Michael Angelo recalls his audition for Kiss

[ankh]

Sorry if it has been already discussed, it is taken off Guitar World website

"went to one of your clinics a few years ago, and you mentioned how you got to jam with Kiss once. Can you talk about that?

I learned a valuable lesson then because I was completely star-struck. I was on Shrapnel Records with Mike Varney. He set this thing up for me, and I still lived in Chicago. I was just out of school and I looked like a mid-western kid, but I had a really good promo shot. In fact, it's on my website -- my very first promo shot. So Mike sent it to Kiss, and they flew me out to audition. I still have the and ticket stubs. I was completely star-struck. I mean I was scared to death. And I had played with Kiss before. We won this battle of the bands contest in Chicago to open up for Kiss, and I was in high school; no, I had just graduated high school. I was 18, and this wasn't my first encounter with them.

But when I jammed with them, I actually showed Gene Simmons how to play over the neck. I literally showed him, and he would stop and start, make me play it -- he was in control. It was me, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Eric Carr. I sang “Calling Dr. Love,” and I kicked ass. I was a pretty good singer, and I don't really work on it anymore, but Gene was laughing because I had some of the lyrics wrong. I didn't buy a songbook; I just kind of picked it up off the record, and he was telling me he was cracking up because I had some of the words really wrong. And that was funny because I didn't get the gig. Vinnie Vincent got it and Vinnie Vincent resurrected their career, too.

I mean Lick It Up” -- what an album and what s song. But I learned never to be in awe. That if I'm going to be a rock star, I've got to act like one. And one of the biggest reasons, it wasn't my image; it wasn't my age that prohibited me from getting it. It was that I became a fan. And I really didn't realize that. I went in there acting like a fan instead of a guy who could be the guitar player in the band. And I never forgot that, you know. Even when I talked to Eddie Van Halen, I'm not saying I'm bigger than him, but it wasn't like, “Oh, dude, you’re a god, dude.” I just went in there and we were just talking, just two people talking and that's the lesson I learned. And then later on Gene Simmons, I know him now we talked about that.

He remembered me from that. He told me in my Michelangelo band before Nitro, they had a rhythm guitar player and he goes, “Your playing is light years ahead of other guitar players.” He goes, “You play two guitars at the same time -- what the hell do you need another guitarist for?” (laughs). He really liked my guitar playing."

[poserboy71]

He has had many guitar clinics in my area throughout the years. This is a question that I asked him as well. He didn't go this far in depth with his answer. I'm guessing the factors were songwriting and most likely vocals.
I have never heard MAB sing .
VERY COOL response.

Very cool of him to recognize Vinnie as well.

[Slayer]

* I never knew Michael Batio ever auditioned for Kiss
* Mike is a great player and is great with his fan base
* I've never heard or read Michael speak of Kiss
* I've never heard or read Michael speak of Vincent Cusano
* I'm surprised that Drew who knows Michael very well has never mentioned any of this
* As much as I like Kiss their music is a little pedestrian for Mike's skill set
* A Kiss album with Michael Batio would have been very interesting if they didn't try to tame him down which I believe that they would have. Hell Paul even tamed down Rafael Moreira on his last solo tour which was indeed a shame. It would have been incredible to see a Rafael Moreira live solo on the Live to Win Tour but I never saw him on those stages by himself because it was all about Paul.


I really enjoyed this post Anhk

[shramiac]

Cool!

[PinkWiz]

Great fukn post! Yes, I did not know he auditioned for Kiss and it is cool that he mentioned Cusano! He came thru my town about 3 months ago and I missed it... ended up jamming at a friend of mines house about a mile down the street from me!

[Genebaby]

I too was unaware that he had auditioned for KISS. If Eric was alive it would be cool to ask him about it.

[ankh]

gald to have posted something less known and still interesting

[doublev2]

Yes New news to me. I doubt they were going to hire an 18 year old. Too bad he didnt get one solo on creatures. I did hear him talk of vv once mentioned that bobby had some crazy stories. Maybe drew can comment.. not sure if he is reading too much at vvforums.

[PinkWiz]

He was born in '56... the same age as Mark St. John. If he was 18 the first time he met Gene then that would've been in 1974, before Kiss was anything. At the time of the Creatures auditions he would've been 26.

Yay, I can add!

[doublev2]

Ok, so yeah they could have hired him. I am pretty sure it wasn't only vv's playing that got him the gig , it was his writing equally. That would have set him apart in any tie break situation.

[metatron]

Great post ankh.

[erg2]

He did a clinic in my friend's music store back in the mid-90's. I was in college at the time and too far away to attend. My friend told me he was incredibly nice and even went out to dinner afterwards with the personnel from the store and had a few drinks.

[1031]

very cool