ALICE COOPER: 'I Have Never Lost My Voice, Because I Sing In The Middle Range'

During an appearance on the November 12 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", legendary rocker Alice Cooper was asked if he ever envisions himself embarking on a farewell tour, like so many other artists have done in recent years. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Retirement's not even in my vocabulary. There's a group of guys out there that I call lifers, and that's [Paul] McCartney and Ringo [Starr] and Mick [Jagger] and Keith [Richards] and Ronnie [Wood], and Rod Stewart, people that are doing it — not because they need to pay the bills. We could have retired 30 years ago, financially. It's the fact that that's what we do."

Alice continued: "I read an article about Bob Dylan who does 200 shows a year, And they said, 'Well, why are you doing it?' And he goes, 'That's what I do. I write songs and I sing 'em in front of an audience.' And I went, 'It's that simple.' That's what I really enjoy doing. In fact, when COVID was going on, we were just getting antsy as could be, 'cause we're used to touring at least 150 shows a year. And when all of a sudden that rug is pulled out from under you and you're going, 'Wait a minute. It's been 18 months now.' It was a shock to the system. When I finally told the band that, 'Okay, it's a go, and we're gonna start rehearsing,' it was like saying, 'We're going to Disneyland.' It was, like, 'Yeah, yeah. We could do it.' Everybody couldn't wait to get back on stage. And if it's in you, if it's part of you, that's what you have to do. And to me, that's what I do. That's what I'll do till I can't do it anymore."

Asked by host Eddie Trunk if he is finding it more difficult to sing his catalog of music as he gets older, Cooper said: "I have never lost my voice, because I sing in the middle range. I don't sing up there where [AEROSMITH's] Steven [Tyler] does. I don't try to get up to those [notes]. I've got guys in the band that can sing that. So, if I sing in my middle range, which I've always done, and there's a high point in there where I can get up there pretty good, that's not gonna burn your voice out. It's when you get up there and you're doing those really, really high — Steven does that for two and a half hours, since 1970. So something's gonna — after a while, it's gonna go. It's wear and tear. That's all there is to it. And nothing he did [was] wrong; it's just that's the way he sings, and your body does wear down. I've been lucky enough to keep my vocals in the midsection, so I've never really lost my voice — ever.

"It really is one of those things where I always thought if I ever gain 30 pounds or if I don't look like the Alice I wanna see on stage, I won't do it," he explained. "I don't think the audience wants to see a version of Alice Cooper; they wanna see Alice Cooper in full regalia. And if that ever happens, where I can't play Alice the way I wanna play him… 'Cause the crazy thing is Alice is my favorite rock star, and so I designed Alice to be my favorite rock star. And I play him — I get to play the character that I designed. And what he wears, how he sings it, what the songs [are] — he's my favorite rock star. When he becomes not my favorite rock star, then I don't wanna do it anymore. [Laughs] I would be disappointed in him if he kept going and couldn't do it — just to do it. I mean, that's not fair to the fans."

When Trunk noted that Cooper doesn't appear to have had any major physical ailments which could have prevented him maintaining such an intense touring schedule at age 77, Alice said: "I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I stopped everything 42 years ago — drinking, drugs, the whole thing. And I never smoked cigarettes, which was something that probably is a big bonus. If you're happily married — I've been married 50 years to [my wife] Sheryl. Sheryl is still in the [Alice Cooper] show — since she was 18 years old — and she's as good now as she's ever been. And that has a lot to do with it. When I leave home on a tour, Sheryl's with me; she's in the show.

"I know that people don't get this, but it's the perfect love affair, whereas we never get tired of each other," Cooper explained. "We push each other when it comes to — she'll say, 'Hey, what would be really good if the lighting was uplighting on this,' and dah, dah, dah. So we really know — we have that in common. How good is the show? Can we make it better? And she has a lot of input into the show. But at the same time, I was a long-distance runner. The longer the distance was, the better I was, in Arizona. In fact, at one point I think I had the state record for a 20-mile run or something like that. And that has a lot to do with that. I never get tired up there. I get up there and I do the show and I feel great. I still do two miles a night. [And] I've never had a, a problem with ankles, knees, hips, back, anything. And I think it's because you keep moving. Those parts just keep moving. And in fact, the only time I ever feel like 77 is if I'm sitting and watching TV too long and I get up, and all of a sudden I feel the atrophy. But if you're on tour, you don't have time to get atrophy for anything. You're moving at all times. And it has a lot to do with not weighing a lot. I weigh 155, I think, 150, and so I'm not carrying a lot of weight around. Like I said, stress, I think, it will kill you faster than anything, when you're stressing about everything. I don't stress about anything. I know the show's gonna be great. I know my marriage is great. I know my kids are great. I know my spiritual life is great. So I am so unstressed. Maybe that's why I look forward to doing the tours, look forward to making records."

Alice previously addressed the possibility of retirement in a September 2023 interview with Rock Candy magazine. He said at the time: "A farewell tour hasn't crossed my mind at all. And it's weird, because all my friends are retiring. Gene Simmons [of KISS] said to me recently, 'Look, I'm done. Come December, it's over.' And I go, 'Well, you know, these farewell tours go on for years and years now, right?' But Gene was very serious and said, 'Not this time. I promise you that come December, KISS as we know it is absolutely done.' The guys in AEROSMITH are saying the same thing, as are many other bands from my era. But none of that occurs to me. It's never been a thought that I'd retire. I feel great, and the band sounds great… I'll be up there at 90 if I'm still in good enough shape."

Alice went on to cite THE ROLLING STONES, who are still active and as relevant today as ever they have been, as his inspiration. "I'm looking at Mick Jagger as the prototype," he said. "Mick still does three-hour shows and the soundcheck. So if Mick can do it, so can I."

Cooper pioneered a grandly theatrical brand of hard rock that was designed to shock. Drawing equally from horror movies, vaudeville, and garage rock, the group created a stage show that featured electric chairs, guillotines, fake blood and boa constrictors. Known as the architect of shock-rock, Cooper (in both the original ALICE COOPER band and as a solo artist) has rattled the cages and undermined the authority of generations of guardians of the status quo, continuing to surprise fans and exude danger at every turn, like a great horror movie, even in an era where CNN can present real life shocking images. Few performers in the history of rock and roll have blended music, theater, and pure shock the way Alice Cooper has. For more than five decades, the godfather of shock rock has terrified, thrilled, and captivated audiences around the globe with a stage show unlike anything else in music. From the guillotines and snakes to unforgettable anthems like "School's Out" and "Poison", Alice Cooper turned concerts into experiences that blurred the line between rock and horror.