Poison Drummer Rikki Rockett Opens Up About Life and Legacy in New Memoir

Poison drummer Rikki Rockett held off publishing his memoir while his parents were alive to spare them from embarrassment, he said in a recent interview.

Rockett's book, "Ghost Notes," co-written with Leif Eriksson and Martin Svensson, will be published Sept. 15 by Rare Bird Books. Speaking with This Day In Metal, Rockett discussed why he waited to release his story.

"I didn't want to embarrass my parents when they were alive by telling some of these stories," Rockett said. "And then I thought, 'Now I've got kids.' But I'm always going to have kids, and in a normal life, they're going to outlive me. So at some point, I got to do this. And they're old enough now that I can say, 'Let me explain this.' So I feel like that's OK now."

Rockett said readers would expect details about "the bad things," mentioning Poison's drama at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards and his own battle with cancer.

"They're part of the ride," he said. "So I think I went pretty deeply into most of those-enough to give a lot of understanding."

He admitted he chose not to include some stories after reconsidering. "There were a lot of things that I later said, 'You know what? I don't feel good about that. Let's reel that back in.'"

Rockett said he tried not to throw anyone "under the bus."

"If somebody feels that way, it'll be interesting to find out why they feel that way," he said.

He wants readers to see him as a person, not just a rock musician.

"I want people to see me as a person, not just a fixture, and realize that-anybody, any musician or actor, entertainer-there's real feelings back there," Rockett said.

Rockett expressed appreciation for his career and the band's fans.

"I am eternally grateful to be where I am and in the band I'm in and for what the fans have given us," he said.

He shared a quote from Poison bandmate Bret Michaels that sums up his outlook: "Fame is what other people give you, and success is what you give yourself."