Bret Michaels rocks on with tour, album and TV

One of Western Pennsylvania's favorite hometown sons, Bret Michaels, has had plenty of fame as a singer, but now, he's going to let star-struck women fight over him in his own television reality series.

Michaels -- lead singer of the '80s glam rock band Poison, which performs Wednesday at the Post-Gazette Pavilion in Burgettstown -- will star in "Rock of Love with Bret Michaels," which debuts on July 15 on VH1. In a setup similar to ABC's "The Bachelor," Michaels plays himself: the wild boy who has a hard time finding a long-term woman who will put up with his rock-n-roll lifestyle, yet is still looking for love.

On the show, Michaels says he records his upcoming solo album -- "Custom Built," due out in the fall -- while he meets 25 "absolutely crazy, wonderful, beautiful rock girls," and narrows down the pool over the episodes to, eventually, one lucky lady. Instead of roses, like on "The Bachelor," Michaels gives backstage passes to the women he chooses each episode, as an invitation to either rock his world or end their tour.

So, has Michaels found his true lady love, and is she willing to share him with his one true passion: music• Stay tuned and watch the 12-episode series, which was shot in the Los Angeles area.

"I found something, but we're going to see where it goes," says Michaels, a Butler native and big Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

"It's going to be insane," Michaels says, laughing. "I'm the rock-and-roll (guy) looking for love in all the wrong places.

"Basically, it's watching a rocker fumble through dating," he says.

VH1 producers originally had planned a six-episode "Rock of Love with Bret Michaels," but once they saw all of the footage, they doubled the air time. Michaels says that the show has many hilarious and outrageous moments, and he even gets dumped by at least one girl.

Earlier this month, Poison, as a band, put out their latest album, "Poison'd!" Members of the band put their own stamp on 13 rock classics -- by artists including The Marshall Tucker Band, The Rolling Stones and The Romantics -- and the album includes some of Poison's previously recorded remakes, such as "Rock and Roll All Nite," originally sung by Kiss.

"It is a good voice record, and we had a good time making it," Michaels says.

Poison is looking at recording another album of original material down the road. Meanwhile, the band will continue touring. This year's show, Michaels says, "is by far the best audio and visual rock show we've ever taken on the road."

"Every time we go to the Post-Gazette Pavilion, it's an insanely crazy show," he says.

Additional Information:

Poison'd! 2007 summer tour

With: Ratt

When: 7 p.m. today

Admission: $10-$39.50

Where: Post-Gazette Pavilion, Burgettstown

Details: 412-323-1919