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"I don't like 'Clones'"

Here is the end of this exclusive interview with Alice Cooper that we presented in the last edition of Live!

Speaking of your old band, why did you leave it?

Because of musical differences. We parted on good terms.

Do you still see or talk to any of the musicians of the ex-band?

Yes. I just got a phone call from Neal Smith yesterday. I saw Glen Buxton recently in Phoenix, Arizona.

Your album "Flush the Fashion" was more popular in Canada than in the US. The song "Clones" was a real hit. It was even played in the discos here in Montreal.

I know that this album did not work very well in the United States. There was some disagreement with my record company that I'd rather not elaborate on here. I'm really surprised that "Clones" has been playing in Montreal nightclubs. You know, I don't really like "Clones". When Roy Thomas Baker played it for me, I liked it, but my opinion has changed since then.

I liked the album "From the Inside".

Thank you. I think this is my best album, musically.

Do you intend to include more ballads on your records?

No, not in the future. That worked against me. Everyone thought Alice Cooper had changed its image.

What kind of music do you like to listen to?

The Pretenders, the B-52's and the Go-Go's. But I don't really have much time to listen to other material than my own, because I've been writing a lot lately.

Are you being offered any film scripts in Hollywood?

Yes, very much so. I was recently offered "Modern Problems" with Chevy Chase. I will definitely end up playing a villain in movies.

There are many Fred Mandel and Davey Johnstone songs on your last album "Special Forces" despite the fact that they are not with you anymore?

We had written a lot of songs for "Flush the Fashion" and had some material left over. So I decided to use those pieces on "Special Forces".

How many people do you have on tour now compared to your huge "Welcome to my Nightmare" tour?

In the days of "Welcome to my nightmare", there were 35, while there are 13 now.

(Original published in Live! Vol. 3 No. 1, 1982. Translated from the French — Canadian — language publication April 2021)