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.