Alice Cooper opened up in a new interview about his rather strong distaste for mixing music and politics.
“I don’t ever talk politics…I hate politics. I don’t think rock ‘n’ roll and politics belong in the same bed together, but a lot of people think it does — because we have a voice, and we should use our voice. But again, rock ‘n’ roll should be anti-political, I think,” the rock veteran told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “When my parents started talking about politics, I would turn on The [Rolling] Stones as loud as I could. I don’t want to hear politics, and I still feel that way.”
The “School’s Out” singer went on to refer to his live shows as “a vacation from CNN,” insisting, “I’m not preaching anything up there, and I’m not knocking anybody…That’s what was funny about it. If you’re in the political theater, you’d better be able to take a joke. So, that’s okay. I don’t mind the satire of it, but I don’t ever go up there and tell you who to vote for.”
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Cooper also used the Q&A to address his relationship with extreme right-winger Ted Nugent, which he said is “holding up right now” amid an ever-polarizing cultural and political landscape.
“Ted and I grew up together in Detroit,” the shock rocker remarked, “and he’s always been the mouth that roared. When he gets going, nobody can stay with him. I kind of look at him as his own entity.”
In the same interview, Cooper distinguished between bands he categorized as corporate rock as opposed to hard rock. “Corporate rock is a real brand of music,” he explained. “It’s Boston, Journey, REO Speedwagon — it’s all those bands that play perfect records. They make perfect records, but they’re very non-threatening. Now, Guns N’ Roses, Alice Cooper, Mötley Crüe, The Rolling Stones, a little more threat in that music! [Laughs] It’s got much more attitude, and so, I call that hard rock.”
Currently, Cooper is finishing up the winter leg of his 2022 North American headlining tour in support of his 2021 album, Detroit Stories, and is scheduled to kick off a spring leg in March. He also recently revealed that, during the pandemic, he set aside money for his crew since they were unable to earn a living. Grab tickets for the Alice Cooper’s upcoming dates here.
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