The bandanna-wearing former "Rock of Love with Bret Michaels" star won Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice 3," released a solo album, "Custom Built," supervised a new Poison anthology, "Nothin' But a Good Time: The Poison Collection," stars in a new VH1 reality TV show, "Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It" and recorded his second country album, "Once A Cowboy, Always a Cowboy," due in January.
He also had some medical problems -- an emergency appendectomy, a brain hemorrhage and a mild stroke that led to the discovery of a hole in his heart. And he's diabetic.
But the shows must go on.
Michaels is in the midst of his "Custom Built" tour, which brings him to Speaking Rock Entertainment Center, 122 S. Old Pueblo, for a free, outdoor concert at 6 p.m. Tuesday. He's expected to take the stage at 9 p.m.
The 47-year-old Pennsylvania native, who films "Life As I Know It" at the Scottsdale, Ariz., home he shares with his two daughters, couldn't squeeze in a telephone interview with the El Paso Times, but he did answer some questions we e-mailed to him.
A I was pretty involved with it; Poison is obviously a huge part of my past as a musician and the band is
still a big part of who I am. Even on tour now I mix up all the Poison hits, with a new flair. I do all the solo stuff, I play other stuff. I get to sit down and play piano, guitar, harmonica. I get to do different things outside of the structure of what Poison is.
The fans have really been eating it up. I've got "Rock of Love" and "Apprentice" fans, who are real young. You mix that with all the Poison fans, it's a bigger, broader-based audience. But we've never had any Poison fans not show up. We'll have to wait and see about a reunion. I would definitely be on board with it, so hopefully the stars align
and everything works out for the band and the fans.
Q How is your health in the wake of the brain hemorrhage, stroke and heart condition from which you suffered earlier this year?
A I'm feeling pretty good. Each day I feel a little bit better. I'm about 80 percent, 75 percent of where I know I can get to, so I just keep my fingers crossed. I think it's a blessing in disguise because they found a lot of what was causing the mini-strokes and the TIAs (transient ischemic attacks) and stuff.
Q How did that experience change your life and your approach to it and your career?
A Whatever it is, I live my life passionately. And music is a powerful healer for me. I've learned a lot of it is mind over matter. Once I knew that I had a chance to survive the brain hemorrhage, I was taking life and grabbing it for everything I could.
Q What have you learned from your experiences on "Rock of Love" and "Celebrity Apprentice" (congrats on winning, btw)?
A Here's the bottom line. Music is my first love, hands down. I really think it's the perfect split. In my contract, it's built in that I gotta write the music (for my reality shows), the theme song, and I want my music in the show. The bottom line is that TV can either be a great asset to your career, or if you're a complete ass that people hate, it can be the final nail in your coffin. The "Celebrity Apprentice" was obviously a very different experience than "Rock of Love." "Celebrity Apprentice" really allowed me to develop and demonstrate my business skills. It was a whole different side of me.
Q Why did you decide to do "Life As I Know It" and what have you gotten out of doing it so far?
A VH1 was getting a lot of requests for a show about my life at home, so we decided to move forward and do that. It features my daughters, Jorja and Raine, and I think the girls are having a good time. We're a fun family and I think people get to see that.
Q What inspired you to make another country album; how would you contrast it with your first one, "Freedom of Sound"?
A I've always been such a huge fan of country music. Along with rock, it's really my second love, so it seemed like a natural fit. Same style as "Freedom of Sound," but this will have a little more kick, a little
more rock and roll added to the mix.
Q What inspired your desire to support U.S. military personnel; what do you get out of that? (El Paso has a huge military installation, Fort Bliss, which you should consider visiting if you have the time).
A The U.S. military personnel, they're all heroes. They've given so much to the country and if I can give back and support them in any way I can then I'm happy to to do it. What I do onstage is small compared to what they do, but giving back is important to me, and we can't take all that they do for granted. As for visiting Fort Bliss, I would love that.
Make Plans Who: Bret Michaels, with Ulysses and Texas Road House. When: 6 p.m. Tuesday (Michaels goes on at 9). Where: Speaking Rock Entertainment Center parking lot, 122 S. Old Pueblo. How much: Free (only 18 and older admitted). Information: 860-7777; speaking-rock.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment