Alice Cooper has no plans to retire and says Mick Jagger is “the prototype”
Rock veteran Alice Cooper has revealed he’s not considered retirement and described The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger as “the prototype” he wants to follow.
In a new interview, Cooper was asked for his thoughts on the current trend of ageing rockers embarking on farewell tours. This summer, Elton John made his grand goodbye at Glastonbury Festival after an extensive final tour, additionally, Kiss and Aerosmith are also on their last lap of the world before their impending retirements.
“A farewell tour hasn’t crossed my mind at all,” Cooper told Rock Candy. “And it’s weird, because all my friends are retiring. Gene Simmons [of Kiss] said to me recently, ‘Look, I’m done. Come December, it’s over.’ And I go, ‘Well, you know, these farewell tours go on for years and years now, right?’ But Gene was very serious and said, ‘Not this time. I promise you that come December, Kiss as we know it is absolutely done.'”
He added to the publication: “The guys in Aerosmith are saying the same thing, as are many other bands from my era. But none of that occurs to me. It’s never been a thought that I’d retire. I feel great, and the band sounds great. I’m 75, but I’ll be up there at 90 if I’m still in good enough shape.”
Cooper also spoke about why Jagger is his inspiration, noting: “I’m looking at Mick Jagger as the prototype. Mick still does three-hour shows and the soundcheck. So if Mick can do it, so can I.”
Although Jagger doesn’t plan to retire, and The Rolling Stones are set to release their new album Hackney Diamonds on October 20th, he recently discussed the possibility of a posthumous hologram tour.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, he said: “You can have a posthumous business now, can’t you? You can have a posthumous tour.” Jagger added: “The technology has really moved on since the ABBA thing [the pop group’s recent “Voyage” virtual show], which I was supposed to go to, but I missed it.”
In a review of Cooper’s recent album Road, Far Out picked up on the rocker’s anti-retirement stance, noting: “Although this is far from Cooper’s greatest album to date, Road has more than a few great moments that will keep hardcore fans satisfied. Considering how long he’s been playing, Cooper could easily use this album to wrap up his career, making one final bow with an ode to the life that made him a star. Then again, judging by the lyrics of ‘Road Rats Forever’, it doesn’t look like the king of shock rock wants to hang it up until he’s six feet underground.”
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