Ghost Notes: My Life in Poison

by Rockett, Martin Svensson, Leif Eriksson

From the suburbs of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, to the neon glare of Los Angeles, Rikki Rockett’s journey is as raw and relentless as the beat of his drums.

Before becoming the flamboyant, fire-breathing drummer of Poison, Rockett was a restless kid with a taste for rebellion and an obsession with music that refused to let him go.

In Ghost Notes, Rockett pulls no punches as he recounts the wild ride from basement bands and dishwashing jobs to forming one of the most iconic glam-metal acts of the 1980s. Beyond the sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll, he also confronts the fractured family ties, addiction, betrayal, cancer, brushes with death, and a lifelong search for meaning beyond the stage.

Brutally honest, darkly funny, and packed with never-before-told stories, Ghost Notes is both confession and celebration—a backstage pass to a life lived loud, fast, and without apology.

208 pages, Hardcover

Published September 15, 2026

Reviews

[wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

while we get a glimpse of his early years, this is his life in poison...til about 2004, where we see a bit more into his "non-musical" life. he hits all the points he should & it's a fun, quick read. being the fan i am, there wasn't much here i didn't already know, but it was good to hear it all in his voice. going in, i knew i was going to want more than 200 pages, and that holds true. i hope we get more from him in the future.