RIKKI ROCKETT Says POISON Is 'Throwing Around' Touring Ideas For Next Year

Episode 246 of the "Iron City Rocks" podcast (web site) features an interview with POISON and DEVIL CITY ANGELS drummer Rikki Rockett. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether there are any plans for POISON to play live in 2015:

Rikki Rockett: "Well, yeah, there is. And it could get very complicated with two bands for me. But, you know, POISON has been doing, like, the last two years, we've just been doing, like, these, sort of, corporate gigs for different companies, which are fun, and they pay very well. It gives us a chance to all get together and play. And, in fact, we have one in October and we have one in January [2015]. But they are the only shows that POISON is doing this year; we are not doing a tour this year. There is a few things that are being thrown around right now by our management for next spring, and we'll just have to see. The thing is, POISON is my priority, and it's my baby and it's my first love, but this band [DEVIL CITY ANGELS] is something that I'd really love to stand behind. And this isn't a project, and that's what I want everybody to know. We plan on doing this for awhile. So we're real happy with it right now."

On continuing to have a career as a rock musician despite the downturn in the economic fortunes of the record industry:

Rikki Rockett: "I feel very blessed to be an older rock guy — I'm not a kid anymore, although I probably process things like a kid, mentally — but to be able to get out there and play and make a living at this, I just consider it to be just such an awesome thing. There's so many of my peers that have not been able to do that, and they're doing something else in life, which is not the end of the world, obviously. I have two kids, and they are the world to me, and that's the stuff that's important, really, at the end of the day. But you wanna support them, and you want them to be proud and excited about what you do."

In addition to Rockett, DEVIL CITY ANGELS features in its ranks former L.A. GUNS guitarist Tracii Guns, bassist Eric Brittingham (CINDERELLA),and vocalist/rhythm guitarist Brandon Gibbs (CHEAP THRILL).

Rockett took to Twitter in February 2014 to complain that POISON couldn't hit the road this summer because a certain member of the glam-metal act was "making it a problem."

POISON last toured the U.S. in 2012 as part of the "Rock Of Ages" package with DEF LEPPARD and LITA FORD.

In a 2012 interview with DelmarvaNow.com, POISON frontman Bret Michaels was asked if the fact that classic hard-rock bands like VAN HALEN and KISS seem to be spending more time in the studio working on new material than in recent years means that fans can also expect a new POISON studio album in the not-too-distant future. "Never say never," Bret replied. "We have no concrete plans for a new album at the moment, but the POISON guys are like family to me." He added, "I've been out all summer with them on the [2012] 'Rock Of Ages' tour [with DEF LEPPARD] and you never know what can happen."

The last POISON album was 2007's covers set "Poison'd!", while the band's last collection of new, original music was 2002's "Hollyweird".

To celebrate POISON's 25th anniversary, 35 of the multi-platinum band's top hits and fan favorites were gathered for "Double Dose Of Poison: Ultimate Hits", a career-spanning 2CD and digital collection which was released in May 2011 by Capitol/EMI.

"Iron City Rocks" podcast (audio):