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Hair-raising rock 'n' roll
By GINA VIVINETTO
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 31, 2001
10 PRESSING QUESTIONS
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In a very special 10 Pressing Questions, two hair metal pioneers answer the tough questions about rock 'n' roll cars, chicks with tattoos and the importance of flossing your teeth. Poison lead singer Bret Michaels and Quiet Riot yelper Kevin DuBrow, in separate calls from Texas during their Perfect Hairball III tour, give the lowdown.
(1) You sound terrible, Bret.
Michaels: (In a raspy whisper) We just kicked off the first two shows of the tour, so I threw a little party on the bus last night. Oh, man, I was loving it, but today I'm paying. You always got to pay the piper the next day . . .
A rock 'n' roll band that still parties?
Michaels: I know, right? I'm like, What the hell happened? Poison still always has a big after-show party.
How about Quiet Riot?
DuBrow: We don't party. We use all our energy and talent for being onstage, for the fans. We partied enough in the 1980s. It isn't about partying anymore. It's like being a pro athlete: If you really want to do it well, you have to take care of yourself. But I enjoyed my self-destructive time. I have no regrets.
(2) Is it more important for a rock frontman to have a good voice or cool moves?
Michaels: It's a combination. You got to have the good voice to get people to come see you. Then, you better have the moves or no one will be back to see your ass.
DuBrow: They're both important. The first thing is the singing, but you have to sell that. The performance is how you sell it. In rock 'n' roll, performance is the most important thing, but for me personally, it's about the singing. I spend four days a week going to the gym, so I can be in my best shape to perform. but I play with three of the best musicians in the world, so I want to be the best singer I can be.
(3) Do you hate the term "hair metal"?
Michaels: You can call me anything you want. I wear my sash proudly as the number one hair metal band in the world. (Editor's note: VH1 voted Poison Top Hair Band of all time). That's one of the things I love about Poison. We love what we do. We're very comfortable in our skin.
DuBrow: I don't care what they call it. (Annoyed) Look, it's a title that makes people feel comfortable and that's fine.
(4) Do hair and rock 'n' roll go hand in hand?
Michaels: For me, yeah. As a kid, watching Robert Plant and Steven Tyler and Paul Stanley, long hair was just cool. I know I'm old school, but I'm sticking to it. (laughs).
DuBrow: Hair, style, clothing. It's all a part of it. For a fan, it's fun to look at it all from top to bottom, as opposed to the acts nowadays that don't dress up. But our era was all about glamor and flash . . . I have the stuff made for me now. I live in Las Vegas, costume capital of the world.
(5) Are tattoos on chicks sexy?
Michaels: I say yes. In the right places. Places that I'll have to explore (laughs).
DuBrow: It depends. Anything in excess, I don't like. Maybe a little rose or something. Natural skin is so beautiful. Why would you want to cover beautiful skin with art? You lose the point.
(6) What is the ultimate rock 'n' roll car?
Michaels: Double thumbs up to the Ferrari. (Note #2: the very kind of car Michaels had a horrible accident in a few years ago) . . . Well, now I drive a Mercedes S600. Black on black. It's sporty, the ultimate driving machine.
DuBrow: A Corvette is the most rock 'n' roll car there is. A 1963 split window.
(7) How often do you brush your teeth?
Michaels: Oh, man! I literally just did that right before I called. On a good day -- like after a hard night of partying -- I up the ante to about four times.
DuBrow: I brush three or four times. I'm pretty fanatical. Anything that can affect my voice, my throat, I take care of it.
Do you floss? Truthfully?
Michaels: I do floss. After my Ferrari accident, after swallowing most of my real teeth (laughs), I find it invaluable to keep the ones I still have.
DuBrow: Oh yeah. The whole nine yards. I'm pretty hygienic. They call me the King of the Toiletries on the road.
(8) Rock stars date a certain type of a girl. Would either of you ever date a librarian?
Michaels: I would. My first turn-on in Playboy -- after stealing it from my father's sock drawer, where it was very well-hidden -- was the businesswomen's edition. It had all these girls in business outfits, all totally sexy. The librarian with the sexy glasses was my favorite. That's the sexiest look, man, second only to the Catholic schoolgirl.
DuBrow: Sure. A woman's profession is irrelevant to me. I've tried not to date strippers, but when the package looks so nice . . . it's hard. Librarians probably have higher IQ's than the women I've dated. She'd probably be a lot more interesting to talk to. . . . You want to date someone who challenges you intellectually.
(9) What did you think of your band's VH1's Behind the Music?
Michaels: We've had so much notoriety for that. They showed all the elements of Poison: (A) We're survivors. (B) They showed how it really was, the good, bad and the ugly. They had people who loved us, people who hated us. They crammed in as much as they could in a short time. But, between you and me, of course, there was a lot more.
DuBrow: Well, that show was a one-hour infomercial for my band. They play it over and over and over. Basically it reminds people we're out there. But it was filled with glaring inaccuracies. Like, when they say we earned millions and millions of dollars in the '80s. Well, I'd love for somebody to show me those canceled checks.
(10) If you could have a Freaky Friday-type situation where you could trade places for a day withanyone in history, who would it be?
Michaels: Matt Dillon. Because I've always wanted to sleep with Cameron Diaz. So, I'd like to be Matt Dillon during the time he was going out with Cameron Diaz.
DuBrow: No one. I'm pretty happy being myself.
(One more note: Quiet Riot this week releases Guilty Pleasures, which, DuBrow assures, contains no hip-hop beats or alt-rock trendiness. The singer promises it's "just pure 1980s-style arena rock.")
PREVIEW
98 Rock's Perfect Hairball III: Glam Slam Metal Jam with Poison, Warrant, Quiet Riot and Enuff Z'Nuff. 6:30 p.m., Sunday at USF Sun Dome, 4202 E Fowler Ave., Tampa. $19.50-$29.50. (813) 974-3002.
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