BRET MICHAELS: 'My Life Is Amazing Right Here And Now'

November 5, 2013

LaughlinEntertainer.com recently conducted an interview with POISON singer Bret Michaels. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On how instrumental MTV was in launching POISON's career:

Michaels: "MTV was a huge launchpad for us, obviously, but it was just part of the evolution in the music industry. Songs like 'Every Rose', 'Something To Believe In' and 'Unskinny Bop' were just as big at radio as they were on MTV and still get played to this day.

"I will say that maybe for a few years, it may have hindered the careers of some people whose image wasn't as strong as the ones being played on MTV. But long before the video age, image was crucial. Look at KISS and ALICE COOPER. Even [LYNYRD] SKYNYRD had an image.

"We dressed like we did because we wanted to and were influenced directly from what was happening on the streets of L.A. It had nothing to do with turning on MTV. We were so broke back then, we didn't even have it."

On whether he misses those days of the painted-on pants, teased hair and makeup:

Michaels: "Ya know, that was 25 years ago. Life was certainly different — not just me and our band, but the whole world seemed to be a bit more innocent. Maybe it's the Internet and instant access to everything in the world, but there is always bad news and a lot to be concerned about. I'm not saying life was simpler then, but there certainly was a more care-free sense to the world and we were lucky be a part of it.

"With that being said, life is great right now, I have two amazing daughters, a great solo career, and POISON stood the test of time, which is unheard of in the music biz. And while I had some great times back then, my life is amazing right here and now."

On POISON's 1987 hit song "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", which is regarded as the "ultimate '80s anthem about heartbreak":

Michaels: "Obviously, I think it's great that the song has that distinction. Ya know, it's such a raw and honest song. I didn't write it to be a hit, it's just the story of how I felt that very moment, while I was going through a painful breakup. The record company fought me on it and said it would ruin my career. To me, it goes to show you what can happen when you're honest with yourself as a songwriter. That's when the good stuff comes."

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).