Bret Michaels Early Bands: Spectres and Paris

In a time where there weren't cellphones with built-in cameras everywhere, I give all the credit for the info and photos below to the webpage MetalSludge.tv -- that is where I FINALLY found some pictures of the early Bret Michaels bands, Spectres (formed in 1979 with Rikki Rockett) and Paris (formed in 1983 with Rikki Rockett, Matt Smith and Bobby Dall.)

Bret Michaels' first band, "Laser", was formed in Bret's basement and probably doesn't have many photos attached to its name and existence (however if there ARE some out there, please share! :) )

I've heard some songs from "Paris" but none from "Spectres" so I'd love to come across some of those tracks someday.

Anyway, below are some photos that I finally was able to dig up, from Bret's Spectres and Paris days.
I love it :)  I know people, including celebs I imagine, don't like seeing outdated photos of themselves, but to me, as to any Bret/Poison fan I imagine, these are treasures :)

SPECTRES - formed by Rikki Rockett and Bret Michaels.

I don't know when these photos are from, but somewhere between 1979 and 1983.

(And is it me, or has Rikki not changed at all through the years? I mean, his hairstyle has changed a lot but I can pretty much recognize his photos no matter how far back they go :) )

PARIS 

Upper Left: Bobby Dall, Upper Right: Matt Smith
Bottom Left: Rikki Rockett, Bottom Right: Bret Michaels



($3 to rock with Bret???? The boy has come a looooong way since $3 a ticket!!)

Big Chicken Breasts!

I was out to lunch today when the TV all of a suddenly started blasting "Nothin' But a Good Time" behind me.  Naturally I turned my head, expecting to see a Poison video of some sort, but alas, that was not the case!

The irony of Bret Michaels/Poison in a commercial for big chicken breasts is not lost on me ;-) lol.
I do love Carl JR (Or Hardees, as it's called elsewhere in the country) so the combination of Carl's JR and Poison is a win-win in my book.

No Bret photo in this blog, but plenty of big breasts.

Bret Michaels and Motorcycles

Bret Michaels and Motorcycles

I went to urgent care one night, wearing a Bret Michaels t-shirt and he told me he'd hung out with Bret at a motocross event once.  He told me what a great guy Bret was, really fun and down to earth guy, which seems to be the word on the street about Bret among the people that have met him. (Which now includes myself ... and I can verify it :) )
It's wonderful that my Bret Michaels t-shirts (and now my Bret tattoo) inspire people to tell me all kinds of stories about Bret.  And they're all positive! (Except for some jealous, insecure guy once in awhile who sarcastically keep bringing up Bret wearing makeup and hair extensions and blah blah blah lol .... Whatever, get over it guys ...)

Anyway, fearful as I am of these motorcycles, just because I have several friends who own them and they have ALL been in one or multiple accidents with their bikes, I must admit that Bret looks extremely good atop the iron steeds.

It's Saturday night and I think Bret fans wouldn't mind feasting their eyes upon some motorcycle pics.
I also suggest turning on "Ride the Wind", either on your stereo or find it on YouTube, while watching the photos.  It's a great addition =)  Enjoy!

My Bret Michaels Tattoo

Me, my Bret Michaels tattoo, freshly signed
and not yet inked. AND ... the hat he gave
me.... which is my greatest treasure, I'll protect
it with my life and probably get buried in it
when that time comes ;-)

My Bret Michaels Tattoo

First things first...
Where did I have it done:  Tattoo Alchemy, Montclair, by Jason Clay Dunn (Inkmaster 3/Inkmaster 5).

Did it hurt?  It's hard to tell people yes or no to this question.... people's levels of pain tolerance are so different. Mine is fairly high, so the tattoo wasn't bad, but it did take 8 hours so suffice to say that after awhile, even *I* flinched a little :)  But overall, not bad and I think for an average tattoo, the upper arm isn't a bad place at all when it comes to level of pain :)

What did it cost?  Not going to reveal it, it's not about the monetary value.  I will tell you though, that I saved up for 6-8 months so that it didn't cut into my budget at all.  For Christmas, on my list to Santa, I only put VISA gift cards/cash/gift card from Tattoo Alchemy, because I'd rather have friends/family pitch in for the tattoo rather than the usual gifts.  Any extra cash I've come across during this time has gone straight into my tattoo fund, so when it was time to pay, I felt nothing but good about it.
It was also a nice way of doing this because everybody I love is now a part of this tattoo.  My dearest friends and family members have all pitched in via Christmas gifts for this tattoo, so it's like they are all a part of it.  It makes me feel good, and I will think about them all every time I look in the mirror.
Before I move on then, let me post the picture of my new tattoo, so that I can explain myself ;-)

My Bret Michaels Tattoo - pre touch-up and also
pre-weightloss on my part. Bret has lost
some weight in his face since then :)

The original Bret Michaels photo

So why in the world would I put Bret Michaels on my arm.  I mean, somebody's face .... god forbid I ever stop being a fan, I'd have to chop my arm off ;-)  (That's not likely by the way, me not being a fan of his.....).
I spent a long time weighing for and against. In fact, I got an appointment for this tattoo about 6 months ahead of time, so I had time to back out of it if I should regret it. (And also so I'd have time to save up). I kept thinking about all the reasons I would potentially regret this decision.  My hair dresser and I were joking around about it even, and she said "What if he starts walking around beating up old ladies or something" ... the thought is amusing because it's so ridiculous, but it does bring up a point.  What if he does something that is really wrong and I completely despise.  I found that it wouldn't matter.  (I also find that this is a highly unlikely scenario by the way .... lol)

Then, as I kept reflecting on reasons why I shouldn't go through with this tattoo, I started realizing that most of my reasons were based on what OTHER PEOPLE would think. When it comes to tattoo, it is highly personal.  You should never get a tattoo based on what other people think.  It should be solely based on what YOU think.  Once I realized this, I was totally at peace with my decision.

I'll tell you another thing. When I look in the mirror, I don't just see a portrait of Bret. It's about more than just the portrait itself. Bret Michaels is the very first role model/musician etc that I discovered on my very own without any influence from anybody.  When I saw him on Nashville Star, I recognized him, sure, but i didn't know much about who he was.  I didn't even realize that he was Poison.  But I totally became a fan of the way he was, the way he acted .... the comments he made were sincere and it was obvious that he was being himself, "take it or leave it".  He performed his solo stuff on there and I loved it, and I totally became a fan of Bret.  Not long after, I discovered the song "Talk Dirty to Me".  I'd play it over and over and over and over, and finally my husband said that "You know, that guy you like so much, Bret, that's him."   So as you see, on two separate occasions, totally independent from each other, I found Bret Michaels.

Some of you may think "Well, how could she not have heard of him or known he was Poison etc", but the truth is I wasn't exposed to much music like that while growing up.  My parents didn't play much music around the house, and when they did, it was mostly country.  So my music taste growing up was influenced by my parents, my music taste during my teen years was influenced by my peers.... same in college.   Pretty much my whole life, I've followed other people's tastes in music. With Bret/Poison, I followed nobody but myself and look where it landed me.   I'm truly a fan, of Bret himself and of course, of Poison.   That's a reason why I think this will never change.  I picked this guy out myself, there was nobody telling me to like him because he's "in".

Bret Michaels tattoo - post touch-up.
A cellphone photo really doesn't do this
tattoo justice but it's what I have.

Besides being a great artist and a great performer,  he's a big motivation as a business man and a human being.  Last year I attended a concert of his at UCLA. As we were walking down the hallway towards our seats, there he was! I froze in place, totally star struck, plus his body guards or whatever kept people at a distance because Bret had to get back and get ready for the concert.  Well, along the way, Bret stopped and shook hands with a couple of ushers... and introduced himself.  Yes that's right. He INTRODUCED himself.  All I could think was "That is incredibly polite and humble.... that he doesn't just parade through the hallway with his nose in the air.  He stops and says hi to those hardworking ushers who most likely were working for free.... and he doesn't even take for granted that they know who he is."  In hindsight, I'm kicking myself for not going up to him anyway, despite his posses chasing people away, but at the same time, I really enjoyed being an observer/fly on the wall at that moment.  It gave me incredible insight, IN PERSON I might add, and I'm thankful for that moment.

I have written plenty of blogs about why I like Bret Michaels so much.  People always point out that it's because he's so good looking. WELL ... that doesn't hurt, but honestly, a person need a lot more than just good looks for me to become a fan.  It's all about their personality really, and their ways of behaving as a human being.  If Bret looked like Albert Einstein (let's face it, not the sexiest man that ever walked this earth), I would still be a huge fan and I'd still want a portrait on my arm.
You can read more about my Bret Michaels' dedication and fascination on these blogs:

He really is a huge inspiration for me, he has fought a lot of battles to get where he is, he presents himself with flaws and all, I highly respect that about him that he doesn't hide behind a facade of perfection. Nobody is perfect.  Nobody should ever pretend to be perfect, yet there are so many that do exactly that. That just makes me respect the ones that dare to be themselves even more.  I hope to accomplish that someday, and I think i"m on my way :)


My dream of meeting Bret in person just increased in intensity after I got my tattoo, and in November 2013, it finally happened. One of the truly happiest moments in my life.  He was so nice, so friendly and easy to talk to.  All those nerves that I had before meeting him just vanished as I saw him.  I was so happy to get that signature on my arm, and even happier that the Sharpie stayed on all night and overnight, long enough for me to get it inked.

Bret Michaels Tattoo with freshly
inked signature. I love my arm. LOL.

I love this tattoo. Jason Dunn did SUCH an amazing job, I've never seen such an amazing portrait before.  It's lifelike, realistic and I'll of course post so many more pictures of this once it's healed.  He is so talented, and I know he wants to be known more for his Japanese tattoo artwork, but when you can tattoo portraits like this one ..... chances are word will spread ;-)
Jason was recently a contestant on Inkmaster 3 and will again be on Inkmaster 5, so I'm glad I got this done when I did because now his calendar is filling up ;-)

Anyway .... think what you want about this tattoo.  It's a fabulous piece of art, it means a lot to me personally and truly, in the style of Bret Michaels, it's who I am so take it or leave it.

"My body is my journal and my tattoos are my story"  - fabulous quote by another great original, Johnny Depp.

Until we meet again ......... take care everyone.
Laila

Bret Michaels 9/11 Tribute - One More Day

Bret Michaels - One More Day

This is one of my favorite songs in the world.  It's so beautiful and sad. We were all left with thoughts after that tragic 9/11 event that happened in 2001.  Talented artists like Bret Michaels were able to convert their thoughts into music.  Although it is a 9/11 tribute, the lyrics can apply to a lot of scenarios in our lives, as this video from Bret Michaels illustrates.

Please enjoy.  Such a great song, certainly one that nips at the heart strings.

Trop-A-Rocka!

THANKS for the TROP-A-ROCKA!!

When Bret joined The Apprentice in 2010, I had a gut feeling he'd win.  Because he's a rocker with a bad boy history, showing up in jeans and t-shirt (true rock'n roll style!) and all that jazz, people (including his competitors) severely underestimated him.
All I knew was that after, at the time, an almost 25 year long career, Bret was still in the spotlight and going strong and that is not something that happens unless the artist is also a savvy business man.  And savvy businessmen tend to do really well in the Apprentice.




I did have a slight fear that I was I'd see sides of Bret during the Apprentice that I didn't want to know about.  Like Gene Simmons for instance, he was a big disappointment in his season. I love KISS, and I still do, but that was disappointing. Luckily Bret kept it real and didn't display any embarrassing sides that his fans wouldn't be able to overlook.

And...... he won and he gave us TROP-A-ROCKA

I LOVE this Snapple flavor, can't get enough.  Not because Bret made it but because it tastes damn awesome and it's sugar free. (And I've tested it on friends who drink regular sugar drinks and even they like it.)  It is difficult to get a hold of Trop-A-Rocka, it's usually wiped out in the stores and I know Snapple had problems keeping up with the demands.  For a flavor of Snapple that was only supposed to be temporary, 4 years later it's still going strong.

Now....DON'T get me started on the Fan Favorite Apprentice season, where Bret was so unjustly fired for no good reason at all. (Other than the fact that producers and Trump didn't want him win a 2nd time?)

Believe me, despite being a fan of Bret's, I'd completely admit it if he deserved to get fired, but that fiasco was the last straw for me as far as the Apprentice was concerned and I haven't watched it since.

Too bad, it used to be one of my favorite shows.

Either way, keep scrolling for some more Bret Michaels Apprentice photos.  Enjoy! =)

Bret Michaels / Poison Shirt Memory Quilt

Today I'm very excited to post photos of a project that has been in the works for some time.
I'm sorry to make an exception by not directly posting picture of Bret, but it is definitely Bret Michaels related! :)

I have lost some weight over the past year or so, and all my Poison and Bret Michaels t-shirts no longer fit me.  Any fan reading this know that these are not the kind of shirts you throw away or give to the Salvation Army.  These are keepers. So what to do?

Well .... I went on a Facebook quest to find a friend that liked to sew/quilt, and I found someone :)  I sent her all my shirts, and over the net we discussed colors and materials and I let her have at it.
(I'm of the habit of leaving most decisions regarding what I need done to the ones who know what they are doing, and this time was no different .... as usual it came out awesome!)

These photos don't really do this blanket justice at all, but below are some photos, you can get an idea.

Now the dilemma is .... should I hang it or use it? (It's comfy too.... :) )

Stud on a White Horse

Who wants a prince on a white horse these days? Really .... these princes are so outdated and boring.
A rock'n roll bad boy on a white horse however, that is what fantasies are made of! (At least mine:-) )

A LOT of comments come to mind when I look at these photos, but as I did not mark this blog R-Rated (or X-rated), I'll keep the comments to myself.  I think any fan of Bret's will have plenty of thoughts on their own regarding this, they don't need my help :)

Bret Michaels - A Beautiful Soul

Bret Michaels - A Beautiful Soul

The newest single from Bret Michaels, and of course, the master's still got it. Love this new tune from Bret, I'm so happy he's still kicking out new music.  As much as I love the rock'n roll from Poison, Bret's solo albums have so much soul and heart and so much reflection on life, I really love his solo tracks. 

Enjoy "A Beautiful Soul"!

You can get your own copy of A Beautiful Soul on Amazon or iTunes or anywhere else that sell digital tracks.

Just because I'm partial to Amazon, here's a link:

Bret Michaels - A beautiful Soul - Digital Copy

Bret on a Park Bench

I want to start out the daily Bret photos with one of my favorite Bret Michaels photos.  I love this photo, I actually have it on my phone as my screensaver.  I guess because it's such a natural pose, and it also kind of speaks of the celebrity lifestyle and how there's not much room for privacy.

To me, it seems like Bret may have stepped out for some fresh air or taking a break on a set, but even in a private quiet moment like this, there are photographers lurking.

In fact, when my 3-year old saw this photo (and she's a Bret fan already of course ;-)), she said "we're just gonna leave him alone...." hehe.  Without knowing at all what my thoughts were on this photo, it seems she has the same impression as me.

I may be complete wrong about that, nevertheless, staged or natural, this photo is a huge favorite of mine.  Enjoy.

My journey to self insight and to ♥ Bret Michaels ♥

So I've started a blog where I plan posting daily pics of Bret, as we know that Bret Michaels' fans can never get enough eye-candy material of our idol :)

I'm a huge fan of Bret and Poison, I fell head over heels for this rock'n roll, such great music that truly hit home with me for some reason.

Now, I wish I could say I had been a fan of Poison from the very beginning.  If I had grown up here in the USA, I probably would have been.  Alas, I grew up in Norway where we had 2 radio stations and 1 TV channels, all of the above were state run so our exposure to overseas culture and music was limited.

I figure my first post here should be an earlier blog post I wrote a few years back, about how I came to idolize Bret so much.  Many years later, I find myself still spinning those Poison/BMB CDs in my car on my way to work every day, going to concerts every year and last but not least, I have a beautiful Bret Michaels portrait tattooed on my arm.  THAT .... is another blog post.

For right now, let's start off with my personal discovery of myself, as well as of Bret.
(Note - This was written probably 5 years ago so some of the timed references may be a little outdated as I've decided to post the raw blog as it was written then and not muck with it.....)

************************************

A couple of months ago, I completely revamped my iPod. I wiped it clean of all the music I had loaded on to it. Every song I no longer wished to listen to were left behind on my computer and I loaded all the songs I still hadn’t grown tired off on to my iPod, along with some new music. Once I took a glance at my new iPod, I realized how much my taste in music actually said about who I was and who I had become.

I’m going to dedicate this blog to my relationship with Bret Michaels. It’s a relationship that exists only in my head, and one that he most likely wouldn’t be very interested in, seeing as it would only involve talking.

To quote him from one of his songs: “I am good at one thing and believe me it ain’t talk!” (from “Look but You Can’t Touch”)

Growing up, my taste in music was pretty much influenced by three things: My parents, my peers and the radio.

In my family, my dad was mainly the one listening to music, so I grew up listening to his country music. I’d say my parents’ taste in music accounted for a 50% influence on my own taste in music.

As I grew older, my peers’ taste in music became a factor. I think however, that when I analyze the way I was back then, my peers’ taste in music only accounted for about 20% of my musical influence. Sure I may have pretended to like their music so I wouldn’t seem like such a country-music loving geek. I was a teenager after all and had no desire to stand out. I did enjoy a lot of that music though (hey I grew up in the 80s…what’s not to like...) but at the end of the day, when it came time for me and me alone to pick a tape to listen to (this was before CDs), I went back to country.

A third factor that I guess by logical math would account for about 30% of my taste in music would be the radio. The top hits, whatever was played over and over and over again on the radio, stuck to the brain until you couldn’t stop yourself from whistling these tunes or singing them in the shower because you just couldn’t clear them from your memory.

These songs were the very same ones that were played at school dances and fun functions I attended as a teen, so naturally a lot of fond (and some not so fond) memories became linked with the tunes so I cherish these songs for many reasons.

11 years ago, I moved from Norway to the United States and it opened up a whole new array of bands and musical talents that I had never listened to, or even heard of. Until then, I was familiar with the most popular hit songs which had made their way across the pond and had been played on the Norwegian radio, but there was a lot of music that never made it that far.

Luckily for me, I discovered that it is never too late to catch up.

My first real insight into the world of Bret Michaels happened when he appeared on Nashville Star as a judge one season. As a fan of country music, the world of rock was fairly unexplored by me, so Bret Michaels had a clean slate with me. I knew very little about him, about his “bad boy” past or about his being as a whole, but by the end of the season, I had become thoroughly fascinated by the man. Despite knowing nothing about him, I learned a lot just by listening to his comments & watching his general appearance on the show. From stories I’ve heard and articles I’ve read after the fact, I know that I got a fairly accurate perception of him.

One of the qualities that really made me like him was his uncanny ability to just be himself! It doesn’t seem like this is something that should require a lot of effort, but the truth is, it’s a quality that is sorely lacking in a lot of people. Bret stood out because he had this attitude of “Hey, this is who I am, take it or leave it.” Well, I took it.

During the course of the show, he also performed a few of his songs and I really liked what I heard. He wasn’t performing as Poison that time, he was singing songs from his solo albums.

Well, the show ended and Bret & I parted ways for a while. I had gotten to know him and I liked him but musically, I was still stuck in the past.

Then I discovered this addicting game called “Guitar Hero III” and I immediately fell in love with the song “Talk Dirty to Me”, even before I realized who was behind that song. Once I found out it was a Poison song, it was as if everything came full circle and I was hooked, not just on the song, but to Poison and to Bret Michaels. I started rifling through my husband’s CD collection to retrieve his old Poison CDs, and I quickly became a Poison addict, constantly craving more and more of their songs until I was in possession of them all. (I’m sure there may be some out there that I haven’t heard….)

Of course, I was already familiar with the biggest Poison hits, such as “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” and “Something to Believe In” because they did make it across the pond, but as I started listening to more of Poison’s albums, I discovered all these musical gems that had never been recorded on a “Greatest Hits” album. Most of these songs were written by Bret Michaels, some in cooperation with the rest of the band members.

As I started wandering through the world of rock, I discovered other great bands along the way, such as Motley Crue and Skid Row. Although their songs were catchy and really good, I found myself getting bored with their songs after listening to them a few times. To me, they lacked a depth and a lyrical diversity that I seemed to have found in Poison’s music. (I'm sure some people will disagree with me, and I would expect nothing else... Music is like tattoos, they mean something different to every single person.)

And yes, I know there are some tunes in the Poison discography that aren’t that great, but the blunders are few, the diamonds are many.

(Note: I’ve had the same Poison CD on “shuffle” in my car stereo for over a year now… It doesn’t get old.)

Once I had familiarized myself with Poison, I started delving into Bret’s solo work and found it to be just as good as his Poison work, maybe better. The man’s still got it, not just physically (because let’s face it, he’s sexy as hell), but also as an artist.

I find that Bret is a true bard in a modern sense of the word. He is a word smith, a lyricist and a musician and his solo songs are amazing. It seems like his current songs are more a part of him, they are more personal and it gives a greater insight as to who he is as an individual, where he came from and who his musical influences have been.

A couple of his songs brings up his bout with diabetes. Bret was just a child when they found out about his disease, and I can’t even imagine how heartbreaking and difficult and depressing that must have been. I knew a couple of kids from my childhood who had diabetes and it was no picnic for them (literally…). Back then, the only sugar free soda was Tab (Come on, all at once: Ewwwwwwww!) and sugar free cakes & candy were non-existent. Well, that’s not true. They had a couple of sugar free treats that tasted just as good as that pink-labeled black-colored watery drink they named Tab. For birthday parties and picnics, these kids could pretty much just sit and watch everyone stuff themselves with cake and soda. That has to be so tough on a kid. (Heck most adults would find that difficult….).

During this entire time though, throughout sex, drugs & rock’n roll, Bret has somehow managed to keep himself healthy & keep the disease at bay. Who knows, the diabetes may have been a factor as to why he’s still such a great artist and so talented, because no matter what he has done throughout his career as a rocker, the disease may have been lingering vaguely in the back of his mind throughout the journey.

However, as I said before, what I do admire the most about Bret Michaels is his bluntness and his ability to just be himself. He has no qualms about airing his dirty laundry for everyone to see. I remember this one article from an interview with a “Rock of Love” reject where they gossiped that his long hair is not his, they are hair extensions. Bret’s response was simply “Yes they are, I get the finest European hair that money can buy!” I just loved it. I mean…who cares? If I earned millions of dollars, I’d probably get the finest extensions money could buy too. And as for Bret’s bad-boy past, sure I know about it, I know it’s real but heck, he has never denied it. There are people out there who have done far worse things in life and who sit high and mighty upon their pedestals, their images are squeaky clean but their souls are not.

Despite being a Bret Michaels fan, I’m not a fan of “Rock of Love”. I’ve watched a couple of episodes, but it’s not my thing.

From what I can tell, “Rock of Love” has served as an advertising campaign for Bret Michaels. He has been able promote himself as a solo artist, so that people will look at him and think “Bret” instead of looking at him and thinking “Poison”. As far as I can tell, he has pulled this off. It’s a really brilliant business plan and Bret is an amazing salesman. And contrary to what he stated in the song I quoted above, I believe that he must be very good at talking because otherwise he wouldn’t have made is this far in his career.

So…

Gone from my iPod are all my country songs. (Well, I take that back. Bret has a few country songs that are very good, and they are still on there.) It’s kind of sad. It is as if I’ve said goodbye to a part of me that has kept me company most of my life. But then again, while the songs are gone, the memories are still there and they always will be.

I’ve just moved on is all. It feels as if I’ve finally found myself and the music taste I’ve developed is one that I have developed on my own, without caring about anybody’s input or influence.

The music I publically say that I love and the music I play when I’m on my own is finally the one and the same! That must be a good sign?

As far as Bret Michaels goes, I’m probably the only woman in the world who, if stranded on a deserted island with Bret, would spend the time talking with him. (I think I can hear him praying out loud right now….). Perhaps someday, I will write a biography.

Maybe someday, I too can find the courage to be myself. Perhaps the next time I waver between being true to who I am and being someone who other people want me to be, I should simply ask myself….

WWBD?

All photos in this blog was taken by me during a Poison concert
at the Universal Amphitheater in LA.

All I can say is.... Bret's still got IT! (They rocked!!)

Coming Soon: Daily Bret Michaels Pics!

Currently working on customizing and setting up this blog, but as an avid Bret Michaels fan, I thought it's time I finally blog on something I really love and what would be a better blog task for someone like me than looking for Bret photos every day :)

Coming soon .... literally .... maybe today....depends on how fast I can work these blog settings.