Oh boy, are you guys ready for some thrilling news? 🤯 I can barely contain my excitement… NOT. POISON drummer Rikki Rockett just spilled the tea about the band’s 2002 album “Hollyweird” in a new interview, and let me tell you, it’s a real snooze-fest. I mean, who doesn’t love talking about a 20-year-old album that nobody remembers? 😴
So, Rikki Rockett was chatting with Robert Cavuoto of MyGlobalMind, and he mentioned that he doesn’t love “Hollyweird”. Wow, what a shocking revelation. I bet you’re all on the edge of your seats, wondering why he didn’t bring it up in his memoir “Ghost Notes: My Life In Poison”, which is finally coming out on September 15, 2026, via Rare Bird Books. I mean, who needs to talk about a mediocre album in a book about their life, right? 🙄
Rikki said, “I don’t love that record. I feel like we were very disjointed at that time. There’s some cool moments on that record, there’s no question. There really is. But I felt like we were a little bit disjointed… There’s some cool stuff on it, for sure. But it’s not our best work — it’s not.” Yeah, no kidding. I mean, have you listened to “Hollyweird” recently? It’s like they took all the leftover songs from the 80s and 90s and mashed them together into a mess. 🎸
The “Hollyweird” Era
The first single from “Hollyweird” was “Rockstar”, which is a song that I’m sure you all remember and love dearly… said no one ever. The second single was a cover of THE WHO’s “Squeeze Box”, because who doesn’t love a good cover song to fill up space on an album? 🎶
But hey, at least POISON has been consistent in their inconsistency. Five years after “Hollyweird”, they released an album of covers called “Poison’d” in 2007, because why not? 🤷♂️ And in 2018, bassist Bobby Dall said that the band “should” be making a new studio album, but claimed he didn’t know if it would happen. Yeah, because that’s not something they’ve been saying for the past 20 years or so. 🙄
The State of POISON Today
In a 2017 interview, Rikki acknowledged that part of the reason the band hasn’t been motivated to work on new music is that fans rarely show interest in hearing fresh material performed live when classic rock groups go on tour. Well, duh. I mean, who wants to hear new music from a band that’s been around for 40 years? 🙅♂️ We all just want to hear “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” for the millionth time, am I right? 🎸
Rikki’s memoir “Ghost Notes: My Life In Poison” was written with writer duo Leif Eriksson and Martin Svensson and includes an afterword by SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor. Because, you know, Corey Taylor is the ultimate authority on all things rock ‘n’ roll. 🤘 POISON has sold over 50 million records worldwide, but who’s counting? 🤑 They’ve had 10 singles on the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, including six Top 10 singles and one Hot 100 number-one smash hit, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”. Yeah, yeah, we get it, POISON is a big deal. 🙄
In other news, Rikki is the co-founder and drummer for POISON, which exploded into the highly competitive Los Angeles music scene in the 1980s. Wow, what a fascinating fact. 🤯 The band has been on “The Stadium Tour” with MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEF LEPPARD, and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS in 2022, because who doesn’t love a good nostalgia tour? 🎟️
Rikki was declared cancer-free in 2016 after undergoing an experimental treatment, which is great news, I guess. 🙏 And in April 2022, he married his longtime girlfriend TC Smith at the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara, California, because love is in the air… or something. 💕
In conclusion, POISON is still a thing, and Rikki Rockett is still talking about his life and career. Wow, what a thrilling conclusion. 🎉 I mean, who wouldn’t want to read about a 20-year-old album that nobody remembers? 🙄 Thanks for the excitement, Rikki. I’m sure we’ll all be on the edge of our seats waiting for your next interview. 😴👏
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
