2023-08-25 10:11:43
The concerts of the former shock rocker Alice Cooper are now part of family entertainment. At 75, the cult singer still tours regularly and releases new music.
London.
The older he gets, the more active Alice Cooper seems to be. The 75-year-old has just completed a European tour with Joe Perry, Johnny Depp and their supergroup Hollywood Vampires. The singer of rock classics like “School’s Out”, “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and “Poison” is already touring North America solo again. Alice Cooper is now releasing his 29th studio album. “Road” is about life on tour – “on the road”.
When the first album was released 54 years ago, the band name was still Alice Cooper. It is now in the passport of the pastor’s son, who was born Vincent Damon Furnier. He sold millions of albums in the 70’s and 80’s. But those times are long gone. “I hope that doesn’t sound pompous,” says Cooper of the German Press Agency in London, “but I don’t really make the albums for money anymore, because you don’t make any money with it if your name isn’t Taylor Swift.”
In the meantime, he only records new music for the fans – and for himself. “It has always been my thing: write the song, record the song, play the song on stage,” says the rock veteran. “I’ve been doing this for years and I don’t think I’ll ever stop.”
“Alice is basically a kind of phantom”
In the song “I’m Alice,” he pokes fun at his stage persona, the man with the thick black makeup around his eyes. “When I play Alice, I’m a character,” emphasizes the singer. “Alice is basically a kind of phantom. And it’s a lot of fun playing this arrogant villain on stage because he has nothing in common with me.”
It was not always easy for him to separate stage roles and private individuals. “I lived in a gray area when I was drinking and doing drugs,” recalls Cooper, who has been clean for around 40 years. “I didn’t know where I left off and where Alice started or if I was always supposed to be Alice. It’s only since I’ve sobered up that I realize I’ve created a character who doesn’t want to live in the real world, only on stage and in the studio.”
“Dead Don’t Dance” is about drug and alcohol abuse in the rock ‘n’ roll scene. In “Welcome To The Show” he sings about his own stage theatre, the amusing horror show with guillotine, gallows, Frankenstein’s monster and fireworks, in which Cooper’s wife also plays. He has been married to dancer Sheryl since 1976. On his album he sings with a lot of humor about seductive (“Big Boots”) and pushy women (“Go Away”).
To tell a story
“Road” is not a concept album in the narrower sense, but the 13 moody rock’n’roll songs fit together in terms of content and sound as if they were made of one piece. “I can’t imagine doing an album that’s just songs with no thematic context,” says Cooper. “I’ve always made themed albums, twelve songs that tell a story.”
The album ends with The Who’s cover “Magic Bus”. “The Who were a huge influence on the Alice Cooper band. I think it’s because Pete Townshend is still the angriest guitarist I’ve ever seen,” Cooper enthuses. “That’s why he’s so great. He’s a great songwriter, but he has this attitude on stage that even most young bands don’t have.”
“Road” was produced by veteran Bob Ezrin (Kiss, Pink Floyd), with whom Cooper recorded some of his best albums in the ’70s. The two have been working together regularly since 2000 and it is bearing fruit. It’s also thanks to Ezrin that “Road” has the style of the early, classic Alice Cooper works, but with a modern sound. The fact that many songs only unfold their effect after repeated listening is not a flaw, quite the opposite.
Aerobic workout on stage
At 75, Alice Cooper still has it. Physically, he feels in top form anyway, says the hard rock veteran, who will be touring America until December. “The tour used to be over and I had to go to the hospital because I took too many drugs and drank and did everything I wanted to do, it got you down,” says the singer. “But now it’s like a great aerobic workout for me.” Next year he wants to come back to Europe. Tour dates are not fixed yet.
“There will be no retirement for me in the future, I’ve never thought of that,” she said Alice Cooper clear. “If I wanted to retire, I would have done it 30 years ago. Financially it would have been possible. But as an artist, I don’t think I’ve written my best song yet. And I don’t think I’ve written my best concert behind me. That drives me.” (dpa)
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