Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American singer, songwriter and actor whose career spans over five decades. With his distinctive raspy voice and a stage show that features guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood, deadly snakes, baby dolls, and dueling swords, Cooper is considered by music journalists and peers alike to be "The Godfather of Shock Rock". He has drawn equally from horror films, vaudeville, and garage rock to pioneer a macabre and theatrical brand of rock designed to shock people...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionRock Singer
Date of Birth4 February 1948
CityDetroit, MI
CountryUnited States of America
I liked Jim Morrison a lot as a person. He was this very poetic character, and death was always on his mind. And it showed up in his songs - I mean, almost every song he wrote had something to do with dying. He was an American treasure that went way too soon.
I was nervous. I mean, I'd met the Beatles, and Elvis, and everybody, but this was Salvador Dalí . This was like my history.
I mean, I could go ahead and cut my head off in the guillotine, and it looks great, ... Well, now you turn on CNN and guys are really getting their heads cut off. ... As insane as our fantasy world gets, it's nowhere near as scary as reality.
When we get together and rehearse, which is always living with each other, we always talk about what would make it better, what would mean more, what would say more. So we're always improving and growing.
Just because I cut the heads off dolls doesn't mean I hate babies, I just hate dolls.
We identified with Frank. We were of course influenced - when everybody hears Zappa, they're influenced by him, just like The Beatles.
And you'd be right to do that. But the funny thing is I haven't watered down Alice. Alice the character on stage is just as dastardly as ever. If you sit in the first 20 rows of my show, you're covered in fake blood. The attitude behind it is totally for fun. The audience in the '70s was so easy to shock. Now I can't be as shocking as CNN.
I've already played with Tiger! He mentioned me in a golf magazine as one of the best celebrity golfers.
What you have to do is attack them on a level where they can't take their eyes off of you, ... Maybe they came but are kind of indifferent. They want to hear a couple of songs, and then they're going to leave. What you have to do is make sure they're glued to you so they can't leave because they don't want to miss anything.
On the last day of school, it's the national anthem. On that day, it's the most popular song on the planet. (Laughs.) I become Francis Scott Key for one day.
There is so much great rock from the '60s, '70s, a little thinner in the '80s. I can't believe that there are only 40 songs that get played. There is such a variety of music from that era. There are just so many bands that never get played.
This whole album takes you in a lot of different directions, yet it still really sounds like an Alice album. There are no fillers. Pick any song you think might be a single and I'm happy with that song representing the album. That to me is quality.
We don't mind that, that's making them accept more, making fun that we accept that. The thing is this is the way we are. We think it's a gas.
Drinking beer is easy. Trashing your hotel room is easy. But being a Christian, that's a tough call. That's rebellion.