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Topic: Interviews With Original ALICE COOPER BAND Members To Air On COOPER's Radio Show Return to archive
6th January 2007 03:53 PM
Ten Thousand Motels
Interviews With Original ALICE COOPER BAND Members To Air On COOPER's Radio Show
Jan. 6, 2007
blabbermouth.net

Interviews with the surviving original members of the ALICE COOPER BAND — Dennis Dunaway (bass), Neal Smith (drums) and Michael Bruce (guitar) — conducted on December 16, 2006 backstage at Cooper's annual Christmas Pudding event, will air on Alice's radio show "Nights with Alice Cooper" on Wednesday, January 10. The program is a classic-rock format and is nationally syndicated on the United Stations Radio Networks. Air times differ, so make sure to check out NightsWithAliceCooper.com for more information.

Cooper reunited with Dunaway, Smith and Bruce for a performance at the Christmas Pudding show. They played a total of six tracks at the event: "No More Mr. Nice Guy", "Be My Lover", "Under My Wheels", "Billion Dollar Babies", "I'm 18", and "School's Out".

ALICE COOPER fan site SickthingsUK has been updated with photos from the event, courtesy of Patrick Brzezinski and Barbara Miller.

Current ALICE COOPER guitarist Damon Johnson, who played with Alice, Dennis, Neal and Michael at the show, had the following to say about the performance: "The night was great and there was lots of love for the COOP band. The other musicians on the bill even had much enthusiasm and curiosity to see the original lineup. As a player and a fan, I was knocked out at how great Neal, Dennis and Michael played. Mike saved us all with cues throughout the show (we changed the set order at the last minute), and I felt like Alice had a great time simply hanging with the guys during the night. Wish we could have played more songs (we had 'Muscle of Love' and 'Is It My Body' ready to go, but there was not enough time). Was very special and incredibly memorable for me...truly and honor to be a part of it."

A short video interview with Alice, where he talks about the Christmas Pudding show, can be viewed at Phoenix Fox News.

6th January 2007 06:20 PM
J.J.Flash Thanks TTM for putting some Alice fresh news here. Stones fans should respect bands/guys like Alice Cooper for his non-stop devotion to real classic Rock'n'Roll.

You know, I'm absent but always with an eye on you RO'ers.
7th January 2007 08:05 AM
Homercles Fantastic story thankyou very much. I hope there is a complete recording of their performance out there somewhere.
7th January 2007 12:06 PM
Jumping Jack Reunited & It Feels So Good!
A First Hand Account of the Gig That Reunited the Original Alice Cooper Group by Bassist Dennis Dunaway

I left Phoenix at 2:00 p.m. and landed in New York and got home at 2:00 a.m. with dreamlike memories of my rock n' roll weekend begging to be shared.

Music rehearsals, catching up with the old gang -- Ampboy and Toodie Mueller included -- meeting fans from near and far, and playing with Michael, Neal, and Alice made the trip special. The spirit of all the entertainers, as well as the audience, nearly raised the roof off the seven thousand-seat SRO Dodge Theatre. And best of all, charitable people donated record-breaking funds for the Solid Rock Foundation.

The adventure began with my cousin, Jerry, picking me up at the Phoenix airport and telling me that he took the week off work so he could drive me around. This was welcome news since the rehearsal studio and the venue were across town from my parent's house where I was staying. I told Jerry that I was nursing a toothache and showed him my swollen jaw to prove it. We drove across town to my parent’s house where I had lived when my best friend and I decided to start a band.

On day two, Jerry drove me back across town where Neal, Michael, Damon Johnson, and I ran through the set twice before heading over to the Dodge Theatre for a third run-through with Alice. The magnificent Dodge Theatre was buzzing with activity as musicians, dancers, and a variety of entertainers rehearsed and did sound checks for the following night's performance. Alice was busy on stage coordinating the show. I noticed his daughter, Calico, in the theatre seating area so I went to say hi. I also saw Alice’s wife, Cheryl, and we talked for a while. Alice and I shook hands and caught up on family news and joked around a bit but he had more show coordinating to take care of so we went our separate ways.

Michael and Damon arrived and we checked our tuning, amp placement, and settings while Alice and Shep [Gordan, Alice Cooper's long time manager] discussed where to make a break in the set to mention Glen Buxton. We were ready to rehearse but Neal, uncharacteristically, hadn't arrived. Michael joked about Neal's possible excuses and how comfortable the beds were at the Hyatt, which made Neal smile when he walked in because he assumed Michael was saying something along those lines.

We began with the intro to "Hello Hooray" and then went right into "Under My Wheels," "Be My Lover," and "No More Mr. Nice Guy." Alice reminded us that he would say something about Glen before the next song, "Billion Dollar Babies." Damon Johnson told Alice that we had rehearsed "Muscle Of Love" and urged him to add it to the set. Alice said the show was already six hours long. After "Billion Dollar Babies," we played a moody version of "I'm Eighteen" with an extra big ending, which went right into "School's Out." When we finished the set, Alice suggested starting with "Nice Guy" into "Be My Lover" and then "Under My Wheels" without the "Hello Hooray" intro. Everyone agreed and our rehearsal was a wrap.

Neal invited me to dinner at Cooperstown, so Jerry and I met him and his endearing companion, Rose, at the restaurant. Mike Allen [the original band's first roadie] and his wife, Ellen, and her sister, Mary, were already there, as well as Toodie Mueller [her maiden name]. The Alice Cooper group had recorded a song about Toodie for the Pretties For You album. They were all great friends and among the first to support our dream. Alice's manager, Shep Gordon, and his daughter, Amber, and the Barns family from Ohio arrived. Pleasant conversation, good food, and a couple more Ibuprofen kept my mind off my toothache.

As we were leaving, someone called my name. I turned and saw Janice Buxton waving to us. Mac, who had flown in from Australia, was with her. Mac’s face was battered and swollen like he had been beaten up. He said he was walking around the streets of downtown Phoenix and ran into the wrong guys, which landed him a night in the hospital.

The day of the show began with breakfast at my parent’s house and a trip back across town to the Hyatt, where the Dunaway clan [Mom, Dad, sister Tawnya, Jerry and his sister, Cheryl] relaxed for a few minutes before deciding to attend the final dress rehearsal at the Dodge Theatre. All six of us climbed into the shuttle bus and I told the driver that it was a lousy time to say anything bad about the Dunaway's. He laughed and maneuvered through the holiday traffic to the theatre.

As expected, the backstage area was bustling. Alice greeted us and asked if I would like to do an interview for his radio show. We went into a dressing room and a technician clipped a microphone to my lapel. We talked briefly and then Michael and Neal joined us. The subjects that came and went had little to do with Alice's intended theme, songwriting. The four of us joked around for a half hour or so and then Alice told Michael to get his guitar so we could figure out a finale based around "Jingle Bells." Since there were about nine guitar players in the show, we decided to go into "Johnny B Goode" for the jam part and then back into "Jingle Bells." Alice constructed an ending and Michael showed the arrangement to Damon Johnson. Dress rehearsals were running late so we skipped reviewing our set and only rehearsed the “Jingle Bells” finale with Stephen Stills, Al Dimeola, and a host of other exceptional guitar players.

Jerry took the Dunaway clan back to the Hyatt while I attended the VIP reception where I met long-time friends from Phoenix, as well as fans who had traveled from other countries including, France, England, Norway, Holland, South America, Japan, and of course, there was Mac from Australia, whose swollen face had improved noticeably. A half hour passed, show time was announced, and an exodus of scurrying commenced. I took a confusing Spinal Tap style route back to the dressing room where I sat down to relax. Alice came in to record more interviews for his radio show so I got up to leave but he asked me to hang around and, once again, had the technician set up a microphone for me.

As hours of entertainment unfolded in the theatre, the backstage area buzzed with an uncountable quantity of great conversations. Cheryl Cooper was very friendly and, like Alice, seemed to fuel the holiday spirit, which kept in perspective that the event was for a good cause.

As the night wore on, my toothache and exhaustion began to take their toll but when the stage manager said it was time to go on, I seemed fine. Then, like so many times in years past, the Alice Cooper Group scrambled into one small dressing room to prepare. Clothes flew this way and that while drinks got gulped [coffee rather than beer] and guitars being tuned and guitar riffs filled the room. Shep poked his head in the door and said, "Let's do it."

I grabbed my bass and followed Neal, who followed Michael and Alice, as they marched down the hall into the darkened stage area where cast and crew milled in whispering tones. "Do we have time for one more rehearsal?" I asked Alice. "This is the rehearsal," he said laughing. Michael and Neal went out to adjust their settings -- something I would regret not doing. I asked the Crew Technician to set the dials to what was written on the tape on the amp. She did and gave me a thumbs-up.

"Let's go," said Alice. We walked out to a warm reception. I plugged in and asked Damon and then Neal if they were ready. Alice signaled Neal who clicked his sticks together and the guitars began the opening riff to "No More Mr. Nice Guy." Neal’s drum fill shot through the room. The guitars continued and then Neal hit a second fill where the bass was to come in -- but no sound came from my amp. Alice and the rest proceeded rocking as I scrambled and scrambled with no luck. I switched cords, signaled for a roadie, and wiggled every connection. But still no @#*&^@#$!! sound! I ran to the opposite side of the stage and plugged into another bass amp just in time for my intro to "Be My Lover." The bass thundered and the blurring moments quickly became physical and sweaty. The sound was full and, note for note, the song became unmistakably familiar. I felt like I was home again as Alice, Michael, Neal, and I had played those songs a million times before. Damon Johnson duly represented the irreplaceable Glen Buxton.

Guitars screamed the intro for "Under My Wheels." When Neal and I hammered the first crashing chord, suddenly a rocker I had written in 1969 sounded as fresh as day one. Alice commanded the audience with zest as he moved across the stage. His voice had gained fullness throughout the years and his spirit was lively. Michael's guitar swooped up and down as he played. I yelled, "Go Michael," and Alice looked at me. When the song ended, I took a deep breath and walked back to tweak my amp settings. Alice paid a fitting tribute to Glen and then he introduced each of us.

Neal called out, "Billion Dollar Babies." I nodded and his signature drum part cracked, bop blap blap --bop blap blap blap blap blap. The guitars whined and Neal’s power took on an aggressive edge. The upper tier of the balcony moved in waves while the floor crowd surged forward. I saw some familiar faces and smiled. Michael smiled and then Alice smiled.

Slowly and deliberately, “I’m Eighteen” came in with a heavy mood. We played it the way we wrote it -- the way we had always intended it to feel. It built to a crescendo as the extra chords rang out, and then Damon Johnson played the opening riff for “School’s Out.” The crowd cheered and I felt like a long lost part of me had been found.

I was home again.


7th January 2007 12:08 PM
Jumping Jack More interviews here:

http://www.sickthingsuk.co.uk/interviews/index.php
8th January 2007 06:40 AM
Homercles Many thanks Jumping Jack. I had goose pimples just reading it. Pity about Dennis' bass part in the first track. He could always dub it onto the track in the studio if the original lineup decides to release a dvd of the event. fingers crossed
8th January 2007 07:25 AM
guitarman53 Great Interview, I've always been a fan of the original band, I saw the original band in concert just about every time they ever played in Toronto, here is Neal Smith's Webpage.http://www.nealsmith.com/events.htm
Neal Smith Rock | Events
8th January 2007 09:12 AM
Jumping Jack While I love the original band, the current line up is hot stuff and non-stop RNR. Be sure to catch their act. Coop still kicks butt!


[Edited by Jumping Jack]
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