Poison drummer Rikki Rockett has dismissed a fall-out with fellow rockers Def Leppard - insisting the bands share a "real mutual respect".
Def Leppard
Rockett's group was reported to have clashed with Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott in June 2008 after the star criticised Poison's music - accusing them of lacking "substance" in their songs and relying too much on their 1980s image.
Poison frontman Bret Michaels hit back - slamming the British group for allegedly lip-syncing during a performance on U.S. TV show Dancing With The Stars.
But Rockett has now taken to his MySpace.com blog to insist the row was exaggerated - and confirmed the bands' planned jaunt with veteran rockers Cheap Trick this summer will go ahead.
He writes, "Folks keep askin' me, 'Are you really touring with Def Leppard this summer?' The answer is, Yes! Not only that, Cheap Trick is on the bill as well! Now, some of you are wondering things like, 'I thought Poison and Joe Elliott hated each other?' Well, not at all.
"Bret (Michaels, Poison singer), Joe and myself got a little carried away last summer takin' the p**s outta each other. The fact is, I think there is a real mutual respect between us. After all, both of our bands have withstood the test of time. Life is short, let's get rocked!"