RIKKI ROCKETT Is 'The Last Person Anyone Would Have To Talk Into' Making New POISON Album

POISON drummer Rikki Rockett spoke to The Aquarian Weekly in a new interview about the possibility of the band ever returning to the studio to write and record a new album of all-original material. "There aren't any immediate plans right now, but I would love that, of course," he said. "I am always the guy that wants to get in the studio. I have a studio at home. I would be the last person anyone would have to talk into doing it, but at this point, there aren't any plans."

Rockett also spoke about POISON getting back on stage for its first headlining tour in a decade. "I don't know if it has been ten years exactly but it has been a hot minute, that's for sure," he said. "I am looking forward to having a little more time to play the songs we ordinarily don't get the chance to play. The conundrum you have as a band that has several records and has been around for a while is that fans want deep tracks and you want to play deep tracks but then you also have a chunk of fans that want the hits. Thank God we have enough hits to fill a time slot, but it also makes the situation where it's, like, what do you throw in? You have to get those songs in so it makes it challenging. When we headline, we have more time up there so we can play more songs. I'm looking forward to playing 'Cry Tough' and things we don't ordinarily get to."

Rockett recently told "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" that part of the reason POISON hasn't been motivated to work on new music has been the fact that fans rarely show interest in hearing fresh material performed live when classic rock groups go on tour. "We could write the second coming of 'Talk Dirty To Me', and I don't know if people wanna hear it or not, and that's a frustrating thing; it really is," he said. "AEROSMITH was able to do it, but not everybody is. I mean, even THE ROLLING STONES have had problems with that in the last few years. So… I don't know. But I do think it's important to stay viable. For the 'über fans,' it's always a really, really good thing. And that's what you do it for — you do it for you, you do it for the real fans, the real true fans. Not, like, to really change your popularity at this stage. I don't really think that moves the needle these days. [Laughs]"

POISON's last album of new material was 2002's "Hollyweird". Back in 2007, they released "Poison'd", an album of covers.

POISON kicked off its North American tour with DEF LEPPARD on April 8 at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. The trek will wrap on June 25 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

POISON and DEF LEPPARD first hit the road together back in 2009, and then again three years later.

Rockett was recently declared cancer free after undergoing an experimental treatment. He was diagnosed with oral cancer back in 2015.