POISON's ROCKETT Says Touring 'Ain't All A Party'

POISON drummer Rikki Rockett recently spoke to Perris Records about his 2002 solo album, "Glitter 4 Your Soul", and the group's current U.S. tour with KISS, among other subjects. The following are a few excerpts from that interview:

Perris Records: In the past did you give rules to your opening acts?

Rikki Rockett: "Sure, in a very basic way. Time onstage. (If the opener goes late, the headliner goes late and the headliner pays the extra union costs for load out, etc. This can result in thousands of dollars a night. Especially on the East Coast!) Guests. (Guests of other bands found floating around backstage become the building's and promoter's responsibility and they get pretty testy about that type of thing.) We have also have had openers and roadies of openers hit on our guests. Sometimes these people are affiliated with radio stations, friends, friends wives, etc. They don't know who is who and that can get pretty sticky. A couple of years ago a long time friend of ours had a merch guy from another band ask this guy's wife for a blow job. She wanted to file charges against the guy. That pretty much ended the whole other bands and crew hangin' with our guests thing. Everyone's actions out there is a reflection on the headliner no matter how it goes down. Sad, but true. There are reasons for rules, obviously."

Perris Records: Which groups have you enjoyed touring with the most?

Rikki Rockett: "SKID ROW, FASTER PUSSYCAT. Mike Fasano the drummer from WARRANT, is the best dude in the world to be on the road with. We had a blast! L.A. GUNS were fun and all the way back to TESLA. There are a lot of great folks out there who we have toured with. There are also some that I have no desire to even ever see again! Off the road, I very rarely hang out with other musicians. Mike Fasano and Ginger Fish from [MARILYN] MANSON. That's about it.

Perris Records: From reading your tour diaries you seem to have lots of fun on the road. In fact you seem to always have a good time no matter what you are doing. Do you miss touring when you have a break?

Rikki Rockett: "Sometimes I do, but it's more about the playing for people that I miss. We don't get paid for playing, we get paid for missing out on everything that normal people get to do. We get paid for 1,200-mile bus rides and not being able to be with our families when there is a crisis. The guilt that follows that, etc. When your girl is upset and you aren't there to comfort her or the guys in the band who have kids miss the baseball games that they are in and that sort of thing. It ain't all a party, trust me. At the same time, there are so many upsides. Meeting people and going places I otherwise probably never would have seen. It's a weird balance to strike and some folks never do. It's no wonder that drugs are so plentiful in the rock world. This should all mean greater music and more personal struggle in the music. But, that is not always the case. It's also not always understood by the public and the downward spiral begins to spin for many."

Read Rikki Rockett's entire interview with Perris Records at this location.