Singer / songwriter, global entrepreneur & philanthropist, Bret Michaels, has reinvented the autobiographical blueprint with the game-changing release of his first book, entitled Bret Michaels: Auto-Scrap-Ography, available now exclusively at ShopBretMichaels.com.

Bret was recently interviewed by entertainment and pop culture journalist ​Allison Kugel about his latest endeavour, an excerpt follows:

Allison Kugel: Let's talk about your new book, Auto-Scrap-Ography. You are a ball of kinetic energy. How did you manage to sit down and write this book?
 
Bret Michaels: "Writing a book is one of the toughest things I've ever done, and it's one of the most fulfilling. I wanted to do something unique. I grabbed some timestamped photos. I took blank pieces of paper and I would scotch tape an image to a piece of paper and start writing the story surrounding that image, kind of like a Chicken Soup For The Soul vibe. The reason I didn't write a normal biography, and I love to read those, by the way, is because I could take a picture and write stream of consciousness about what my thoughts were in that moment, what I was going through and what happened. Every picture has a story and every story has multiple tentacles. This book is Volume 1. Over the next volumes I'm going to give you different tentacles of each story and really deep dive into it, so you are living the experience with me." 

Allison Kugel: Your life experiences are such double-edged swords. Everything is the good and the bad, or the fun and the scary at the same time.  

Bret Michaels: "Yes, my life, ironically, has been roses and thorns (a reference to Poison's number one hit ballad, 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn'). A rose is this beautiful thing that looks amazing, it brings people life and it means love. And if you grab it the wrong way, or slide your hand down it, you have a painful thorn in your hand. My life has been a perfect balance beam in that way. I remember playing Texas Stadium in front of 83,000 people. It was completely sold out and we shot the 'I Won't Forget You' video with Paul Stanley (from KISS) on stage, and Steven Tyler (of Aerosmith) watching from the side. It was one of those, 'This is the greatest!' moments. Life felt like a surreal dream. Two hours later we went from mega Texas Stadium rock star status to playing a small town in either Texas or New Mexico where there weren't four people in the whole place who knew or cared who or what we were. At the time, it was exactly what I needed to happen to realize this will keep me as grounded as the person that I am today."

Allison Kugel: One passage that really struck me in your book was when you wrote, "I went from barely being able to afford to feed myself and buy my insulin to touring stadiums."  What did you learn from poverty and what have you learned from wealth? 

Bret Michaels: "From the beginning I was always a guy who thinks positive. I find a way to get it done. When I would run out of insulin and my parents would have to help, or they couldn't send it out in time, I would literally go down to the clinics in Hollywood and they'd give me insulin. It all made me resilient and determined, and most importantly, grateful when the second half came along. Poison and I, we are one of the few bands who were an independent band. My big signing day and signing party for Look What The Cat Dragged In (Poison's debut studio album, released August 2, 1986) was sitting on a floor in El Segundo, California shrink wrapping my own albums. You know those stories about private jets and limos? I'd love to tell you that happened, but none of that happened."

To read the complete interview, visit this location.