Kip Winger's music has gone multi-Platinum, first with Winger's self-titled debut release in 1988, which spawned mega-hits like "Madalaine," "Seventeen" and "Headed For a Heartbreak." After being nominated for an American Music Award in 1990, Winger released In The Heart of the Young, which went Platinum and included the band's biggest hit, "Miles Away," which charted at No. 12 on Billboard.       That being said, this is the story of a great guy who is perhaps misunderstood but extremely talented, musically and vocally excellent. Kip is on the road with the newly reformed Winger. With the release of their new record, Winger gave The Inside Connection a very candid and up-front interview. InsideCX: I hear your tour is going great. What does it feel like?

      KW: It was pretty fun; we're having a good time. A lot of people are showing up.

InsideCX: Tell me about the show.

      KW: We do the new stuff, we do the old stuff. We try to do a little bit of everything. It's not like a big pyro show; it's just us playing music.

InsideCX: You had a very different image back in the day, a sort of rock sex symbol. Do you ever think about your image?

      KW: I don't think about it, actually. I'm just completely out of the mindset of my image. I just try to stay in shape, try to keep my voice in shape.

InsideCX: What are some of the biggest changes from back then?

      KW: The times have changed, so the people around us have changed more than we have. The whole of the music business has changed so much. We've changed because we're a little older and wiser. Everybody else has changed musically.

InsideCX: In what way?

      KW: There's a lot more variety out there. Back when we were big, this kind of rock music was the big thing. So people come now because they appreciate us, not because it's the big thing. It's not such a fad.

InsideCX: I remember the scene surrounding Winger back then, the tight jeans, hair, women. What was it like for you? Was it wild?

      KW: Well, it's like Gene Simmons once said, being a rock star is everything that you've ever wanted it to be. That's great. It was fun back then. It was, hey, everyone was in for the ride, so I wasn't going to argue about it.

InsideCX: What happened to the Winger band? Did you break up back then?

      KW: We didn't break up, we just went our separate ways. Solo records. We got together on and off.

InsideCX: You are back with two of the original members of Winger, Reb Beach [guitar] and Rod Morgenstein [drums]. How did you and Reb get back together to write?

      KW: We specifically got together to do this album last February, in 2006. We spent six months working on it.

InsideCX: There is a tremendous military aspect to the new album, Winger IV. How did that come about?

      KW: I played a few military bases and I talked to some of the soldiers. And I wanted to write a few songs that came from there. But the whole album isn't about that. Four songs address that, but the rest of it is different subjects. Being that the album cover is dedicated to the troops, it can appear that the album is a military theme. I just talked to some people and wanted to kind of portray what it must be like from their point of view, dedicating something to them. I really thought it was important.

InsideCX: The other side of what was once perhaps the view of Kip Winger, the more serious side that people may not know about.

      KW: Probably not! I mean, I'm a jokester when you're around me; you know that. But yeah, when it comes to the music, when it comes right down to it, I'm very serious.

InsideCX: Are you writing now?

      KW: Yeah, I'm writing a bunch of stuff. I've got a solo album in the can. It's going to come out in the summer, and then I've got a three-piece trio named Blackwood Creek. I get up in the morning, turn on my stuff and start writing. You pour your soul into it, and in the music you can hear who I am. That's kind of how it goes.