Decibel Geek Podcast

Rik Fox is a pioneer, artist, and has a unique perspective as an inside source of the rise of the American hard rock and heavy metal era of the 70s, 80s, and beyond. Rik witnessed the ascension of KISS, The New York Dolls, WASP, Motley Crue, among others. Never one to mince words, Rik is engaging, funny, and quick-witted. And with so many great stories, Decibel Geek delivers another memorable two-part interview. Without further ado, enjoy Rik Fox.

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Rik Fox is a pioneer, artist, and has a unique perspective as an inside source of the rise of the American hard rock and heavy metal era of the 70s, 80s, and beyond. Rik witnessed the ascension of KISS, The New York Dolls, WASP, Motley Crue, among others. Never one to mince words, Rik is engaging, funny, and quick-witted. And with so many great stories, Decibel Geek delivers another memorable two-part interview. Without further ado, enjoy Rik Fox.

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This segment of the show has more guests, more stories, and more buffoonery than Part 1. We start off with my update of how the Vinnie Vincent story helped put me in  print with a quote of mine being used in a local Nashville publication. I also delve into the recent developments of Vinnie's comments on his recent "settlement", a deeper look at what the charges really mean, and a look at the bizarre treatment of many of his fans.

The messabe board drama is compelling due to the fact that one of Vinnie's biggest fans started up a message board last year after Vinnie locked everyone out. The fraternization and open conversation between fans has led Vinnie to lable this forum as a "Hate Group". We get the low-down from www.vvforums.com webmaster Vic Radacic about how both forums came to be and why they are butting heads now.

Bravewords' Mitch Lafon checks in from Canada with his take on Vinnie Vincent. Mitch was one of the few that got to see Vinnie on KISS' Creatures of the Night tour and explains his dismay at finding out that Ace Frehley had left KISS just before seeing Vinnie hit the stage.

Alexx Michael from Shameless also joins us for an in-depth discussion about his involvement with Vinnie's appearances during the 1996-97 European KISS Expo tour. Alexx has plenty of stories to share with us including the business transaction that went sour over a guitar in which he believed Vinnie was attempting to dupe him. 

We also hear briefly about Vinnie's "almost" re-emergence in 2006 at Ed Roman's guitar shop in Las Vegas where it appeared that there was a deal in place for Roman to produce a line of Vinnie Vincent signature guitars and an upcoming appearance set for Vinnie to perform at the store. Suddenly, the advertising for the event vanished and nothing else was said on the subject. We hear briefly from Ed Roman to find out what happened.

Wrapping things up, I explain my own personal feelings after 2 years of researching one of my guitar heroes and try to express what it's been like to fall in love with much of the music while at the same time hearing so many disheartening stories.

I'm not shutting the door to a possibility of a Part 3.....but I definitely need a break! Hope you enjoy listening and rock on!

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I think Hell has officially frozen over!

This episode is a long time coming and I hope it will inform people that have always wondered "What the hell happened to Vinnie Vincent?"

The show begins with a quick recap of how I had the seedling of an idea of finding out what happened to Vinnie Vincent and turning it into a writing project. What began as a quick idea that would make an interesting magazine article snowballed when I received so much information from so many angles that I began to entertain thoughts of turning the story into a book.......then, I got realistic. A book at this point in time about a recluse guitarist who's 15 minutes of fame ended in the 1980's just wasn't practical; no matter how much I loved his music, songwriting, and intriguing story.

I launched the Decibel Geek podcast when I remembered how much fun it was to interview some of the people that I grew up listening to and artists of today that I dig. I had already conducted some interviews for the Vinnie Vincent project at the time and figured I could use some of those and add some new ones for a big episode on Vinnie.

Little did I know at the time that Vinnie Vincent was about to be a public figure again in a big way; not one of his own choosing. From seemingly out of nowhere, Vinnie Vincent appeared on TMZ due to being arrested for a domestic violence episode with his wife. Within 24 hours his mug shot was all over the place; the first photo seen of him in almost 7 years!

The 2 years that I've spent researching this troubled virtuoso's history has been uplifting at times (when discovering his music post-KISS) and depressing at others. This episode of the Decibel Geek Podcast seeks to give a glimpse into what some of Vinnie's peers over the years have experienced working with KISS' former Ankh Warrior and provides me with a chance to speak as a voice of the fans who are trying to navigate this strange situation.

Joining me in part 1 of this Vinnie Vincent Special are former WASP, Steeler, & SIN bassist Rik Fox who shares with me his shock at, what he claims, was his song being ripped off by the Vinnie Vincent Invasion shortly after letting Vinnie and band mate Dana Strum listen to his demo and the icy reception he received when trying to settle the dispute.

Also joining me is Keli Raven, a veteran Los Angeles musician that was breaking into the scene back in 1991 and worked with Vinnie Vincent on the still-unreleased Guitars from Hell album. Raven also was involved with some of the music for writing sessions for KISS' Revenge album and was witness to Gene Simmons & Vinnie Vincent's creative process. Unfortunately, Keli states that Vinnie continuously lived up to a bad reputation that he had built by that time.

This episode is just the tip of the iceberg and will leave you wanting to hear more (we hope!). Part 1 of the Vinnie Vincent Special is your ticket to a behind the scenes look at one of the most intriguing rock personalities of the 1980's. Get ready for an audio Invasion!

- Chris Czynszak

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Piranah drummer and Jager afficianado Chris Higgins joins us for a Top 5 of epic proportions! This show features our takes on what we think are the best Rock Documentaries of all time! This list wasn't easily arranged as you'll hear when we list all of the "also-rans" that almost made the cut. There's plenty of stories, shots, laughs, and some more shots as well as some Piranah music for your listening enjoyment during the breaks. It's all a hazy memory now, but sit back and enjoy our takes on the best Rock Docs ever!

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Radio personality Doogie Vance drops by to talk about Concert Memories. We discuss the good, the band, and most definitely the ugly. You'll hear quips and anecdotes on such artists as Metallica, Lenny Kravitz, The Exies (remember them?), KISS, Snoop Dogg and Parliament Funkadelic! It's a plethora of rock talk while taking an acid trip down memory lane!

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Dylan Kinney of Nashville Comedy Theater contributes his sarcastic wit to our discussion of such rock news topics as Van Halen's recording process, Sammy Hagar's new book, Loverboy, Tom Cruise, and our favorite covers of Rebeccah Black's Friday among other things.

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In this first full-length episode of the Decibel Geek Podcast, host Chris Czynszak has an in-depth discussion with Bravewords.com Senior Writer Mitch Lafon. Topics of discussion range from Mitch's first interview at age 11 with Gene Simmons, his thoughts on the upcoming Poison/Motley Crue tour, what caused Bon Jovi to stop putting out quality material, and what it's like to be in merchandise hell at a Manowar concert. That's just the tip of the iceberg!

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A quick introduction to the show giving the you an idea of what to expect from the show as well as background information on main host, Chris Czynszak.

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