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
We would walk over the names of Vincent Price, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, never, ever thinking that our names would ever be on the Walk of Fame, ... That is really quite a privilege to be here.
I always think that you should be striving to write your best song.
I haven't had an alcoholic drink in 22 years, but when I did drink I'd go for either Canadian whisky or Budweiser. Sometimes both. For a long time I used to think "Hey you, get off the floor!" was my name.
It's so funny that people think I actually ran for President. I am maybe the most un-political person you're ever going to meet. When I put "Elected" out, it was definitely a satire ... "Alice Cooper for President" ... when everybody realized I was running against Nixon, you known, even on a joke level, I think I got a lot of write-in votes.
I think he was trying to produce more of a... sort of a cheaper image.
People that haven't seen us yet are shocked because they think that Alice Cooper must be a female folksinger. They don't expect the whole thing.
I appreciate an audience that reacts to the music, even if they jump on stage and try to beat us up, I think that's a fantastic reaction. I think that they're really hearing something then.
He thinks about his teacher in his literary class, he's staring at her legs.
The late sixties and early seventies were kind of a breeding ground for exciting new sounds because easy listening and folk were kind of taking over the airwaves. I think it was a natural next step to take that blissful, easy-going sound and strangle the life out of it.
I don't think you can shock an audience anymore. Me cutting my head off is a great illusion, but when you turn on CNN and there's a guy really getting his head cut off, it does dilute what I did.
Welcome to my nightmare, I think your going to like it.
Look at the bands from 1968 who are still around. What we have in common is a lot of hit records that still get played, and a different work ethic. You used to make an album, do a world tour, and then do it again. Sometimes you made two albums a year. To me, that still goes. I'm always thinking about the next album. That's old school, but that's me. That's show business.
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.