Glam rockers Poison are no strangers to a bit of beef from time-to-time, but now they’ve taken aim at the entire rock industry.

Putting his hand up to be the next contestant on the ‘old man yells at cloud’ show, the band’s drummer Rikki Rockkett has noted that the rock genre has been “a little stagnant” in a slice of highly informed analysis.

Speaking on a panel for Cameo Cares’ “Iconic Rockstars” live-stream alongside Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Bruce Kulick (KISS), Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) and Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides), Rockkett noted that “I think that organic rock music is absolutely going to go into the forefront again — it just is. But I think it needs to reinvent itself a little bit.

“People need to be a little more creative in the rock genre” he continued.

“It’s a little bit too, like, this guy could be in that band or he could be in that band or he could play with this guy, and everybody looks the same and plays the same.

YouTube VideoPlay

“When I was growing up, there was a punk scene and there was a rock scene, and then metal came along. There were scenes, and it created a lot of energy.

“As far as newer bands, I think rock is gonna have to reinvigorate itself just a little bit and not just copy what other people have done that came before them.”

Love Classic Rock?

Get the latest Classic Rock news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more

READ: Rikki Rockkett recalls partying in Hollywood’s hey-day

Thankfully, Biersnack stood up for the millennials, noting that “I’m not saying that we’re in some sort of heyday or rock music, but I think that, to be fair to the current bands, there is a certain amount of, ‘If you don’t see us, you’re not gonna know it’s existing.’ And I think that there is some fun in the anonymity there and that we exist kind of underground…”

It’s clear that Rockkett isn’t going out of his way to find any new acts for Poison to take out on tour and expose to a broader fan-base.

I mean, why would you, when you can play second-fiddle to a bunch of other bands from the same generation as you, and save yourself the effort?

Watch the full stream of the conversation below.

YouTube VideoPlay

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine