Richie Kotzen has shared his experience as C.C. DeVille’s replacement in Poison during a video on Iron Milton.
“It was Tom Whalley that said, ‘Listen, Bret Michaels has been calling about you. He saw you on the cover of Guitar World, and he wants to meet you,'” Kotzen recalled. “I flipped out even more — I said, ‘Are you out of your f*cking mind? I don’t want to make a hard rock record. I want to do this other thing. I wrote all these songs.’ He said, ‘Just go talk to him. I don’t think you’re ready to make the record that you think you’re ready to make.'”
“The minute I met him, I really liked him, because he’s from Pennsylvania too,” he continued. “I’m like, ‘I feel like I’m at home.’ We really connected, but then he kind of got me with, ‘Look, I don’t want someone to come in here and just do what they’re told. I want someone to write an album with.’ He wanted a writing partner.”
Kotzen detailed his musical contributions to the band. “I brought in a few songs that would have been on my solo record. ‘Stand’ was one of them. He added some flavor to it, and we worked on the verse lyrics together and added a bridge. It was really great.”
“I think we really made a great record, and it came out of the gate [strong],” he stated. “It shipped gold, and unfortunately, by the time we got to release the second single, whatever was happening at MTV, the gatekeepers just closed the gates and said, ‘Any band that was famous from a certain era is no longer welcome.’ We were subjected to that unfortunately, but outside of that, I love the record. I’m very proud of it.”
Kotzen’s time with Poison yielded successful results. However, his tenure with the band proved brief.
Research from Grunge reveals that personal conflicts led to Kotzen’s departure. The main issue stemmed from his relationship with Deanna Eve, who had previously been engaged to drummer Rikki Rockett.
The album ‘Native Tongue’ became a milestone for Poison. Ultimate Classic Rock highlights that ‘Stand’ emerged as one of the band’s standout hits during this era.
Kotzen’s career flourished after leaving Poison. Documentation from various sources shows his successful journey with other prominent bands. He joined Mr. Big and The Winery Dogs while building an impressive solo career spanning over 20 albums.
The guitarist’s versatility and songwriting abilities have remained strong throughout his career. His work with Poison represents just one chapter in his extensive musical journey.
