1x194 - Behind the Music

Bret Michaels and his band of brothers left home in Pennsylvania with a rock-n-roll dream and a desire to taste the good life on L.A's notorious Sunset Strip. It was the 80's, hair metal was thriving and Poison soon exploded onto the scene. Living fast and partying hard, Bret took decadence to a new level. Drugs, booze, women and more women -- anything and everything happened. A diabetic, Bret's self indulgence took its toll, but not even collapsing on stage could slow him down. The lifestyle also cost Bret a valued romantic relationship (he turned his heartbreak into the hit power ballad "Every Rose Has It's Thorn") and a trusted friendship, as he and bandmate CC Deville came to legendary blows. One of the biggest groups of their time, Poison soon crashed and burned. Bret then turned to the bottle and, driving under the influence, nearly lost his life after a brutal crash. This served as a wake up call and Bret cleaned himself up, starting a successful solo career and even dabbling in film production, writing and starring in 1997's "A Letter From Death Row." Making amends with a now sober CC Deville, Bret triumphantly reunited with Poison but the best was yet to come. In 2007, he starred in his own reality show, VH1's "Rock of Love." Over the course of three plus seasons, Bret showed fans a different side of him and once again skyrocketed into a mainstream star, completing a long and turbulent road living in and out of the spotlight.