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Alice Cooper: The Legend and The Man

Why does Alice end up as the victim in your concert staging? Is it symbolic of anything?

Alice does a lot of horrible things in concert and then he gets it. The funny thing is that with the electric chair and the hanging and the guillotine there is always a sort of "black and white" about the whole thing. For about an hour up there on stage, Alice is a horrible villain and then they get him for it. But he always comes back to life and does 'School's Out' in a white top hat and tails to show everybody that Alice is back. It's almost the same way that Jason keeps coming back in Friday the 13th. You can't kill him, he's an indelible character. That's the way we've always treated the shows.

You seem dedicated to keeping Alice a separate entity, it almost borders on schizophrenia. Is that marketing strategy or self-preservation?

It works as both. When I play Alice, I sincerely become Alice. The only way I can get up there and face 20,000 people is to become Alice because he is the opposite of me. Alice is fearless when he goes on stage and he dares everything. I'm totally opposite of that. I'm Dr. Frankenstein and he's the monster. When I play the monster, I become obsessed with the character. I let myself become Alice and I trust him. When he gets up on stage, he'll get the audience to stand up on their feet for an hour and a half. I totally trust the character to do his job. I think if everybody had a character like Alice and a stage there would be a lot fewer mental problems. I get to blow off all this stuff in front of an audience, it's like psycho-therapy. When I come off the stage, I'm about as mellow as any person in the world.

What have you done as far as movies are concerned?

I've done one full-length feature film in Spain called Monster Dog. It was fun to do and I played the leading man. I was very handsome, too, I must say. I have done a lot of walk-ons and cameos. I did a movie with John Carpenter, a cameo part. I was a street schizoid. It's called Prince of Darkness and I ended up impaling somebody with a Schwinn bicycle. It was great. John Carpenter is one of my heroes and I love working with him.

Obviously you can "let go" on stage. It stands to reason you would probably do as well as an actor.

The only thing about acting is it seduces you away from rock and roll. I get probably ten scripts a month of things they want me to do, major movie parts. There were some movies I was up for that I didn't even read because I didn't have time. Of course, some of those movies did really well and then I would say "darn it", because I could have done that movie. Maybe I'll do that later on. But, right now, I really enjoy being this legendary character; it's fun to be known as a legend and be living at the time. I mean, just about every single band out there has a "touch of Alice". We were the first to rat our hair up and use make-up and actually celebrate the idea of sex, death, and money. This is life, these are the things we are writing about. Bands now are doing the same thing and I read about these bands saying that "Alice is their biggest influence." That's really nice but I like the idea of competing with them, I don't want to be thought of as a relic. I go up there in total competition with these people.

Define bizarre as applied to your sense of humor.

I find humor in the worst things. As irrelevant as it is, it's always funnier when you're in a place where you're not suppose to laugh or a subject you're not suppose to laugh about. When you were a kid and somebody farted in church, it was the funniest thing in the world because you weren't allowed to laugh. You were in a place where you were never suppose to laugh, and that's what made it funnier. You're sitting there thinking "Oh, no! That's really funny." Of course, when you know you can't laugh everything is funnier. I think we find humor in the black sides of things. Even most of your great splatter movies are funny, it depends on how absurdly the guy gets killed. You can't deny how exciting some splatter movies are, like the Exorcist or Aliens. There's nothing more fun than getting an adrenalin rush from being frightened.

If you were to play the perfect practical joke on someone, what would it involve, to what lengths would you go to pull it off and do you have anybody in mind?

It would have to be a national thing where I would end up on the PTL ministry somehow. I don't know exactly what I would do, but it would be nice to have maybe Tammy Faye Bakker ... wouldn't she be great on stage with Alice? She wears more makeup than I do and I feel kind of embarrassed. When you talk about bizarre, you talk about something that has gotten out of hand. As drastic as it is, there is something very funny about the whole thing. If you were trying to write it in a script, you couldn't. People would read the script and say, "No, it's too unbelievable." That's what makes it so bizarre. Now somebody will say not all of Christianity is right. Certainly these people were wrong, but that is not to say that Christianity is wrong. These people are just human beings. It has nothing to do with what Jesus taught, but, on the other hand, how can people still send money? There is some little old lady that is sending her Social Security money to a guy that is building air-conditioned dog houses! It's the same kind of mentality as Jonestown. When Jim Jones said, "O.K., we're all going to kill ourselves," and his followers said, "Oh, O.K.!" That's pretty scary. I think people are searching so hard for the answers that they will go with just about anything. I've always said the easiest way to become a millionaire is to form your own church and tell people to send you money. And they will do it. I guarantee you. You will make at least a 100,000 dollars a year. 'Just send me the money because I need it,' and they'll do it.

What's your opinion of mainstream America's educational system and the effect it has on the minds of its students?

Kids seem to do weil only in things they like. At least, that's what I did. I hated algebra, I hated anything to do with numbers. But if it came to something like journalism or creative writing even history, things that were remotely interesting, I always did well. Maybe there should be more of a vocational outlook in schools. Why force a kid into algebra when he's a mechanic? Or if he's a natural born painter, why not give the kid an advanced study of art appreciation rather than things that he's never going to use. Kids are smart. If they come off being dumb, then they wanted to come off as being dumb. The whole metal thing is like "let's see how dumb we can act." But these kids aren't dumb at all.

Censorship groups often take quoted lyrics from a song, take them out of context, totally misinterpret them, and give them a totally different meaning. If you see the lyrics in their entirety, it's unbelievable how those narrow-minded zealots twist them. But how many adults will take the time to check it out?

It's so self-serving what these people do. It's totally self-righteous kind of stuff. They always forget the one line in the Bible, "Judge not, lest ye be judged." That's a very important line. My dad was a minister and he said that about them also. Why don't these people worry about stuff in their own backyard? For instance, the suicide thing that happened with Ozzy Osbourne. That had nothing to do with Ozzy. That kid was in trouble and it wasn't from rock and roll, it was from what happened at home. He could have seen Miami Vice, he could have seen anything. Of course, it's a very simple thing to blame rock and roll. It makes good press. It's all very self-serving, it's all political. I don't know what they're trying to prove. The nature of rock and roll is to be the brunt of criticism. Rock and roll is more fun if parents hate it. My parents never hated it, they were just afraid it was going to do something to me. Luckily, I was one of the people that made it work.

Do your kids experience parental guidance censorship?

They're not really old enough, my daughter is six and my son is two. If I put on a horror movie and my daughter comes in, I just say "I'm going to watch a scary movie" and she says, "Okay, I'm gonna watch it with you." The first scary thing that happens she takes off into the other room, I don't have to censor her. She takes off or her eyes are closed through the whole thing. She never makes it through. She saw Poltergeist and she really related to the little girl. She watched it like ten times.

Have your children seen your concerts?

I've taken them to rehearsal and shown my daughter how the guillotine works. She was fascinated by it and said, "Let me try that." When I stab this guy with the microphone stand and it doesn't really go through him she watched and said, "It's just part of the show." She watched and had a great time. Michael Myers from Halloween or Jason from Friday the 13th, I tell them he's just an actor and they go, "Oh, I know that." They understand. Kids in this generation are not stupid. They're very aware. They're bombarded with media and they've adapted to it. My kid sees an ad and says, "Oh, they're just trying to get me to buy those shoes. I like the pony in that commercial." I ask,"But, do you like the shoes?", and she'll say "No.", and I'll say "Then don't buy the shoes." But my son is just a total terror. Right now, he's at the point where he just likes to destroy everything.. If I take my daughter to the bus, all the kids press up against the window to see this guy they saw on MTV. It gives Calico a kick when she gets on the bus and they say, "Oh, wow! He really is your dad. Is he the one that does all that stuff?" And she just says "Yeah." My daughter is proud of it, but she doesn't really use it. I'm trying to picture the first time she comes home with a boy. I'll be in total Alice Cooper make-up and I'll answer the door with: "Where have you been?!" It'll scare the guy to death.

With what you do on stage, she could bring home someone pretty wild and you still couldn't say anything.

Who knows what they're going to be doing ten years from now. It could be very romantic, you'll turn around and a crooner will be in power and dating is very big again.

What do you think music will be doing?

I don't think rock and roll is ever going to change because it always comes back to rock and roll. It'll go in different directions, but it'll always come back to hard rock and roll.

What is there about rock and roll that keeps it from being a passing fancy?

When you hear it, there is no denying that it's a very physical music. Even if you don't like it, you're tapping your foot, because there's a natural animal beat to it. Every single person out there has been a teenager. Every kid out there has rebelled and rock and roll has that built­in rebellion attitude. It's a common denominator. Every generation has or wants its own identity. So each generation is going to identify as far away from the last generation as possible.

Kane Roberts: More Than Muscle

And More Than Just Alice's Right-hand Man, a Revealing interview with the very talented Kane Robers

At what age did your talent make itself known? And who influenced you?

I was around 15 years old. I got into playing the "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin, which is still rolling around in my head. I'd say Jimmy Page was the greatest rhythm guitar player that ever lived. And Alice Cooper upset my parents more than anybody, so it's kind of weird playing with him now. I had posters of him up on my wall. Recently I've been getting into David Lee Roth, Steve Vai is really incredible. No guitar player can say he wasn't influenced by Eddie Van Halen. But for me the ball got rolling with Led Zeppelin.

Did it take your mom and dad awhile to say "Okay, the kid's got talent"?

They bought me my first guitar, but probably regretted it. They never really understood it all. A year ago I said, "Hey Mom, I got a record deal." And she said, "Don't worry, you'll be alright."

Do you get to go home often?

I don't go home that much. It's the type of thing where, when you're out on the road, you tend to lose the constant connection. I'm doing what I'm doing. It wasn't like I was kicked out of the house. I'm lucky if I see them once a year, but we stay in touch.

At what age did you write your first song?

I was relatively young. I had the classic childhood, except for the weight lifting. In school I had my little band that played at the dances. I was the lead guitarist. It was the best way to meet girls at the time. I started writing a little bit after that.

Did you prepare for any other career?

The guys that plan for a career in dentistry second to their guitar playing aren't going to make it. It goes way beyond 'just a commitment,' it becomes a commitment to a lifestyle. You have to be crazy to do it the way people who made it, did it. Life's got to be some sort of adventure, a fantasy, why else are we here. To say 'I want to play rock and roll,' means you want to take on the world and get a real slice of life. A lot of that has to do with why I started lifting weights. I really wanted to be ready for what the world throws at me. You just have to take a walk down 42nd street in Manhattan or Hollywood and Vine and you see a lot of stuff coming at you, good and bad. If you're not ready for it you're going to get eaten up by it.

Do you take weights with you on the road?

We've got about a 1000 pounds of weights. Otherwise, I train at a local gym.

When did you first meet Alice Cooper?

We were playing at this local dungeon where the club owner throws dirt on the floor to get the place ready. There was no stage. He got a tape of mine and came to see my band. We packed the place with 200 or 300 people. A fight started and I got involved, and some people who weren't into rock and roll were picking on some fans who were. We ended up not playing because the place got trashed. Alice had come in to see us but left when he saw the fight. Alice called me the next day and said, "This is Alice Cooper and I really liked the band." but of course he had heard the tape. I went down to New York and his manager said, "Go write a song." We ended up writing "Step On You" which appears on the album, RAISE YOUR FISTS AND YELL. We hit it off really well. The main thing we agree on is dealing with reality. I'm the flesh and blood version of how I feel about rock and roll. Alice is the same way, when he's on stage he means it. That was our main connection.

You wrote "A Strong Arm Needs A Stronger Heart." Was there any particular moment that inspired you to write that song?

That's my theory on life. If you don't have the heart to back up your exterior strength, then it's wasted strength. If I threaten people because of my size, that's really not the way it is. There are 90 pound guys out there who are nasty mother fuckers. The point is you have to do it yourself, you have to have a strong heart to get through this stuff, not a strong bicep. My physical stature is a symptom of what I think about life and rock and roll.

What event or realization made you decide to give up drugs?

It wasn't a big moment for me. I suddenly looked at my guitar and thought, 'If this is what I'm going to dedicate my life to, if I'm going to be true to that, then I can't be fucked up all the time.' I just gradually let it out of my life. If something doesn't fit into Kane's way of living it doesn't stay there.

Is the Kane on stage the real Kane?

It's just me turned up to ten. When I do the show it's me. I don't put on any makeup, I don't change who I am. That's why I like touring, you can be whatever you want to be, no matter who you are.

What do you think the school system does for kids nowadays?

It's been a long time but once in a while I'll have a nightmare where I think I'm back in school. I wake up and think, 'Oh no, I've got a test today.' The problem is the attitude, teachers don't look at it as, 'I'll take Johnny from there and bring Johnny to a better place.' They go, 'Get back in line or you're in trouble!' They tell the kids not to look in either direction or give them enough freedom. Everybody has a certain structure to follow, but if I went out every night and said, "This is the curriculum that I will follow everytime I play guitar. I'm going to be this strict as far as the formula goes and this is always going to add up to this particular thing. And therefore, I'm so stupid I can't go to the right or to the left or improvise with my guitar playing or my life." I don't think I'd be a very good musician, I wouldn't be good at what I do. But the schools impart that to kids a lot and that's why a lot of kids fall by the wayside. That's the way it was for me. I couldn't fit into the mold of what they were after so I kissed that off right away. They couldn't figure it out. What was I supposed to do? I wasn't going to drop all the things that really got my heart pumping fast, for them.

Wasn't there anything in school that turned you on?

For me it was more the teacher than the topic. If I ended up with a good teacher, I'd shock everybody with a good grade. If I didn't have a good teacher, if I didn't think that person had anything going for him ... I was a real judgemental kid when it came to teachers. I didn't feel I had to constantly be judged and therefore, behave right. If someone didn't pass my inspection, I didn't see why I should give them a break. That's what upset my parents more than picking up a guitar.

Have you ever run into any career discrimination?

When I run into something it's more humorous than anything else. I play rock and roll but I don't look like a rock and roller. It's almost like 'Conan, the Barbarian picked up a guitar,' that's a lot for some people to take. They might say something behind my back and I might get a feel for it but because of the size I am not too many people are going to let me know.