‘Rock of Love’ rumbles into Aliante’s house

By Jerry Fink

Monday, Nov. 24, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Bret Michaels, the Rock of Love himself, rolls into town to perform this weekend at the new Aliante Station in North Las Vegas.

The engagement launches a yearlong national tour promoting Michaels’ VH1 reality series and his CD “Rock My World.”

“The tour was supposed to kick off New Year’s Eve, but things just sort of worked out this way,” the 45-year-old lead singer of Poison says from his home in Los Angeles. “The Poison tour is done and we just finished the third season of ‘Rock of Love’ so Vegas is sort of the kickoff of the 2009 Rock of Love Tour.”

Michaels still has the flowing blond mane he wore when he became the lead singer of Poison, one of the most popular hair bands of the ’80s.

Among Poison’s hits was “Open Up and Say ... Ahh!” which sold more than

8 million albums.

The glam band normally tours in the summer months, but it may be on hiatus next year while Michaels is tied up with the Love tour.

The prince of glamour rock talked to the Sun about a variety of topics, including the hit reality TV series, which debuted in 2007 and brought him a new generation of fans.

The show is centered on Michaels finding a date.

How did you get involved in the series?

The way I stepped into it, I had done a reality show called “Nashville Star” with LeAnn Rimes that did real well. The reality heads (at VH1) all popped up. The series “Flavor of Love” had been a big hit for them and they said, “Let’s try ‘Rock of Love’ with Bret Michaels and see how it goes.” It was supposed to last one season and we just wrapped our third.

How do you explain the show’s success?

I had never watched a lot of reality dating shows, which may have been my blessing. I brought in all these ideas they never tried before, sort of a survivor feel. I wanted to have a lot of competitions that were fun — motocross, mud football challenge, stuff interesting to watch — and then go on dates. I didn’t really know what was right or wrong to do. The reason it hit so big, I believe, was because I absolutely stayed myself — funny, self-deprecating. A strong point was that I made fun of myself before the girls. People related to the fact that I was a rock star dating, but I could have a drink with them at a local bar.

Will there be a fourth season?

I don’t know. At the end of the second season I said there may be a third, but after the third one I pitched them a couple of other ideas I would rather do and move forward. We’ll see if that happens. I have some ideas for what I think would be a funnier show.

Which excites you more, creating or performing?

What I love is creating and watching it turn into something — taking what I do in my brain and actually making it turn into something more than just a thought.

If I have one strong point it is I’m pretty driven. Maybe an even stronger point is that I’m able to face a lot of rejection — I have nerves of steel.

Are you still involved in motion picture production?

Somewhat. I formed a production company with Charlie Sheen in the late ’90s and we produced “Letters From Death Row,” “No Code of Conduct” and “Free Money,” which was one of Marlon Brando’s last films. Then in the early 2000s Charlie started doing “Spin City” and Poison started touring, so we kind of broke it off.

But I’m just throwing this out there: I got a nice letter from (writer/director) Adam McKay. He and Will Ferrell are doing this video series, “Funny or Die.” I would like to get Adam McKay to direct or have him involved some way in a beyond funny satire of my life. It would bring people to their knees if they saw the reality of my comedy of errors. My dream is to do a movie that’s epic in size, but it’s difficult to get studios to put up money for a budget like that. It’s easier to do a low-budget satire.

How is Poison doing?

We get along better now than we ever did. At this point it’s just about enjoying it.

Has the group become a band that pays tribute to itself?

I’ve never looked at anything as a tribute or satire. We’re living in the moment. I’m probably the one in the band who drives everyone insane looking for new music, new material. I’m just a get-it-done guy. I don’t spend seven years trying to figure out how to put a chorus into a verse. I sit down at the piano and write something and produce it. I get it done.

Are you working on any other projects at the moment?

I’m writing a book. I’m about halfway through. Right now I’m just calling it “The Bret Michaels Story.”

Will it be a tell-all?

Not at all. If you were around me long enough you’d know I don’t throw people under the bus. This will just be an interesting book of my life. I’m not trying to make it a gossip column. You throw people in there — you know, the names of a bunch of girls — and they’ve moved on. They have families, children. I don’t want to throw them under the bus.