In a new interview about Riff X’s “Metal XS,” legendary rocker Alice Cooper talks about how his sound has evolved over the past 55 years. He said (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “You can’t escape something like 70’s classic rock only because it still works. It’s kind of a classic composition.” Building on the early BEATLES, ROLLING STONES, YARDBIRDS and taking it in its own direction, almost every great hard rock band goes back to Chuck Berry, because that Because that was the basis of that four-on-one. With a beat on the backbeat, like Alice Cooper found a way to make it, Guns N’ Roses found a way to be Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith found a way to make it is. It’s all about how you perform and your personality that comes out.
“Someone once said that talking about music is like dancing about architecture,” he continued. “It’s almost impossible to talk about it. You have to listen to it and then decide whether you like it or not. But this is basic hard rock, the only one that has lasted 50 years without losing its edge. Grunge, punk, hip-hop, disco, they all had their moments, but hard rock has always been there and will always be LED ZEPPELIN. And you play LED ZEPPELIN. When you tell a 16-year-old, they say, “Oh, yeah.” There’s something about that kind of music that never dies. ”
Cooper and Rob Zombie will kick off the 2024 run of their “Freaks on Parade” tour with special guests MINISTRY and FILTER on August 20th at Ysleta Amphitheater in Albuquerque, New Mexico, followed by stops in St. Paul, Milwaukee , performed throughout North America including Boston and Austin. until closing on September 18th at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Cooper pioneered an epic, theatrical brand of hard rock designed to shock. The group similarly drew on horror films, vaudeville, and garage rock to create a stage show featuring electric chairs, guillotines, fake blood, and boa constrictors. He continues to tour regularly, performing shows around the world with his best known dark, horror-themed plays.
In a recent interview with the 96.1 KLPX radio station, Cooper spoke about how his stage show has evolved over the years. “It’s so funny because in the ’70s it was easy to shock the audience. Now no one really tries to do it. It’s us.” I don’t think anyone tries to shock the audience anymore. But those elements are still in the show because it’s fun to see the guillotine and that fact. You really care about this character, what’s going to happen before that, and that's what I like about this piece. We don’t do that because we want to focus on the character Alice, what happens to him, what he does. But everything that's going on in all these songs that everyone knows. — “Feed My Frankenstein,” “Poison,” “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” and lastly, of course, “School’s Out.”
Fresh off the success of her latest album, Road, a concept album about the thrills and spills of touring, Alice is joined by her usual band of long-time musicians, consisting of Ryan Roxy (guitar) and Chuck Garrick (bass). accompanied by a live band. Tommy Henriksen (guitar), Glenn Sobel (drums), Nita Strauss (guitar).
With a schedule that includes six months of touring each year, Cooper brings his unique rock psycho drama to fans old and new, and enjoys it just as much as the audience. Known as the architect of shock rock, Cooper (both in the original Alice Cooper band and as a solo artist) has rattled cages, shaken up generations of establishments that have protected the status quo, and performed at every turn. He has continued to surprise fans and exude danger. Even in an era when CNN can present shocking images of reality, it turns out like a great horror movie.
Cooper’s influence on rock and roll and pop culture has long been recognized, and with platinum albums, sold-out tours, numerous honors and career achievement awards, there’s little Cooper hasn’t accomplished in his illustrious career. do not have.
