Alice Cooper On Hard Rock: ‘It’s The One Music That Has Gone For 50 Years Without Losing Its Edge’

In a recent interview with Riff X’s “Metal XS,” legendary rocker Alice Cooper discussed the timeless appeal of hard rock and how his own sound has evolved over five decades, as well as how rock bands have shaped their unique identities within the genre.

Cooper said, “I just can’t get away from the classic rock of the ’70s. It’s a timeless foundation built on early Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Yardbirds influences. Every good hard rock band traces its roots back to Chuck Berry and that 4/4 beat. Then, you find your own unique voice, like Guns N’ Roses or Aerosmith. It’s about performance and personality.”

He continued, “Somebody once said, talking about music is like dancing about architecture. It’s almost impossible to talk about it. You have to hear it and then either you like it or you don’t. But hard rock is the one music that has endured for 50 years without losing its edge. Grunge, punk, hip-hop, disco, they’ve all had their moments, but hard rock has always been there, and it always will be. Led Zeppelin will always be Led Zeppelin. And you play Led Zeppelin for a 16-year-old kid and they go, ‘Oh, yeah.’ There’s something about that kind of music that will not die.”