So in late 1997 I became an area rep for the Bret Michaels Fan Club. What exactly was an area rep? Well, we answered questions for people in our region. Our email, phone and address were posted in the fan club newsletter for people to contact us about questions they had about Bret or the fan club. We also rallied the troops, so to speak, in our region to promote all things Bret Michaels.
Aside from one late night phone call from someone thinking I was Kristi, it was pretty standard stuff, meeting people and spreading the word and all that jazz.
Eventually I began helping with the layout of the newsletters, working more closely with Janna and RV, maintaining the mailing list and mailing the newsletters out.
Before I leave 1997, I want to say that when I met Bret on August 14, 1997 I got the biggest hug from someone I had never met before. I told him we drove out from PA for the show and he signed my program “P.A. Rocks” and then noted that he put the periods between P and A. It didn’t matter, I know what he meant and he really does make people feel as if they are lifelong friends when he meets them for the first time. I will testify to that everyday.
On to 1998, the next Bret Michaels show was in September of 1998. It was my first time ever on a plane, flying with another Bret Michaels fan, Cheryl, who also was flying for the first time. We flew out of Newark to LAX. We met up with a group of other fans, including Janna and did a little sight seeing all while preparing for the show.
We helped before the show and watched the soundcheck and later the show. Bombs on Broadway (C.C. DeVille’s band) opened the show. Rikki Rockett got up and played drums at the end of Bret’s show.
The next show was the New Year’s Eve show, another plane flight and another trip to LA. We did more work this time and I took lots of photos for the newsletter. Spending New Year’s Day on the beach in LA when it was 80 degrees made a big impression on Janna and I as well. We both started to toss the idea around the idea of moving to Sunny SoCal.
Well, my world changed a little in April of 1999. April Fool’s Day as a matter of fact. I got a call from RV about doing the web site. I had my own web site at the time, PoisonCris.com, which was one of several Poison fan sites at the time.
It took me a couple of days to respond, because well I wanted to be sure that it was for real. I can be naive and too-trusting at times, so I wanted to be sure. But I got another call and well I said yes.
BretMichaels.com has grown quite a bit in the last 13 years, and it’s only going to get bigger and better.
Anyway, in 1999 Poison reunited and took to the road to tour with Ratt, Great White and LA Guns (with Jizzy Pearl). Janna and I both left our day jobs and followed that tour from start to finish. The guys didn’t think we’d make it anywhere near the end. They were placing bets, but we finished the Poison/Ratt tour, did a few more dates with Great White and then moved to California.
The rest, as people often day, is history….or at least a story for another day! 