Talk "Poison" To Me

Whether you love or love to hate them, Poison became notorious in the 1980's as one of the bands that brought exposure to the genre of Glam Rock. Forming in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Bret Michaels along with drummer Rikki Rockett and bass player Bobby Dall decided to relocate and chase their dreams, driving to Los Angeles in Bret's Ford Econoline ambulance in 1984. They would cut their teeth in the most famous bars of the Sunset Strip, eventually landing a regular gig at the legendary Troubadour club. Things were looking up for the group, but they still needed a killer guitarist to help them break away from the rest of their Sunset Strip peers. After auditioning many different axe men, it was down to just two virtuosos: an LA famous but semi-unknown C.C. DeVille, or an up and coming pre-Guns Slash.

Bret, Rikki and Bobby wanted another east coast musician to fill out their roster, so Slash was already at a disadvantage over New Yorker C.C.. When he found out he would have to wear makeup while performing as a member of Poison, Slash had some misgivings and communicated his discomfort with changing his look. Although there were some disagreements and doubts about how C.C. would fit in with the group, the boys eventually decided that their preference for an east coast guitarist would win out. Unlike his competition, C.C. wasn't opposed to creating a makeup-heavy stage persona while performing. He had just turned down a job offer from Christian metal band Stryper because of his distaste for their yellow and black performance looks. In his opinion, wearing a little eyeshadow and blush was a breeze compared to looking like a bee on stage!

His New York heritage was not the only deciding factor that cemented C.C.'s place in Poison: he also had an intriguing new song that he wanted to use for the band's first album. He auditioned with "Talk Dirty to Me," a song he had begun to write while in his previous band The Screaming Mimi's. While choosing between the two guitarists, the group suspected that they had this potential hit on their hands if they chose C.C. over Slash. The song was indeed a hit, quickly rising to an eventual #9 spot on the Billboard charts and remains in the pantheon of greatest glam metal songs of the 80's. Although it's interesting to speculate what the band's trajectory would have looked like if Slash had joined the group, it's safe to say that C.C. gave Poison one of their biggest hits and is a vital element to their success.

Following their smash hit debut album Look What the Cat Dragged In in 1986, the band avoided the dreaded sophomore slump with an even bigger success. Open Up and Say...Ahh! barreled on to the charts with a total of four hit singles including their only #1 single to this day, the iconic ballad "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." C.C. proved that he wasn't just a one hit wonder on this album, collaborating with Bret to pen another hit single "Nothin' But a Good Time." Although their third album, 1990's Flesh & Blood was also successful, the dawn of the grunge movement saw a waning in the demand for over the top glam metal bands. While the group hasn't been able to match the success of their first three albums with any of their four subsequent albums, they were already firmly cemented in the annals of 80's rock history with just their first three chart topping outings.

Believe it or not, Poison is one of the last of the Glam Rock bands from that era that have never broken up and are still performing today! Although they have had a few different guitarists over the years, these days the group's most famous lineup of Brett, Rikki, C.C. and Bobby are entertaining fans all around the world with their 80's and 90's hits. VH1 currently ranks them at #1 on their list of the top 5 hair bands of the 1980's.

What is your favorite Glam band from the 1980s? Let me know in the comments and I might feature them in a future story! One of my favorites is Ratt, they had such a unique sound with Stephen Pearcy at the helm.