Poison: The Band's Disastrous 1991 MTV VMA Performance

Want even more Rock N' Roll True Stories? Check out member-only perks on Patreon:   / rnrtruestories   (poster club, listening parties and more) Today we take a look at the awful performance the hair metal band Poison did at the 1991 MTV VMA awards. Check out my run down here:    • Poison: The Band's Disastrous 1991 MTV VMA...   MORE POISON STUFF Disclaimer: these are affiliate links and I earn a small commission when you make a purchase T-SHIRT: Talk dirty to me - https://amzn.to/3dJE7jl WOMEN'S TANK TOP: https://amzn.to/3h7mjk8 BOOK: "A shot of Poison" by Christopher Long https://amzn.to/2XKbwVy #poison #mtv #vma #brettmichaels at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards hair metal band Poison was set to perform at the show. even though alternative music was picking up steam poison was still riding high off the success of their latest release 1990's flesh and blood with the success of singles like Unskinny Bop and it wasn't a surprise that the band was going to perform at the awards show but their performance would be a disaster from start to finish and there was warning signs of tensions were growing in the group. Having been touring and working together non-stop for six years straight the tensions between singer Bret Michaels and guitarist C.C. DeVille were growing not helping was C.C. DeVille drug addiction at the time and at one show in New Orleans a few months before their VMA performance, the pair would come to blows and in June of 1991 Poison would cancel subsequent tour dates for their flesh and blood tour and rumors started to swirl that poison was done. Fast forward now to the MTV VMAs and the band was set to perform on Unskinny Bop. There was even warning signs the awards show that their performance was going to be a disaster here's a clip of C.C.. DeVille prior to poisons performance you can see he's pretty much out of his mind at this point, Having fun wow everybody''s getting a lot of thank you's. I'd like to thank my makeup artist sherry hello! Now listen this is your last chance what time is it. Hey listen this is your last chance for the viewers choice awards. If you haven't voted. If your lazy and you haven't sit down you better do it now that's it you don't get to vote. That's it. That's it. The number is 1-900-773-1100. The call will just cost you 75 cents. C.C. we got Don Henley coming up Just as poison took the stage I've heard a couple different stories of what actually happened so one story I've heard is that C.C. DeVille didn't want to perform on Unskinny Bop instead he wants to play Talk Dirty To Me. Another story I've heard is that Brett Michaels asked the audience if they were ready to talk dirty to me which confused C.C. DeVille as the band transition from playing on skinny Bob to talk dirty to me C.C's guitar will get unplugged even host Arsenio Hall tries to save the performance by reintroducing the band a second time and after the performance poison will get into a fistfight backstage and that would pretty much be the end of CC Deville's time in the band for almost half a decade here's part of their MTV performance Oh [Applause] I want to make love you never stop Come up for air you push me to the floor What's been going on in hear. Well all night and day. sing it. unskinny bop just blows me away. Well actually they need no introduction right? I'll give him one anyway. Poison! Let's get down to it and get ready to play. CC give me all deep down. You in the mood tonight? Ok MTV let's go do it. When I hear the music. You ready to talk dirty to me? Hit it C.C.Call you on the telephone I'm only hoping that you're home So I can hear you When you say those words to me And whisper so softly I gotta hear her 'Cause baby we'll be At the drive-in In the old man's Ford following the performance C.C Deville be out of the band and replaced by ritchie kotzen while deville would cling to his drug addiction and start a solo career the band would release their follow-up record Native Tongue that represented a huge change in sound for the group and while i was praised by critics the rise of alternative rock overshadowed the album and hurt sales and the band's new sound was more blues oriented and their new songs seemed to shed their party image take on more serious subject matter and while things seem to be clicking for the group new guitarist Richie Kotzen would end up having an affair with Rikki Rockets fiance at the time and his time and the band was over. Poison began recording its sixth studio album crack a smile in early 1994 but the sessions came to an abrupt end in May of that year when singer Brett Michael's was involved in a horrific car crash where he suffered a broken nose ribs jaw and fingers and lost four teeth and by 1995 the band was ready to finish up work on the record but their label had a different idea. They wanted a greatest hits compilation instead and it would be a smart move as the greatest his compilation album would be put out in l