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That Good Boy Alice Cooper

After being hospitalized for four months, Alice Cooper is back home. Of course, for a very short time, because his commitments have overlapped and now, while we will be resting on the seaside or in the mountains in the summer, Alice will be packing his bags for a long American tour. He is also already preparing the material for a new album, while he has finished shooting "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", the film that sees musicians like the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton together; the last turns of the crank instead for "Sextette", where Alice Cooper acts alongside Mae West. A lot of commitments, but it was also logical after a period of musical stasis made up mostly of second thoughts and — more — time spent in the clinic.

Alice has also seen fit to return to the public with radio and television appearances. In the past few weeks he has been a guest on the TV program that Ringo Starr hosts with great success for a network in California.

After singing a couple of old songs, Cooper told his English colleague, who was in the unusual role of presenter: "Periods of rest are great for us musicians. We often lose sight of everyday reality, we are trapped in a series of commitments that don't even let us breathe. After many years, I was lucky enough to be able to sit quietly and think about my future, about what I've done so far".

"And what have you concluded?" asked Ringo, obviously interested.

"I've come to the conclusion that work is a great thing, and that's why I am here..."

After a couple of typically American jokes, a bit of mutual kindness and avalanches of compliments (perhaps intended to belie the bad reputation that Alice had recently acquired, after having spoken badly of many of his colleagues, left and right) the two got to talking about Alice Cooper's new album.

"I'm working on it like crazy — said the American singer — and I have at least four songs ready. At the moment I often meet with Bernie Taupin (composer of almost all of Elton John's songs) and we decided to write at least a couple albums together".

The album's title is, provisionally, "From The Inside" and it seems to follow the line taken recently by Alice: no more Grand Guignol disguises, no pythons, no guillotines, but simply good music, honest rock'n'roll made by someone who started from the purest roots.

"I plan to write all the songs and then go into the studio. Tell people; 'Hey, this is the song, it goes like this... badabam, ba bum now do it as it comes to you, as you feel it best.' We'll start recording and I don't want boring stuff that doesn't involve the musicians. If they play with you they absolutely have to love what they do. A stable group? For now, no, I don't think so, it's hard enough to live with two people, let alone five or six..."

And then — in an American way — Alice's wife, Sheryl, came in and said how good, handsome (?!), how kind her husband was, and how he managed in the kitchen. Then she concluded: "Too bad he's always out and about."

However, she will now be dancing in the show that Alice is preparing for his new tour and so she will have the pleasure of being with him twenty-four hours a day.

"How do you see him as an actor?" Ringo asked Sheryl.

"Ohh, very well, he has always had the soul of an actor, I think that has always been his secret thought, but perhaps it is a little for everyone".

And turning to Alice, Ringo continued: "Is that so?"

"Yes," Alice answered. "I always dreamed of one day playing the part of Zorro ...".

AMERICA & EUROPE

Meanwhile, someone is working for Alice: they are the managers who are finalizing the details of the long tour that will involve America and Europe.

In America there will be a lot of concerts, with date after date, especially in the western states; less so in Europe, where so far England and France are the main interest (naturally).

Alice would also like to come to Italy, perhaps without taking a lot of money, but it seems that our organizers are cautious and do not intend to take hasty or even wrong steps. It is known that here in Italy "music is free". However, this is not a big problem and will be solved in one way or another when the European music calendar ends. Alice should have his new album ready by October and then the tour would also serve to promote his work. Naturally, this is a rather delicate period for the singer: a little too much silence in recent months, more dedication to cinema than music (a virus that has infected several colleagues), the not so hidden desire to also have privacy to respect. All that remains is to wait for the album and the concerts, only then can the judgment be more precise.

Meanwhile Alice Cooper declares: "I have a lot of energy in my body and I have serious intentions, I want to make up for all the time I've lost. Today the world of music is changing day by day and for this reason you have to be careful observers of international phenomena. You always have to be in the right places at the right time. Let's think about New York: in a short time many things have changed, or San Francisco: today it seems like there's almost nothing and instead, maybe, everything is boiling and is about to come to the surface... Or Europe. Don't you think that Europe could be a whole discovery? In short, you can't just get on stage and play anymore, you have to open your ears, tune your brain and make it work".

(Tranlated from the Italian language publication - August 2024)