Shutterstock / Davide Sciaky
Alice Cooper nonetheless performs roughly 180 exhibits a 12 months.
On the age of 75, Alice Cooper has no real interest in slamming on the brakes, and even easing again on the throttle a tad.
Regardless of being topped one of many originators of shock rock, being inducted into the Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame and rising as one of many style’s surviving elder statesmen, he nonetheless performs roughly 180 exhibits a 12 months. That features excursions fronting his personal band and the Hollywood Vampires, a supergroup that additionally contains Johnny Depp and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry.
And whereas lots of his classic-rock contemporaries have deserted the studio to give attention to nostalgia excursions, Cooper nonetheless releases albums of latest materials, which play to his strengths as a purveyor of darkish humor and muscular arduous rock. The most recent, 2023’s appropriately titled Highway, was recorded largely with out overdubs to indicate off the chops of his longtime touring band.
Cooper’s newest tour will take him to San Antonio’s Tobin Middle for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, Aug. 22.
We caught up with the Coop from a lodge room in Boston on the very un-rock ‘n’ roll hour of 9:30 a.m. to ask him in regards to the new LP, how he retains a band collectively and his legendary visitor spot on the Muppet Present. This is what he needed to say.
Regardless that Alice Cooper is credited as being a father of shock rock, it would not look like you attempt to maintain tempo with new artists who come alongside looking for new methods to terrify and offend. Was {that a} rat race you intentionally jumped out of?
You are precisely proper. You can’t shock an viewers anymore. … Within the ’60s and ’70s, it was very simple to shock an viewers. If Alice Cooper got here out, and he is bought a snake they usually’re hanging him or they’re reducing his head off, no person had ever accomplished something like that, so it was very stunning. However ultimately, a very powerful factor was how good was the band? That was actually the essential factor. We had been up towards Led Zeppelin, we had been up towards the most effective bands on the earth, so we might spend 90% of our time on the music and about 10% of the time on the theater. That got here simple, the theater half was the simple half.
So yeah, actually, I do not exit of my approach to shock an viewers in any respect. I feel our present is a darkish vaudeville. We do all of the hits, however each single music has bought some type of automobile to it, some kind of theatrical automobile.
That looks like an ideal segue for speaking in regards to the new album Highway. As I perceive it, you actually wished it to seize the sound of the band dwell on stage, minimal overdubs or no overdubs. May—
Yeah, yeah, it is actually simply to indicate off the band, to be trustworthy with you. The entire thought was I wish to present the viewers how large this band is. So, they don’t seem to be simply doing songs they’ve accomplished earlier than. We’re writing the songs, they usually’re doing them dwell within the studio in two takes. So, to me, I actually wished to tip my hat to how good this band is dwell.
Lots of people in your place might exit with a band of nameless sidemen. However throughout a very good chunk of your newer profession, you’ve got had of us in your band who’re well-known sufficient — Nita Strass, for instance — to tour on their very own. How do you retain a crack band collectively as a unit?
Properly, it begins on the high. [Longtime manager] Shep Gordon and I’ve at all times handled the man that sweeps the ground the identical means we deal with the lead guitar participant. I at all times inform everyone in the entire group, “I can not do what I do except you do what you do.” And so, what I attempt to instill within the band is that I would like them to be as proud on this present as I’m. I would like them to have possession on this present. When individuals discuss, “Wow, this present is so nice,” I say, “That is not simply me, that is you guys.” And I solely rent individuals I actually like.
You’ll be able to fill your band with a bunch of unbelievable gamers, but when their egos are so extremely enormous, it is essentially the most depressing factor on the earth. Whereas, this band is nearly as good as anyone I’ve ever performed with, they usually’re all greatest buddies. As a result of I feel I attempt to instill that — if it is the bus driver’s birthday, we have now a birthday celebration. I would like everyone to really feel like they’re essential within the manufacturing of the present. …
So yeah, in fact the music comes first. That is what we actually, actually, actually spend our time on. That is the cake. As soon as you’ve got bought the cake then you may put the icing on it — and that is all of the theatrics to go together with it.
I do know you’ve got an outdoor firm that you’ve got labored with for a very long time to make the stage theatrics potential. How hands-on are you in placing collectively the stage present, deciding what new stuff you need them to strive?
The whole lot. Myself and Shep Gordon and my spouse, Sheryl [Goddard], who’s the choreographer, we’re those that principally design the present. This new present — it is known as Too Shut For Consolation — we have now by no means used video earlier than in our exhibits, ever. And so … if Alice is in a straitjacket and he is making an attempt to get out, usually the individuals within the again cannot actually see the claustrophobia concerned in that. Now, they’ll see it on a display, they usually can actually be concerned in that. So, we determined, “OK, now, let’s design these movies to go with what the lyrics are.”
So yeah, it takes a variety of pre-thought. The toughest factor about our tour is the set checklist, since you’ve bought 30 albums to go to. And also you wish to make everyone glad, however you must do the hits, and you must do the stage hits. And that offers you about perhaps two songs to place in from the brand new album. It would not provide you with a lot room to wiggle. So, we have now to choose two songs from the brand new album and see the place they match into the present.
Wanting again on these 30 albums, you as soon as tried to maintain up with traits, taking turns into new wave, then hair metallic. But it surely looks like the previous couple of many years you’ve got type of caught to an method that is a bit of bit heavier and never tied into present radio sounds.
Properly, the one music that will not go away is difficult rock. I feel that every one different genres of the rock world have had their life and go away. And the one factor that retains going is difficult rock: Weapons N’ Roses, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, the Rolling Stones. These are the bands that may go on so long as we wish to go. As a result of we’re based mostly in guitar-driven arduous rock. The one distinction with me is I attempt to make these lyrics very intelligent, telling a narrative. …
In frequent with lots of people my age, seeing you on the Muppet Present was a enjoyable expertise, as a result of it put a persona to the voice I would heard on the radio. After which if you confirmed up once more in Wayne’s World within the ’90s, I’ve to imagine it did the identical for brand spanking new era of followers. What up to date TV present or film franchise would you’re keen on for Alice to look in?
So, doing the Muppet Present was one of many two issues I am proudest of. As a result of when the Muppets got here out, it was the No. 1 present on the earth. It wasn’t only for youngsters; it was very humorous, and it was written very cleverly in order that adults might get it. It labored on a variety of ranges. And once they approached me with it, I went, “Oh, man, I’ve spent all this time making Alice the villain of rock ‘n’ roll, and I actually do not wish to water it down. As a lot as I like the present, I do not wish to water it down by being on the Muppets.”
However I requested them, I mentioned, “Who’s been on the present lately?” They usually mentioned, “Properly, we had Christopher Lee and Vincent Value.” And I went, “I am in!” As a result of if these guys can do it, I can do it. After which they got here up with the concept of the entire Faust factor. I mentioned, “Oh, that is going to carry me cash.” I by no means had extra enjoyable in my life than the week that I spent with the Muppets. You get to some extent the place you are speaking to them like they’re individuals. You actually, truly get sucked into it. You are sitting there and also you get accomplished with a take and Kermit says, “You wish to do lunch now?” And I am going, “Yeah, what are they having?” And I am speaking to Kermit like I’d discuss to my bass participant.
And the opposite factor I discussed that I am proudest of was working with Gene Wilder. Gene Wilder had a TV present that lasted two seasons known as One thing Wilder. And I performed his subsequent door neighbor — his noisy subsequent door neighbor. And I am doing one-on on comedy to a dwell viewers with Gene Wilder. To me, that was an training in comedy as a result of it was all about timing. It was all about this, and it was dwell. So, I actually needed to study from the most effective, and Gene Wilder was the most effective.
Coming again round to the query, is there a up to date film franchise or a TV present that you just’d like to have a visitor spot on?
Properly, I like once I see Alice both on Household Man or The Simpsons and issues like that. However I am at all times going to be solid as a villain, so I’d like to be a James Bond villain. I’d like to be [recurring Bond baddie Ernst Stavro] Blofeld’s grandson, who’s only a actually horrible, horrible man that Bond has to take care of.
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