The Invasion of Vinnie Vincent [PT 2]

[In 1982, Vincent John Cusano [aka "Vinnie Vincent"] replaced Ace Frehley in Kiss. His persona and make-up, which we are told Paul Stanley came up with, is that of "the Wizard" or "The Ankh Warrior."]

In part 2 of this blog, we will look at the symbolism associated with Vinnie Vincent and possible occult connotations. We will also consider the entire "Kiss Story" as a whole, and see if it fits into my Reap J Lam theory, which posits some type of human sacrifice is required for fame and fortune. It should be understood that I'm well aware we are dealing with plenty of conjecture here and that nothing should be considered "factual" unless I specifically state it as such. Even then, exploring information sources and coming to your own conclusions through independent research is always encouraged.

SYMBOLISM

Stanley Bert Eisen [aka Paul Stanley] supposedly came up with Vinnie Vincent's stage persona, which is both described as "The Wizard" or "The Ankh Warrior" at times.

The first, most obvious symbol here is of course the Ankh, an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph meaning "life." The Ankh symbol is found in ancient artwork depicting Pharaohs/Gods, suggesting immortality. The "wizard" title works well when we consider the "magical" aspect of certain Egyptian mythologies involving such characters as "the Djedi" and "Thoth." The former was obviously borrowed by the "Star Wars" mythology, morphing into the famed "Jedi Knight." The latter being an important symbol/concept in alchemy and occultism in general. Whether we are talking about the occultism of Aleister Crowley or Scottish Rite Freemasonry, Egyptian mythology and symbolism is a seemingly mandatory aspect of their mysterious "Great Work" or "Magick Rituals." But we don't even have to get that mysterious, we need only look at the back of a United States $1 bill to find what appears to be the ancient Egyptian Pyramid of Giza, with a cryptic "illuminated" eye above it.

Given the fairly common appearance of ancient Egyptian symbolism and mythology, why would anyone assume V.V.'s persona was intended to be anything more than a cool looking stage costume? The first thing one needs to do if we want to try and determine a deeper intent behind a symbol, is to note the context within which it appears. We also look for other symbols to compliment, or deepen the meaning of the former. This is how Freemasons hide their symbols in plain sight, often allowing room for plausible deniability. In other words, a symbol is placed in such a way that there are at least 2 explanations for its presence. That way there exists a perfectly rational surface level explanation for the appearance of a symbol, but that doesn't necesarily mean there isn't ALSO an occult one. Of course there may not be, but you've got to look a bit below the surface to find out either way. And most people just couldn't be bothered.

[Is he holding himself up with the guitar or trying to jam the guitar's "fin" into his elbo? Is this some kind of phallic thing?]

In addition to the Ankh symbol painted directly upon V.V.'s forehead, he often wore one around his neck. [he currently sells these on his website for $1000 each!] The positioning of the Ankh placed upon the forhead is interesting considering the "loop" draws a circle around his virtual "3rd Eye." We know that the illuminated Eye in the Pyramid symbol above is highly loaded with occult connotations, especially when we consider it in context with the [Paul] Stanley Ei - sen's "star eye" [see my video "Paul and the Eye of Horus"]

The Crescent Moon printed on Vinny's costume in the image above has notable occult signifficance here. The moon is almost always represented as a feminine symbol, or more literally the womb. It can also represent mystery, dreams, and madness. What do you suppose it means that V.V. has placed a feminine symbol directly next to his crotch for everyone to see when he is onstage in front of thousands of fans? His decidedly androgynous appearance enhances the feminine aspect.

After V.V.'s brief stint with Kiss, the Vinnie Vincent Invasion blasted onto the 80s "Hair Metal" scene, which was going full-throttle. We know that the majority of these men, who were basically trying to look like dolled up women, were doing it for the money and to GET women. But there were exceptions and genuine freaks to be found. And when I say "freaks" I don't necesarily mean "trannys" or even gay men. I'm talking about something closer to non-binary, or possibly even more complex and rooted within the occult.

[Peter Burns 1959 - 2016 The former "Dead or Alive" singer has been quoted as stating: "The operation was a disaster — my nose completely caved in on one side. I'm at home recovering, when I get a call telling me I'm on Top of the Pops next Tuesday. That's why I had to wear that eyepatch. It wasn't a fashion statement, it was practical."]

[Peter Burns towards the end of his life: "The number of surgeries I've had is probably 300. I hope when I'm 80 and I get to heaven God doesn't recognise me."]

[Many have commented upon V.V.'s odd appearance in recent years, to which he doesn't seem to have much of a response, other than being amused at the "mystique" he seems to think it engenders in his fans.]

[The modern popular image of Baphomet was established by Éliphas Lévi in his 1856 work Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie. His Sabbatic Goat illustration depicts a winged, androgynous human-goat hybrid, a deliberate synthesis of binary opposites designed to represent the concept of perfect equilibrium. This Baphomet is a recurring symbol of occultism, widely adapted to represent the reconciliation of opposites, esoteric knowledge, and the summation of the universe.]

The connection between androgyny and the occult goes back many years, possibly even thousands if we consider the decidedly androgynous appearance of some of the ancient Hindu gods. From the Crowleyan/Alchemical perspective, sex is akin to an energy or electricity, having positive and negative polarities. One can imagine how such a view of sex can rapidly cross the line of what is morally acceptable and what isn't - which is probably why our mainstream establishment media and "entertainment" seems to get more crude and less morally sound by the year - whilst always pointing the finger and accusing others of being intolerant.

As pointed out in part 1, V.V. was the first professional guitarist offered a Rhoads V endorsement after Randy died. That guitar is based upon the original Rhoads V, which was dubbed "The Original Sin." Eventually, Vinny had one made into a "double V," which is pictured above. While that's a clever way to depict the letters VV, it also makes one imagine the shadow of a guitar beneath another, like the soul of Randy lurking behind the scenes. It's a morbid thought, but if one considers the idea that Randy may have actually been a sacrifice for Ozzy/Black Sabbath, the symbolism takes on a far more wicked character. Is there some dark, unspoken spiritual continuity here between Randy's sacrifice and Vinny's role in Kiss?

While it's pretty obvious what the dollar sign in Gene Simmon's signature represents, what do the symbols in Vinny Vincent's autograph represent? It looks like there was an attempt to put the Ankh in there in addition to an inverted pentacle. ["inverted" means the point faces downwards, aligning with the symbol for Baphomet]

[The sigil depicted the face of a horned goat within an upside-down pentagram. The classical illustration of the Sigil of Baphomet by Stanislas de Guaita. The Baphomet icon also served as a way to rebel against Christianity during the 20th century.]

While this is all very suggestive, I mentioned earlier that the context within which symbols appear can reveal [or negate] their relavance and meaning. We're going to step back a bit further now and see what a slightly bigger picture might reveal.

[This picture of Peter Criss is often associated with articles discussing his 1978 car accident. I assume it was taken just previous, as he does not appear to be injured yet]

[We are told Peter Criss' car accident occured after the final day of shooting their film "Kiss Meets the Phantom," the plot of which involves the entire band being kidnapped and replaced by imposter robots]

THE CRASH

You may have read how Paul, Gene, and possibly even Ace were increasingly fed up with Peter Criss' less than professional performances towards the end of the 1970s. But I find it odd how the Catman's near deadly car crash in May of 1978 is often glossed over or omitted entirely, while stories of excessive drug use and drinking are typically cited. Turns out, the crash was intentionally kept out of the press...

At the time, the reasons Criss was fired from Kiss were never made public, although it was obvious that his relationship with his bandmates Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley was not good at the time - wiki

"I was in a terrible car accident which never made the papers. That will show you the power of the music industry. You can keep things out of the papers if you really want to...I went through the window, I broke my nose, I lost vision in my right eye, I had to get plastic surgery on my forehead and around my face, I broke all my ribs and fingers." - Peter Criss, as quoted by kisstimeline.com

"Dynasty" was released on May 23rd, 1979. Almost exactly a year from the day Criss was involved in his near fatal car accident [which is confusingly described as "minor" in some articles I've read]. It's no wonder he doesn't play drums on every track of his 1978 solo album, and only appears on 1 track of the "Dynasty" recording sessions. I would think he needed AT LEAST a year to recover from his injuries! Although he toured with the band in 1979, he didn't participate at all in the recording of 1980's "Unmasked" - though he was still listed as being in the band at that point.

On the surface, it sounds like the ship was moving and the band didn't want Peter's injuries to stop the momentum. But it also sounds like there may have been other factors at work. Between the chaos of the actual events, the clumsy attempts to control public perception, and the time that has passed, it's difficult to know what really occurred between 1978-1980. But I suspect there is more to the story than meets the eye.

[Despite having almost nothing to due with the recording/tour of "Creatures of the Night," Ace appears on the cover and in the video for "I Love it Loud."]

The source of the tension between Ace and the Gene/Paul faction within Kiss allegedly had something to do with the fact that Ace just wanted to rock out and the other guys wanted to be more commercial. This narrative is confused by the fact that on the very album Paul and Gene seemed to cave into the "let's just rock hard without the bullshit" concept, Ace starts to disappear! We are told he was even offered a $15 million dollar contract. That doesn't sound like someone who's on thin ice, that sounds like the red carpet being rolled out! What could possibly have been in that contract that caused Ace to walk away from $15 million dollars?

Paul Charles Caravello, aka Eric Carr [the Fox], was officially announced as Kiss' drummer in July of 1980. That same year Peter Criss completed his solo album, "Out of Control." It was an "out of control" car which seems to have derailed Peter Criss' career in Kiss, only to be replaced by a CARR. Eric Carr would later be replaced by another Eric. Eric Singer, that is. Carr's last performance with Kiss was not as a drummer, but as a backup SINGER on the song "God Gave Rock and Roll to U2," from the album "Revenge." We are told Eric Carr died of a brain hemorrhage on November 24th, 1991, the same day Freddy Murcery died. This was presumably the result of complications from his cancer diagnosis/treatment.

REVENGE

Just what Kiss was getting "Revenge" for in 1991 is not very clear, but I do recall the decidedly "heavy" impression Kiss was trying to project at this time. The 80s glam hair metal thing was ALMOST on its way out, and the heavier Sabbath-influenced Grunge thing was approaching fast upon the horizon. Kiss seemed to know where the wind was blowing, and so came out swinging with the song "Unholy," which Vinnie Vincent was brought back to contribute on. Seemingly to balance things out, a cover of "God Gave Rock and Roll to You" is also included on the album. This song was used in the film "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey," which was originally entitled "Bill and Ted Go to Hell." This is why Megadeth contributed a song called "Go to Hell" to the soundtrack as well.

Given all the fire and brimstone in combination with both the exit of Eric Carr from the earth, the return of Vinnie Vincent, and the sort of campy resurrection of "Heavy Kiss," by way of their "unholy revenge," let us consider what was happening behind the scenes spiritually here...On the surface, Kiss was merely trying to stay relavant by delivering something matching the HEAVINESS of the musical climate of the 90s. But curiously, that storm was still somewhat forming, and if anything Kiss' timing was a tad early - as if they jumped the gun a bit on a plan they had advance knowledge of. This, in combination with the fact that the album really wasn't as heavy or even good overall as those involved with it's production seemed utterly convinced it was, may be why it did not perform as well as its' hair metal predecessor, "Hot in the Shade."

Perhaps what was going on with "Revenge" was of a more ceremonial nature than musical, which brings us to the Reap J Lam theory and the final section of this blog. Can all of the mystery, chaos, and confusion discussed here be explained by simply taking the perspective that we are dealing with satanic forces here which need a sacrifice in exchange for all the fame and fortune? Let's see if the shoe fits...

CAR CRASH

Was Peter Criss' alleged car crash actually a botched attempt on his life? Was Peter Criss supposed to be the sacrifice for Kiss' fame and fortune initially? Might this explain all of the mystery, coverup, and confusion surrounding the incident?

ACES HIGH

Beyond Ace Frehley's musical opposition to the decidely occult themed concept album "The Elder," was there more of an awareness of the malevolent occult forces operarting within the band than we ever considered? Did Ace know that Peter Criss was suppposed to be sacrificed and that it failed? Did Ace know that he might now be on the proverbial chopping block?

When I think of how my life was spared from that near-fatal wreck
If the Devil wants to play his card game now
He's gonna play without an ace in his deck
- Rock Soldiers, by Frehley's Comet

In the song "Rock Soldiers," is Ace telling us exactly what was in the $15 million contract he wouldn't sign? Is Kiss' floundering during "The Elder" era really a scramble to find a suitable sacrifice, in order to hold on to their fame and fortune? Was this the REAL source of all the tension in the group? Clearly, Paul and Gene's necks were never going to get put in the guillotine, which begs the question "why not?"

Ace's lyrics above ring strangely familiar to the plot of Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey [aka Bill and Ted Go to Hell] where they are challenged by the grim reaper to a game where they are to win their souls back.

THE WIZARD

I'm a sacrificial lamb on the alter of desire
You got me clutching for a cross
Yeah, the voodoo that you do is lifting me higher
All my senses have been lost
- Do You Wanna Make Love, by Vinny Vincent Invasion

I don't know how insightful V.V.'s lyrics are, other than revealing his apparent fetish for being dominated by leather clad women [we assume] in a backdrop of hellfire - but if nothing else he's got a clear understanding of the Reap J Lam concept, and flirts heavily with it as many Heavy Metal artists have over the years. But the eternal question from fans is ultimately, "how much is an act and how much is real here?"

Was Vinnie Vincent supposed to replace Ace as the human sacrifice, and is that the real reason he never wanted to sign a contract with Kiss? Is all of Vinny Vincent's otherwise unexplainable behavior over the years really just that of a man trying to run away from demons demanding his soul as fast as he can? Were these demons ultimately responsible for the deaths of BOTH of his ex-wives? Did he think he could play the magician and wield all the power without giving up his life the process? Is that the real "debt" he owes to Kiss, that he seems so determined to REVERSE in the courtroom?

MARK SAINT JOHN

We haven't even mentioned Mark Leslie Norton [aka "Mark Saint John"] yet, who went ahead and signed a 5 year contract in 1984 after replacing V.V. I'm not sure what ever happened with that contract, as he didn't last 1 year in the group. In late 2006 though, he found himself in jail and was brutally beaten and stabbed with pencils by a group of up to 20 inmates. He died on April 5, 2007, due to what the coroner described as a brain hemorrhage brought on by an accidental overdose of methamphetamine. Who knows what really happened there, but cleary Mark Saint John was on the proverbial "Highway to Hell."

Interestingly, it was Grover Jackson of Jackson guitars who recommended Saint John to Paul Stanley. The same Jackson who designed Randy Rhoad's "Original Sin" guitar. The same Jackson who endoursed Vinne Vincent in the early 80s, making him the first professional guitar player to wield and tour with the Rhoads V prototypes originally intended for Randy. Vinnie's double V would seem to be haunted by the shadow of Randy's "sacrifice," which might as well be regarded as the "original sin" here.

PART 1 Related:

Paul and the Eye of Horus

The Reap J Lam Theory

Sources: Wiki, kisstimeline.com, vinnievincent.com, Kiss: Behind the Mask

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The Invasion of Vinnie Vincent [PT1]

With the recent passing of original Kiss guitar player Ace Frehley, I've found myself lamenting the fact that while I saw Ace's band a few years back, I never caught him with Kiss. He had just quit the band before I went to their concert in 1983, supporting the "Creatures of the Night" album. This would be their last tour before removing the trademark make-up [and then putting it back on many years later]. Instead of Ace, there was this small, androgynous looking guy wearing some type of ancient Egyptian themed make-up. This guitar player was, of course, Vincent Caruso, aka Vinnie Vincent.

THE ORIGINAL SIN

[Although Ace is pictured on the cover of the original October 1982 release of "Creatures of the Night", he apparently had very little to due with the album, and was on his way out]

The story of how Vinnie Vincent ended up in Kiss starts with the exit of Ace, who formed a sort of 2 man faction [with Peter] against "the other 2 guys" [Gene/Paul]. Most fans have heard the dramatic tales of tension within the group that began towards the end of the 1970s, but the first major manifestation of this tension seemed to take form of the expulsion of original drummer Peter Criss in 1980. The Gene/Paul explanation involved in large part the idea that Peter couldn't control his drinking and drug use, which compromised his performance and other aspects of the band. Peter's view seems to be that Paul/Gene wanted more artistic/financial control. Whatever the case, the 1978 car accident which left Peter's hand badly injurely was likely a major reason he barely played at all on the albums "Unmasked" and "Dynasty." [This "accident" will be referred to again in part 2]

The departure of Peter Criss in 1980 left Ace "on his own" in dealing with the Paul/Gene faction of the group, which meant he probably wouldn't be sticking around much longer either.

In 1978 Ace Frehley married Jeanette Trerotola. The following year, rumor has it he started dating Robert Plant's former mistress/groupie Audrey Hamilton. In 1980, Ace had a child with the former, while rumors persist that he also fathered a child with Hamilton. Needless to say, Ace's personal life probably contributed to some of the turmoil that lead to his exit from Kiss. [Incidentally, Peter Criss got divorced and re-married around this same time].

Potential personal turmoil aside, the Ace/Peter faction have held over the years that their main gripe was that the band was getting too soft and commercial, and that the Gene/Paul faction was mainly driving that. Based on the music Kiss put out in the late 70s, Ace and Peter certainly had a point. Kiss was getting more commercial and wasn't rocking as hard. But perhaps it wasn't just that Paul and Gene were merely "exerting more control," but that Ace and Peter were exerting less, due to their very real pre-occupations in their personal lives [Gene would follow suit in a way, when he later started getting side-tracked during his failed attempt to make it in the film business].

Before leaving the group, we are told Ace declined a 15 million dollar contract offer with Kiss in 1982, opting instead to quit and accept a share of the band's profits until 1985. While it's hard to believe things got so bad for Ace in the group that he'd turn down a 15 million dollar contract [especially given his "situation" with the ladies in his life and the baby(s)], 3 straight years of income for doing basically nothing wasn't too bad of a severance package. But was there another reason Ace needed to leave the group? One we may not have considered that would have made this 15 million dollar contract offer "unsignable?" We'll come back to that in part 2.

In 1980 Eric Carr [Paul Charles Caravello] officially replaced Peter Criss. It's interesting to note that Eric's "last name" has the word "Car" in it. It was a car that supposedly lead to Peter's injured hand, which arguably lead to his ultimate ejection from Kiss. There is also the curious fact that Eric was the 2nd person named Paul, by birth, to give up their real name in the group, while Stanley [Eisen] would remain the sole member of Kiss allowed to use the apparently coveted stage name of "Paul." [see my video "Paul and the eye of Horus" on Youtube/Rumble]

When Vinnie Vincent replaced Ace in 1982, he also became a father [to twins, birthed by his wife AnneMarie Peters Cusano]. Although brand new to the band, he too refused to sign a contract. Vinnie would later state "I had a family...I had twins that I didn't know I was gonna have, and there was no money to take care of them, and there was no money to buy a home. We were living with relatives..." While $550 per week as a "hired gun" wasn't exactly crazy money in 1982, is wasn't too bad either. $550 in 1982 would be about the equivalant of $1846.50 in 2025 money, adjusted for inflation. That works out to about $88,632 per year. Not too bad for the new guy in a band that was considered somewhat on the decline. But why would he settle for a semi-perminent position in Kiss and a hired gun wage when the opportunity to become a full fledged member was being offered? Perhaps there was something in the fine print rendering the contract unsignable?

[V.V. offers these miniature Jackson Rhoads guitars on his website, signed by himself, for $5500-$8500]

In the same year V.V. joined Kiss, Randy Rhoads died. Randy was known for playing signature Jackson "Rhoads V" style guitars, the first of which was named "The Original Sin." Randy nicknamed this guitar "Concorde," which is a type of supersonic aircraft [Ironically, Rhoads would allegedly be killed in an aircraft accident]. There were a couple prototypes made for Randy which he never got a chance to properly evaluate. These would become the first Jackson guitars offered to the public. Vinnie Vincent was the first professional guitarist to be offered an early Rhoads guitar by Jackson after Rhoads' death, which he used on the Kiss "Creatures of the Night" and "Lick It Up" tours from 1982 until 1984. This created an interesting continuity between Randy and V.V. which we will contemplate further later.

Following his departure from Kiss in mid-1984, Vincent used the money he made from his tenure in the band to take a long vacation, traveling the world for a full year and visiting places like Tahiti, Philippines, Mozambique, India, and Europe, including a visit to the small town of Mora in Dalarna, Sweden. I'm wondering where his wife and twins were at this time? Was he paying alimony? It seems his concerns about money and not getting enough through his contractual offers didn't prevent plenty of it from ending up in his pocket, which was promptly blown on what appears to be an insanely expensive trip! And what was he doing all that time in all of those places?

[Vinnie Vincent Invasion, featuring future members of the band Slaughter]

The story behind the Vinnie Vincent Invasion's rapid rise and fall is rather involved and convoluted, but overall it seems to encapsilate the unfortunate stereotypes typically attributed to Vincent. The band was handed a major record deal by Chrysalis, played all over MTV, toured, sold quite a few albums, then began to self-destruct due to Vinnie's apparent fallout with the record label. As a result, in 1988 Chrysalis Records took the $4 million contract away from Vinnie Vincent for exceeding his credit line with the label, and transferred the contract to former members Slaughter and Strum, who went on to form Slaughter [Slaughter ended up selling millions of albums in the 90s].

Other than filing for bankruptsy in 1989, Vinnie seemed to keep a pretty low profile until 1992, when he was asked by Kiss to participate in the recording of their album “Revenge.” This was quickly followed by another fallout between the 2 camps, with Gene Simmons basically stating that Vinnie went right back to his old tricks [Gene has been quoted stating that V.V. attempted to sue the band at least 14 times, losing 100% of the cases.]

A TRAGEDY FULL OF MYSTERY

[V.V. with first wife AnnMarie Peters Cusano, with whom he had twin daughters]

[V.V.'s twin daughters and AnnMarie]

[V.V. and his 2nd wife, Diane Kero circa 1996]

It's not real clear what went on between V.V. and his first wife AnneMarie, other than the fact they had twin daughters together. Clearly they had broken up by 1995 when he met his 2nd wife, Diane Kero, at a Kiss convention in Chicago.

According to a fan commenting on youtube, Vincent had began promoting an infamous box set at this same event, for which he was charging $120 to PRE-ORDER. According to www.nashvillescene.com, fans who purchased the package have instead received letter upon letter from Metaluna [VV's label] espousing myriad production excuses [for not delivering the product]. Yet while Metaluna had a no-refund policy, the letters did offer other opportunities to purchase Vinnie Vincent keepsakes like signed guitar catalogs ($150), or his "personal favorite [guitar] pick" from the "Creatures" tour ...for $1,000. To this day, this box set has never seen the light of day. Whatever Vinnie does have is currently being sold at OUTRAGEOUS prices on his personal web page as of the day I type this.

[Ace pictured with Diane Kero and a guy named Gordon, circa 1992. Interestingly, Diane Kero was Ace Frehley's girlfriend for a couple years back in the 1970s [and possibly later].

Vincent and Kero were married in 1996, the year after they'd met at the aformentioned Kiss convention. V.V. also released a new recording at this time, which was an EP entitled "Euphoria," simply under the name Vinnie Vincent. It was recorded in the early 1990s with Vincent on guitar and bass, former Vinnie Vincent Invasion vocalist Robert Fleischman [formally of Journey], and drummer Andre LaBelle. These sessions were paid for by Enigma Records who were to release the full record, but Vincent ended up dissatisfied with the final product. For reasons unknown, Vinnie Vincent overdubbed LaBelle's drums with a drum machine before releasing it himself.

[Feb 15, 2003 — In December, a jury convicted [Gregory] McArthur, 43, of felony murder, manslaughter, larceny and kidnapping in [AnnMarie] Cusano's death. On Friday, Superior Court ...]

We're not sure how long V.V. was with his first wife, AnneMarie Peters Cusano, but they did have twins right about the time he joined Kiss in 1982. AnneMarie went missing on January 2nd, 1998. Although it's never explicitly stated anywhere that I could find, we assume the twins stayed with her in Shelton, Connecticut, while Vinnie resided in Tennessee.

There are multiple versions of this story, but court records and mainstream news reports generally say this: The twins, who were 15 at the time, were staying with friends, while AnneMarie, who kept her ex husband's last name, went out to meet a client at 550 Prospect Ave in Hartford. Although she seemed to have a pretty good day job at Executone, she was some sort of call girl by night, a job which she apparenltly began just a few month prior to make some extra cash. We are told her kids knew about it, but few others did.

NOTE: This was 1998, not everyone had cellphones yet. In fact, one news article states that AnneMarie did not respond to her BEEPER when her kids called it. Nobody has beepers anymore because cellphones rendered them obselete. So it is important to remember that anytime calls are made in this story, we're most likely talking about LAND LINES, not cell phones. Beepers/pagers cannot make calls, they can only recieve "beeps" or "pages."

Annemarie went to go meet a client around 11pm. She left all her lights on, left the radio on, left behind a half empty glass of wine, her purse, and generally indicated she'd only gone out to run a quick errand. At least, that was the impression her brother-in-law [Richard Chaco] had when he went to check on the apartment the following morning. How he knew she only had $15 cash in her wallet when she left is never explained, but he is quoted as stating as much in news reports. Some reports even stated that the wallet was left behind along with her purse.

AnneMarie arrived at the client's 550 Prospect Ave unit, which was inside a boarding house, at about 1AM. It's never explained why it took her 2 hours to arrive despite Hartford only being about 55 minutes from her home, but her client, Gregory McArthur was covered in blood when she arrived. This is because he went and tried to steal some drugs just before she got there, and the dealer slashed him with a knife. Instead of going to the ambulance, he stopped off at an aquaintance's house who helped clean him up a bit. But clearly, he was quite a mess and AnneMarie promptly called her "pimp" Richard Gladstone to inform him she was cancelling her appointment and on her way out.

At this point, McArthur, who had only recenlty gotten out of prison, attempted to prevent her from leaving. A struggle ensued, and he got her in a headlock, which he did not release until she stopped breathing. He then put her body in her car, a 1991 Mazda 626, and drove out to 666 Boston Neck Road in Suffield where he disposed of her body. He then went and "rented" the car out to a couple drug dealers in exchange for $50 worth of cocaine [or more likely, crack]. The dealers then drove him out to a "crack house" and were to pick him up in the morning. When they went to pick him up, he was gone. The drug dealers abandoned the car a few days later after catching wind that it belonged to a missing person.

Gregory McArthur was on the run for a couple years until he was arrested in Boston on September 1st, 2000 for a seperate crime. At this point he was questioned regarding the disappearance of AnneMarie Cusano and he confessed to killing her, though he gave at least 4 different accounts of what happened. He did lead investigators to her remains which had gone undiscovered since her initial disappearance back in 1998. The trial revealed that McArthur "stole" an American Express card from AnneMarie Cusano belonging to Vinnie Vincent. Macarthur was sentenced to 60 years in 2002.

The owner of the escort enterprise employing AnneMarie was a man named Richard Gladstone, who we are told was behind one of the biggest trafficking rings in the area for years. AnneMarie was not the first one of his "employees" to disappear and then later turn up dead. He was eventually arrested but fleed before he could be brought in to face jailtime. He was caught a few months later staying under an assumed name in a cheap hotel in Tennessee - the same state Vinnie Vincent was residing at the time.

Now obviously, there are many questions here, but the one I want to focus on is whether Vinnie Vincent had a motive to take his ex wife out. It's a terrible thought, and it may be the furthest thing from the truth. But when it comes to motive, he likely had a pretty strong one: to get out of alimony payments.

[V.V. arrived in a pantsuit, makeup, and wore a wig at some sort of private 2018 event, which can be found on youtube]

V.V. is notorious for claiming everyone is trying to rip him off while constantly tryng to rip everyone off around him! Clearest example would be his compulsive attempts to sue Kiss for "unpaid whatevers" only to fall flat on his ass and create more debt for himself in the process while playing victim. There's also the infamouse box set he never delivered to fans who pre-paid, which he allegedly apologized for while also offering these fans an opportunity to spend hundreds more on signed picks and other novelties.

Then there's the visibly verifiable sex transition V.V. seems to have been quietly undergoing while never verbally addressing or acknowledging it - accept to say that he seemed amused by the mystery it inspired from the fan's perspective. As these types of transitions can be very expensive, this could likely have further contributed to his financial desperation. The thought also occurred to me...was this perhaps part of V.V.'s failed attempt to sort of "disappear" and become unrecognizable - so that he could hide away from fans or whoever else he ripped off?

The fact AnneMarie's murderer [who was convicted by confession and circumstantial evidence only] was in possession of Vinnie Vincent's American express card is an alarming fact that I don't think enough questions are being asked about. For starters, this fact came out during the trial a couple years after AnneMarie's disappearance. Did McArthur still have the card up to the time he was arrested? Was the card still being used? I'm sure these questions have answers, but I've never read a peep about it. Another question is, what was AnneMarie doing with one of V.V.'s American Express cards, presuming she had it at all in the first place? Vinnie Vincent's participation in the investigation of his ex-wife's disappearance is conspicuously absent from all news reports and even court transcripts that are publicly available. That doesn't mean he's guilty of anything, but it just leaves a whole lot of unanswered questions, inviting curiousity and speculation. And rightly so!

The final fact of note is Gladstone's eventual capture in Tennessee, a couple hours drive from where V.V. lived. Could be entirely coincidental, but I wonder if an investigation was ever conducted to see if Gladstone and Vincent had any connections? I imagine this would have come out if so, but who knows?

DEAD DOGS TELL NO TALES

[A May, 2011 TMZ headline read: "Ex-KISS Guitarist — Blood, Cuts, and 4 Dead Dogs."]

From Nashvillescene.com:

...Rutherford County Sheriff's Office, the department sent a tactical team to Cusano's Smyrna residence to arrest him, after his wife Diane showed up at the sheriff's office "covered in blood and possibly intoxicated."...The 44-year-old Mrs. Cusano alleged to Sheriff Robert F. Arnold that her husband had smacked her in the face, grabbed her by the hair, threw her to the floor (four times) and dragged her through a pile of broken glass following an argument over his conversing with another woman...Cusano was arrested and charged with aggravated domestic assault. A subsequent search of the home — secluded at the dead end of a wooded, suburban Middle Tennessee road and confined by a high privacy fence — revealed the bodies of four dead dogs entombed in above-ground containers...Diane told Rutherford County Pet Adoption Welfare Services that one of the couple's "aggressive" dogs killed the entombed canines. PAWS' decision not to pursue an investigation, as well as memorials reportedly inscribed on the unfortunate tail-waggers' makeshift tombs serve to substantiate that claim, which Vincent later underscored in a posting on his YouTube page.

Vincent's other claims about the incident, however, aren't quite as credible. In a follow-up YouTube posting, Cusano said he was "happy to announce that all charges alleged against me were dropped and the case dismissed." He also claimed he'd been exonerated, saying he'd been "falsely charged."

That isn't true. According to a pretrial agreement filed June 13, a Rutherford County judge "retired" Mr. Cusano's case for a year under the condition that he complete eight hours of anger management counseling before a Dec. 5, 2011, scheduled court appearance. According to the agreement, Cusano can eventually petition the court to have the case dismissed.

About 3 years later in January 2014, Rolling Stone reported that V.V.'s wife Diane Cusano passed away due to conditions stemming from chronic alcoholism. She was 47-years-old. There is very little information about this online, but it certainly feeds speculation that something is very wrong with Vinnie Vincent. Sure, bad things happen to all of us, but 2 dead wives?

REAP J LAM

In part 2, I will consider all of the above through the lense of my "Reap J Lam" theory, which basically states that dark occult forces are behind the entertainment industry and that human sacrifices are either written into contracts or are otherwise required as part of "the deal."

Related:

Paul and the Eye of Horus

The Reap J Lam Theory

Sources: Wiki, caselaw.findlaw.com, kissasylum.com, casemine.com, Blabbermouth, Rolling Stone Magazine, TMZ, nashvillescene.com, youtube

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