May 1, 1985 / 1193 reads
Source: Look What The Web Dragged In
This is the earliest known interview of Poison. Here is a transcript of the audio interview.
Diane Lynn (DL): Good evening, my name is Diane Lynn and the show is called Radical Rock, right here on KCNE FM thanks for turnin me on. In the studio with me tonight are some members of Poison. So stay tuned because Im gonna talk to them and play some of their music for you.
First why don't you introduce yourselves and tell us what you play:
Bret (BM): Hi, my name's Bret Michaels and I play anything I can get my hands on.
Rikki (RR): Hello my name's Rikki Rocket and I play drums and I play the radio very well.
Bobby Dall (BD): Hi my name's Bobby Dall and I play bass.
C.C. (CC): Hi Im C.C. DeVille and people tell me I play guitar but I'd much rather play the blender.
DL: How would you classify your music?
RR: I'd say we are a Pee-Wee Herman version of Motorhead on a Van Halen level.
CC: Very heavy influences in Vivaldi and Bach and Chopin and Lizt. We bought a bubble machine so see the show. Well get into that later.
DL: Poison was originally formed in Harrisburg.
DL: Poison was originally formed in Harrisburg, can you tell us why you left a large following to come to Los Angeles?
BM: Well, we felt that out here where the industry is, is where we wanted to be at so, where the industry is, is where we came. And out here is the place to be, so...
RR: This is the entertainment capital of the world so to speak, so we came out here to be a part of that and sort of gel our music and our talent into that..
CC: Edge..
RR: Exactly..
CC: Shaving cream version ..
RR: Sort of an edge, shaving cream (everybody laughs)
RR: Actually I came up to LA because of the sun, people can say it's for our career, but no I wanted to boogie board, surf and skateboard and when I saw the video for "I Love LA" - I love LA!
DL: It's better than Harrisburg
RR: Harrisburg, it's a coal mining district
DL: I know, Im from Ohio myself
RR: Harrisburg, theres no heat
DL: Terrible. How long has the group been together now?
BM: We've been together about two and a half years.
DL: How long have you been in California?
BM: About one a half years.
DL: Who was your greatest musical influence?
BM: This is Bret and my greatest musical influences are probably Aerosmith, Van Halen, and Kiss.
RR: This is Rikki and I would say my greatest musical influences are probably Kenny Rogers because of his voice.
BD: This is Bobby Dall and Id say my greatest musical influences were AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith. That was easy.
CC: This is CC and I'd have to say Lawrence Welk with the Belmonts... I don't know if you remember a band called the Diamonds, they were from the 50s and had a song called "Little Darling" and Alan Freid
?: I love Alan Freid!
CC: By the way, Alan Freids my dad, so any of you old people out there buy our record you'll love it.
BM: CC looks like Alan Freid, the way Alan Freid looks now.
DL: Twin brothers. How do you think Poisons music will affect rocknroll?
CC: Like the Cramps.
RR: Like David Lee Roth would probably classify us, we're probably like a dog that would chase a car and make a lot of noise. Wer'e an enigma right now I think, I think that it will be a passing phase...
DL: Do you really?
RR: Probably the next couple of weeks.
CC: We're at least better than a 24 hour virus. Well be around till definitely the summer, the end of it.
DL: Summers over in 5 days... Why don't you tell me something about this song Im gonna play, "Talking Loud".
BM: Actually the reason for this song was primarily because of the uh, the uhh, I cant think right now ..
Talkin Loud is exactly what it says, we're talking loud and saying nothing, because we're trying to show everybody out there that umm, you know theres so many bands out there ..
CC: ..talkin about talkin loud
(everyone makes fun of Bret at the same time - cant get it all)
BM: I have no idea
CC: Just listen to the song, this is not U2 this is Poison, it's a fun rocknroll band, it's escapism, entertainment, so just read what you want, just listen to the song if you like it great, if yah don't well thats good too.
DL: Ok, lets hear it, heres Poison singing "Talking Loud"
[TALKING LOUD]
DL: Yeah that was Poison with Talking Loud, you're listening Diane Lynn on KCNE FM (reads ads with Poison singing and playing in the background)
If you're just tuning in we're talking to the guys from Poison. Who writes your songs?
BM: Basically we're all writers, we all pitch in in writing the songs, it's a collaborated argument and we come up with a very decent sounding song.
CC: Basically I come up with the song already written and I make them feel like they added stuff. (laughter)
DL: Where do you get your ideas for songs?
CC: From drugs, no ...
BM: A lot of people do write about drugs and they need that outlet, we're one of those bands (laughter), sexual frustrations, it's sort of like chewing on ice ...
DL: Do you think the death of Razzel - Hanoi Rocks - has affected the glam rock movement?
RR: Yes
CC: Well, for one thing it should make people were safety belts, Ill tell you that right off the bat.
RR: Heres a public service message ..
I think it has affected it a little, but I think it slowed it down a little bit, we were supposed open for Hanoi Rocks at the show at the Palace and I think they would have seen Hanoi Rocks and realized there was big potential in glam and that there was a big potential in Poison, because you know were getting called a glam band ...
DL: How do LA audiences accept you're music?
RR: They don't, they throw tomatoes up on stage - did you see the Blues Brothers movie? Thats why we moved from Harrisburg.
Back in Harrisburg we were freaks, here we're art.
DL: Here you're glam, there you were just weird. Why don't we play another song. Whats this one called ..
BAND: It's called "Blame It On You"
CC: Ill take the blame
BM: CCs dad likes it, Ill take the blame
DL: Poison singing "Blame it on You"
[BLAME IT ON YOU]
DL: If you're just tuning in were talking to Poison, and that was Poison, "Blame it on You". Ok where do you want to go with this group and what are your goals?
RR: I wanna go to Japan and pick up some girls. I wanna go to a gesha house where I can get em for free.
CC: I wanna meet Tokyo Rose
BM: I wanna bow to the Budda, I wouldnt go to Japan if you twist my arm (makes lots of noise)
CC: Rikki used to be the door man at the House of Ball and Chains which is a sado masicistic place, so if you're gonna bring the clothes over bring over some other interesting articles and well have Rikki try them out for yah or on yah, ok?
DL: Are there any record deals in the works for Poison?
RR: Millions
CC: Right now we're discussing with Warner Bros., A&M, Epic, Asylum, Elecktra, Atlantic,
RR: Atco
CC: Enigma and Combat Records .... I don't know It's up in the air.
RR: The problem with all the major labels is that weve all told them to go to Hom - I mean we've just flipped them all off
CC: It's gonna be Poison Records and Tapes obviously because nobody wants to give us a .. hoot.
RR: We told any A&R person if theyre gonna sign our band they better come out and stand in the front row and theyre all afraid.
DL: Whats the funniest and most embarrassing thing thats ever happened to you on stage?
BM: This is Bret, the funniest thing Ive ever viewed from my eyes is, ok, seen on stage, was CC, we were playing at a club with King Cobra at Fenders ball room and what had happened was we were opening up for King Cobra there and CC, we had a drum riser in front of their riser on the stage and CC had all of our water and everything set on it, and CC, in his last vital attempt, hes running across the stage to get the audience to look at him, looked back at the audience shaking his hand and everything, missed the drum riser with his foot, fell flat on his face on the riser, water went all over, he was just lying face down kicking. Like something like bug thats on it's back.
RR: My most embarrassing, was probably when we played, it was dark club, it was back in Pennsylvania, the smoke filled the air... the time was beautiful I was dating a flower child
CC: And she had a Volkswagon Van
RR: and she didn't wear make up and I relied on her for the make up and she didn't bring the make up and we had to use magic marker for eye liner. My eyes were all red and everybody thought I was on drugs and I wasnt.
CC: At the time anytime.
RR: What are you tring to say?
BD: My most embarrassing moment was when we were back east, we were playing this red neck bar, it was called Moms Place or something like that and we come out and there was all these bikers and shit and we did our first set and it was like really a cold feeling so we come out the door second set and we come out raising so much hell and I went running across all the tables and shit and went running all over the place and pulled my amp over and busted the whole fucking stage set up.
RR: It was on video tape.
BD: We can sell you a copy of it.
CC: The most embarrassing moment
DL: Lets tell one about Bret, he told his most embarrassing moment about you.
CC: I don't have one about Bret, everyday life with Bret is .. I'd rather talk about me again. The most embarrassing moment that I had was on stage when I had just got my endorsement from Marshall Amps and there was 4 heads and 4 bottoms on the stage and I go to do this show and they don't work, and I freaking and I don't know what to do
RR: Did you call Marshall?
CC: We couldnt get anything fixed, so I ended up playing out of a little pig nose amp, it's a 6 inch box, the speakers about 2 inches in diameter, it was tiny little thing, I had to stick the microphone in there and had to play the whole show with this little tiny amp with these 4 huge Marshall stacks about the size of a semi-trailer not working, needless to say I didn't use them again...
BM: There is one time I can relate back when we had first started the band we had played in a club, actually it was an auditorium, we were doing a battle of the bands and we brought in the truck and the camper and everything was really cool and we looked good and all of a sudden we got on the stage and the road crew never showed up, the guys who were supposed to work for us, so there was only about 2 road crew guys and we had to bring all the stuff out on stage so while were helping push our own stuff out on the stage in front of this mass crowd in an auditorium the curtains open up and were standing there like half dressed ready to go on, hair half done...
CC: People say, heres my hairspray Bret ... That was in our past though, now we're absolutely a famous great band and youve gotta come see us. We're actually professional now.
BM: We guarantee you will enjoy us.
CC: Well you can shoot Bobby, we have public shootings at the end of the show and if you don't like the show .. Bobby gets to get the shot
BM: There goes CCs neck ...
RR: Im the intelligent one in the group, Im the only one who doesnt move his lips when he reads...
DL: Do you have any plans for videos?
BM: Yeah (laughter)
CC: We're talking to Steven Speilberg right now he's gonna be directing our next video, ETs gonna be in it and it's gonna be real good.
BM: Steven Speilberg went out with his future wife or his wife, the chick that played Amy
CC: Yeah, Adriana Speilberg, no Amy Irving
?: I love Amy Irving
CC: Well she goes way back with Rikki, her and Rikki used to have a thing so Steven, it's over with now, theyre just friends now Steve, relax buddy. So anyway, Steven will be doing the video.
DL: Great, ok you guys got me dumbfounded here, Im just sitting here watching. Alright thats about it and we have just about 5 minutes left, so I'd like to thank you guys for joining me.
RR: We've got 5 minutes left, lets sing a song.
DL: Alright why don't you sing a song. Wheres your harmonica?
RR: Heavy Metal Kitty.
CC: How's it go?
RR: You're my heavy metal kitty, you're my heavy metal cat, you're a heavy metal kitty, you know where it's at.
CC: Ok.
(They make something up)
BD: We're playing the Street Scene September 28th in LA and we're playing the Troubadour October 11th and 12th and then we're playing the Country Club November 2nd and were also playin See Me Valley(?) for all you KCNE listeners October 5th at the See Me Valley Days.
CC: Oh and by the way if you don't catch us there you're not gonna see us because we#39;re going on tour after that so you gotta see one of them shows cause each one is our last tour.
BM: We're going on tour with Sugar Foot
ALL: I love Sugar Foot
DL: OK, do you have a hotline you wanna give?
BD: Yes we do, our hotline is (213) 931-4553 and if you call that number it's actually the band.
CC: We cant tell if you're ugly or not because you're on the telephone.
(Fooling around)
DL: Oh, boy. Alright. Do you see what time it is this shows over at 12:30
BM: Oh, we have another song, ok go ahead and play it
DL: Oh, thanks, nice guys
CC: This is called Number One Bad Boy and it's for all you bad guys out there. It's ok to bad as long as you don't burn down your house or kill anyone else like the street killer...
DL: I'd like to thank you guys for joining me again
BM: Lets say thank you you guys, CC shut your big mouth
ALL: Thank you
DL: I'd like to thank you all for listening, my name's Diane Lynn and this show is called Radical Rock. Ill see you next week at the same time. I hope you enjoyed meeting Poison tonight, make sure you go see them in concert because theyre outrageous, believe me. ... OK they just tickled me, Im sorry about that, Im gonna leave you now with Poison signing Number One Bad Boy. Make sure you go see them in concert because it's quite a show. Say Goodbye
ALL: Byyyyyyeeee!
[NUMBER ONE BAD BOY]
THE END
