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Cooper is back with shock rock
Razor-sharp guillotines. Crackling electric chairs. Slithering boa constrictors. These are wonderful ingredients for a hellish nightmare, but in the dark and mysterious world of legendary shock-rocker Alice Cooper, these are but a few of his favorite things.
Known as the original purveyor of mesmerizing concerts rife with shocking, gothic theatrics and bone-chilling imagery, Cooper is back with a new album, "Constrictor," and is making his first concert outing since 1983.
"It was time. I always knew I was going to come back, but I didn't want to do it in the midst of all that disco stuff," says Cooper (a.k.a. Vincent Furnier). "I wanted to come back when my type of music was being played on the radio again, and now it is."
He says now that heavy metal is experiencing a resurgence and disco is a thing of the past, the scene is set to introduce a whole new generation to the Alice Cooper character.
"I think Alice Cooper is timeless," he says, often speaking of himself in third person. "I expect 80 percent of the audiences will be teenagers."
At 38, some may say Cooper is past his prime, but many rock 'n' rollers his age are still successfully working, he argues. Sammy Hagar, also 38, and Ronnie James Dio, 40, are two.
Part of Cooper's comeback involved beating alcoholism three years ago. Now, besides being drug and alcohol free, running three miles each day has become part of his routine.
"I'm in better shape today than I've ever been in," Cooper says. "Back then I was drinking two bottles of whiskey a day."
When Cooper first exploded on the music scene in 1971 with his first hit "I'm 18," the rock world didn't quite know what to make of him. The name alone created a sense of mystique.
"We had nothing to lose back then. We could have called it Mary Smith, it didn't matter," he says. "It was great, we confused people on every level."
Cooper appropriately can be called the father of shock-rock, a visual performer whose stage shows often overÂshadowed the music itself. Those gothic, horrific spectacles — a blend of magic and special effects — were the inspiration for such bands as Kiss and The Plasmatics when planning their own outrageous acts.
Cooper says his influence has continued well into the '80s, especially with heavy metal groups.
"Most people have caught up to Alice now, and this album is only a refresher course before I go beyond to other things."
One cut off the album, "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)," already has received attention because of its being a part of the movie "Friday the 13th, Part 6."
The song has an almost autobiographical tone for Cooper, although it was written about the return after a two-movie absence of the character Jason, the psychopath who hides behind a hockey mask while committing grisly deeds.
"It was perfect, because I love those splatter movies anyway," he says. "I thought, 'Hey, Jason is back, Alice is back. That's interesting, we'll combine them.'"
Cooper says his new stage show will be better than in years past, and will include his famous guillotine trick, a simulated beheading, as well as "two or three things no one has ever done in concert.
"In the '70s we were held back by technology's limits, but now you can do more complicated things on stage," he says. "With technology today, all you have to do is dream it up. If you're willing to spend the money, anything can happen."
During his first few rehearsals for the live show, all the familiar feelings came back.
"It was just like no time had gone by. I felt really at home on the stage, and that's always good for your confidence. It felt like I was just putting together another show and getting ready to go out on another tour."
Considering the violent aspects of his theatrics, is Cooper worried about being targeted by such groups as the Parents Music Resource Center, which has made attempts to censor some rock 'n' roll groups in recent years?
"Actually, I think the PMRC has done a great service to rock 'n' roll," Cooper says. "It gave it back its outlaw image. I'm probably on their hit list somewhere near the top."
Whether or not the PMRC is on the prowl, Cooper will be stalking the United States and Britain in coming months, looking to stir up some controversy and win a new generation of fans. He says there are only two rules when you come to an Alice Cooper show:
"Have fun ... and don't bring your parents."