RIKKI ROCKETT Looks Back On ‘Hollyweird’, POISON’s Final Album Of Original Material: ‘It’s Not Our Best Work’
POISON drummer Rikki Rockett has reflected candidly on "Hollyweird", the band's 2002 album and its last collection of original material, describing it as disjointed and not the band's best work. His comments came in a new interview explaining why the record was left out of his forthcoming memoir, "Ghost Notes: My Life In Poison", due out on 15 September 2026, adding context to the band's decades-long silence on new original music.
"Hollyweird" reunited POISON's classic lineup for the first time since 1990's "Flesh & Blood" and spawned two singles, "Rockstar" and a cover of The Who's "Squeeze Box". Rockett said the omission from his book was not deliberate, just that nothing memorable stood out to write about. The band followed up with a covers album, "Poison'd", in 2007, and bandmates including Bobby Dall and Rockett himself have previously cited scheduling, health and audience indifference to new material as reasons no further original album has emerged. POISON has sold over 50 million records, scoring ten Top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including the number one "Every Rose Has Its Thorn".
- Rikki Rockett calls POISON's 2002 album "Hollyweird" not their best work.
- It was omitted from his upcoming memoir out 15 September 2026.
- POISON hasn't released original material since, citing time and fan interest issues.
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POISON are an American glam metal band formed in the mid-1980s, known for hits including "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and for selling more than 50 million records worldwide. Rikki Rockett is the band's drummer and one of its founding members, alongside singer Bret Michaels, guitarist C.C. DeVille and bassist Bobby Dall.
"Hollyweird", released in 2002, was POISON's most recent album of new original songs, marking the return of that classic line-up after a long gap. Since then the band has stuck to touring, greatest-hits shows and a 2007 album of cover versions, rather than producing further new material, with members previously blaming scheduling conflicts, health issues and a sense that fans preferred the old hits.
Rockett is due to publish a memoir, "Ghost Notes: My Life In Poison", in September 2026, and his recent comments on "Hollyweird" came while discussing what did and didn't make it into that book.