The Alice Cooper Thread

[Susan Foreman]

RIP Erik Scott

Born in 1948, Scott played bass guitar on two of Alice's albums in the early 80's - Special Forces (1981) and Zipper Catches Skin (1982) - and also the UK-only single 'For Britain Only' (1981)

He died on October 11th of cancer

Erik pictured with Alice on the 'Special Forces' tour in 1981

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Nita Strauss letting rip on stage at Resorts World, Birmingham, US (10/11/19)

[Justin101]

She would put Janick Gers to shame with her guitar flinging! I love her

[Susan Foreman]

Alice has now finished the UK leg of the tour. Next stop: North America, with shows scheduled to run between November 3rd (Florida) and November 30th (Illinois). Then there is a break until February 2020 for the Australasian leg, followed by the 'Rock Meets Classic' tour in Germany in March 2020

From all reports, the UK shows were a total success, with people saying it was the best tour since 1988's 'Live...In The Flesh' dates. Both The MC50 and The Stranglers came in for considerable praise as the best support bands for a long time as well

Here are the reviews:

Review: Alice Cooper at Manchester Arena > Music Reviews > Music | Purple Revolver - "To say an Alice Cooper show has energy is an understatement...The energy of Alice and the entire band, especially guitarist Nita Strauss, didn’t wane once. Nita was twirling around the stage while still hitting every note and nailing several incredible solos...Alice Cooper puts on a show like no other, full of the most creepy, hectic fun imaginable and it’s not one to be missed...In a crowd consisting of the elderly, children and everything in between, many of which wearing a lot of eyeliner regardless of age or gender, it’s impossible to not feel that Alice has created a place for all his fans to come together no matter who they are to dance together, sing together, and not laugh as each other’s eyeliner slowly migrated further and further down our faces."

Alice Cooper Manchester review – a potent brew of sex, death and pantomime villainy | The Guardian - "It’s hard to believe that when Alice Cooper emerged in the early 70s, his horror makeup, songs about sex and death and theatrical hangings were seen as a threat to the moral fibre of society. Today, while the shock-rock pioneer’s vast influence stretches from punk to “antichrist superstar” Marilyn Manson, he’s more pantomime villain than shocking. Where Cooper once channelled the feeling of unease in the post-summer-of-love era, these days his show is considerably more “He’s behind you!”...It’s still a great night out...Cooper’s deathly croak may have lost a smidgeon of its power but he looks even more as if he has been recently exhumed from the nearest cemetery...He is part-ham, part-showman, the Phantom of the Opera reincarnated as a rock god"

Review: Alice Cooper at Manchester Arena | Manchester Evening News - "The shock and awe might seem tame in 2019 but what doesn’t hold back is the music - the rock and roll that Alice Cooper serves up is superb."

Macabre music of Alice Cooper thrills thousands of fans at P&J Live | Aberdeen Press And Journal - "Part concert, part stage show, part macabre musical, it was a performance quite unlike any other...While multiple costume changes are more associated with pop divas, the veteran showman appeared in a variety of curious outfits – even donning a Scotland football shirt at one stage."

Review: Shock-rocker Alice Cooper wows fans at monster gig | Society Aberdeen - "Halloween arrived early in Aberdeen, as Alice Cooper christened the city’s new P&J Live venue with its first big rock show...Where an Alice Cooper show differs from others is in the eye-popping presentation and theatre of it all. From confetti filled balloons to being strait jacketed and beheaded, it was a visual treat...This was a classic rock masterclass. Superb."

Review: Alice Cooper at Brighton Centre | The Argus - "Alice Cooper has been performing for more than 50 years and still continues to put on one of the greatest touring rock shows in the world... And while he still sounds every bit as you would expect, you can tell Alice is in his seventies. His voice is still grizzled and ear grabbing but there are pauses for breath that you think he may not have needed to take ten or 15 years ago... Across a 50-year career Alice has set the bar extremely high for theatrical shows, and on this tour that was his downfall. He has done so much, “died” so many times in stage and brought so many fireworks in the past that tonight just could not live up to that. But make no mistake, Alice Cooper still puts on one of the best rock shows you’re likely to see."

Alice Cooper brings pure rock theatre to Brighton | Brighton And Hove News - "Alice is always the showman and the dearly beloved fans gathered here tonight to witness his all-new show were certainly not left disappointed! Considered by some as the greatest ringmaster in rock and deliverer of the best rock show in the world, Brighton music punters were certainly not going on their journey home in silence as there would be much to discuss about the evening’s portrayal of dark humour..The Brighton Centre was witness to Alice’s blend of horror film and vaudeville rock for around two hours and it was at time just like witnessing a play with loud music. Ever the showman, he indulged in several (expected) costume changes and even donning a straight-jacket for a majority of the unsettling track ‘Steven’"

Gig review: Alice Cooper at First Direct Arena, Leeds | Yorkshire Post - "An hour-and-a-half’s worth of significant guitar shredding has just about crested to a naturally expected crescendo, as the king of shock rock boogies his way from left to right. Under bright lights, with confetti canons already unfurled, it has been an evening of hard rock pantomime, played with a tongue-in-cheek sensibility...Across the night, it’s an effective 50-50 split down the middle between group and solo cuts, delivered with all the panache come to be expected...By the time School’s Out closes out proceedings, it feels like the maddest am-dram musical in the world, staged with excellent professionalism and a circus ringmaster who won’t be going quietly into that long night."

Alice Cooper at the O2 Arena | The Up Coming - "Alice Cooper doesn’t fail to deliver sensational proto-goth power...Most of the songs are backed by stage theatrics that resemble a particularly bloodthirsty pantomime, especially when a selfie-taking young girl is dramatically murdered by a masked killer who then prowls the stage in (He’s Back) Man Behind the Mask. But this is what Cooper’s audience has come to expect, and they would most likely be disappointed without it. And this is exactly what Cooper delivers across the set – an undeniably crowd-pleasing performance."

Guillotines, straight jackets and demonic babies: Alice Cooper, Birmingham - review | Birmingham Express And Star - "You always know what you’re getting with Alice Cooper. And he never disappoints...With each song, Alice brought something different to the stage - from hellish characters, to harmonicas and maracas, and an array of costume changes. Even for those who didn’t know all the songs, there was never an opportunity to be bored...A superb show from one of rock’s finest - my only complaint was that it seemed to go by in no time at all. Ol’ Black Eyes is showing no signs of slowing. And long may it continue."

[Susan Foreman]

Tour related newspaper stories and interviews #1

No more Mr Nice Guy as Aberdeen bus driver dresses up as Alice Cooper | Aberdeen Evening Express

"Bus passengers in Aberdeen were stunned when they were greeted by a rock legend at the wheel.

Stagecoach driver Mark Goodall, 29, decided to dress up as his hero Alice Cooper to mark the music icon’s concert in Aberdeen.

Cooper is set to perform at P&J Live tonight – his first visit to the north-east.

And Mark, from Torry, who will be attending the gig, said he wanted to have some fun with his passengers.

He got into costume for his shift on the 727 service between Union Square and Aberdeen International Airport yesterday.

He said: “There’s no real reason for dressing up other than wanting to have a bit of fun. The shows have a bit of a theatrical side to them and I like getting involved in that.

“I’m going to the concert in my costume and I thought it would be fun to dress up for work too. I normally have a bit of a laugh and a joke with the passengers.”

Alice Cooper

Music fan Mark has attended numerous concerts over the years – but this evening’s gig will be the first time he has seen Alice Cooper live.

He admitted it would be second time lucky after missing out on seeing the icon perform by a matter of minutes at a festival.

He said: “I have been a fan for about 19 years and I was around 10 years old when I went to my first gig. Since then I’ve been to thousands of gigs – but it will be the first time I’ve seen Alice Cooper.

“I had the chance to see him play at Download Festival in 2011 but I missed out as I was too late getting there.

“Ever since then I have been desperate to see him and it’s amazing that it’s going to be here.

“It’s nice to be able to welcome him to Aberdeen.

“I’m really excited. My dad Frank is going with me and we both can’t wait. It’s been 19 years of waiting.”

As part of its link-up with the venue, the bus company is operating regular shuttle services to and from the city centre before and after the concert.

Service PJ1 operates every 10 minutes from Union Square, with the first departing at 5.30pm and the last leaving at 7.20pm.

After the concert, buses will run regularly from 11pm until the venue is cleared.

Kirsty Jarvie, marketing administrator for Stagecoach, said: “From a Stagecoach perspective, we have shuttle buses to P&J Live running from Union Square and we want to create a little bit of a buzz around the gig.

“It’s only our second time doing it and we want it to be a really special atmosphere.

“It’s going to be a great event.”"

[Susan Foreman]

Tour related newspaper stories and interviews #2

Alice Cooper says we should expect a ‘carnival ride with a nightmare castle’ on his UK tour | The Metro

"ALICE COOPER is undoubtedly one of rock’s greatest showmen. And, now in his 70s, with a music career that has spanned half a century, he shows no signs of slowing down. As he hits the road with a 34-date tour that kicks off in Manchester tonight before heading around Britain and on to Australia, New Zealand and America, he’s promising his most spectacular show yet.

The Ol’ Black Eyes Is Back tour will see him perform a mix of some of his biggest hits, including School’s Out and Poison, and a nostalgic selection of rarely performed back catalogue cuts.

But it’s not just about the music for Alice. ‘I said, let’s turn this stage into that carnival ride with the nightmare castle that you want to go on, but you don’t want to go on,’ he laughs. ‘Anything can happen in the nightmare castle! It is sexy, it is tough, it is scary, it is funny, it has got everything in it.’

Alice’s live shows are pure rock’n’roll escapism, the perfect antidote to the political chaos outside. ‘You come to Alice Cooper to take a vacation from all that turmoil,’ he says. ‘Everyone is so worried about being so politically correct, too, but I’ve always said that Alice Cooper isn’t politically incorrect, I’m politically incoherent!

‘I look at it as Mel Brooks looks at it — c’mon, if we get so serious there’s not going to be any comedy anymore, everyone is going to be too afraid to say anything at all. This is rock’n’roll! This is an Alice Cooper show, so anything can happen.’

Having previously filled his stage with bloodied brides, guillotines, monster puppets and other horror excesses, Alice confesses he would love to take things even further, with a long-running, fully immersive show, perhaps a residency in Las Vegas or on Broadway.

‘You might feel a spider web coming up from under the seat — in the dark you wouldn’t know what it was,’ he suggests. ‘There would be smells you could do. You would attack every single sense. I would have people at the front and, as soon as

you come in, the doors would be locked and there would be security men standing by them. That immediately sets up this claustrophobia.’

But the world hasn’t always been Alice’s oyster. When he started out, his music career looked as if it would be over before it began. His first two albums were flops: 1969’s Pretties For You peaked at a less-than-impressive 193 in the US charts, and the 1970 follow-up Easy Action failed to find any traction at all. It looked as though the Alice Cooper band was destined to quietly vanish into rock’s bargain bins. But a move to Alice’s old hometown of Detroit changed everything. They had found their place.

‘We were not an LA band. We were not groovy enough for LA,’ recalls Alice. ‘We were not hippy enough for San Francisco; we were not sophisticated enough for New York. Detroit is the home, in America, of hard rock. They had Iggy and The Stooges, they had the MC5, they had Bob Seger and Ted Nugent and all the really hard, hard rock bands, so when we played there for the very first time, everyone loved us, because we were relentless. We fit right in there.’

Consequently, it wasn’t long before the now Detroit-based and reinvigorated Alice had scored a bona fide hit. ‘We broke out of Detroit with our first single, I’m Eighteen,’ he says of the 1971 rocker that preceded third LP Love It To Death. ‘That was the only place that song could’ve broken out of. It’s not an LA song, it’s not a New York or even a London song. That was a Detroit song.’

Alice plays tribute to the city that welcomed him with his latest release, the Breadcrumbs EP — featuring tracks by various Detroit alumni including 1970s glam queen Suzi Quatro and 1990s garage band The Dirtbombs, as well as MC5 and Bob Seger. Played by Detroit musicians, it perfectly encapsulates the city’s distinctive, guitar-driven style.

‘The Detroit sound is unique; there’s a little bit of Motown rhythm and blues that shows up in almost every track,’ says Alice, referring to the seminal soul label that was based in the city. ‘Back in the day, we’d be playing the Eastown Theatre with MC5 and The Stooges, and there’d be Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder and people like Aretha Franklin. They all came down to hear the young rock bands. And then when they played, we would go down to their shows.’

Alice recalls with affection how hard rock and soul players influenced each other. ‘That was the way it was. There was an infusion [of rock] into what they did and their R&B into what we did.’

A new album is planned for next year and, while the visuals and effects he has in mind for future shows would take the frights to a whole new level, he says the soundtrack will remain rooted, as it is on the current tour, in that Detroit sound. ‘We won’t water that down. Full-on, Alice Cooper, high-decibel rock!’ he says. ‘You’ve got to bring it on, every night.’"

[Susan Foreman]

Tour related newspaper stories and interviews #3

'I can’t see any reason why I would ever stop': Alice Cooper speaks ahead of Birmingham show | Express And Star

"He's Back. Alice Cooper returns to shock rock fans in the Midlands tonight with a brand new show, set to take the audience 'on a ride'.

Hitting Arena Birmingham on his Ol' Black Eyes Is Back tour, the 71-year-old frontman and his band are set to put on a carnival-themed performance featuring an array of songs, some greatest hits, some lesser known. The tour marks half a century since the Alice Cooper band released their debut album.

Alice says he's looking forward to performing in the UK, stating 'England was the first place to understand Alice Cooper'.

Joining them on the tour are fellow US rockers MC5, performing as MC50 to mark 50 years in the business, and Guildford punk rock icons The Stranglers.

"About every three years we totally change the show. New staging, new setlist," explains Alice.

"We realise there are certain songs we have to do, such as School’s Out, Nice Guy, and Poison, but we also try to put some songs in there people aren’t expecting at all, which creates new theatrical opportunities.

"I’ll do a song that I’ve not done since 1980, for example, and think ‘I know how we could stage that to make that look good’.

"We’ve got a new show with a new energy and a new flow. It’s exciting for us, and if it’s exciting for us it then transfers to the audience.

"When you go to the carnival and see a sort of nightmare ride - like a haunted house. I said ‘why don’t we make it like that on stage?’. Like the audience are going on a ride with us - with music.

"And in that case, anything can happen. It doesn’t have to make sense.

"We’ve been doing this for so long, we’ve got a crew that knows what they're doing. I can just tell them my idea and they’ll show me sketches. Once we’ve got all the lighting and staging people and my wife - who’s a choreographer - together, it comes together easily.

"But the show evolves. Every night something changes to make it better."

The Alice Cooper band released their first album, Pretties for You, 50 years ago, yet Alice - born Vincent Damon Furnier - shows no signs of slowing; forever touring and releasing new material.

The heavy rock idol's latest release was his very first EP, titled Breadcrumbs, which came out on September 13.

"I think if you asked Jagger or McCartney if they’d written their best songs yet, they’d probably say no - and I feel the same way," said Alice.

"I don’t think I’ve done my best song or my best show yet and that’s what keeps me going.

"I’m very much aware of the impact we had and that’s great, but I’m certainly not thinking about old songs - I’m thinking about the next album. I’m always pushing forward.

"I’ve got no stress in my life. I’ve been married for 43 years. All my kids are married. I can’t see any reason why I would ever stop doing what I’m doing.

"There are so many bands retiring - and that’s OK.

"Some people want to spend their last days on a rocking chair on the porch, but I can’t see myself doing that.

"A lot of people weren’t expecting the EP at all. It just showed up, so Alice Cooper fans were just like ‘what is this?’.

"I didn’t talk about it, it was just all of a sudden in their face. It’s all the more exciting if it’s something you’re not expecting.

"I’ve never done an EP before.

"One of the tracks is a Suzi Quatro song, which we were going to do with Suzi, but she was so busy touring she couldn’t do it.

"It’s called Your Mamma Won’t Like Me. We didn’t change the lyrics, so it’s Alice Cooper singing about his shirt being too low."

Looking to the future, Alice says he'd love for someone to release an Alice Cooper biography film, certain it would make 'a great bio'.

"The story’s pretty involved: drug addiction, alcoholism. We were a band that were very unlikely to make it in the hippy days, but we became the number one band," said Alice.

"If Johnny Depp were just a little better looking he could play me.""

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

Alice has now finished the UK leg of the tour. Next stop: North America, with shows scheduled to run between November 3rd (Florida) and November 30th (Illinois). Then there is a break until February 2020 for the Australasian leg, followed by the 'Rock Meets Classic' tour in Germany in March 2020

From all reports, the UK shows were a total success, with people saying it was the best tour since 1988's 'Live...In The Flesh' dates. Both The MC50 and The Stranglers came in for considerable praise as the best support bands for a long time as well

The setlist and show was definitely much better this time around, I had a great night at Manchester! MC50 were good, shame they played to a half empty room, while The Stranglers seemed to go down well but I found them pretty boring and was wating for them to finish.

Alice's current band is probably the best it's been for a long time too, all of them seem to gel together really well and it shows in the stage presence. Glen Sobel in particular is a beast of a drummer!

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by Justin101

Alice's current band is probably the best it's been for a long time too, all of them seem to gel together really well and it shows in the stage presence. Glen Sobel in particular is a beast of a drummer!

Chuck Garric, who is the usual bass player, only played the first show in Manchester before going back to the states. That was so he could prepare for some Beasto Blanco dates. The remaining shows featured Chris Wyse, from the Hollywood Vampires, on the four string

Chuck should be back in the band for the US dates in November and Chris will be back in the Vampires when they do whatever they are doing next!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

I see Alice has announced 14 more US dates next spring.

Lita Ford will support.