Alice Cooper took part in a question-and-answer session with comedian Don Jamieson and SiriusXM’s Keith Roth aboard this year’s Monsters Of Rock cruise. The five-day/five-night full ship charter cruise, which departed out of Miami, Florida on February 9, featured performances by the legendary rocker along with over 35 other artists and stopped at two ports, CocoCay in the Bahamas and Labadee in Haiti before returning on February 14.

You can watch video of the Cooper chat in three parts below (courtesy of YouTube channel WILL TRAVEL FOR GIGS).

Alice kicked off his 2022 U.S. tour on January 28 at The Andrew J Brady Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Joining Cooper as part of his touring band are guitarists Tommy Henriksen, Ryan Roxie and Nita Strauss; drummer Glen Sobel; and bassist Chuck Garric.

Regarding how he chooses the setlist for his concerts, Alice told CityBeat: “It’s the hardest thing in the world. It’s the same for THE WHO or THE ROLLING STONES or anyone who’s been around for 50 years. All of our records are the soundtrack to somebody’s life. I hear a STONES song and go, ‘Oh, I know what car I had.’ But I’m not really thinking, ‘Well, Alice, you’ve been around that long. People will want to hear something from ‘Easy Action’.’ We can’t go that far back, but we do try to find good stage songs that fit this show.

“This show has a storyline in it, so I have to go, ‘What’s a good stage hook?'” he explained. “A song like ‘Generation Landslide’ is a great record, with a great lyric, but we’ve tried it onstage and audiences don’t react to it. They give it a nice polite clap. But a song like ‘Feed My Frankenstein’, that’s a stage song.”

Cooper added: “Out of the 25 songs we do, 18 to 20 of them are must-dos or the audience will get pissed off. If we leave without ‘Under My Wheels’ or ‘Poison’, we’ll get killed. We only have about five we can play with there. We fit in a couple from the new album, and there are theatrical bits where I go, you know, ‘Roses On White Lace’ would be exactly right to get from A to B here,’ so we put that in. But then every e-mail is, ‘I can’t believe you didn’t play…’ I have to go for pleasing 80% of everybody.”

During an appearance on a recent episode of SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”, Cooper confirmed that he is putting together ideas for the follow-up to last year’s “Detroit Stories” LP. “I’m working on two albums right now, actually — two studio albums,” he said. “And all I can say is that one is written — totally written — and we’ll be doing bed tracks for that one pretty soon. And then the other one is just a touch in the future, but that’s being written right now too. They’re two entirely different kinds of albums, but they’re Alice Cooper pure rock and roll albums. The two albums will really be hard rock albums.”

The 73-year-old singer went on to say that his longtime producer Bob Ezrin will once again be involved with both LPs, the first one of which will arrive later this year.

“It’s kind of like the old days when you’re touring and putting out records at the same time,” Alice explained. “It kind of takes me back to when you’re doing ‘Love It To Death’ and then you tour for ‘Love It To Death’. While you’re doing ‘Love It To Death’, you’re writing ‘Killer’. When ‘Love It To Death’ is over, ‘Killer’ comes out and then you go support that. And while you’re doing ‘Killer’, you’re writing ‘School’s Out’. So we’re kind of piggybacking everything. And I kind of like that. It keeps everything moving. I don’t like those big chunks of time when there’s nothing going on.”

Released in February 2021, “Detroit Stories” was recorded with Ezrin, mostly in Royal Oak with Detroit musicians and featuring a mix of original material alongside covers of songs by Bob Seger, the MC5, Mitch Ryder’s DETROIT and OUTRAGEOUS CHERRY.

In 2018, Cooper issued “A Paranormal Evening At The Olympia Paris”, a recording of his December 7, 2017 concert at the world-renowned Olympia venue in France. The effort captured Cooper and his current bandmates performing a choice selection of classic Cooper hits, in addition to some highlights from 2017’s “Paranormal” album. Alice later said that he wanted to release a document of his band’s onstage prowess because they “deserved a live album.”

Video footage of Dave Mustaine performing the MEGADETH classic “99 Ways To Die” with several campers at last month’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp in Deerfield Beach, Florida can be seen below. Also joining in for the performance was VIXEN guitarist Brittany Denaro (a.k.a. Britt Lightning), who is the musical director for Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp.

Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp was created 26 years ago to provide real people the once-in-a-lifetime experience of connecting and jamming with their musical heroes. The Camp has provided unforgettable memories, advice and feedback for attendees worldwide. Camp events span over four jam packed days where campers join a band mentored by today’s top touring musicians, and work up to final performances with the headliner rock stars at legendary venues from Abbey Road Studios in London, to Hollywood’s Whisky A Go Go, to the Atlantic resort in The Bahamas.

Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp was the focus of the tremendously successful 2021 documentary “Rock Camp: The Movie”. “Entertaining”, “inspiring” and “moving” are how critics, audiences and industry leaders described the documentary. The film follows four real people who attend Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp and how it transforms their lives. These “rock campers” share the stage with superstar counselors including Roger Daltrey, Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Nancy Wilson, Joe Perry, JUDAS PRIEST, Sammy Hagar and many more. “Rock Camp” was directed by Doug Blush, who has worked on over a hundred documentaries (including Oscar winners “20 Feet from Stardom”, “Icarus” and “Period. End Of Sentence.”).

“Rock Camp: The Movie” has generated great word of mouth and buzz, scoring a 94% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film has been featured on “The Today Show”, “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” and on ABC News. The Washington Post called “Rock Camp” “an eye-opening treat,” and The Chicago Sun-Times described it as “infectiously upbeat.” Music industry critic and influencer Bob Lefsetz raves, “I couldn’t turn it off. Rock and roll is a religion.”

David Fishof, Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp founder, has had a successful career as a sports agent, producer, promoter, and manager and is the founder and CEO of Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp. Fishof produced the “Happy Together” tours, the MONKEES 20th-anniversary reunion tour, “Dirty Dancing Live” tours and “Classic Superfest” and others. He also created and produced RINGO STARR & HIS ALL-STARR BAND tours for 15 years.

Playing Symphony of Destruction with Dave Mustaine, Vinny Appice, Daniel Linares, Brian Fox, & Brandt

Posted by David Ashelman on Tuesday, January 11, 2022

So what’s it like to jam with your idol Dave Mustaine at Rock Camp. Check this out.

Posted by David Fishof on Tuesday, January 11, 2022

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of PANTERA’s classic sophomore major label album “Vulgar Display Of Power”, The Pit recently uploaded a video interview with the band’s vocalist Philip Anselmo. You can now watch the remaining two parts of the chat below.

Speaking about the LP’s opening track, “Mouth For War”, Anselmo said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “When we wrote ‘Mouth For War’, I wrote the main riff and Dimebag [PANTERA guitarist Darrell Abbott] liked it. And it sounded about a thousand times better when he played it. And he made it his own. And everybody — God — they put that song together; we put that song together. I think we knew we had written a pretty good song, that one. And I think the video for its time was unique to look at, groundbreaking, sort of, action-packed, shit like that — so very ’90s-band-like.”

In one of the earlier parts of the interview, Anselmo discussed his expectations for the LP at the time of its release. He said: “When ‘Vulgar Display Of Power’ first came out, my expectations for how it would do were none. I never had any expectations for any record we’ve ever done. I always felt like if I put an expectation upon it, I’d always get let down. So I just let things happen as things happened.

“Now, the reception of the record and — God — the tours, the tours,” he continued. “The difference in the audience from ‘Cowboys From Hell’ touring cycle to ‘Vulgar Display’ was night and day — truly. But I was surprised at how positive the reception was and all the massive crowds and the fans. That was really the true… Well, that was when people started coming to shows — like, you had to see PANTERA.”

“Vulgar Display of Power” was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2004, signifying shipments of more than two million units in the U.S. since its February 1992 release.

In a 2017 interview with the WGRD radio station, former PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott spoke about the 25th anniversary of “Vulgar Display Of Power”. He said: “I never ever think about [how long it has been since the record was released]. It certainly doesn’t feel like it at all, man; it feels like it was yesterday, almost. But looking back on it, it really was a groundbreaking record for heavy metal. It really set the tone for what modern-day metal bands do. They still use that record to A-B their records to — getting their guitar sounds, their drums sounds, this, that and the other. So it really was special, and I’m really proud to have been a part of it.”

Vinnie passed away on June 22, 2018 at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn’t pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

Vinnie Paul and his brother Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Up until his death, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for the murder of Dimebag.

You could WIN a G-TOUR PEDALBOARD-LGW from Gator Cases in today’s I Love Pedals giveaway! Ends Feb. 20, 2022.G-TOUR PEDALBOARD-LGWStompbox security is tighter than ever with the G-TOUR PEDALBOARD-LGW large pedal case exclusively from Gator Cases. Plywood fabrication and aluminum edging combined with Heavy-duty Gator signature red hardware offer rock-solid protection. The 3M “Dual Lock” ™ fasteners make installation a breeze together with Gator’s removable 24″x11″ pedalboard surface. Pedal protection continues with Gator Cases’ pro-grade shock-absorbing EVA foam interior. Even your connecting cables, picks, and accessories stay neatly organized in the lower portion of the G-TOUR™ case. Pedal transport is a breeze on the ground or in the air with a convenient retractable town handle and inline wheels. The ATA-rated G-TOUR PEDALBOARD-LGW large pedal case from Gator is literally ready to rock and roll!I Love Pedals Day #19: Gator Cases

During a recent interview with Canada’s The Metal Voice, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner was asked what he thinks it would take for the band to reunite with the man he replaced in PRIEST, original guitarist Kenneth “K.K.” Downing. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I don’t know. It’s not my relationship. I think it goes beyond the music. There’s some stuff there that’s obviously personal, and it’s not my fight; it’s not my relationship. I think if it was purely music or business, then maybe it could be a money thing or it could be a creative thing, but I think it goes beyond that. And it’s up to the guys, really — it’s up to the guys to sort of find out what that is, or not. They don’t have to — there’s no obligation for them. It’s up to them.

“I’ve said it before, if it had ended differently, we might be in a different situation now,” he continued. But that’s just not the way it ended and that’s not where we are now.

“I don’t know what it would take to patch that up, but it’s been 10 years of weirdness, really. It’s been a bit unnecessary. And I said this the other week, really, and I hate to repeat myself, but they were brothers for 40 years. And I think, music aside, pick up the phone and have a chat, have a pint down the pub and just catch up and be buddies again more than anything else. But as I said before, it’s not my relationship to nurture, really; it’s up to them to handle.

“Obviously, it goes without saying, if Ken ever came back, I’d be willing to move over or do whatever it takes,” Faulkner added. “It’s JUDAS PRIEST. I’d be willing to get out or move over or wear a funny hat — or whatever it needs to do. But as I said, it’s not my relationship to take care of, really.”

Faulkner, nearly three decades Downing’s junior, joined PRIEST in 2011 after K.K. left amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as “a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music,” while the second was “angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties.”

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was “a key reason” he wasn’t invited to rejoin PRIEST after Glenn Tipton’s decision to retire from touring.

Back in 2019, Faulkner dismissed the criticism he received for supposedly trying to look too much like Downing. “Obviously, you get the [haters] — the ‘clone’ comments,” Richie told the “Let There Be Talk” podcast. “I’ve got long blond hair, playing a flying V [guitar]… [Michael] Schenker, Zakk [Wylde], K.K., Randy Rhoads — all those guys. To say I was a Ken clone was fairly narrow-minded. There’s tons of guys who have flying Vs and long hair.

“The thing is if I had dyed my hair black to be different, I would have been shot down,” he continued. “You’ve gotta be real; you’ve gotta be who you are. And I grew up on Ken, I grew up on Glenn [Tipton, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist] and the guys that I mentioned. So you’ve just gotta be who you are. And I grew up with those guys, and I’m not ashamed. I wear it on my sleeve — they’re all my influences, and I’m not afraid of that… There’s no point in trying to hide it. But it’s gotta be natural as well. And I think somehow it worked out organically. I didn’t try to copy him. And as it goes on, you always try to do your own thing and make your own statement.”

Four years ago, Downing said that he felt like he was “being cloned” when he first found out he was being replaced by Faulkner.

Downing, who announced his retirement from PRIEST in April 2011 after nearly 42 years in the job, admitted to the “Appetite For Distortion” podcast that he was taken aback when he first saw his replacement.

“Richie, as far as I know, is a nice guy and obviously an excellent player,” Downing said. “I was a bit disappointed when, basically… I think the idea was to replace me [with a lookalike], so I did feel as though I was kind of being cloned. But I’m not sure that was exactly fair to Richie. I mean, I could be off the mark here, but I think Richie had the right to bring himself to the stage with his own… portray his own image and ability to play the instrument the way that he does. But it is what it is.”

He continued: “When Glenn retired from touring [in early 2018], the same didn’t happen — obviously, [Tipton’s replacement] Andy [Sneap] doesn’t look anything like Glenn; he doesn’t wear the same clothes, the red pants, guitars or anything like that. So I don’t really know what’s going on. But it is what it is.”

In a 2011 interview with the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, PRIEST singer Rob Halford stated about Faulkner’s physical resemblance to a younger Downing: “People are saying, ‘It’s a clone. You’ve got some of K.K.’s DNA.’ It’s just the way it turned out. We made, like, a secret search. When we knew K.K. was not gonna be making the tour, we did a lot of secret, kind of, searching for another player. And Richie just happened to be the guy. And he just happens to look a little bit of the K.K. image, you know?! I think it would be silly to say, ‘We looked for a guitar player that looks like Ken.’ What we want is a very good metal guitar player, and that’s what Richie Faulkner is.”