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Q & A With Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper may not be the most happening man in rock, but his influence is everywhere. Sex Pistols front man John Lydon is one unlikely fan. He provides unexpectedly reverent liner notes for "The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper," a new four-disc Rhino Records retrospective. Other eclectic artists who pay tribute to the self-proclaimed originator of "shock rock" include Burt Bacharach, Bono and various members of Motley Crue. The latest and most obvious offspring, however, has to be Marilyn Manson, who is enjoying massive success by recycling Cooper's heavy eye makeup and flashy anthems. We caught up with Cooper, 50, at his Arizona home, where he fills his time raising kids, playing golf and overseeing his theme restaurant.

So you're the one responsible for Marilyn Manson. Should we step outside and settle this like gentlemen?

You know, I knew when I saw him coming that there would be a lifetime of questions on this guy. I absolutely love anybody who does theatrics onstage. I don't always agree with where they're going with it, but I love the fact that someone takes the time to rehearse and put something together that's not just going to be five guys jamming. To me, if you're paying 35 bucks to see a show, you better get a show. That's always been the Alice creed. So Marilyn Manson, I applaud him, but I do reserve the right to disagree with what he says.

Do you think his breasts are fake?

Absolutely. If he would have just waited, he could have had Pamela Anderson's. That would have been a much better story. I was trying to get one of them as an auction item. I'm sure there's somebody out there who's sick enough to pay 10 or 20 grand for them.

Tell me about your theme restaurant.

The nice thing about the restaurant is I have nothing to do with it except for the fact that I know everybody who works there, and I'm there three times a week, at least, eating. They wouldn't allow me near the kitchen.

Do they ever run out of regular meat and have to use donkey meat instead?

Absolutely not. The only thing I insist on is the food has got to be incredible. It's got to be the best meat loaf and mashed potatoes, it's got to be the best tuna noodle casserole, and it's got to be the best barbecue.

How are your kids? Do you let them wear makeup around the house?

Well, the great thing about that is my kids tour with me. I put them in the show. This show is the "Alice Cooper Rock 'n' Roll Carnival." If anybody comes on tour, they're in the show. I don't put anybody on the bus who doesn't work. They know the show as well as anybody in the band.

If they do something bad, do you make them listen to your box set as punishment?

Well, they think it's great. It's kind of educational for them because they're going back and listening to a lot of the earlier stuff they had never heard before. It's kind of educational for me, too, because there are certain songs on there I really don't remember.

How do you explain all those old photographs to them?

They always ask, "Dad, what are you doing in this picture?" My response is, "You have to remember, kids, that's Alice. That's not me." They know me as Dad. I always blame it on Alice. He's my pressure outlet. The thing is, they can never come to me and say, "Oh, Dad, you don't understand." I designed their generation. You see the safety pins? That's me. You see the Goth eye makeup? That's me. Don't tell me I don't understand.

Why are you playing golf?

Golf to me is a sport, and it just so happens that I'm really good at it. You know what it was? It was basically being on the road and getting so tired of going to malls and movies and stuff. I just wanted to get out of the hotel room. I went out and hit a ball and I hit it real good. Now you have to remember one thing -- I have an addictive personality. I'm compulsive. The most addictive game in the world is golf. Ask anybody. Ask Metallica, the Offspring, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed or anybody else who plays golf.

Do you wear leather on the course?

I wear mostly black. I kind of like the idea of putting Alice where he doesn't belong. The idea of Alice playing the AT&T Tournament, and being competitive at it, is always appealing to me. Here are these guys in the checkered pants, and I can beat them at their own game. I'm just trying to make the game more violent.

Let's recap: Alice Cooper is now into cooking, parenting and golfing. What's your problem, man?

Rock 'n' roll is still my main thing. I usually tour June through September. I'm working on two albums at once right now. There's going to be a studio album next that introduces Alice to the millennium called "Alice 2000." Then there will be what I consider my first conceptual album. I'm doing a lot of writing right now.

Have you killed anything lately?

I killed a rattlesnake the other day.

That's cool, but I thought snakes were your friends.

I love snakes, but rattlers you can't talk to. I had one in my back yard and I had to off him.