Such a sweet, sweet thing, ‘til they got a hold of me… no more Mr. Nice guy.
Fourth time seeing Alice Cooper in concert, and just as amazed. Blown away, in fact. And am as perfectly in awe as I was the moment back in 1990 when my fingers grazed my future cassette copy of TRASH at the APPLE ONE music store in Northallerton. Or, again at Catterick market, plucking Welcome to my Nightmare from one of those revolving cassette stands on the race-course. (Man, I love that album.)
1990!
Yes, 34 years ago. That’s unbelievable, right? (sweats) Feels like yesterday. I’m very fortunate that at my small, rural secondary school in Bedale, everybody’s daily diet (certainly in in my year) required a healthy dose of ROCK. I cannot begin to describe how delighted I am for this.
So, about Alice…
Horror, hope, light and dark. How does anyone begin marrying these juxtapositions? Well, meet the man behind the mask; he can, does and has continued doing so for years. Truly, there are things I cannot fathom about Alice, and his rich, niche creativity, and I am certainly one who has learned so much from the likes of him. He sings about death, and scraped death’s door. At one point, he was so drunk on a daily basis, and for so many years, he cannot even recall writing three whole albums.
Horror and entertainment. The interminable fear of invisible threat. The shadowy recesses of the supernatural, and the flagrant morality of the fight between good and evil.
As a horror author, If I met Alice, I’d pick his brains for advice on the following…
- <As an immersive, method-writer, is there a better way of separating yourself from the darkness you pen (particularly the really, really dark stuff)? Have you been surprised by any material when it does surface?
<What drew you to create the Alice Cooper character at all? 60 years down the line, is any of his personality a potential expression of your own subconscious (at any single point)… or is it all a bit of fun?
<How did you claw back and keep Dr. Jekyll in your Hyde years?
<Seriously, at 76, how many steps do you do on stage every evening you’re on tour? (I mean honestly, seriously…)
Yeah, I’d leave it there…
I might even be a bit hesitant to hear some responses in truth, just in case. However, the off-stage Alice is very clearly a gracious chap; totally fascinating and well worth a listen to. Wisdom + Experience = my chosen nourishment.
While so many of our 80/90’s Metal heroes fall by the way side (and I mean sadly, vocally speaking… not the rest), Alice still has PIPES with aplomb, and if I can still be doing anything remotely close to him when I’m that age, Wow!
Incredible show, btw. Epic. The band were also amazing.
(Pics taken at Alice’s 02 show in 2022.)
R.O.C.K O.U.T T.H.I.S H.A.L.L.O.W.E.E.N
JSC
