The Alice Cooper thread

[Stadler]

YAY!  Just scored two free tickets (albeit on the lawn; beggars, choosers, whatever) for Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie in Hartford. I finally get to break my Alice Cooper cherry!!   

[Jamesman42]

YAY!  Just scored two free tickets (albeit on the lawn; beggars, choosers, whatever) for Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie in Hartford. I finally get to break my Alice Cooper cherry!!   

I know very little of his music, but I saw him on tour with Queensryche and I think Heaven and Hell over a decade ago. I was blown away. I hope you have just as good a time.

[cramx3]

YAY!  Just scored two free tickets (albeit on the lawn; beggars, choosers, whatever) for Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie in Hartford. I finally get to break my Alice Cooper cherry!!

I wish this tour was coming to me, I would have definitely been there.  I think that's a cool pairing.  Alice is always a good show, and Rob (while his music is hit or miss) usually puts on a good stage show.  I do wonder how his guitarist is these days since John 5 left for Motley Crue. ( I don't really actively follow ROb Zombie, but a big part of seeing him was to also see John 5)

[TAC]

I saw Rob Zombie when White Zombie first came out. I saw them open for Anthrax in 1993, and they were amazing.


I also wish Alice was playing nearby. I had tix to see him in June 2020 and Covid knocked that out.

[Stadler]

YAY!  Just scored two free tickets (albeit on the lawn; beggars, choosers, whatever) for Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie in Hartford. I finally get to break my Alice Cooper cherry!!

I wish this tour was coming to me, I would have definitely been there.  I think that's a cool pairing.  Alice is always a good show, and Rob (while his music is hit or miss) usually puts on a good stage show.  I do wonder how his guitarist is these days since John 5 left for Motley Crue. ( I don't really actively follow ROb Zombie, but a big part of seeing him was to also see John 5)

I got them through my step son - who likes Rob - and I said I was more jazzed to see his guitar player, THEN I found out John wasn't doing both.   Ah well.  This is an "experience" concert for me, so I'm going in with an open mind and I see what I see!

[cramx3]

So Alice is being cancelled for his trans comments....

I'm actually mostly on his side here.

https://blabbermouth.net/news/alice-cooper-dropped-by-cosmetics-company-after-calling-gender-affirming-care-a-fad

[XJDenton]

I ask discussion of the above be kept to P/R.

[MirrorMask]

Gave a couple of spins to the album and it's pretty solid. It might be my favorite of the last three. Paranormal had the title track and some other nice tracks here and there (Fireball for example) but one of my favorites was the bonus track, Genuine American Girl. Detroit Stories came and went and right now I can only remember the bridge to one of the singles, "You think I'm tragic but I know I'm magic". This one has some very good tunes like the first two, Go Away, and almost something resembling an "epic" in 100 More Miles. Love also the cleverness and the humour of the lyrics, such as in Rules of the Road.

It helps that there's an overall theme, it makes the album feel more cohesive.

[DragonAttack]

(not political or religious, so I did my best to stay within the guidelines....)

I'm going to debunk two myths:  the cat stuff and the kitty litter boxes.  Just such total BS, that I can't believe news organizations have had to ask questions of various districts named to dispel that idiocy.  And so very disappointed that he quoted that nonsense.

Don't fall for what certain people put out as propaganda.  Remember Toronto '69?  Myth #2: no one bit the head off a chicken on stage at a concert.

I've been following an artist for 50+ years, with a woman's name, who has worn mascara and women's clothing, and never once made me want to 'switch' sides, even though I dressed as him on many occasions for Halloween (including five years ago). 

I enjoyed my first listen of the new album Friday.  I liked it, though much seemed to blend together.  I'll need to wait a month or two to spin it again.

He didn't write the original, but I thought of him and these lyrics

"Roll out! Roll out with your American dream and its recruits
I've been ready
Roll out! Roll out with your circus freaks and hula hoops
I've been ready"

Nothing wrong in being 'different'.  Not much to fear as well.  He can believe what he wants.  Just thought he was a bit wiser, more welcoming, and less gullible.

[Madman Shepherd]

Excellent post DragonAttack.

Anyway, my Deluxe Edition just came in the mail today. I don't have high hopes for it. Alice is pretty hit or miss or should I say miss and miss with the exception of Paranormal which I found excellent. Before that, Dirty Diamonds was really good and Brutal Planet/Dragontown were great. Sometimes I think Alice just does things just to do them. I haven't felt there has been much inspiration in the last 20 years.

[TAC]

I ask discussion of the above be kept to P/R.

This is a bit frustrating as I'd like to respond to DragonAttack's post. No idea why any discussion of Alice Cooper's comments in the Alice Cooper thread about a newsworthy Alice Cooper story would need to be preemptively shut down.

I don't think anyone is here to debate the trans issue here, but to simply talk about what Alice said. At least we should allow an opening opinion on it, and if the thread needs to be redirected at that point then so be it. Now to even discuss it, we all have to register for P/R, wait however many weeks it takes to get approved...

[TAC]

Anyway, my Deluxe Edition just came in the mail today. I don't have high hopes for it. Alice is pretty hit or miss or should I say miss and miss with the exception of Paranormal which I found excellent. Before that, Dirty Diamonds was really good and Brutal Planet/Dragontown were great. Sometimes I think Alice just does things just to do them. I haven't felt there has been much inspiration in the last 20 years.

We all have different opinions I guess. I thought Brutal Planet (which does have a few good songs) and Dragontown are generally not for me. I don't like the style they are in. You mentioned Dirty Diamond too, which is a fun album, but neglected to mention The Eyes Of Alice Cooper (which came between Dragontown and Dirty Diamonds), which to me is the best album he's released this century.

[MirrorMask]

Two cents on this millennium's albums:

Brutal Planet is fantastic, kickass, heavy, dark and awesome.
Dragontown is the lesser "heavy" brother, still good but inconsitent.

The Eyes of Alice Cooper is indeed a great rock n' roll, down to the basics album. Awesome stuff.
Dirty Diamonds - just like Dragontown, the second albium in the style of the previous is good but nowhere near its elder brother.

Along Came a Spider is ok, it has some very good songs, but I can see why people would overlook it.

Welcome 2 My Nightmare is great, I like how it's all over the place in its theatrical extravaganza. A fun wacky "anything goes record".

Paranormal has some strong tracks but some others leave me meh.
Detroit Stories is mostly forgettable.
Road feels promising, some very nice tunes.

[DragonAttack]

TWO DAYS LATER CORRECTION to my prior post:

Here's the actual interview   (thanks, TAC)
https://www.stereogum.com/2233806/alice-cooper-new-album-keanu-reeves-trans-issues/interviews/weve-got-a-file-on-you/

Nowhere is the litter box part mentioned.  Blabbermouth added that    So, I end up being a gullible party, which ticks me off to no end.  My apologies to the forum, and to Alice.

I'll leave the totally unproven rest room comments for P/R.  That said, it seems the company could have contacted him, Alice offers up the obligatory apology, and it ends up water under the bridge.

Now I can give 'Road' a second spin today without angst.

[Stadler]

I ask discussion of the above be kept to P/R.

This is a bit frustrating as I'd like to respond to DragonAttack's post. No idea why any discussion of Alice Cooper's comments in the Alice Cooper thread about a newsworthy Alice Cooper story would need to be preemptively shut down.

I don't think anyone is here to debate the trans issue here, but to simply talk about what Alice said. At least we should allow an opening opinion on it, and if the thread needs to be redirected at that point then so be it. Now to even discuss it, we all have to register for P/R, wait however many weeks it takes to get approved...

I'd like to ACTUALLY SEE (hear?) what he said, rather than someone's excerpts of what he said with their own counter arguments built right in. 

NINJA'd by DragonAttack, but the point remains (and appears to be at least partially valid, to boot!)...

Some of what he said is pretty dicey (I sort think that if the various groups that are committed to preventing sexual assault against women aren't buying the "predator" argument, neither am I), but to say "I'm AFRAID it's a fad" is not the same as saying "I THINK it's a fad" or "It IS a fad".  And that FEAR that TO SOME it MIGHT BE is not irrational.  The incidence rate of "gender dysphoria" occurs anywhere from three to six times more frequently for adolescents than from adults, and gender dysphoria only continues into adulthood somewhere between 20% to 30% of the time.    I know science is working on it, but at least SOME of that COULD be the general "searching" that kids do, and at least SOME of that COULD be "hey, I don't know what this is really, but maybe it's that thing I read about". Even well-meaning and caring parents, most of whom have never had to deal with this sort of thing before, might be susceptible to reading about this and thinking "my kid is searching... " and provide them with what they for all good intent think is the answer.

That doesn't mean it's any less valid, that doesn't mean there's "hate" or "transphobia" involved in getting to the bottom of things.   We CANNOT have politics - or more correctly, some arbitrary political correctness - interfering in how we as parents and doctors give care to our kids. 

[Adami]

I ask discussion of the above be kept to P/R.

This is a bit frustrating as I'd like to respond to DragonAttack's post. No idea why any discussion of Alice Cooper's comments in the Alice Cooper thread about a newsworthy Alice Cooper story would need to be preemptively shut down.

I don't think anyone is here to debate the trans issue here, but to simply talk about what Alice said. At least we should allow an opening opinion on it, and if the thread needs to be redirected at that point then so be it. Now to even discuss it, we all have to register for P/R, wait however many weeks it takes to get approved...

I'd like to ACTUALLY SEE (hear?) what he said, rather than someone's excerpts of what he said with their own counter arguments built right in. 

NINJA'd by DragonAttack, but the point remains (and appears to be at least partially valid, to boot!)...

Some of what he said is pretty dicey (I sort think that if the various groups that are committed to preventing sexual assault against women aren't buying the "predator" argument, neither am I), but to say "I'm AFRAID it's a fad" is not the same as saying "I THINK it's a fad" or "It IS a fad". 

Not going to engage with you on LGBTQ+ stuff, as I've said, but....really?

If a loved one went into emergency surgery and the doctor came out and said "I'm afraid they didn't make it." You wouldn't be sure they died? You'd ask the doctor why they are afraid of this and then ask for further facts as to the status of the loved one?

I'm afraid I disagree with you.

[cramx3]

I opened a thread in PR quoting the last post, if anyone cares.  It's probably best we don't continue that discussion here.

[XJDenton]

This is a bit frustrating as I'd like to respond to DragonAttack's post. No idea why any discussion of Alice Cooper's comments in the Alice Cooper thread about a newsworthy Alice Cooper story would need to be preemptively shut down.

I'm not shutting it down, I'm asking it be kept to the appropriate part of the forum. This is Music Discussion. And conversations about trans people, people who comment on the "trans issue" and the very concept of "cancellation" almost always veer into P/R territory, as evidenced by the posts immediately responding to the topic. Don't you already have P/R permission anyway?

So yeah, keep the non-music discussion it to the thread cramx3 made:

https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=58559.0

[DragonAttack]

I’m just glad I was able to sit down and post my correction FOURTEEN seconds before Stadler’s post. Phew😀

Oh, I do like ‘Big Boots’.  The song is kinda good, too.😉

[Madman Shepherd]

TWO DAYS LATER CORRECTION to my prior post:

Here's the actual interview   (thanks, TAC)
https://www.stereogum.com/2233806/alice-cooper-new-album-keanu-reeves-trans-issues/interviews/weve-got-a-file-on-you/

Nowhere is the litter box part mentioned.  Blabbermouth added that    So, I end up being a gullible party, which ticks me off to no end.  My apologies to the forum, and to Alice.

To your credit, when someone brings up the myth about kids identifying as cats it's almost always followed with the completely fake claim about litter boxes.

That said, I do a pretty good job of separating the art from the artist so I finally listened to Road and boy am I unimpressed. Just bland. Dead Don't Dance was ok but man, Kane Roberts's solo was kind of painful. White Line Frankenstein was pretty good. The Big Goodbye was good and Road Rats Forever had the Dick Wagner feel which was nice. The last few songs were an OK way to end an underwhelming album.

But seriously what's up with I'm Alice aka Elected redux. It's like the spiritually successor to Hello Hooray if it was drunk and started playing the wrong parts to a different song.

[TAC]

I finally listened to Road and boy am I unimpressed. Just bland. Dead Don't Dance was ok but man, Kane Roberts's solo was kind of painful. White Line Frankenstein was pretty good. The Big Goodbye was good and Road Rats Forever had the Dick Wagner feel which was nice. The last few songs were an OK way to end an underwhelming album.

100 More Miles is amazing and if the album was done in this style, it would've been interesting.

I'm with you in that my first listen was kind of disappointing. But I listened to this again yesterday, and as the songs separate themselves a little, I can find some breathing room. Yes, they are all stylistically similar, but I am finding that for the most part, they are all pretty catchy.

I'm a huge fan, so I can always find something to like. There are a couple of albums of his that I never listen to though. Along Came A Spider and Dragontown. Just have never been able to get into them.

But Road is pretty easy in the ears if one is not trying to be so serious about it.

[MirrorMask]

Ok, this album has completely conquered me like Paranormal and especially Detroit Cities never did.

I'm not calling it a modern masterpiece or anything but it manages to keep you on the hook from the beginning to the end. A bunch of very solid and enjoyable tracks and the fact that it's a themed album it helps, it makes it more cohesive.

Favorite tracks: I'm Alice, Welcome to the Show, Go Away, The Long Goodbye, and the magnificent 100 More Miles.

[Stadler]

I just saw him Sunday night in Hartford for the first time.  Blown away, it was so good.   Not in a "this music touched my soul and I cried the entire time" way, but in a "this is a professional who has been doing this for over 50 years and is still on the top of his game".  Nita Strauss was a force to be reckoned with.  The rest of the band was solid as a rock.  The set list was stellar (spoilers, below). 




Lock Me Up
No More Mr. Nice Guy
I'm Eighteen
Under My Wheels
Billion Dollar Babies
Hey Stoopid
Lost in America
Snakebite
Feed My Frankenstein
Poison
"The Black Widow" segment from Alice Cooper: The Nightmare
Guitar Solo (Nita Strauss)
Black Widow Jam
Ballad of Dwight Fry
Killer (Partial: band only)
I Love the Dead (Partial: band only)
Elected
School's Out (with Another Brick In The Wall)

[DTA]

His live band is so much fun to watch. Which is why I’m surprised none of the new album has made an appearance yet.

[Madman Shepherd]

I just saw him Sunday night in Hartford for the first time.  Blown away, it was so good.   Not in a "this music touched my soul and I cried the entire time" way, but in a "this is a professional who has been doing this for over 50 years and is still on the top of his game".  Nita Strauss was a force to be reckoned with.  The rest of the band was solid as a rock.  The set list was stellar (spoilers, below). 




Lock Me Up
No More Mr. Nice Guy
I'm Eighteen
Under My Wheels
Billion Dollar Babies
Hey Stoopid
Lost in America
Snakebite
Feed My Frankenstein
Poison
"The Black Widow" segment from Alice Cooper: The Nightmare
Guitar Solo (Nita Strauss)
Black Widow Jam
Ballad of Dwight Fry
Killer (Partial: band only)
I Love the Dead (Partial: band only)
Elected
School's Out (with Another Brick In The Wall)

I'm amazed you live in a town of that size, near towns of a larger size, and have only just now seen Alice. I live in a town muuuuuuch smaller than yours and have seen Alice three times just down the street and another 5 within a few hours drive.

Glad you finally got to see him though. A friend had 4th row tickets a few weeks ago but I passed. Would have loved to have heard Lock Me Up though. I love that era.

[Stadler]

Yeah, it's kind of weird.  That's kind of why I went; he's sort of a holy grail artist in the sense that he's top three acts I want to see.  It's totally me, though, and my willingness to put in the effort.  He plays here a lot and as some of you know, I'm not averse to traveling to an act I really want to see (NY or Boston).    He's played Connecticut 10 times in the last ten years, including several headlining sets.

The problem, for me, is he plays the casinos a LOT (six of those ten were at the casinos) and at this point I try to avoid them. It's really hard to get decent seats for a decent price, and it's like seeing a show at a mall. 

[Orbert]

The problem, for me, is he plays the casinos a LOT (six of those ten were at the casinos) and at this point I try to avoid them. It's really hard to get decent seats for a decent price, and it's like seeing a show at a mall. 

I've never gone to a casino show, or to a casino for that matter (except once for dinner), but I've always imagined a small theater attached to the casino complex where the band plays, and I guess I further imagined that it was a pretty nice venue and a great show, especially considering the price.  But seeing a show "at a mall" sounds horrible, so apparently I have a great imagination and reality is something else.  What's it like seeing a show at a mall?

[TAC]

What's it like seeing a show at a mall?

[Orbert]

Yeah, that looks pretty horrible.  Not at all like a small intimate theater venue that you pay hundreds for.

[TAC]

I saw Alice Cooper at The Wolf's Den at Mohegan Sun back in '98. We couldn't get into the smaller actual Den, but we stood on the outside between the slots, and you could still see and hear great. Saw UFO there as well a few years ago as well.

[El Barto]

Casino gigs are a totally different atmosphere. I honestly don't care for them at all.  You'll have plenty of fans come in for the show, but you'll also have a ton of gambling degenerates. You also have to factor in that casino drinks are dirt cheap (or free), so it's almost always a seriously drunkenen crowd. My experience has mostly been drunk speedfreaks, to be honest. Casinos really don't attract the classiest patrons. There are some bands that'll only have their own crowd. There are other bands that'll really pack in the white trash degenerates.

One pro is that they often have free soft drink dispensers all about the place, and restrooms are abundant.
One con is that walking through a dense crowd of mindless zombies plunking money into slot machines to get to the actual theater is depressing to those of us with a functional conscience.

[Stadler]

I saw Alice Cooper at The Wolf's Den at Mohegan Sun back in '98. We couldn't get into the smaller actual Den, but we stood on the outside between the slots, and you could still see and hear great. Saw UFO there as well a few years ago as well.

I saw Asia that way as well.

To be clear, Orbert is sort of right.  Sort of.  Foxwoods has two world class theaters (one about 1,500 and one about 4,000 seats). It's beautiful.  Mohegan has the Wolf's Den (300 seats, always free, first come first served) and the arena (10,000 more or less).

The larger Foxwoods theater is awesome; never saw a show at the smaller one.  Wolf's Den is what it is, if you can get a seat, and the arena is okay, but it's an arena (and they will cut it down in size if the act warrants it; Extreme played there on the Pronograffiti 25 tour, and I'd guess the capacity was 6,000?).  So watching the show isn't like being in a mall, but everything else is.  I don't know; it's just personal preference for me, but I like going to Irving Plaza in NY, and walking the streets of NY to get to McSorley's before or meeting up with some of you guys in a local brewery...   Plus, for some reason - and I went to college with the CEO of Mohegan (and golfed with him two weeks ago) - it's incredibly hard to get decent tickets at Mohegan.   I know a little about how it works, and they, frankly, don't care, because invariably the places are full; they want a BODY there, not necessarily MY body, if that makes sense.  I kind of am brewing a bit of a bug up my ass about the artists that play there, but that's for another thread.