Article Database

Alice Cooper's White Knuckle Ride

"I want to take the fans on a roller coaster ride".... Mr. Rock Horror show entertainer extraordinaire Alice Cooper told us some fascinating stories recently. He filled us in on some of the myths that follow him around and talked about his new LP 'Trash'.

Alice: "My latest album is almost a return to the '70s I guess. My previous two albums were really angry heavy metal albums and now I have that out of my system I can go back to doing a much broader album - it has a broader sense but it's all very hard rock."

He's based this album around sex - isn't that a gamble - and is it going to cause you even more problems than your horror shows?

Alice: "Sex is never a gamble! Well, now you mention it maybe it is a gamble but because the last couple of albums were choreographed violence and blood I thought that if I did another album like that I would be pinning myself in a corner and people would say 'that's all that Alice can do - horror'"

Did he think his stage show was too horrific?

"I don't think so. But once you become explicit you lose it. You can be suggestive - that's the whole trick. Nudity on stage doesn't work but suggesting it will work. Alice Cooper shows will always be full of surprises - hard rock all the way through. I intend to do a couple of ballads, it should be fifty percent old and fifty percent new material."

Who wrote the songs?

Alice: "I had the songs written with Desmond Child and we said 'OK, now let's spice it up' so I phoned some old friends... Joe Perry plays guitar on 'House Of Fire'. Steven Tyler and I do a ballad duet called 'Only My Heart Talking'. I did a tune with Jon Bon Jovi called 'Thrash' and Ritchie Sambora plays guitar on 'Hell Is Living Without You'. Kane Roberts is on the album - he's a great guy - I used to hide behind his muscles on the videos!"

What was the connection with Aerosmith?

Alice: "During the seventies Aerosmith and Alice Cooper had parallel careers and parallel drinking habits. That's why we could never work in the studio together but we still remained friends - I really enjoyed working with the Aerosmith boys."

"My previous band members have graduated. Kane Roberts is doing his own album on Geffin Records, Kip Winger has a top ten album in the States with his band and Ken Mary is with House Of Lords. Actually, I'm interested in the guitar player you guys keep raving about - Mario Parga. He's got the looks and image I've been looking for. I'd like to give him a shot."

Most bands write an album, think of a good visual stage set and go out on the road. Alice has to come up with a visual picture on every song - that must be difficult?

Alice: "I think that's what makes it fun for me. The music always comes first, that goes without saying. I spend 80 per cent on the music and 20 per cent on the show."

Alice In Euroland

Alice: "I start my tour in October and will probably get over here around January/February time - I like to come here when it's really cold!"

Sheffield Horror

Alice: "We got this terrible review in your home town Sheffield saying were doing terrible things to pregnant women (which never happened on stage). The Germans got a hold of it and it was blown really out of proportion! The Germans were a little worried about what their fans were letting themselves in for. Once they saw the show they were fine. An Alice Cooper show is nothing worse than any video you can hire from the nearest video store only I do it to music which suddenly gives it a black eye. The guy who wrote about us in Sheffield was blind and I heard he was sat with someone who was deaf. Can you imagine the conversation? 'Did you see what I just heard?' 'No, did you hear what I just saw!' I LOVE ENGLAND!"