Bret Michaels initially wanted Slash to join Poison but got outvoted

Poison dropped its debut album Look What the Cat Dragged In in August 1986.

Frontman Bret Michaels used the upcoming anniversary as an opportunity to reflect on the band with Yahoo's Lyndsey Parker, and their conversation included the revelation that Michaels initially wanted Guns N' Roses guitarist to be Poison's lead guitarist instead of C.C. DeVille:

"So, we interviewed guitar players and it came down to C.C., it was Slash, and I believe it was Steve Silva from the Joe Perry Project. All of them were amazing. So one of C.C. and me's biggest arguments was I thought C.C. was an amazing songwriter and player, and so were Slash and Steve, but when we sat down as a band—we laugh about this to this day—I said, ‘Well, I choose Slash!’ And then one guy was like, ‘I choose Steve!’ And then the other guy, he's like, ‘No, no, no, we want C.C.!’ It went on and on. 

"So me and C.C., to this day still, he's like, ‘You didn't choose me!’ But it was a great time. And everything happens for a reason. ... C.C. was meant to be with Poison, and Slash with Guns N' Roses, and Steve then went to the Joe Perry Project. It all worked out to where it was supposed to go. ... You have to have ‘C.C., pick up that guitar and talk to me!’ It's the only way it works."

Poison went on to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" in 1988. The single marked the first and only time the band would top the chart, though they do have six top-10 smashes.