Alice Cooper's next election campaign has begun, and this time it's… well, not entirely serious, but a little more relevant than in the past.
Since “Elected” was released in 1972 Billion dollar babies album (a revision of the track “Reflected”, the first single from the band's 1969 debut, Pretties For You), the largely apolitical Cooper used the song as fodder for his activism, organizing mock rallies at the end of his concerts, grousing about his Wild Party and calling himself “a troubled man for troubled times.”
It was part of the climax of his latest show, which debuted in April 2023, but now he adds pointedly that “I have absolutely no idea what to do — so I'd have to fit in.” He has also launched the website aliceforpresident.com, which promises “constant virtual reunions and Q&A sessions” and urges fans to “Stay tuned. Come to the discussion. Become part of the Movement.
If elected, he won't serve, of course, but Cooper seems more ready to join the conversation as the campaign heats up.
“It's the same joke over and over again. It was funny when I started doing it, now I'm really sick of it,” says the Arizona resident. Advertising sign from his current European tour. “I just can't believe these two (candidates) are the best we can do. Do you know what it really is? These two are the best money can buy. All they have to do is just pull up a phone book and put a finger on someone. whoever it is, if it's a guy who owns a gas station in Iowa, he should be president… It seems like anybody out there could be better than those two guys.''
Cooper adds that overseas tours have also given him additional perspective on the situation. “Everyone here is horrified at what's happening to our presidential race,” says the artist. “Everyone I talk to in Europe is like, 'Really? Is that the best you can do are these two guys?' and I'm like, “I have no idea.”
He also adds to the political commentary, holding onto the straitjacket he wears during “The Ballad of Dwight Frye” when he steps up to the high, ornate podium to deliver “Elected.”
“That's the funniest part. Here's this straitjacket maniac saying “You could do better! I'm your man!' Alice in the straitjacket makes sense, you know? “Let insanity reign!”
Election satire aside, Cooper's campaign will be busy for the rest of the year. He and his band are in Europe until mid-July, returning to North America from July 30 in Niagara Falls, Canada, and including another run of the Freaks On Parade tour with Rob Zombie, Ministry and Filter in late summer. Another European run, meanwhile, takes place in October.
Cooper has also completed work on a “surprise album” to follow last year's Road. It offered no details, including a title or release date, other than “it turned out to be very unique.” It's also enjoying new life on syndicated radio with Alice's Attic, the successor to Nights With Alice Cooper. He expanded his presentation with the five-hour program, introducing a variety of characters and more aural theatrics.
“I'm actually having more fun with it now, because I can go to different places with it,” Cooper says. “It's basically the same kind of show, except now I've put it into a format where I can have characters, because once you're in Alice's attic, there's broken dolls, a butler, Madeline the mannequin — things you'd normally find in an attic is now characters in the show. I got to make it a little creepier, a little funnier.”
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/alice-cooper-relaunches-satirical-us-presidential-campaign-interview-1235713248/