Bret Michaels is usually upbeat and personable in interviews, so it was no surprise to hear him sound enthusiastic about almost everything in his life when he called for a recent phone interview. Whether it be his current solo tour, which stopped at Casino Morongo in Cabazon Saturday night, or his hit VH1 reality series - Michaels doesn't have to look far to find the good times in his life.
How's the solo tour going?
“Here’s the whole thing that’s about the solo show--It’s very electric. It’s very exciting. It’s a full band. But what’s cool about it, it’s almost like an amped-up ‘Storytellers.’ an energetic ‘Storytellers.’ So what happens is I play the songs, but in between them, I talk a little about what I was thinking, what I was doing. But then we give you the full production of the song. We don’t strip it down. We give you the full band and the full song and make it a party.”
What should Poison fans expect from the show?
“I want to show (the audience) I’m a little different twist on all of the (Poison) songs, and people get that. We do ‘Talk Dirty To Me,’ and I break it down with this jungle beat. I give it a different twist, and they still know it’s the song. They still know it’s obviously ‘Talk Dirty To Me’, but it also has a slightly different feel to it, which makes people excited because as much as they know the song and the big hit, it also keeps it fresh.”
Should long time fans expect new music from Poison?
“I would love to make a new album with Poison. But it is doubtful that will ever happen, which is why I make my own solo records.”
How has the transition from rock star to TV star been for you?
“Here’s the deal. I came out of Season 1, which was bizarre. I’ve got to be honest, it was really strange to have cameras around me. It felt very uncomfortable doing a lot of the stuff... What made me do Season 2, besides the fact that I get to meet some beautiful girls, was that also they didn’t change it. They didn’t say, ‘OK, now Bret we’re going to do this, you’re going to wear this, you’re going to try this.’ They didn’t tell me who I was. They let me just be who I am.”
Did you feel the girls changed after the first season?
“Season 1 one was a crazy, fun, experimental party, and the girls made it great. We had an awesome time. I got to be exactly who and what I am… I felt that Season 2 had beautiful women. I thought they were just as crazy, but much more emotional. And what it made season two much more difficult was that a lot of the girls knew what I was like. They knew what I liked and didn’t like. So they knew how to play it a little bit better.”
Is there a third season in the works?
“I don’t think I could never go back to doing a third season in a house,” Michaels said. “I don’t think I could ever go back and be like here I am. I can’t find a date. Lets just tell the people the truth. I spend probably seven months of my year on a bus, maybe more. Let’s go out and shoot the big rock road show. Let’s go out and have fun on the road. And if there’s some dating, great. If there isn’t, let’s just go out and shoot the party and watch what I go through.”
Season 3 of “Rock of Love” is set to premiere in early 2009.
