BRET MICHAELS: 'I Refuse To Carry Bitterness With Me'

During a recent appearance on the "Lancaster Connects" show, POISON singer Bret Michaels spoke about what keeps him inspired more than four decades after the band's formation in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Your brain, when you're in a business like the entertainment business, it's moving parts. So the first thing I start with, and I say this, is my passion. I have to want to do this — to be on a tour bus, to travel, to be away from your family, your kids, your friends, you have to have a passion that drives you, so you have to have that drive. That's number one. But when I use the word 'bet on yourself', it is so important, over and over again, that I say what that means is you find everything that comes at you. You're standing at the plate or out in the field… I'll give you an example of a baseball game. You have to feel the ball if it's hit as a line drive, a pop-up, a grounder, be able to adapt and adjust to everything. That doesn't mean lose who you are. I wanna be careful… I don't mean just jump at every music style. We didn't do that. We stuck to our guns, and when things were going great, that's awesome. And when they got tough, we were prepared.

"One of the lessons I learned is I refuse to carry bitterness with me," he continued. "And I'm telling you, I have been kicked, pushed, picked back up, pushed back down again, and I just refuse to carry the bitterness with me. And that bitterness is like a jail cell. And let me tell you, you think you're doing great, then something comes in that just rocks your world. And sometimes you get stabbed in the back from somebody you thought you trusted. But rather than carry that bitterness, honest to God, it's not easy, but I just said, you know what? It's a log on the fire. Fuel my fire. And I'm, like, 'All right. Here we go. Game on.'"

Four months ago, it was reported that Bret was putting the finishing touches on his new inspirational book titled "Bet On Yourself: Don't Crash & Burn… Crash & Learn", tentatively set for a fall 2023 release. The book will serve as a motivational, inspirational and entrepreneurial guide where Bret will take readers on a journey, highlighting lessons, pulling from highs and lows of his own life in an effort to realize the unbroken fighting spirit in all of us.

Michaels rose to fame in the 1980s as the singer of POISON, which still tours periodically. He later became a reality TV personality in such shows as dating contest "Rock Of Love" and on "The Celebrity Apprentice". Most recently, Michaels was one of the contestants on Fox's smash hit "The Masked Singer".

This past January, Michaels told SFL Music about the secret to his success: "Here's the secret from me. I have a book. It's my first one, there's three volumes. The first one is simply called 'Bret Michaels Auto-Scrap-Ography'. Just so you know, I made the book pictures that you could match to the stories. There's nothing worse than a five-hundred-page autobiography, but there's not one photo of the friends you're talking about. I'm like no, no. I want every story to be short, to the point and show the people and time stamped photos that I lived. But the secret for me, as I've said in the book, is that it's bet on yourself. Find a way to have fun, but you've got to get it done. Never, ever let go of being hands-on. That's my opinion. Again, I want to make sure I state, in my opinion, you got to bet on yourself. Who's gonna believe in me if I don't believe in me? You'd better realize it's not gonna be easy and when someone said no, it just made me come back fighting harder to prove them wrong."

Released in 2020, "Auto-Scrap-Ography" provided a humorous, real and raw inside look at Michaels's journey through highs and lows, and how he overcame every adversity life has thrown in his way: from his extremely humble beginnings, growing up in a small Pennsylvania town and learning to rise up in the face of adversity, battling a life-threatening illness daily as a type one juvenile diabetic; to the massive success as a solo artist and with POISON; to rocketing to the top of the music world, reality TV, and entrepreneurial branding; to the causes closest to his heart: his charitable and philanthropic efforts around the world; and continuing through present day, as Michaels was revealed as the fan favorite Banana on "The Masked Singer".

Bret, who toured with POISON as part of "The Stadium Tour" last summer, will hit the road later this month for a limited run of live dates for his 2023 "Parti-Gras" tour. Michaels has created this tour with a Mardi Gras feel in celebration of his great fans and hit music. The renowned rockstar will bring a few of his rocker friends along for a mashup of all-killer, no-filler hits featuring special guests NIGHT RANGER and JEFFERSON STARSHIP with special appearances from Steve Augeri (former lead singer of JOURNEY) and Mark McGrath (SUGAR RAY),plus a nightly surprise guest to rock your world.

Presented by Live Nation, the 12-city limited date run kicks off on Thursday, July 13 at the one and only Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan; known for its epic concerts and parties, going on to make stops across the U.S. including at The Pavilion at Star Lake, in his birthplace of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania),Holmdel (New Jersey),Tinley Park (Illinois),Tampa (Florida),and more before wrapping up in Charlotte (North Carolina) at PNC Music Pavilion on August 6. The tour promises to be a modern-day throwback to epic tailgate parties, positive energy, and a much needed nothing but a good vibe.