POISON Guitarist On Sobriety, Fatherhood And Reality Television

Saviours Of Rock recently conducted an interview with POISON guitarist C.C. Deville, in which he discusses his recent stints on reality television, being clean and sober, becoming a father, and recording a cover of JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE's "Sexy Back". A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Saviours Of Rock: You actually have been getting into the vocals the last few years though?

Deville: Yeah, I'm singing more. Because I did a solo record and, and I was singing on that, and I was exploring singing. But, recently I've been playing more. I dunno, we'll see what happens. I don't approach it as playing or singing, I approach it as the whole package.

Saviours Of Rock: Well, you're more into TV now too?

Deville: Well, I do like the TV. I do like the, that reality stuff, it's been good, because you can basically turn on the cameras and you can act like you…ahh you can be yourself. There are no lines to remember and there's no script to follow, and it's a very free form thing. People seem to have a thirst for it; people seem to have a thirst for reality. I mean pop culture has turned in such a way, that especially youth has such a high price and such a high demand for celebrity, no matter what the cost. Being infamous is just as important as being famous. I mean, I'm sure certain people would rather be famous for something negative than not be famous at all. It's not a good thing; I mean it's not a good thing at all. Because what happens is, then that robs the character of someone. I've tried, in my defence, I've tried to fight the good fight and represent character in those shows, so far I've been in a couple of reality shows now, and I've always tried to hold the responsible side. And I know I'm doing a good job, because when I watch it, I don't cringe! Now there were times in my early life… Sometimes when you're given a soapbox at an early age, you abuse that privilege by default, simply because you're ignorant. You have a finite amount of time when people listen, and if you make it at an early age, sometimes you waste that, because you're new and you don't have much to say, and you don't think much. So, sometimes I've had not just the pleasure, but I've had the anxiety of listening to myself when I was much younger and sometimes, you know, I was living in the minute. But, I try to be a bit more responsible for how I am now. Which might actually make me for a duller person though

Saviours Of Rock: Would you like to get into TV more formally?

Deville: Um, I don't know. It's a tough thing. You have to be careful. Because there's a midfield of clichés, where people want to get into television or people want to get into the theatre or into acting. Things like that. I don't kid myself as far as; if I can't do it very well, I don't know if I really wanna do it. I mean I'd rather leave the acting to professionals, I mean I don't look at doing some of these appearances on these reality shows as a C.C. TV gateway to becoming an actor. I mean I can only act like me. Andas much as I admire actors, the testimony to an actor, is actually making someone else think that they can do it too. When someone is so great at acting, you feel like you can do it. I don't know if I would peruse acting in anything real, like as an art form. But I don't mind the camera being on me. That stuff is a lot of fun.

Saviours Of Rock: So I hear you've just had your first kid, how's that blowing your mind?

Deville: Yes, I did. Well, that's put everything into perspective.

Saviours Of Rock: C.C. Deville, the responsible adult?

Deville: Yeah, I guess I am. Well, this kid makes you want to be a responsible and accountable human being. Much more than a career would or anything. It really puts things into perspective about what's important and why you're really on earth, and how you can make a difference. The immediacy of someone else's life, of another living thing that's maybe missing in people, that when you have a child, you are completed. But that being said, it doesn't mean it's a whole lotta work. I mean I get about the same amount of sleep as I did when I used to be a complete party animal! It's just that I'm up now because I'm sober and taking care of the baby. But it's a much better situation than it was in the old days.

Saviours Of Rock: Do you think it will help you stay sober?

Deville: Well, I know enough that you have to be sober for yourself. I know enough that I have to be sober for me. But also, when I look at my child, I have that option, that it's in my power that he never see's his father drunk or outta control. It's bad enough that there's video tape and stories and things like that, where we can watch. Which still isn't that bad. And if I do stay sober, it might be just slightly amusing to see his father before. But it wouldn't be so amusing if I hadn't gotten better, and he's 10 or 15 years old and I'm still carrying on like that. Then it wouldn't be so funny.

Read the entire interview at www.savioursofrock.com.