C.C. DeVille’s passion and talent for music started at a very early age. He started combining his glam style, which he stuck with throughout his stage life, with a unique guitar style during his teens. Not long after, armed with this original image and talent, he joined the audition where he would encounter the turning point of his career.
It was going to be a tough audition because his opponents were pretty solid, and we mean it when we say solid because Slash was among them. Besides that, his stubborn personality would also make things a bit difficult for him. The audition started, and he immediately caught the attention of drummer Rikki Rockett and bassist Bobby Dall.
However, there was a slight problem; although it was the first time they met, C.C. DeVille managed to annoy vocalist Bret Michaels quite a lot as he wasn’t playing the songs they wanted but jammed to the songs he liked. Michaels was really annoyed, so he voted against it. Regardless, his talent got past that little snag, and he even beat Slash in the audition to join Poison.
Thus started the glamorous days. From the moment DeVille was recruited, he made unforgettable contributions to the band’s sound. He was one of the writers of their debut album and their following multi-platinum records. Fun fact, the jam piece that annoyed Michaels during the addition was used in ‘Talk Dirty to Me,’ and this song made the band one of the top-selling rock acts of the decade.
By 1991, the band was enjoying the peak of its success. They had just released ‘Flesh & Blood,’ and it was no surprise they were selected to perform at that year’s MTV Video Music Awards. The day had come. But that day would be remembered more for a fistfight than for their performance.
They went on stage and were going to start playing ‘Unskinny Bob’, one of their biggest hit songs during that time. However, the events took such a turn that they brought back memories from the audition day. While they were supposed to be playing another song, DeVille suddenly started the same jam he played on audition, ‘Talk Dirty To Me.’ This melody must have been stuck in his head for years.
The song ended, and they moved backstage. This time, Michaels was not only remotely annoyed but got into action, and so began a fight. Plus, this wasn’t their first fight that included punches. Before the incident, they had had another fight, and the story ended with a few solid punches, a tooth pulled out, and a broken nose.
In 2015, Bret Michaels joined a conversation with Steve Gorman SPORTS! and remembered their fights. But from what they said, these fights weren’t relationship-ending for them; they were just like brothers getting angry with each other.
“Let’s start with New Orleans, me and CC at a sports bar, Archie Manning’s sports bar,” said Michaels, remembering the day they fought with his bandmate. “This is no lie. Me and him were having a few words, having a good time, next thing you know, maybe a couple drinks, a little substance here, next thing you know a few words, and we are beating the living crap out of each other.”
He continued, “They broke us apart. We went back to the hotel, right, and all of a sudden, the elevator door opens, and we just happened to be going down to our buses, they were trying to separate us, and it started again. Old CC came at me, and we went at it again. And it was like an old Army/Navy bam, boom, boom. We got some punches in. It was good.”
When asked if they are still friends, Bret Michaels replied, “Best friends. The next day we went and played. I broke his nose. He chipped one of my teeth. We went and played the next day in Georgia, and it was great. Then we did it at the MTV Awards. We came out on stage and beat the living crap out of each other right after ‘Talk Dirty To Me.’”
Before long, a surprising development occurred, and DeVille was kicked out of the band. However, as we said, these incidents were similar to the fights between brothers. Only five years after the incident, they had reconnected, and CC returned to the band. Since his return, he has continued to play with the band, and the glam metal giants are enjoying the excitement of approaching their 40th year in the music scene.
