Bret Michaels is usually upbeat and personable in interviews, so it was no surprise to hear him sound enthusiastic about almost everything in his life when he called for a recent phone interview.

The frontman of Poison was charged up, first of all, about a solo tour that preceded a summer tour with his band, and includes a number of dates in cities that will see Michaels do solo club shows in addition to Poison shows on the same day. He's also enjoying a wave of new exposure from the popular VH1 reality show "Rock of Love."

And his relationships with his Poison bandmates -- guitarist CC DeVille, bassist Bobby Dall and drummer Rikki Rockett -- seem pretty smooth, at least in comparison to various stormy points in the past. About the only thing that has Michaels agitated is the reluctance of his Poison bandmates to make new music.

Although reluctant to dwell on that topic, Michaels was candid in saying he didn't want to make the group's 2007 covers album, "Poison'd," and lobbied instead to make a new CD of original songs. But he was outvoted by his bandmates, who favored doing the covers album.

"I literally gave in to the band," Michaels said. "They had wanted to do a cover record, and I'm a member of that band and I got outvoted, and I lived with it. Go with me, I didn't like it. But I was a man and I stood up there and I took it, and I did the best performances I could. Literally, I gave the best I could.

"I said, 'Guys, didn't we get into this to make our own music?' And no offense, I love doing one cover song on an album. I don't want to do albums of cover material. No offense, but I got into this to write music. That's what I do.

"I would love to make a new album with Poison," he said. "That is doubtful that will ever happen, which is why I make my own solo records."

Michaels indeed has been busy as a solo artist. He has released solo CDs in 2003 ("Songs of Life"), 2005 ("Freedom of Sound") and earlier in June ("Rock My World"), and has toured frequently between summer outings with Poison and his other major recent gig -- filming two seasons of "Rock of Love."

In fact, "Rock My World" is directly tied to "Rock Of Love." It features new songs and several rerecorded or remixed versions of tunes from his earlier solo albums that have been featured in the series.

"That's what this album is, it's a collection of past, present and future stuff, really," Michaels said. "All of it was played on the last two seasons of 'Rock of Love.' People are really excited. Like I play some of my solo shows, and some of the new fans know (the solo songs) 'Bittersweet' or 'Raine' better than they know (Poison's) 'Unskinny Bop.' "

This year's second season of "Rock of Love" -- in which some two dozen women competed for dates with Michaels -- was actually more popular than the first run in 2007. In an interview last summer, Michaels described the experience of doing the first season of "Rock of Love" as bizarre and said he would be wary of doing the show again. But he said the show's producers approached him very respectfully about doing a second season, agreeing not to script the show or ask Michaels to be anything other than himself. So season two hit the airwaves.

"Here's the deal. I came out of season one, which was bizarre," Michaels said. "I've got to be honest, it was really strange to have cameras around me. It felt very uncomfortable doing a lot of the stuff. … What made me do season two, besides the fact that I get to meet some beautiful girls, was that also they didn't change it. They didn't say OK, now Bret we're going to do this, you're going to wear this, you're going to try this. They didn't tell me who I was. They let me just be who I am. By now I think anyone who knows me in or out of the industry knows I'm pretty headstrong on staying as true to who and what I am."

Once again, Michaels lived in a house with women who went through a variety of "activities" in an attempt to gain Michaels' attention and affection. But the second season, he said, was quite different from season one.

"Season one was a crazy, fun, experimental party," Michaels said. "And the girls made it great. We had an awesome time. I got to be exactly who and what I am. … I felt that season two had beautiful women. I thought they were just as crazy, but much more emotional. And what made season two much more difficult was that a lot of the girls knew what I was like. They knew what I liked and didn't like. So they knew how to play it a little bit better."

Michaels didn't dismiss the idea of doing a third season of "Rock of Love," but he said the show would need to put him in a different setting -- perhaps one that is very familiar to him.

"I don't think I could ever go back to doing a third season in a house," Michaels said. "I don't think I could ever go back and be like here I am. I can't find a date. Let's just tell the people the truth. I spend probably seven months of my year on a bus, maybe more. Let's go out and shoot the big rock road show. Let's go out and have fun on the road. And if there's some dating, great. If there isn't, let's just go out and shoot the party and watch what I go through."

For now Michaels is back to his familiar job of touring with Poison. And despite his frustration about his bandmates' apparent reluctance to continue making new music, Michaels said his relationships with his bandmates are pretty smooth compared with the stormy moments that have characterized the history of the band since it emerged from the Los Angeles music scene in 1985. The most famous blow-up was probably the backstage brawl between Michaels and DeVille at the 1991 MTV Music Awards -- an event that led to DeVille leaving the band until 1998 when fences were mended and Poison mounted a successful comeback tour. Michaels said the band's shows this summer will have all the hallmarks of past Poison concerts.

"I think we deliver what we say we're going to deliver, which is nothing but a good time," Michaels said. "We bring the party, we bring the pyro, we change up the stage. … We work really hard at making it look and sound good. Then we get to deliver the party. Like we deliver energy and a big party and a lot of fun. People go to a rock concert and go, 'Wow, that was a rock concert!'

"I will guarantee you at a Poison show, we are never going through the motions," he said. "It's never like we walk out, stare at our shoes, give people the show, get paid and leave. We're the exact opposite … It's still fun to us. That's why I love being with them."

Poison

When: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 28

Where: Pala Casino Spa & Resort, 11154 Highway 76, Pala

Tickets: $45-$65

Info: (619) 220-8497 or ticketmaster.com

Web: poisonweb.com