Bret Michaels Shares How Early Rejection Shaped Poison’s Success

In the vibrant music scene of the mid-’80s, Poison was among the many energetic acts striving for recognition along the iconic Sunset Strip. The band tirelessly performed, hoping to secure a coveted record deal. They showcased their talents to multiple labels, only to face rejection time and again. During a recent guest appearance on the Steve-O’s Wild Ride podcast, Michaels recounted a particularly memorable experience where the band performed for Don Arden, a prominent record executive and the father of Sharon Osbourne.

“He came down and we had no money,” the singer reminisced. “So we were living behind the back half of a dry cleaner. We naively thought, since he was affiliated with a big record label, they would expect a spread of drinks. We set up the shabbiest foldout table imaginable and prepared bologna sandwiches, cutting them up to make them look presentable, convinced we could impress him with our hospitality.”

Regrettably, Arden was unimpressed by their meager offering, and even less so by the band’s performance.

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“He listened to a couple of our songs, and then he just stood up and walked away halfway through,” Michaels recalled. “I jumped off the tiny stage at SIR and exclaimed, ‘Whoa, whoa, where are you going? We’ve got food! We’ve got five songs to play that are fantastic!’”

Despite Michaels’ fervent pleas, Arden had already made his decision about the band.

“We were halfway through ‘Talk Dirty to Me,’ jumping around and giving it our all,” the singer reiterated. “He stood up, accompanied by one of his guests, and said, ‘I’m sorry. I just don’t hear the nucleus of any hit.’”

Bret Michaels Reflects on Feeling ‘F—ing Done’ After Disheartening Rejection

The rejection from Arden became a pivotal moment for Poison. “In that instant, I told the guys, ‘I am fucking done,’” Michaels confessed. “I proposed that we pool our resources, whatever we could gather, and it ended up being around five or six grand.”

This amount was significant enough to enable Poison to record their debut album, which they released independently. The band struck a distribution deal with Enigma Records, which was particularly favorable as it allowed them to retain ownership of their masters and publishing rights. These rights became extremely valuable when Look What the Cat Dragged In achieved massive multi-platinum success.

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<p“Ultimately, the best thing that happened to Poison was that no one wanted us initially,” Michaels remarked candidly. “We maintained all our publishing rights to this day, and we kept control of the master rights… it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.”

Even post their debut’s success, remaining an independent act continued to benefit Poison immensely.

“Had we signed with a major label, when our second album didn’t perform well, we would have been dropped,” Michaels explained. “If a single like ‘Every Rose’ had been released and tanked, or even ‘Nothin’ but a Good Time,’ they would have simply shelved us, erasing our hard work.”

Looking ahead, Michaels is set to tour in 2025 with his solo band, including a series of performances alongside Def Leppard. He has also hinted that Poison will reunite for a tour in 2026 to commemorate their 40th anniversary, although no formal announcement has yet been made.