Alice Cooper’s 10 most shocking on-stage moments
Read More
Credit: Alamy
The two songs Alice Cooper wishes he wrote
Alice Cooper has been in the public eye for over half a century, and he’s lived his life to the full with little room for regret. However, when reflecting on his career and those around him, there are two songs that he wishes he’d written.
It’s only happened twice in his career, but after hearing a song by a contemporary, Cooper is slapped in the face with envy. In Cooper’s defence, he’s written plenty of classic rock anthems himself, which has helped give him longevity that few people could have expected from the shock-rocker when he first emerged.
His 1972 breakthrough album School’s Out made Cooper a one-off in the musical landscape. Ever since that moment, Cooper has retained his pocket of notoriety ever since, and the music world has been brighter thanks to his presence.
Cooper has released 28 studio albums to date and has had a bloodsoaked career that would make most jealous, but two tracks have had that same effect on Cooper himself. During an interview with NME, Cooper revealed: “‘Dude (Looks Like A Lady)’ I should have written.” The Aerosmith hair-rock anthem is one perfectly made for Cooper’s wheelhouse, and he’d undoubtedly have had bundles of fun with the track.
His second inclusion is a more surprising choice, with Cooper deciding to name Nirvana’s ‘Smell Likes Teen Spirit’. He explained: “‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ I should have written,” he said. “Those were songs that were right up Alice Cooper’s alley”.
He continued: “There are some songs that are just so good, you sit there and you go, ‘I could never write that,’ but those two were two that I really should have written.”
Even though it wouldn’t be a natural fit, you’ll struggle to find any songwriter who doesn’t wish they wrote a song as timeless as ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. However, there is a case for Kurt Cobain’s delivery being the reason why it’s so special.
Cooper still vividly remembers the first time he watched Nirvana live, and he recognises the remarkable effect it had on him. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Cobain who blew him away the most, but Dave Grohl’s hypnotising work on the drums. He recalled: “The first time I saw Nirvana, I looked right past the first two guys, and I said, ‘Who’s this drummer?’ ‘Cause he was really good; he stuck out. And I said, ‘If that band ever breaks up, I’m going for that drummer.'”
In the same interview, Cooper went one step further in his praise of Grohl and said if he could join any band on the planet, it would be Foo Fighters. Although they have played together on several occasions, they have sadly never performed ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and made Cooper’s dream come true.
