carry War Machine Cold Gin and Deuce while Vinnie didn’t do much.
Love the story. Saw LA guns in 99 at Tampa ice palace ( now amalie) . Guns by far the best act. Brought my future wife and she had enough once poison came on. So we went for the exit with and we went the back way out to the loading dock where most of the construction traffic was when they put the place together. Ended up meeting most of the roadies and the band while we were on the way out. Finally got asked by security where our passes were, didn't have any. Said we could hang out for another minute or two but we were ready to leave anyway. ... Was a great memory my wife still wonders how I seem to know so many people .
I soon as I saw the title of this video I hit subscribe.... hadn't even watched the video yet!!!... hahahaha... I love this kinda stuff....keep these stories coming!!... cheers from Canada!!!
These really are great stories. Life on the road, as I used to glamorize when I was a kid, is so much different in reality apparently! Playing in a cover band with a guy who toured extensively, I always pick his brain. He said they used to watch Groundhog Day, every night on the bus, because they were living it! 😂 Anyway, great video, glad to see you stuck up for your band, that’s says a lot. Those old mag light flashlights were nasty! 😂😂 looking forward to many more tales of the road. Have a great Thanksgiving
Awesome man, I love to hear these kind of stories, as a kid of the 80's (13 to 23 during the 80's decade) it great to see behind the scenes...keep on keepin on...peace
As a member of a touring glam/hair band back in the late 80’s/early 90’s (Lazarus - Demon Doll Records) I can attest to the bickering between bands and being broke. Touring is a constant juggling act, especially for an unsigned band. The overhead (sound/lighting production, crew, fuel, room(s), etc.) eats up a considerable amount of money from show to show to where a band is almost stuck out on the road just to fulfill contractual obligations. As with the recording side of the business, everybody else is making more money than the artists in most cases. We starved out on the road but we never looked and sounded better! 😂😂😂
The very first time I ever experienced what it was like to really literally be hungry was after moving to a different state to play drums in a death metal band. Having to stretch a single pack of Party Pup hotdogs (the $1.10 skinny red ones that probably cause cancer lol) into an entire week's worth of meals (no bread, no buns, no condiments) was a real eye opener. Add to a lack of any notable nutrition the long hours of rehearsal, and I guarantee you the pounds drop off. But like you said in your comment, I never looked better 😂🤘
Ronnie, it’s Jimmy McCormick. Last time I saw you we went to see Enuff Z’Nuff with Rick Schoble up in Akron. I miss those old days of playing at JB’s, Seclusions and RJ’s. Playing gigs in Cleveland in the Flats, and the Odeon, the Agora and Geneva etc… you guys were top dogs back in the day. Lazarus, Raggedy Ann & Noisy Mamma. I really miss those days . It’s great to see you are doing good. I hope you are still playing guitar.
@@careful...Icarus Dude, they primarily release ‘has been’ bands and they only exist so people can access music from lesser known hair metal bands like my former band. They aren’t in business to support any up-and-coming bands. They just put it out there.
I just finished with your latest, tour manager. Video. Man, that is great insight to being on the road, sounds very similar to throwing a back yard keg party, when you have to kick everybody out, except the people you want there. As far as the after party. But, stuff i never thought about being on the road. No sleep would be the toughest part. Peace from Stillwater, Oklahoma
Going down the Before I Forget rabbit hole...Great stories. Vv is truly the most self destructive person in the industry, which speaks VOLUMES!...AND I saw L.A. Guns at the Waters Club in San Pedro (I think in '88) (opening band was unsigned band named Warrant 😲) Other than U, me, and they guys in the bands, we were the only males in that building. All I remember were females EVERYWHERE!!! Killer fucking night!!! -J.s.
@Before I Forget I met up with Warrant (with Robert) years ago and I told em about that night, that I'd never been around that much p***y under 1 roof before, or since. Jerry Dixon said I needed to lay off the caffeine 🤣🤣🤣 Bur seriously, it was the raddest show I've even been too. Amazing energy!!!!...most of my rocknroll life is West Coast based. 🤘🦇🕷 -J.s.
Great detail Mike. Bobby Rock (VVI's drummer) has his take on this story in his book The Boy is Gonna Rock. He puts both sides pretty reasonably, and lays it out in the context of all of the tension within the VVI band, who had basically already split and were fulfilling tour commitments without communicating with each other. Vinnie & Sewitt were doing similar underhand tricks on his own band
Just started watching your stuff and I love it !! You need a movie and get the guys on it and y’all can tell the whole sex drugs and rock n roll life !!
Mark and Dana are really cool guys. This had to all be Vinny. How did you survive the 40 minute guitar solo Vinny did every night. That had to be brutal.
.......then when the 2 bands parted paths..........................l.a.guns couldnt get along with l.a. guns........................ and v.v.i. couldnt get along with v.v.i.
Oh god I couldn’t even imagine how pissed Kelly would’ve been in that moment, especially after everything else, that guy was a jerk! Great story, thanks for posting!
Hey, this is a great idea for a channel. I've not heard that kind of story before and it just adds more flavor to what was going on back then that only an Insider could tell. Just subbed.
It hard to believe that these guys opened for ACDC and there no money! Would ve great fo hear soem atories abiut that. Things were different in those days im sure
Yep! Very different. The money went out faster than it came in. AC/DC didn’t need LAG. LAG needed AC/DC! So they were laid accordingly . Thanks for watching 🙏
Please share as much as you can, we in the industry can always learn! I'm into good (strange load in) scenarios. Hard to load in areas and how you made it happen!? Thank you bro!!
I wonder if the next show was supposed to be in green bay. My friends and I had tickets. We got the the venue ( Riverside ballroom) . There was a sign on the door saying the show was canceled. No explanation. I heard later that the VVI band was in town. Staying at the holiday in. But no LA Guns. I've always wondered what happened? Now I know. Thanks for sharing your story. 😊
My Band Tuff Luck was on the Card for a show it was scheduled for Taylorville Il at Nashville North, we were supposed to be the opening band and Vinny's Band left no room for LA Guns let alone an opening Band. I thought the 2 Bands were going to get into that Night. We had talked to the members from LA Guns they were cool Vinny was a Complete D Bag all he had to do was move their Equipment back a foot and we would of made it work.
It takes somebody special to make Gene Simmons look humble and down to earth. Vinnie Vincent accomplishes just that. When Vinnie announced in the mid-nineties that he was going to release a box set of unreleased material, there were plenty of takers. Vinnie took their money and ran. That Box set never came out. Now, when Gene Simmons released a box set called "The Vault" he actually came by and delivered the thing himself. Because he always acknowledged that if it hadn't been for the fans, he never would have gotten where he is now. Yeah, Gene Simmons DOES have an ego, but he's not hypocritical about it, in fact he can laugh about. "Damn right I'm an egomaniac and be honest aren't I the biggest egomaniac you ever saw?" How can you not love an attitude like that?
@@thefonzkiss So those clips on RU-vid from all over the world where Gene showed up with the Vault to some random guy's home are faked? Got any proof of that?
Sub. I love these stories. I’ve read all kinds of musician books. Bobby Rock (his version of this story), Sammy Hagar, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ronnie James Dio, both books out on Van Halen, Ted Templeman, Bernie Marsden, Steve Lukather, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Paul Stanley, etc, etc. When’s your book coming out? I’ll definitely buy it. 🤙🏼
Is this Corky Gunn from the band Sweet Pain? They put out one album on Combat records I believe. I'll have to look . I still have the album. That guy was the road manager for L.A Guns. A NY city DJ. Worked for Combat Records. They wanted a Glam band on the roster and talked him into singing. Kelly Nickels , LA Guns fame, was in this band. Actually L.A. Guns used a song of Sweet Pains on their first self titled album. Corky Gunn had a good raspy voice. They had the connections. But the label didn't promote and push this band like they should have. I'm pretty sure this is the guy . It all adds up. If you are Corky talk about your band. If not, my mistake and I like your content . Cheers.
Great story my man. Vinnie was is a one of a kind pick and treats everyone badly. LA Guns is still still one of my favorites and still deliver a great show. I don't know how you guys held it together for four days without giving Vinnie a proper beating to put him in his place! Great one man, keep the stories coming. Stay well brother.
This is PURE GOLD! I've always heard Vinnie's ego was on another level. Having another talented guitarist, in Tracii playing on the same stage, must have been more than he could bear LOL. As Gene would say "Being one myself and a self-certified A$$hole, when I tell you VV is an A$$hole, trust me - he's an A$$hole, very talented but impossible to work with".
Vinnie Vincent is like one of the worse personalities in show business back then and nowadays didn’t changed so much , honestly I used to like his work from the past but after all these sick tales from a lot of people in show business I can’t have any sympathy for him as an artist or person! Hey dude, I love your channel!
This was a funny story. I may have met you back in '88, but wouldn't expect you to remember. A buddy of mine was friendly with Tracii and was bringing him some bootleg concert videos on VHS for him to watch. This was in Council Bluffs, Iowa at a club called Fat Jaks. He and I came on the bus for a few minutes (we were both 17 and pretty pumped to be on a tour bus). I don't remember much other than that some of the guys were playing cards, which I thought was funny because I expected Led Zep levels of debauchery. Were you the TM at that time?
That's so crumby! Screwing with your stage show is so rude and disrespectful. ! It's crazy that Vinnie's crew were trying to haze LA Guns. They were blowing up in '88. I was in 10-years old, and had their cassette, and they were in all the rock magazines. I'm sure 75% of the audience were LA Guns fans!
Thoroughly enjoyed this. I was close to LA Guns and several others and actually lived across the street from Franklin Plaza for years. You mentioned your IG page ... could you please put a link for it? I can't seem to find it. Thank you!
I remember going to the Norfolk,Va show and learning that LA Guns were not on the tour. I was so disappointed but heard what happen from the opening band’s drummer. Vinnie has serious issues. Sad since he’s pretty talented in his own way.
I have an unusual one. Went to see jackal at a club in hollywood. And who was there with like 5 chicks around him? Rick fn James. Unreal. I didn’t talk to him. But about 2 weeks later I found he died. I wish I would spoke to him.
Funny after all these years LA Guns are still touring and creating great music Checkered Past is as good as anything LA Guns did in the early days and Vinnie is a broken man a broke man I assume he is still a man 🤣
Do NOT go thru a publisher for your book. Do it yourself, as I have done. It's waaaay better and you'll make 10x the money easily. If you don't believe in yourself and your own project/audience, no one else will. There are many other reasons. Just do it...
Just let me know something: how many years ago did it happen? Everybody knows how difficult was to deal with VV at that point, but what´s the meaning of your post after 34 YEARS?
