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Halloween Hootenanny: Alice Cooper finally scares up Rock Hall recognition
By John Benson
The timing of Alice Cooper’s return to Northeast Ohio couldn’t have come at a better time. Sure, “The Halloween Hootenanny Tour” with co-headliner Rob Zombie rolls into Youngstown for a spooky Saturday night show at the Covelli Centre, but the talk now surrounds the 62-year-old’s first-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum nomination announced last week.
The Vindicator talked to the classic-rock/shock-rock artist, known for such hits as “School’s Out,” “I’m Eighteen,” “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and more, about his recent nomination, his latest CD and his future.
Q. Congratulations on your recent Rock Hall news. In your opinion, what the heck took so long?
A. It’s a different way they do it. They don’t do it by popularity. They don’t do it by record sales. They just kind of nominate who they want to nominate. When I look at it, I try to figure out how the Talking Heads get in before Deep Purple is even nominated. It doesn’t make sense, but it’s not my game. It’s a private club, and they don’t depend on anybody to vote on it except rock musicians. So you’re being nominated by I think 12 people, and then 500 musicians vote on it. Sometimes I think it’s harder to get nominated than voted in.
Q. It’s funny, you talk about it being a private club. In a sense, Alice Cooper the stage persona is all about not fitting into the club.
A. It’s like the old Groucho Marx (quote), any club that would have me I don’t know if I would want to belong to. What the greatest thing is about the Rock Hall is you’re nominated and being voted in by your peers. It’s not a popularity contest, or I think I would have been in a long time ago.
Q. We know you’re pretty serious about playing golf. So what means more, shooting par or being nominated by the Rock Hall?
A. Golf is a game, and that’s all it really is to me. Nobody ever pays me to play golf. It’s fun but, yeah, the Hall of Fame is pretty important.
Q. Any concern just because you’re nominated you won’t make the final cut?
A. KISS last year was nominated, too. Who knows? I may be the Susan Lucci of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It might take 14 tries at it.
Q. As for “The Halloween Hootenanny Tour,” in your opinion what’s the connection between the industrial metal-based Rob Zombie and the classic-rock-sounding Alice Cooper?
A. Rob is like my little brother, and it’s like the ultimate Halloween tour with two different kinds of shows. His is like a media blitz, and mine is a little bit more psycho vaudeville. I think he grew up listening to me, and we both grew up with the appreciation that horror movies are very close to being comedy. So we appreciate the fact that scary movies are pretty funny. You can see that, I think, in both of our shows. There’s a lot more comedy in both shows than people are expecting.
Q. Congratulations on your recently released concert DVD “The Theatre of Death;” however, rumor has it you’re working on a sequel to your 1975 platinum album “Welcome To My Nightmare” with legendary producer Bob Ezrin. Any comment?
A. We started about two months ago, and being on tour, if I get five days off I take those five days and go to Nashville where we do tracks or write something. We don’t have any deadline. We pretty much told (the record label) we think this is going to be a masterpiece. The writing on it is really good. So far, there are 13 songs, and it’ll be released next year
Q. Finally, it seems like even though you’re getting older, you’re still on top of your game. What does the future hold for Alice Cooper?
A. The thing about it is I’m making my best records now and I’m doing my best shows now, better than the ones in 1976. Back then I was drinking. I was doing the show and it was shocking, but it wasn’t anywhere near the quality of the show I’m doing now. And energy-wise now, I do 28 songs on stage, and I come off stage feeling great. So I’m going to be around for a long time, hopefully — God willing.