The Band Poison

Hello blog. During class this week, we learned about a feminine rock band called Poison which was popular in the late 80’s to 90’s. When we watched a music video for one of their well-known songs named “Talk Dirty To Me”, my initial reaction was that they have very unique stage presence and make themselves stand out. In the video, they wore blonde and black wigs, tight clothing and were very energetic. The band is also known for wearing makeup and sporting the “drag” look. The group’s main vocalist Bret Michaels stated in an interview something along the lines of the idea that he was not ashamed of the fact that he looked feminine because there was nothing wrong with looking like a woman. I saw that as him standing up for women because of their poor treatment and belittlement back in the day. Michaels passed away not long after the interview aired-he was going through a rough time and also struggled with the use of drugs. In another video that talked about his life, the lead singer mentioned how his childhood was great and compared him and his parents to what the perfect family would be like. But after they divorced, Bret said his life quickly went downhill and that rock music was the only thing that helped him through the shitty time. I would think a band that carried themselves like Poison did would not have been accepted very well by society at that time, but I believe they were the voice for gay/trans people who did not feel accepted by other people. Poison paved the way for other artists/bands who wanted to have an act similar to theirs but were too afraid to be one of the firsts. It is not surprising that they are still listened to today on many music platforms.