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August 10 Des Moines, IA Iowa State Fair
August 11 Sedalia, MO Missouri State Fair
August 12 Little Rock, AR KMJX Radio Event
August 14 Tulsa, OK Brady Theater
August 16 Louisville, KY Kentucky State Fair
August 18 Sault Ste. Marie, MI Kewadin Casino
August 19 Green Bay, WI Oneida Casino
August 21 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre
August 23 Davenport, IA Adler Theatre
August 24 Merrillville, IN Star Plaza Theatre
August 25 Du Quoin, IL Du Quoin State Fair
August 26 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theater - KYYS
August 28 Knoxville, TN Tennessee Theatre
August 31 Marshfield, WI Central Wisconsin State Fair September 2 Saginaw MI
September 3 Detroit, MI Michigan State Fair
September 5 Binghamton, NY Broome County Arena w Black sabbath
September 7 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena w Black Sabbath
September 8 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Amphitheater w. Black Sabbath
September 9 Mansfield, MA Tweeter Center w Black Sabbath
September 11 Reading, PA Sovereign Centerw Black sabbath September 13 Myrtle beach,SC
September 14 Tampa, FL St. Petersburg Times Forum w. Black Sabbath
September 15 Sunrise, FL Bank Atlantic Center w. Black Sabbath
September 16 Orlando, FL Amway Arena w. Black sabbath September 18 Wilkes Barre Pa.
September 19 Darien Lakes, NY Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center w. Black Sabbath
September 20 Hamilton, ON Copps Coliseum w. Black Sabbath
September 22 Chicago, IL Sears Center w. Black Sabbath
September 23 St. Louis, MO Family Arena with Black Sabbath
September 25 Denver, CO Coors Amphitheater with Black Sabbath
September 28 Reno, NV Reno Events Center
September 29 Kelseyville, CA Konocti Harbor Resort with black Sabbath
September 30 Concord, CA Sleep Train Pavilion with Black Sabbath
October 2 Fresno, CA Selland Arena with Black Sabbath
October 4 Tucson, AZ Anselmo Valencia Amphitheater with Black Sabbath October 5,San diego Ca Sprekels theatre
October 6 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
October 31 Phoenix, AZ Arizona State Fair December 15 Phoenix,Az Dodge theatre,christmas Pudding |
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President’s Take As I write this, I'm halfway through my European concert tour. The shows and the audiences have been tremendous. I'm looking forward to the Australian leg of the tour in July. As fast paced as this tour had been, Solid Rock is moving forward with blinding speed. The plan for the SRF teen center THE ROCK is amazing. The architect firm of Gould and Evans has yielded a state-of-the-art design. You can see it mid July on our web site http://www.srfrock.org/. You will be impressed and inspired. I am also counting on your inspiration to translate to commitment. Would you join me by helping me build this for the teens. I need your help! Let's get this dream to become a reality. Sponsor one square foot of the building for $248.00. Don't stop there. Sponsor 2, 3, or 10 square feet. Sponsor a classroom or an entire wing. We have 29,000 square feet to erect and start running. Focus group studies on THE ROCK have shown that teenagers are saying, "When will this happen?" "I need this." "This would make such a difference in my life." USA TODAY has called THE ROCK the prototype for teen services to be emulated throughout the nation. We need to get this built. I'm counting on you.
God bless you,
Alice Cooper
| See THE ROCK
Design of The Rock Teen Center is well underway. Check out this video to see how amazing this facility will be.
For the latest news, specs, and photos, be sure to check out the "Building The Rock" blog. |
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The Rock This has been my dream and passion for the past twelve years. The 29,000 sq ft facility (The Rock) will be located on the campus of Grand Canyon University at 33rd Avenue and Camelback. It will reach out to youth and teenagers in the surrounding community and throughout the whole valley. With programs designed for and by teens and run by Christian men and women staff and volunteers that will give kids the chance to make the right choices in life. In addition to offering a basketball court, a rock climbing wall and a coffee house, "The Rock" will minister to teens through the arts. Music is a vital part of teens and the best way to connect with the youth today is through their music. Unfortunately so many public schools have had to let vital programs like music and dance go due to lack of school funding. "The Rock" is prepared to use the arts of musical instruments, voice, drama, and dance to inspire and challenge kids to choose artistic excellence instead of drugs, guns, or gangs. There will be programs to teach teens that about sound board mixing, lighting, staging and production. Who knows what amazing performers, choreographer or producer might come from "The Rock"?
I am very excited to see that dream finally become reality. Henry David Thoreau once said, "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." So don't be afraid to dream big and work at making your dreams become reality. -- Alice Cooper | Alice interviewed on CNN about THE ROCK
Check out this great interview in which Alice Cooper describes the vision and potential of THE ROCK to change teens' lives.
| Changing and Updating...... If you have visited our website recently you noticed that it is currently under construction. The new website will be up and running before you know it. So please don't forget to visit the site to keep current on activities and upcoming events like the Christmas Pudding on December 15. See ya soon.... |
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Alice Cooper and partners dream big for area teens
His four decades of shock-rock music with snakes slithering across his shoulders, fake blood and macabre black makeup would not suggest Alice Cooper entertains thoughts about providing a haven of activities for teens on a Christian college campus.
But the Valley music icon and the Solid Rock Foundation he leads are beating their drums to raise $7.3 million to create The Rock, a Christian youth center at Baptist-based Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. The 29,450-square-foot center would include sports facilities, a concert hall, recording studios and sound room, coffeehouse, computer lab, a rock-climbing wall, game room, dancing space, skateboard area and other amenities. They believe it can be the model for teen centers across the U.S., tapping into youth’s desire to hear and perform music and hang out in a place with alluring activities.
In The Rock’s music studio, future stars might be nurtured and inspired.
Cooper, a recovering alcoholic and son and grandson of Christian pastors, often says his ghoulish music and concerts are entertainment, farce and satire — and not the real him. The singer, whose albums have included “Alice Cooper Goes to Hell,” “Lace to Whiskey” and “Prince of Darkness,” repeatedly says he wants teens to have a place to be safe from drugs, gangs and guns. The man who recorded “Welcome to My Nightmare” is dreaming that Valley teenagers will make the center a kind of school of rock ’n’ roll.
Today, Cooper and his band are winding up the 17-day Australian leg of the Psycho-Drama Tour. The world tour resumes in August in the U.S. for at least 35 dates through October. After the tour, the 59-year-old singer will be ready for the annual Alice Cooper’s Christmas Pudding that will raise additional funds for the foundation and The Rock. Add to that the annual Alice Cooper Celebrity Am Golf Tournament. Both events draw richly from the singer’s friends in the music industry and sports.
“We do Christmas Pudding about the second week in December,” said his wife of 31 years, Sheryl Cooper, owner and choreographer of Destiny Dance International studio in Phoenix. One day, she hopes she and a team can teach dance at The Rock. “I’ll call it 'West Side Story’ and bring in hip-hop, bring in break dancing, ballet, salsa, mongo, tango and partner dancing,” she said. “The common denominator is music.”
It was the early 1990s when Alice Cooper and Chuck Savale, both fathers of first-graders at Hopi Elementary School in the Scottsdale Unified School District, met at a parents event and quickly became friends. Savale’s wife, Lisa, and Sheryl Cooper clicked, “and we found a whole lot of things in common,” said Savale, a one-time pastor at Camelback Bible Church in Paradise Valley where both couples regularly attend. The two wives teamed to start an aerobics program at Camelback.
Savale, who worked for four years there as youth pastor and 12 years with Young Life in Dallas, said he came to know and understand youth. So when he met Alice Cooper, they freely shared their concerns about teen challenges. In 1995, they founded the Solid Rock Foundation, with Alice Cooper as president and Savale as executive director. Its primary mission has been to “honor Christ by helping to meet the spiritual, economical, physical and social needs of teenagers and children." To date more than $1.2 million has been raised and given to such groups as Phoenix Rescue Mission, Hurricane Katrina relief, Grand Canyon University scholarships, Harvest and Women’s Choice Pregnancy Clinic.
“We have been blessed to have three amazing children (daughter Calico, 26, an actress and singer; Dashiel, 22, member of the band Runaway: and daughter Sonora, 14), and I just see the needs,” Sheryl Cooper said. “They will come home with all kinds of horror stories and just say, 'You know, Mom and Dad, there is no such thing as a teenager who is not at risk.’ ”
“I don’t care if you have the privilege of living in an affluent community, or you are almost on the street, everyone is at risk,” she said.
Cooper’s team toured several teen centers, including Christian singer Michael W. Smith’s 40,000-square-foot teen club, Rocketown, built in 2003 in Nashville, Tenn.
“Ours will be sort of unique as we learn from all the others,” Savale said. Music will be the centerpiece. A concert hall for 1,000 standing teens can be expanded for 1,800 by using a sports court. Outside bands will play, and there will be open mike nights for teens to sing, play instruments, read poetry or engage in other forms of expression.
“Alice really wants to teach kids to write lyrics, which he has already done,” Savale said. “He wants to bring in professionals to teach how to play guitar, bass, drums or whatever instruments they want.” Lighting, staging, sound, backstage, design, recording, mixing and other production skills will be developed. “Maybe we’ll get four or five of them onstage” for a full show that could involve as many as 75 teens, he said.
Area teens have been helping to shape the center’s plans, said Jeff Moore, director of business development. They have been saying they want adults there “because they don’t have parents they can talk to,” he said. Some have appealed for a nursery so that teen moms can come and have a place to get child care while they see friends at the center or do homework. A teen advisory board will be set up to help ensure that activities are relevant to teens. Grand Canyon University students will be invited to provide ministry outreach.
“We are excited,” Savale said. “Without beating up anybody up with the Bible, we really want to create a place where adults, volunteers and college students will create an atmosphere of caring for and loving kids and allow them to see Christianity in action.”
“I’m a big believer in the soft sell, and I think very often in society today, religion has taken on a position of comfort and what it can mean in their lives,” said Solid Rock board member Bart Steiner. “But beating them over the head with the Bible isn’t going to get them here.” Instead, it will be in exhibiting genuine love, providing an inviting setting where they want to be.
The foundation has launched a “one-foot-at-a-time drive,” where a square foot can be purchased for $248. About $2.5 million has been raised to date, with tentative goals of breaking ground next spring and opening six months later.
“It’s a co-labor of love,” said Sheryl Cooper. She says that she and Alice “are pretty much bonded at the hip, and we don’t do well without the other.”
They are united on the spiritual importance for what is informally being called Alice Cooper’s Sanctuary for Kids.
“We believe that we have been saved by Christ in order to serve,” she said. “We are called out of darkness into his light, and we are called to be salt and light to a very dark and hungry searching generation that feels like probably they don’t have any choice other than to sell drugs, join a gang or succumb to peer pressure.”
On the greens: Local women meet ‘golf monster’ Alice Cooper
Susan Champion, left, and Sheila Smith Neal met rocker and “golf monster” Alice Cooper, right, while playing at the Clinton Country Club recently. Cooper was performing in the region when he took a break from touring to enjoy his favorite pastime.
PHOTO PROVIDED
MILL HALL — It was just another pleasant day on the greens at the Clinton Country Club for Susan Champion and Sheila Smith Neal - until they got the word at the pro shop that a celebrity was pursuing his favorite sport there as well.The two women were at the first tee when they heard Alice Cooper was at the fourth, according to Neal.The famous rocker — whose career took off in 1971 and relied heavily on shock rock, make-up and props such as electric chairs and boa constrictors — was to give a show in the region that night.The two ladies skipped the second tee and moved to the third to try to catch a glimpse of the hit-maker and author of the autobiography “Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A Rock ‘n’ Roller’s 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict.”“When he came off 9 and came around, we were standing there with our camera and hats for him to sign,” Neal said. “He was so accommodating.”Cooper is a scratch golfer, she reported.He also was very nice to his two fans, she said, who may have thought more of his dedication to golf than of his four decades in music. He autographed their hats, kindly posed for photos and offered them back-stage passes to his concert that night.Champion told him she had Bible study so she couldn’t make it. Neal later invited her husband, Jack, to go with her; he declined and she decided she might as well skip it too.However, she was tickled enough to display a photo of the three of them on her refrigerator, which caught the eye of her daughter Lynn Vannucci, a Lock Haven native and former Express columnist.“I saw that picture on the refrigerator and I just couldn’t believe it,” Vannucci said.She still recalls vividly the days when her mother would not have allowed an album like “Alice Cooper Goes to Hell” in her house — or a photo of said rocker anywhere near her refrigerated food.Vannucci said her mind was blown, so she dealt with rock-shock in the best way she knows how — she wrote about it. Her humorous column was picked up by the San Francisco Chronicle, a major newspaper that serves the region of Marin where Cooper lives.Vannucci, who resides in Geyserville, about an hour north of San Francisco, is now discussing other articles with Chronicle editors.One would be about two award-winning film-makers she knows, she said. Another project she’d like to look into is on the history of wine-making in California.“I’m out here and I’m a wine lover so I’m meeting all these ‘rock stars of wine,’” she said, “I want to do a story on the history that people still remember, including Prohibition.”Vannucci also has editorial clients including mystery author Rita Lakin, who had been a screenwriter for “Dallas,” and Charlie Romney Brown, a cousin of Mitt Romney.To read her column about her mom and rock music, “The Rehabilitation of Alice Cooper,” visit www.sfgate.com and search for Lynn Vannucci. Michael Douglas+ friends Please be sure to watch the 9th Annual Michael Douglas & Friends Celebrity Golf Event, benefitting the Motion Picture & Television Fund this Sunday, June 10th on NBC Sports. The event is scheduled to air immediately following the Men's Final of the French Open (approximately 2:00 PM EDT). This years celebrity tournament was the best one yet! The 2007 Celebrity line-up included: Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Martin Sheen, Heather Locklear, Josh Duhamel, Haley Joel Osment, Cheryl Ladd, Kenny G, Mark Wahlberg, Kyle MacLachlan, Samuel L. Jackson and Alice Cooper - as well as professional coaches Butch Harmon, Jim McLean, and Dean Reinmuth. Alice Cooper dishes in new book about life, golf
William Hermann
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 6, 2007 02:44 PM Alice Cooper, Valley resident, inventor of shock rock and golf fanatic, signed his new memoir Golf Monster Tuesday night at Changing Hands bookstore in Tempe.Cooper's book, in part, tells how the rock giant slayed the demon of alcohol with a golf club. Cooper, a Cortez High School class of 1966 graduate and a track star, said he is a 4 handicapper on the golf course.
"It's focus, of course," he said. "When I'm out there playing golf, the ASU marching band could walk by and I wouldn't hear them."
The book also tells, Cooper said, about his adventures with music titans, sports giants and entertainment greats.He said that at the beginning of his rock career, "I look around and saw there was a need."There were all these people like Paul McCartney and Jim Morrison, loved people, heroes, Peter Pan people, and I thought, 'Where are the villains?' he said. "So I created this character, and though in regular life I like to think I'm a pretty relaxed guy, when I'm on the stage, I'm Hannibal Lecter." State fair includes Cooper Larry Rodgers
The Arizona Republic
May. 31, 2007 12:00 AM Country's Gretchen Wilson and Sugartown, comedian "Weird Al" Yankovic and a Halloween concert by the Valley's own Alice Cooper highlight the first slate of concerts announced for this year's Arizona State Fair. Also signed to perform at Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the State Fairgrounds in Phoenix are country duo Montgomery Gentry, classic rocker Steve Miller, comic Harvey Mandel and the Old School Jam. This year's fair will run Oct. 12 to Nov. 4. Dates for the shows are Wilson, Oct. 13; Yankovic, Oct. 16; Montgomery Gentry, Otc. 26; Cooper, Oct. 31; Sugarland with Little Big Town, Nov. 1; Old School Jam, Nov. 2; Miller, Nov. 3. More acts are expected to be added in coming months. General admission to all concerts is free with paid fair admission. Reserved seating for the shows will go on sale in September through Ticketmaster at (480) 784-4444 or ticketmaster.com or at the Coliseum box office at 19th Avenue and McDowell Road. MEXICO Apparently there was a problem and the 3 mexico shows are no longer.Some of the South american shows have been reworked in June and Alice will not start the tour until a little later. Sheryl and the destiny dancers will be performing at the Orpheum Saturday June 2nd. mosaic 2007 burning up broadway
C'mon along and listen to the lullaby of Broadway. Be prepared to "break a leg". Destiny Dance International is Burning Up Broadway on Saturday, June 2nd at 4:00 PM. More than a recital, our year-end Mosaic will again be held at the beautiful Orpheum Theater. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience the challenging lives of dancers as they present scenes ranging from famous Broadway productions to little known gems that are destined to become classics. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You’ll be on the edge of your seat as Destiny Dance International spans a seventy-year period of Broadway history. Start spreading the news. We're starting today. You'll want to be a part of it. Just listen to that lullaby of old and new Broadway.
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Decorations pay off with Alice Cooper visit
Sunday, October 29, 2006
By Jessica Beym
GLASSBORO -- Dave Bragg has more than one thing in common with shock-rocker Alice Cooper. Not only does Bragg impersonate the musician who's been known for his theatrics on stage since the 1970s, but they both love the horror that comes with celebrating Halloween. Bragg -- who won a radio station contest for having the best Halloween decorations -- got a chance to show off his house Saturday to the legendary rocker himself. The prize offered by the Philadelphia station 102.9 FM WMGK was a visit by the Cooper, who was on his way to perform in Atlantic City Saturday night, and four tickets to the show. "Some people love Christmas. Halloween is my holiday," Bragg said Saturday as he stood outside his decorated house on Victoria Street waiting for the tour bus to pull up. "I do this every year whether Alice is coming or not." A giant, handmade spider web, a baby carriage full of fake body parts and a blood spattered television were just some of the things displayed on Bragg's porch. Friends, family, neighbors and even people Bragg said he never met before, dressed up in costume and crowded in front of his house before Cooper's arrival. The list of his hit songs include "I'm Eighteen," "School's Out," and "No More Mr. Nice Guy." "I've been into Alice since 1972," Bragg said. "I've seen 13 times in concert and met him four times but he never came through my door." Now, not only has Cooper, 58, come through Bragg's door, he's also sat on his couch, which Bragg's wife, Beth, asked him to autograph. After signing shirts, CDs, and an 18 year old's bald head, Cooper got to see a video of Bragg impersonating him. Bragg said he's dressed up like Cooper with a band backing him and performed dozens of times for charity. Cooper's theatrics on stage is the reason Bragg said he started listening to the music. Combining horror and comedy is what makes the show work so well, Cooper said. "Classic rock is bigger now than it's ever been," Cooper said, adding that fans of all generations come to shows donning Ozzy Osbourne or Led Zeppelin shirts and even Alice Cooper shirts that are sold in malls. "That era of music was so classic, and it still relates to 16-year-old kids today," Cooper said. The statement rang true for Bragg's six kids who were all going to the concert Saturday night with Bragg and his wife. "Every night's Halloween for us," Cooper said. "If you see the show in July, it's still Halloween. Every night it's like going into a haunted house." Alice on the Cover of "Freetimes" Magazine Alice articles and interviews in "Atlantic city Weekly" and "At The Shore" Alice Cooper tells all in upcoming book He's a rock star, he's a radio host, he's even a scratch golfer and Alice Cooper , whose "Nights with Alice Cooper" show runs weeknights from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on WCSX-FM (94.7), has written "Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: My 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict, " a "golf and recovery memoir" that will tell the story of how golf helped Cooper overcome a drinking problem. Alice promises to be "completely candid" about everything. The book will come out in May on the Crown imprint.Sandra Day O'Connor, Alice Cooper star in separate weekend fund-raisers
Kathy Shayna Shocket
Special for The Republic
Nov. 21, 2006 12:00 AM What could former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and rocker Alice Cooper have in common? Well, both live in Paradise Valley and both were in the party spotlight last weekend. Under the stars at the pool at Marriott's Camelback Inn on Friday night, 200 people surrounded the brightest star of the evening, O'Connor. Although Nancy Reagan wasn't in attendance, she was the dinner party's honorary chairwoman. It was President Ronald Reagan who nominated O'Connor for the prestigious position, predicting that her Supreme Court service would be one of his proudest legacies. Friday night's invitation-only party celebrated O'Connor's legacy, the law school at Arizona State University named in her honor. The guest list included ASU President Michael Crow, law school Dean Patricia White and lots and lots of lawyers.
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O'Connor was in the Legislature when the establishment for another law school in Arizona was proposed.
"There was already one in Tucson, and a lot of people thought we didn't need any more lawyers," the role model recalled. Now that the law school bears her name, she says she'll have to watch her behavior in retirement. "I don't want to tarnish that image," she said, laughing.
No nightmare
Alice Cooper is known for welcoming people to his nightmare (his hit Welcome to My Nightmare) but he'll be welcoming a partygoer from Saturday night's Kivel Ball to a wonderful dream dinner at his restaurant soon. The chance to dine with Alice at Cooperstown and invite nine friends was on the auction block at the black-tie ball at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa. An 8-foot playhouse in the silent auction was tempting for any parent with small children. Jay and Jill Stein steadfastly outbid others. The house, in the shape of a one-room schoolhouse, will be a proper fit in the backyard of the Steins' Scottsdale home. The couple is expecting triplets. Add them to their other infant child, and they will have had four children within one year! The invitation for the ball was cleverly printed on a 45 rpm record in honor of the 45th annual fund-raising soirée, asking guests to join the celebration and to support Kivel and also honor Martin and Linda Shultz. (The old records were real, but defective, so if you had a record player, you would have to play it backward.) Along with the Shultzes, Dr. Curtis Dickman was in the spotlight. The doctor took the stage to perform with Crosstown Traffic, a band he started, and performed gratis. The entertaining Paradise Valley surgeon has a history with Kivel. Both his parents resided there. In the event committee's efforts to attract younger supporters of the Kivel Campus of Care, Jamie and Don Sheckell helped organize guests under 40 years old. They were offered a lower-price ticket of $175 per person (tickets for those over 40 started at $300 per person). A;lice Cooper:Golf Monster
November 15, 2006 -- SHOCK rock heavy metal performer Alice Cooper, famed for 1970s hits "School's Out" and "No More Mr. Nice Guy," has just sold his memoirs to Random House's Crown Books imprint for an estimated $500,000.
The book, "Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: My 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict," is billed as a candid look at his 35-year career, his drinking and his recovery, which was helped along by a new addiction to golf. Instead of hitting the bottle, he now hits the links about 300 days a year. Cooper got into music on a lark when he and a few fellow members of Phoenix's Cortez High School cross-country team lip-synched Beatles songs, and it was good enough to win a local talent contest. He was known then as Vincent Damon Furnier, but had his name legally changed to Alice Cooper in the mid-1970s as he was getting ready to go solo. The famous story about him biting off the head of a live chicken may have been exaggerated: he recounts that a live chicken once did manage to wander onto a stage at a performance, and Cooper tossed it into the crowd, where it was said to have met an untimely death at the hands of frenzied fans. Along the way to fame and glory, Cooper also became an alcoholic who went into rehab several times. He's now a syndicated DJ on classic rock stations, and in 1994 became a born-again Christian. He still plays about 100 gigs a year, and the shock-rock routine still rules. But he also manages to play golf nearly every day and is said to be one of the better celebrity golfers at the Bob Hope Classic. Golf, more than anything, is what helped him stay more or less straight, he said. "He traded one addiction for another," said literary agent Scott Waxman, who sold the book in a pre-emptive deal to Luke Dempsey at Crown.
Alice Cooper's Christmas Pudding
December 16, 2006 at 7:30PM
Venue: Dodge TheatreThe sixth annual Alice Cooper Celebrity Christmas Fundraiser returns to Dodge Theatre. This year's musical performances will include Alice Cooper and his original band together for the first time in 30 years, Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades, Members of Tesla - Jeff Keith, Troy Luccketta and Dave Rude, California Transit Authority featuring Danny Seraphine and Marc Bonilla, Ace Young from "American Idol," Brandon Reid, winners of Proof Is In The Pudding talent search, performance by Destiny's Dance International, and several other acts to be announced. The net proceeds will benefit Solid Rock Foundation, a Christian, Arizona non-profit organization. Through the proceeds from Christmas Pudding as well as additional private donations to Solid Rock, the foundation plans to build "The Rock," a Christian youth center on the campus of Grand Canyon University. alice Cooper Rolling Stones review Arizona Republic nov 9,06 Stones inaugurate new stadium in style
Larry Rodgers
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 9, 2006 02:12 AM
Rolling Stones at University of Phoenix Stadium Fans at the University of Phoenix Stadium had something to cheer about for a change on Wednesday night, as the Rolling Stones inaugurated the $455 million venue with its first concert. This was the superstar act that the operators of University of Phoenix Stadium had sought, and the 44-year-old group didn’t disappoint about 40,000 fans who paid up to $500 for tickets. advertisement
Singer Mick Jagger and co-leader and guitarist Keith Richards, both in their early 60s, seemed to feed off the occasion to deliver an energetic set that lasted nearly two hours.
Classic rocker Alice Cooper of Phoenix also got into the act, with a well-received opening set in Glendale. “It’s great to be playing in this brand new stadium,” Jagger told the crowd early on. “It’s a beautiful place.” The band made the evening even nicer with a surprise decision to keep the stadium’s retractable roof open, after announcing earlier that it would be closed. Perhaps the mild temperatures persuaded Jagger, who recently had been ordered to rest his voice, that it would be no threat to his throat to play under the stars. The Stones are on the home stretch of their 116-show Bigger Bang Tour, and that seemed to energize Jagger, Richards, guitarist Ron Wood, drummer Charlie Watts and their touring band. Six weeks ago at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, that wasn’the case, as Richards seemed downright sluggish and Jagger did less of the dancing he’s famous for. But both were firing on all cylinders on Wednesday, keeping the enthusiastic crowd on its feet much of the night. Still defying his age (63), the slender Jagger unleashed his full catalog of dance moves as he worked the 200-foot-wide stage during such classics as the show-opening “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “It’s Only Rock ’N Roll (But I Like It),” “Under My Thumb” and (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” A dedicated fitness freak, Jagger still only shows his age above his neck, where a few more lines creep into his face with each tour. Richards, meanwhile, looks fully ready to play Johnny Depp’s father in the next “Pirates of the Caribbean” film at age 62. Wearing his trademark headband over his dark, scruffy hair and smoking cigarettes for much of the show, Richards is no longer concerned with vanity. But he still can throw down old-school rock riffs better than most any player his age on such favorites as “Tumbling Dice,” from 1972’s “Exile on Main Street” album. Wood showed his picking skills on one of the evening’s lesser-known (to those mainly familiar with just the hits) treats, a rollicking version of “All Down the Line,” also from the “Exile” album. Wednesday’s set was a bit more eclectic than some shows on this tour, which has focused mainly on the radio hits that earned the band a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Crisp versions of “Let’s Spend the Night Together” and “Paint It Black,” the latter with deft accompaniment from Wood, helped pace the set. “She Was Hot,” one of the few standout tracks from 1983’s “Undercover” album, and a star turn by Richards on the ancient “Connection” also spiced things up. Richards and Wood gave 1969’s “You Got the Silver” a bluesy acoustic remake that was well-received. As they launched into 1966’s “Under My Thumb,” part of the Stones’ massive stage detached and motored down a long runway toward the end of the stadium. This provided a treat for those in the far reaches, some of whom complained about echoing and distorted sound after the show. The band played four songs in that location, including the strong new rocker “Oh No, Not You Again.” The Stones unveiled some impressive pyrotechnics, shooting from the top of their 92-foot-tall stage, during “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Satisfaction,” and their massive video screen (49 by 50 feet) remains the clearest in the concert world. Backed by longtime collaborators Chuck Leavell (piano), Bobby keys (sax) and Darryl Jones (bass), as well as two singers, a singer-guitarist and three other horns, the Stones still crank it up with the best on rockers like the show-ending “Brown Sugar.” Given the strength of this show, it’s easy to imagine this bunch launching yet another lengthy tour in a few years if they get the itch to hit the road again to earn another few hundred million dollars and give Bill Gates a run for his money. Local hero Cooper proved a good choice to start things off Wednesday. He and his young, four-piece band got more attention than many acts doomed to open for the Stones. Outfitted in full leather regalia and mascara, Cooper blew through many of his hits, including “I’m Eighteen,” “School’s Out” and “Under My Wheels.” At age 58, Cooper can still get a crowd dancing with infectious tunes like the show-opening “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and “Be My Lover.” Cooper also dug beyond the obvious hits a few times, with the frenetic “You Drive Me Nervous” and “Is It My Body,” from his classic 1971 album, “Love It To Death.” Guitarists Damon Johnson and Keri Kelli traded flashy leads on one of Cooper’s newer songs, 2005’s “Woman of Mass Distraction,” and 1976’s “Go to Hell.” Stones set list: Jumpin’ Jack Flash It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll (But I Like It) Let’s Spend the Night Together She Was Hot Far Away Eyes Streets of Love All Down The Line Midnight Rambler Tumbling Dice You Got the Silver Connection Under My Thumb Oh No, Not You Again Start Me Up Honky Tonk Women Sympathy For the Devil Paint It Black (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction Encore: Brown Sugar 100 holes of golf On November 11th Alice will be playing 100 holes of golf at Augusta Ranch in Mesa Arizona between 6:00 am+6:00 pm.He is looking for sponsers to donate $1.00 per hole ($100.00).All donations will go to the Solid Rock Foundation for "the Rock"youth center. To sponser please contact: Jeff moore at the Solid rock foundation 602-522-9200Alice Cooper does a lively tribute to the undead
Perfect setting: Saltair provides the right ambience, puts rocker close enough to touch
By Tom Wharton
The Salt Lake Tribune
In a time when gigantic arena shows make connecting with superstars difficult if not impossible, the chance to see a living legend like Alice Cooper in an intimate setting such as Saltair was too good to miss.
As a large and appreciative crowd with a decidedly 1980s big-hair-band feel watched a spectacular sunset over the Great Salt Lake on Saturday night, Cooper's stage was set.
There was an overall dungeon look, and a coffin in one corner. A can full of props that included assorted swords, daggers and batons was placed right below the elevated drums.
Before the night ended, there would be a woman with whips who made Cooper disappear into thin air, a straitjacket, body parts assembled into a monster, ghouls wandering the stage and, of course, the trademark guillotine.
All of this was the kind of classic show that, to coin a phrase, Cooper's legion of fans lose their heads over.
The fact that one of rock's biggest and most-imitated innovators - a tall, raspy-voiced man with wild hair, eye makeup, a large crooked nose and huge white teeth - was going through his classic routine in a place where fans could reach out and almost touch him made the night that much more special.
It is perhaps easy to forget that Cooper, born in Detroit as Vincent Furnier 58 years ago, inspired so many classic and modern acts over the years.
He did makeup before KISS, had the hard licks and raspy voice down before Metallica and the big hair bands of the 1980s, was camp before Elton John, insulted society before Marilyn Manson and wore gloves before Michael Jackson.
The fact that he can still rock and perform with the best of the best is not only a credit to his staying power and stamina but to his importance as a rock icon.
It was all there to see Saturday night. As a vintage 2004 Cooper "Election" T-shirt read, this is the troubled man for troubled times.
There was no banter or idle chatter on Cooper's part, just hard-pounding music, bizarre staging, great lighting and enough bloody special effects to do George Romero proud.
And, of course, the music is of classic variety, with gems such as "No More Mr. Nice Guy," "School's Out," "Feed My Frankenstein," "I'm Eighteen" and "Welcome to My Nightmare" mixed in with newer songs such as "Dirty Diamonds."
Backed by a veteran, tight band, Cooper strutted on the stage in mostly black leather adorned with a huge red belt buckle.
While the act might be old and certainly sick if one thinks about what happened on stage too closely, it still possesses a sort of black magic.
A particularly bizarre portion of the show came late when Cooper first assembled a headless body in a coffin from parts lying around the stage. Moments later he was sitting in a wheelchair surrounded by ghoulish nurses pumping who knows what into him.
Then came the guillotine bit where Cooper loses his head, which, as the band played loud licks, was carried around the stage by a delighted woman dancer.
That was followed by a resurrection of sorts when Cooper, now clad in white, exploded out of the coffin where the headless monster once resided to lead the ecstatic audience in a rousing rendition of "School's Out."
By the time an encore - which included "Poison" and a version of "Wish I Were Born in Beverly Hills," complete with a Paris Hilton imitator who took her licks from Alice - had ended, the crowd was in a frenzy, knowing that while Alice Cooper may have looked half-dead all these years, he is still very much alive.
Electric chair or guillotine? Alice Cooper is happy to oblige
By Dan Nailen
The Salt Lake Tribune
"I keep the show so kinetic that you really don't want to look away from the stage because every single song has a theatrical bit to it," said shock-rock pioneer Alice Cooper.
"I opened the door for theatrics."
Alice Cooper - avid golfer, Christian and recovering alcoholic - has no problem defining his place in rock's history books.
"There was no David Bowie before Alice Cooper," the pioneering shock-rocker said. "Well, there was a David Bowie, but there was no Ziggy Stardust. There was an Elton John, but there wasn't the Elton John who became Liberace. All these guys came to our shows and were inspired to do something theatrical."
Many rock fans tend to downplay Cooper's significance. Young fans who grew up watching bands use massive props, pyrotechnics, makeup, video screens, short films and performance art as routine parts of their shows have no idea Cooper and his band were among the first to make a rock concert a theatrical event. And older fans have, generally speaking, moved on.
The 58-year-old Cooper hasn't, though; he is in the midst of his fourth globe-trotting tour in four years - stopping in Utah Saturday - and it doesn't sound as if he's mellowed at all, at least onstage. The man born Vincent Furnier might spend every waking moment offstage working on his golf game and his Phoenix-based Christian nonprofit group the Solid Rock Foundation, but onstage he's still no Mr. Nice Guy.
"When we get up there, well, if you're in the first 10 rows, don't wear your good clothes because when Alice's head comes off, it's going to spray," Cooper said.
Aside from writing songs for the occasional new album, such as last year's "Dirty Diamonds," Cooper might get the most satisfaction creating new stage gimmicks to shock and amaze his longtime fans.
"You're sitting there backstage and you're going, 'We have this song, "I Wish I Was Born in Beverly Hills," ' " Cooper said. "Wouldn't it be great if Paris Hilton came onstage and she had her little dog and the dog grabs her throat, and she can't pull the dog off? And then the paparazzi, instead of helping her, is just taking pictures of her. And she's squirming on the floor and blood's going everywhere. That would be hysterical! Tell me what audience wouldn't love that!"
Cooper admits that not every idea is as golden as the classic bits where he is guillotined onstage or strapped to an electric chair. He recalls one tour when a cannon would shoot him across the stage, and although the cannon worked just fine, the audience didn't give "any reaction at all." Cooper was able to sell the cannon to the Rolling Stones for one of their tours, but he hasn't always been so lucky.
"I can't tell you how many times I've spent thousands of dollars on a prop," Cooper said. "We had this one thing called 'The Crusher,' and it was this huge mechanical machine thing that Alice is in the middle of. And at one point it's like a vise and goes 'Wham!' and crushes it all together. Of course, inside it's foam rubber. But the spikes really do look real and there's blood squirting out all over. And it just didn't work. I'd be in there and it would happen, and no reaction.
"But if you walk out onstage and trip over a garbage can at the right time, the audience will go crazy."
Cooper is smart enough to work those accidents into his show. Rarely is there an unplanned moment in a Cooper show. He studiously plots the set list so the theatrical set pieces work together properly, and incorporates new songs carefully alongside classics such as "Welcome to My Nightmare," "School's Out" and "Billion Dollar Babies."
"I keep the show so kinetic that you really don't want to look away from the stage because every single song has a theatrical bit to it," Cooper said. "I don't care if it's Alice with a sword, or Alice on a crutch, whatever. Every single song has its own personality, and some songs are much more elaborate, an entire piece of music with an entire piece of theater."
If Broadway can turn Abba's bland Euro-disco into a hit musical, just think about what a stage natural like Cooper could do.
Super Cooper
Alice Cooper plays the Saltair, Interstate 80 westbound in Magna, Saturday at 8 p.m. Fireball Ministry opens the show.
Tickets are $31.50 in advance, $35 day of show, available at The Heavy Metal Shop, Smith's Tix outlets, . ktix.net and the door.
Alice Cooper hit the Front Page Dead center of the Arizona Republic today August 1rst with the announcement of opening a new youth center for the Children of Phoenix Arizona.The announcement and interviews were aired all day on Channel 3 and channel 10 with newspaper articles reaching Florida,Wisconsin and St.Louis,Missouri. From the Register Guard: A twisted tale of Alice Cooper's piano
By Mark Baker
The Register-Guard
Published: Sunday, July 30, 2006 You probably didn't know that shock-rock legend Alice Cooper was a Republican, did you? Or that he voted for George W. Bush not once, but twice. Or that he's a born-again Christian, despite the fact that he routinely hacks his head off on stage. And you probably didn't know that he's nearly a scratch golfer. Or that he hasn't had a drop of liquor in 25 years after downing a bottle of whiskey and a case of beer a day for years, did you? Of course you didn't. So it goes without saying that you probably didn't know that Don Thumel, a Eugene piano store owner, last year bought a family heirloom - a 1946 Kimball upright piano - that was once owned by Cooper, who plays the Douglas County Fair on Aug. 9, did you? advertisement Of course you didn't. "Tell him no hit songs were written on that piano," says Cooper, 58, in a telephone interview last week from Fond du Lac, Wis., where he was about to perform at a county fair. "No, wait. Tell him there were. That'll make him feel better." Doesn't matter now. The piano, which Cooper says all three of his children - Calico, Sonora and Dashiel - learned to play on, is gone. Cooper's wife, Sheryl, bought it back last winter and shipped it to Monaco, where it arrived about a month ago, says Thumel, who owns the Piano Liquidators store at West Seventh Avenue and Washington Street. Monaco? "The country, not the (Coburg) RV dealer," Thumel says. How did this weird, wacky tale - which must surely strike a chord in Cooper fans - come about? Thumel was perusing pianos on eBay, the online auction site, in early 2005 when Cooper's piano popped up. A 1946 Kimball made in Chicago, owned by Alice Cooper, he of the hit '70s songs, "School's Out," "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and "I'm Eighteen." Thumel was curious. But he wanted the seller, My Sister's Attic of Phoenix, to verify that it was indeed the longtime rock star's. Otherwise he had no interest. "We didn't need just another old piano," Thumel says. Cooper, who lives in nearby Scottsdale, Ariz., sold the piano to the used furniture store on consignment. "We were cleaning house," Cooper explains. At least he was. The store got in touch with Cooper and had him send Thumel a letter. "This is to certify that I, Alice Cooper, owned and played the Kimball model 460 #464142," says the letter that Thumel still has. "My daughter Sonora learned on it and it's been in the family for 60 years." How do you know they didn't forge the letter? "I had to take their word for it," Thumel says. If only Sheryl Cooper had known that her husband had gotten rid of it. "She went ballistic," Thumel says of Sheryl Cooper's assistant, who called last October, wanting the piano back. Live Daily.com: Alice Cooper scares up more tour dates
July 26, 2006 12:41 PM
by Jon Zahlaway
liveDaily Senior Writer
Veteran shock-rocker Alice Cooper (tickets | music) has added a number of stops to the next leg of his US tour, and has also nailed down a handful of Canadian concerts for the fall.
Cooper, who wrapped up his first round of summer shows last weekend, returns to the road Aug. 5, and has penciled in August stops in more than a half-dozen cities, including Las Vegas; Anaheim, CA; El Paso, TX; and Tulsa, OK. Following the late-August conclusion of the US run, he'll take a break before heading to Canada in mid-October. Details are included below. The roadwork supports Cooper's latest studio set, "Dirty Diamonds," which hit stores last August. In May, he followed that up with "Live at Montreux 2005," a live DVD and CD that capture his performance at last year's Montreux Festival. A complete tracklisting, as well as streaming audio and video clips from the set, are posted at Eagle Rock Entertainment's website. Cooper's backing band currently features guitarists Kari Kelli and Damon Johnson (Brother Cane), bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Eric Singer (KISS). Born Vincent Damon Furnier in 1948, Cooper has been cranking out albums since 1969, the year he issued "Pretties for You." He scored his first hit with the cut "Eighteen," featured on 1971's "Love It to Death."GWAR recently shot a video for their cover of ALICE COOPER's "School's Out" with acclaimed director Dave Brodsky (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, THE RED CHORD) at Paul Robeson High School in Brooklyn, NY. The clip should be available shortly. Life's Lessons: -http://stroke.blog.co.uk/2006/07/25/alice_cooper_school_s_out~986255Originally from 1972.
Cooper has said he was inspired to write the song when answering the question, "What's the greatest three minutes of your life?" Says Cooper: "There's two times during the year. One is Christmas morning, when you're just getting ready to open the presents. The greed factor is right there. The next one is the last three minutes of the last day of school when you're sitting there and it's like a slow fuse burning. I said, 'If we can catch that three minutes in a song, it's going to be so big.'" Cooper has also said it was inspired by a line from a "Bowery Boys" movie. A message from Runaway Phoenix:(see below) Hey Pat after pressure from MTV2 I signed us up for their MTV2 On the Rise contest. We need people to vote for us. You can vote as many times as you like by click the link below. Spread the news far and wide. http://mtv2ontherise.mcsqd.com/popup.html?affiliate=coxphoenix He's 18 (plus 40) and he likes it
By LARRY WIDEN
Special to the Journal Sentinel
Posted: July 2, 2006
Imagine being in church on Sunday morning and seeing the arch villain of rock 'n' roll in the pew ahead of you. With his wife and kids, no less. Advertisement
Summerfest
Alice Cooper
Photo/AP
If You Go
Who: Alice Cooper
When: 10 Monday
Where: Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard
How much: $8 adults (over 10) noon to 4 p.m. weekdays, $15 after 4 p.m. and weekends. $3 seniors (60 and older) and children (3 to 10) at all times.
And if you think you're dreaming, come back next week. He'll be there, sitting in that same pew.
It's just one more indication that the Alice Cooper who slashes baby dolls to bits with a chainsaw is nothing like his real-life counterpart. He is much more proud of being a faithful husband and father of three straight-A students than he is of his rock legacy. Born Vincent Furnier in Detroit in 1948, the future king of shock rock was raised in Phoenix. By age 16 he'd already formed the Earwigs, the Spiders and several other rock bands with his friends. By 1970, Furnier had changed his name to Alice Cooper and moved with his band to Detroit, where their rowdy stage antics had gained them a legion of fans. One night, he threw a live chicken into the crowd as part of the act. "I thought, 'Hey, chickens have wings, so they must be able to fly,' " he says. "How did I know? I've never been on a farm in my life." Instead the hapless bird was torn to shreds by the audience. As bad as the incident was, it paled in comparison to increasingly exaggerated media reports in which Cooper tore the head off the chicken and drank its blood. In the wake of the publicity, Warner Bros. Records came after the band. With the label's powerhouse promotional department behind them, they soared to prominence. By 1980, Cooper's band had broken up, and his 10-year battle with alcoholism came to a head. Along with sobriety came an acceptance of religion. His popularity sustained itself through the next two decades with parts in films and albums that were sparse, edgy forays into heavy-metal. Last year he released "Dirty Diamonds," his 42nd album. Q.What do you do for fun offstage? A. Well, I'm addicted to golf, always have been. It's a rock 'n' roll sport now. We hijacked it from the old guys! I'm also an insatiable muscle car freak. I've got a 535-horsepower Mustang that I love. I've also got a '66 LeMans that I restored with my son and a friend. And I have a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr. Q. What kind of a father is Alice Cooper? A. Yeah, I know. It's hard to envision the scourge of rock 'n' roll as any kind of a father figure. But my kids are great. They get straight A's in school. They're in church with me every Sunday. My son's got his own band, my daughter's an actress in Hollywood, and my 13-year-old is doing well. It's amazing these kids aren't screwed up. But my wife and I have been happily married for 30 years. We're a very tight family. Q. What can people expect at Summerfest? A. The "Dirty Diamonds" show is a compilation of the best stuff I've ever done on stage. It's got the straitjacket, the guillotine, all the good stuff. There's a point during "Wish I Was Born in Beverly Hills" where a Paris Hilton look-alike comes out onstage. She's got a little Chihuahua dog in her purse, and it goes for her throat. It's very satirical, but modern and up-to-date. Q. So you're not slowing down? A. This show is more high-energy than anything I've ever done. It's a killer band and a monster show. People who say, "Oh, Alice Cooper, he's 58, he'll do a nice show and talk before each of his songs." Guess again. People who come to the Summerfest show are going to see an Alice Cooper that's ever more villainous than the one from the 1970s. Q. Name a song you wish you'd written. A. Oh, there's so many. To this day I cannot believe I didn't write "Smells like Teen Spirit" or "Dude Looks Like a Lady." Q. Have you ever bought something from a TV infomercial? A. Oh, yeah. I'm one of those guys that sits there at 3 in the morning and goes, "Hmm, I need that." Then you get it and it doesn't work. The dumbest thing I ever bought was that thing you strap across your stomach and it sends a little electric zap to your abdominal muscles. Bruce Lee had one. He said every jolt was worth like a hundred sit-ups. I don't know how many volts of electricity it shot into my abs, but it made me jump every time. Nothing ever happened. Except I had burns all over my stomach. Q. How far do you think you'd have gotten on "American Idol"? A. Oh, please. I'd love to see a tsunami wash away all of these reality shows. I hate them. And "American Idol"? It's all cookie-cutter music. You can go see those people on a Carnival cruise line in about a year, because that's where they're all are headed. The only one that made any sense was Kelly Clarkson. I talked to her right after she won and told her, "The world doesn't need any more divas. Be a rock 'n' roll chick." Kelly's made some great records. She's for real. Q. What did people think of you in high school? A. They said, "We don't know what you're going to be, but you're going to be a star. You're definitely not one of us." I was the Ferris Bueller of my school. I did well in classes like art, English, creative writing. I faked my way through biology, math and science. I actually had a deal with my teachers in those classes. I said, "I'll make this class really fun and the kids will love being here. All I want in return is a C. Just so we both understand that I'm not doing any homework and I'm not going to pass any tests." Q. What's your favorite childhood memory? A. Seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan one week and then seeing the Stones the next week. That pretty much helped me decide what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Alice Cooper adds bite to Taste
Heavy metal's original shocker sang his hits and entertained with a stage show complete with guillotine.
Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune
Last update: June 30, 2006 – 11:50 PM
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Alice Cooper adds bite to Taste
Taste of Minnesota, the festival that rebukes hip-hop acts for not being family-friendly, kicked off Friday night in St. Paul with a gory, gimmicky set by heavy metal's original shocker, Alice Cooper. So much for the Tastefulness.
Among the cutout-bin lineup of classic-rockers that take over Harriet Island every year, though, Cooper, 58, actually offered decent marquee value. It had been several years since he performed in the Twin Cities. And though he has been turned down by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the showman's influence is still being felt today in made-up metal acts such as Marilyn Manson, Slipknot and Rob Zombie. Of course, Cooper's Vincent Price-worthy stage show -- with the guillotine, giant snake, fake blood, etc. -- is pretty tame by today's standards. Corny might be a better word. But that didn't stop the crowd from eating up the routine, which started with "Welcome to My Nightmare" and ended with some sort of Paris Hilton spoof as its feeble attempt at modernizing. Cooper wound up tossing the faux Ms. Hilton's pet Chihuahua through the air with a hard thud. At least he didn't bite its head off. Musically, though, Cooper's hits stood up pretty well. With a young, capable band that edged on thrash-metal at times, his 90-minute show was laced with '70s radio staples that sounded less dated than a lot of the '80s tunes played on KQRS: "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and "Billion Dollar Babies" at the start, "School's Out" and "Only Women Bleed" toward the end and -- best of all -- "Under My Wheels" as the finale. The crowd of 10,000 or so clearly was an Alice audience. That was obvious when fans with smeared black mascara started camping out near the stage hours before his 7 p.m. start time. Thanks to a booking that seemed as nonsensical as the math for getting a beer (eight tickets for $5, seven tickets per beer ... !!), these fans had to sit through the 5 p.m. set by Gary Wright of "Dream Weaver" fame. You know, the hippie-dippy song mocked in "Wayne's World" that still gives synthesizers a bad name. He played it and others like it. Suffice to say, you haven't really experienced Taste until you've seen a bunch of peeved Alice Cooper fans sitting through "Dream Weaver." Ar GWAR: Cover Of ALICE COOPER's 'School's Out' Available For Download - June 7, 2006 Oderous Urungus, lead singer of GWAR, recently posted a message on the DRT Entertainment web site where he discussed the band's upcoming album, titled "Beyond Hell", covering an ALICE COOPER song, working with producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD), and SlavePit TV. Here is what he had to say: "OK, scum, it is I, Oderus Urungus, overlord of Toilet Earth and lead singer of the most dangerous band on this or any other planet — GWAR! Here to give you a quick update/review on the upcoming events and disasters that are set to plague this planet in the wake of GWAR's latest assault upon your sense and sensibility! "First off, it's DONE! 'Beyond Hell', our latest and greatest studio release to date, is mixed and mastered and ready to drop on your heads! Produced by the amazing Devin Townsend, I can say with utmost confidence that this one is going to take yer fucking head off! The record doesn't get released til' August, but that is not going to stop us from letting you hear the first single from the album. That's right, we actually have done a single for radio play in a desperate attempt to expand GWAR's dominion of this world to the FM airwaves! "But what's this you say? That GWAR's music is simply TOO FUCKED UP to ever make it on the radio — well, yer right! And that's why, for the first time in GWAR history, we have covered someone else's music! But not just anybody! Nobody less than ALICE COOPER, who is rumored to be a Scumdog himself! GWAR pays homage to the original master of shock rock, with a bone-crushing version of his most famous song — that's right, GWAR has covered 'School's Out' [download MP3 file at this location] as the anthem of the summer and the rallying cry for legions of fed-up drop-outs everywhere. Demand it from your local lame-ass radio station all summer long, and hear us play it live on the mammoth Sounds of the Underground tour, coming soon to a burning city near you! "And just to catch you up on the various other GWAR activities, Slave Pit Television (viewable at this location) is going strong, with new chapters being added every week! The new video, 'Bloodbath and Beyond', will be out this summer! "As I mentioned earlier, we will be dominating the Sounds of the Underground tour all summer, and then this fall go on a HUGE headline tour. Plus I've had my pet hemmorhoid 'Blinky' replaced with several more that are even nastier. Rejoice children, it's almost time — GWAR will amongst you soon!"
COOPER RAISES THE ROOF
Iomonline
DECAPITATION, resurrection, a murderous dancer and dollar bills — an
average evening of family entertainment at the Villa Marina on
Thursday.
CLASS ACT: Alice Cooper produced a mix of pantomime, hard rock and
classic hits at the Villa Marina MP060601-11Alice Cooper brought his
legendary show to town and rocked a sold-out venue in a fantastic
performance that raised the roof. We're almost being spoilt with the quality acts the Villa is
attracting these days and, with Lou Reed later this week and the
Beautiful South to come, suddenly the Isle of Man is not such a
surprising stop-off point for touring performers. These are people who fill arenas which hold 10 or 20 times more fans
than the Villa, which manages to combine the feel of being at a big
show with the intimacy of a much smaller venue. It's still always special when you get up close at a gig and realise
the person on stage looks exactly the same as he did in the video/on
the chat show/in that advert with Ronnie Corbett. As one ecstatic fan said: 'I can see his wrinkles!' Just two days later, Cooper was playing in front of 60,000-plus fans
at Milton Keynes, so to say signing him up to play at the TT was a
coup is an understatement. As expected, Alice Cooper's performance was a mix of pure pantomime,
hard rock and classic hits. He arrived on stage in dramatic fashion to the strains of Lloyd
Webber's Phantom of the Opera — a fitting entrance if ever there was
one — before breaking into show opener Department of Youth. With a back catalogue of more than 20 albums spanning four decades,
it wasn't long before he was into the classics with a rip-roaring
version of No More Mr Nice Guy. For Billion Dollar Babies, he threw dollar bills into the crowd from
the end of his épée sword and he continued with a rapid fire battery
of hits and new material, assembling body parts in a coffin during
Feed My Frankenstein. What you get with Cooper is a consumate performance. He may not
actually talk directly to his fans between songs but he has something
that so many frontmen these days lack: real charisma. He doesn't need banter to keep the crowd's attention and he had the
Villa audience in the palm of his hand from the off. His shows suck you in and then spit you out with ringing eardrums at
the end. And his band gave fantastic support. No glum rockers here, this was
unashamed metal madness from Keri Kelli and Damon Johnson on guitars,
Chuck Garric on bass and Eric Singer on drums. And for the theatrics we also have to thank Cooper's own daughter
Calico, a dancer, although not one who could be easily confused with
Bonnie Langford. As the show built towards a climax, it was Cooper jnr who ensured
daddy was sent to the guillotine and beheaded — a little harsh,
considering the quality show he was giving. She also seemed to take
great delight waving his severed 'head' before the audience. But, sure enough, to the opening chords of School's Out, the main man
returned, via a coffin, to bring the show to a thundering climax. When you've got a song like that to finish your performance, it can't
be easy to outdo it for the encore, but as soon as the first note of
his 80s smash hit Poison was struck, the Villa was a sea of lofted
arms. Pure class.
Paul Speller
08 June 2006ticle in the Arizona Republic
Not to mention . . .
. . . Star power: Alice Cooper has been framed. But the rocker volunteered.
Cooper, the Valley's favorite resident celebrity, is appearing in a new television commercial for the Hall of Frames stores in Phoenix. It all came about through Cooper's friendship with Jay Kogan, president of the locally owned firm. They were talking at Alice Cooper'stown, the rocker's Phoenix restaurant, about television and Cooper volunteered to be in the commercial. But the trick was to get it all done that day because he was leaving town. Kogan called some friends in the industry and found some others in the Yellow Pages and put together a crew fast enough to do the commercial in one day. "We've gotten a lot of recognition with Alice Cooper being in these spots," Kogan said. The independent Online: The Wonder Years: Things to do before your 30: ALICE COOPER [58, ROCK STAR] If I could go back I think I would have liked to start my acting career earlier, so that maybe when rock 'n' roll is over, in about 10 years from now, I could be Darth-somebody in Star Wars 23. But apart from that I think I did everything by the time I was 30 - and some of the things I'm still paying for! I had toured the world three or four times and had already made three or four platinum albums, but we hadn't won a Grammy yet, so that was one thing I missed out on. We were basically living from one hotel room to the next, so I guess I'm pretty glad I was a rock 'n' roll gypsy before I got too old. I also married my wife when I was 27, and after 30 years I have still never cheated on her. I think I may be the only one in rock 'n' roll who can say that - Alice Cooper is basically a romantic. Alice Cooper is performing tomorrow, 29 May, at the Sheffield City Hall. His new DVD is also out tomorrow Happy Birthday to Sheryl who got a great kick out of Dash presenting her a wheelchair with a big "50" on the back last night(May20) at a surprise party at Alice Cooperstown 20/20 did an interview at Cooperstown tonight (may 16th)for the red paperclip story Runaway Phoenix show:July 15, Alice Cooperstown New Airpark Commercial featuring the song "Steal That Car" Christmas Pudding is December 16th.(You are NOT gonna wanna miss this one) Alice Cooper a changed man By DAVID SCHMEICHEL -- Winnipeg Sun
Are you an aging rock 'n' roll veteran looking to claw your way out of years of drunken, drug-addled debauchery?
You could always take up golf. That's the advice from former shock-rocker Alice Cooper, who most certainly knows a thing or two about drunken (but not drug-addled) debauchery. These days, Cooper (real name: Vincent Furnier) is better known as rock's endearing oddball uncle -- cropping up in TV ads and movie cameos, and espousing the benefits of Christian living and golf. And if the back nine seems an unlikely setting for a man whose kohl-eyed visage once gave parents nightmares, well -- at least he's not alone. "Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Lou Reed, Iggy, Lou Reed, Roger Waters, I could keep going down the list," says Cooper, rattling off the hard-rock contemporaries who share his affinity for the game. "It's very infectious, and most of the people I know who were once addicted to something have gotten into it. It's the same process of trying to get that one perfect shot that's as satisfying to you as the first shot you ever took."
If Cooper sounds deathly serious about golf, it's because the game just may have helped save his life. He took it up as a means of filling his time while trying to give up booze and soon became so hooked, he's now a regular at the Bob Hope Classic and the Phoenix Open (along with his personal caddie, Winnipeg resident and Rossmere Country Club pro Craig Yahiro). Sure, there are purists who kvetch about golf not being a very fitting pastime for a man who once used his own faked deaths (via noose, guillotine, and electric chair) as the centrepiece of his blood-and-guts stage show. But Cooper isn't listening. "When you're a rebel, you rebel against everything," he laughs. It's that same attitude that's seen Cooper bringing his career full circle in recent years. After the bombast of his '80s and '90s output, he returned to his garage-rock roots for 2003's The Eyes of Alice Cooper and last year's Dirty Diamonds (both of which echo the messy bravado of Detroit contemporaries The Stooges and The White Stripes). "I said, 'Guys, let's write a song, take a lunch break, then record it,' " says Cooper of his fast-and-dirty approach. "Let's just sound like a really good bar band." The albums have garnered Cooper a new generation of fans and this week earned him the key to the city of Alice, N.D., where he performed Sunday en route to a show tomorrow night at Centennial Concert Hall. But nothing can top the young man in the U.S. who won a lunch with Cooper after taking first prize in a radio station-sponsored lookalike contest. Cooper's From the Inside tour took an insane asylum as its theme, so he thought nothing of it when men appeared backstage to escort the contest winner away in a straitjacket. "Then I find out these guys were from a real mental institution," he says incredulously. "This guy had escaped from the mental institution, gone down to the mall with 300 other people and won this contest, even though he didn't look like me at all ... What are the odds?" T Paper-clip offer inspires swaps for bigger, better things Lisa Nicita The Arizona Republic May. 3, 2006 12:00 AM It might be a stretch to think one red paper clip has the power to change lives. But Jody Gnant believes it's entirely possible.
One red paper clip brought the Phoenix resident a recording contract, something she has dreamed about for years.
Now, it's given Leslie Criger a little financial freedom, allowing her to blow off rent for a year. What began as an online trading venture borrowed from a scavenger-hunt-type game has evolved into a real-life Pay It Forward-style marketplace that reaches around the world. Now it has landed in the Valley.
Although Gnant and Criger are only links in a chain of trades that included a doorknob and an instant party, they are two of the first to receive a trade that could truly change their lives.
"Oh my gosh, it's the coolest thing ever," Criger said.
Criger was the winner of the most recent trade, offering a day with Alice Cooper for a year's free rent. A five-year employee at Alice Cooper'stown, Criger has heard all the stories of the lengths Cooper's fans would go to hang out with him."I couldn't think of anything of what I had, but I definitely thought of whom I knew," she said.
Kyle MacDonald, 26, started the bartering frenzy last summer with an Internet blog, offering one red paper clip as a trade for something bigger and better. The Montreal resident swapped the paper clip, which had held his resume together, for a fish pen. He traded the fish pen for a doorknob and the doorknob for a Coleman grill. The trades have grown rapidly ever since.
MacDonald accepts a bid and coordinates the trade for something better. He traded a van for a recording contract, which includes 30 hours of recording time, 50 hours of mixing and transportation to and from the Toronto recording studio. The album will also be pitched to executives at Sony-BMG and XM Satellite Radio.
Gnant traded a year's free rent at her quaint 1920s-era Phoenix duplex in the Garfield District for that contract. Gnant said she digs the vibe that the paper clip is creating.
"This is creating social generosity and change. I love that," Gnant said. "I could feel that it was magical. I could feel it was a big deal."
People offered a summer in Hollywood, architectural designs for a custom home and a 30-second TV commercial for the free rent. But Criger's offer of a day with Alice took the cake. MacDonald is taking bids online for the latest trade now.
"We thought, what a tremendous thing," said Sheryl Cooper, Alice's wife.
Criger already rents the other side of Gnant's duplex. Cooper said she and Alice just wanted to be a part of the movement. "Look how many lives it's changed already. You can start with nothing too small," Cooper said. "It solicits a feel-good spirit and truly wanting to pay it forward."
MacDonald has received thousands of offers in the nine months since he first posted his paper clip, but he has made just 11 trades. People have offered their souls. One woman offered her virginity, another bidder a full body tattoo.
He recently received an offer for a 24-hour lap-dance-a-thon from a stripper in Japan.
"That's an interesting wake-up call," he said.
But MacDonald said he is looking beyond the weird and sometimes tempting offers to find people who could really benefit from a potential trade. People like Gnant and Criger.
"This is a million little miracles," Gnant said.
Patricia Lewis, a senior professional in residence at the Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management at Arizona State University, thinks McDonald's idea is a novel one. She said it borders on philanthropy, but because those who trade receive something in return, MacDonald's efforts aren't philanthropic.
"What's fascinating me is that he's finding that what sparks him is the value to somebody's life that these trades can bring if he's careful," Lewis said. "He's doing it from a very principled way. He doesn't want to do these things for the money or the value, but also for the good." he Phoenix Times this week has an article about a Japanese chef that serves exotic foods:Penquin,Walrus etc.As well as Peta,Ted Nugent And Alice Cooper(with pic) gave their comments: "God Told Noah In Genesis That Every Living Thing That moveth Shall Be Meat For You And I Suppose Every Moving Thing Includes Walruses And Penguins" Says shock rocker born again christain Alice Cooper "So There's Nothing Morally Wrong With What Kaz Is Doing" Cbc article
Local golfer tees off with Alice Cooper
Last updated May 5 2006 04:13 PM ADT
CBC News
A Saint John area golfer won't soon forget the round he played on Thursday. Don Connolly's playing partner was shock rocker Alice Cooper.
Cooper and his band were in town for a performance at the Harbour Station entertainment centre Thursday night.
Left to right, Alice Cooper with Rick Gaudet and Don Connolly (Photo courtesy of Westfield Golf & Country Club)
As any golf fan who watches the pro-am tournaments knows, the 58-year-old Cooper is a golf fanatic. So he hit the links in suburban Saint John with a group of local players, including Connolly.
Cooper lives up to his reputation as one mean golfer, Connolly says. The rocker shot a 76 on the Westfield Golf & Country Club's par 69 course. "And, you know what? He didn't make a putt. So he could have been great. He hardly missed a fairway," Connolly says. Cooper likes to play for money – in this instance, for a dollar a hole. But, Connolly says, it was local golfer John Guerin who stole the spotlight. He won nine holes from Cooper. The rock star was a good sport about it, giving them backstage passes, and posing for photos before he headed off for his evening performance. Says Connolly, "We got a picture … with him giving Johnny Guerin the money." That doesn't take away from what Cooper accomplished, Connolly says. "It is a tough course, and … to come out and do that after a night on stage [in Halifax], that's pretty impressive." For Connolly, golfing with Alice Cooper was pretty impressive too. "The most memorable golf round of my life," he says. Canada Review Alice a scary good time Civic Centre, Ottawa - May 6, 2006
OTTAWA - Naysayers just don't know how to rock.
Between Alice Cooper and Helix, there was about a half-century of classic rock available for consumption last night at the Civic Centre. Predictably, the week leading up to this summit of fossil-rock came with lots of teasing from collegues at seeing veteran shock-rocker Cooper, whom I first saw in 1972, and the over-achieving Canadian metal band from the 1980s on the same bill. There's a terrible prejudice against musicians over the age of 40, it seems, and this double-bill was clearly stepping into Guy Lombardo and Lawrence Welk territory. The brat asked me which museum Cooper was playing. Children can be so cruel. Too bad, too. This double-bill in front of 3,200 fans was one of the most fun concert free-for-alls I've seen since the last time Cooper was here in 2004. So the only thing left to say to those who were too young and hip and jaded and cynical to attend this retro-rockfest is, who's laughing now?
HEAD-BOPPING EXPERIENCE The two-and-a-half-hour orgy of oldies was a surprisingly satisfying head-bopping, foot-pounding, sing-along-at-the-top-of-your-voice experience by rock icons still in peak form. Or at least close enough to not notice or care. Even in his senior years, Cooper's proved to be a surprisingly resilient performer. Sticking closely to the greatest-hits setlist from those seminal albums of the 1970s -- Killer, Love It To Death and School's Out -- with which he refined his combination of power rock ballads and camp theatrics. And, too, there's the stage full of fun-house props and shocking images he's been having fun with since 1969. Dressed in his trademark black leather, black eye-liner, top-hat and walking stick, Cooper really had little more to do than introduce each song and let the house take over the vocals on No More Mr. Nice Guy, Dirty Drivers, Be My Lover, Lost In America, I Never Cry, 18 and You Drive Me Nervous. Midway through his set, Cooper restaged the same macabre bondage scene with one of the female dancers he did in 2004, giving him time to change costumes for the grand finale of Welcome To My Nightmare -- including Stephen, Only Women Bleed and The Ballad of Dwight Fry -- that hinted at the spectacular showmanship he pioneered, with strait-jackets and horrifying staged violence. Opening band Helix were just as good as they were 20 years ago, when they were considered one of the best metal bands to come out of Canada since Triumph and Saga. Fronted by heavy-rocking vocalist Brian Vollmer, the Kitchener-based band covered most of their hits in an hour-long set. Predictably, the band -- Vollmer, Rainer Weichmann, Jeff Fountain, Cindi Whiteman, Jim Lawson and Brent Niemi -- covered Wild in the Streets, The Kids Are All Shakin', a slightly queasy cover of A Foot in Coldwater's Make Me Do Anything You Want and Heavy Metal Love, which is going to be featured in this summer's Trailer Park Boys movie. They closed with an uncombed version of their anthem Rock You that indeed rocked, regardless how old it was.
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