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Go Ask Alice
Last weekend my wife and I visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was a first for us, and a good time was had by all. (And let me get this out of the way now. Yes, I did lose to my wife in the day’s Trivia Competition at the Hall. But so did a couple of dozen other people; she was Trivia Champion of the session.)
Because of the comprehensive nature of the Hall, there was some acknowledgment of Christian influence on rock music. There was a section saluting the influence of gospel music, with respect paid to 1987 inductee Aretha Franklin (let me take a moment to highly recommend the 2018 concert documentary, Amazing Grace, featuring the Queen of Soul herself).
Of course, there was recognition of 1992 inductee Johnny Cash, frequent ministry partner with the Rev. Billy Graham. Though not an inductee, the Christian musician Phil Keaggy has a presence among the greats (his Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, which he played while with the band Glass Harp, is there).
And, of course, there is 2011 inductee Alice Cooper. (There’s something great about Cooper and Neil Diamond being inducted in the same year.)
Many people aren’t aware that Vincent Furnier is a born-again Christian. (Furnier is his birth name, Alice Cooper is his stage name, and also the name of his band.)
He had a special place in our family tradition. When our kids were in junior high and high school, we would celebrate the end of the school year by dining at Round Table Pizza and playing Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” on the jukebox.
There is no acknowledgement in the Hall of Cooper’s Christian faith. But he’s not quiet about it.
I first heard about it from a friend who saw Cooper at a Christian event (I think it was a Ligonier Ministries Seminar). My friend, Dathan, introduced himself. Cooper said, “Didn’t Dathan rebel against Moses?” My friend was impressed with Cooper’s knowledge of the Book of Exodus. But Cooper admitted he remembered Dathan as the character played by Edgar G. Robinson in The Ten Commandments.
Alice Cooper often talks about his Christian faith in interviews. His struggles with alcoholism and a failing marriage brought him back to the faith of his youth (his father was a pastor and evangelist). He hasn’t disavowed his stage persona. “Alice Cooper,” who introduced the theater of horror to rock and roll, continues to be a part of who he is. Of course, even Alice sang about his desire to “Run Down the Devil” and “send him back to hell.”
So what does Alice/Vincent have to say about his faith? This is from a Facebook post from May of last year:
“A lot of people say, I came to Christ because of my love for Jesus. I came to Christ because of my fear of God. I totally understood that hell was not getting high with Jim Morrison. Hell was going to be the worst place ever. In fear, I came back to the Lord. I knew who Jesus was, and I knew that I had been living my life without him. I knew there had to come a point where I either accepted Christ and started living that life, or if I died in this, I was in a lot of trouble. And that’s what really motivated me. I just got to a point where I said I’m tired of living this way. I’ll tell you one thing, when Jesus opens your eyes, and you finally realize who you are and who he is, it’s a whole different world.”
What can I say, but “Rock on Alice! Rock on Vincent!”
We’re not worthy.
Published in General
“Go ask Alice”. I see what you did there!
I wish I had known you were going. My wife and I live only a couple miles away from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I once had one of my portrait paintings unveiled there. If you go again, let us know and we can meet.
Will do.
Thank you for this, especially your final quote. I am lifted up by people who surprise with their uninhibited eloquence when speaking of faith. It truly is comforting. And it is a reminder how easily one can underestimate someone you will never know.
I wish I could take the museum seriously, but there are so many non-rock and roll artists inducted, and many deserving artists and bands going unhonored . . .
It’s fun, but you certainly can’t take it seriously.
My wife actually doesn’t like it at all. I’m kind of so-so on it. The fact that Bruce Springstein is an inductee says a lot about their standards, and that has nothing to do with his politics.
Clarence Clemons carried Springstein.
Fight me.
Cage match or checkers?
“Born in the USA” is as close to mindless as anything else I can recall. Hey Bruce! You wanna work in at least one more chord into that?
He may not know more than three chords.
Alice Cooper is also a very good golfer
Alice Cooper- America’s favorite Sunday school teacher. Thanks for posting this. I follow the man and his kids on social media, and like to see his witness being shared.
I dunno. If he’s serious, shouldn’t he disavow what he did before, and may still be doing now?
Did you ever see him live back when . . . around the time of the first couple of albums?
One doesn’t need to attend a concert for that. I heard his songs all over the place. I even sat and listened to a few of his albums.
So that’s a “no”, he said, being in the unenviable position of defending Springsteen.
Not Springstein, no, but there’s a little self-selection involved there. I didn’t enjoy his stuff enough to want to go to a concert.
Sure–I happen to think that his first couple of albums with Clarence and Miami Steve are very good, so I would be in the “he’s great live camp” for those. But I hate Black Sabbath, Motorhead, and any number of other bands, so I certainly get why he might not be to your taste.
I like that RHF. You can spend a lot of time if you go through a bunch of the music. Yes, old blues and country is touched upon too.
Alice is also an avid golfer. I learned that from a work friend whose relative played with in PA. The younger guys didn’t know who he was. It created an opportunity to play some Alice Cooper songs to introduce a new generation. You can’t really judge a Christian by the way he/ she looks. Kinda like you can’t really read people’s hearts at a glance either.
Keaggy and Neal Morse have a new band called Cosmic Cathedral. The new album is Deep Water and is a major musical accomplishment. YouTube it to get a taste. All scruffy old timers (younger than me, though) and all committed Christians.
Dude, that album is so terrific.
I saw Alice Cooper at the Peach Tree Fesitval waaaaay back in 1972. It was located at rhe Rockingham Motor Speedway in North Carolina. Here’s a look at who played:
https://concerts.fandom.com/wiki/August_18,_1972_North_Carolina_Motor_Speedway,_Rockingham,_NC
Alice went last, and was the showstopper. After his set, he did kind of a skit where he was arrested and taken to the gallows. They placed a noose around his neck. The trap opened and the lights went out. Not one second later, the lights came back on and there we saw a skeleton swinging at the end of the rope. Then Alice came out for an encore. I don’t even remember what he sang because I was so blown away . . .
Killer. Still my favorite Alice Cooper record.
I’m partial to Billion Dollar Babies myself . . .