These days many celebrities are vocal about their political views, which can alienate fans who disagree with their opinions. Rocker Alice Cooper feels musicians should keep their political leanings to themselves because being vocal about it is an “abuse of power.”
“I don’t like to mix politics and rock’n’roll. I don’t look at Bono, Sting and Bruce Springsteen as political. I look at them as being humanitarian. I’ll contribute to anything humanitarian. Helping people who can’t help themselves,” Cooper, 70, revealed in a recent interview with the Guardian.
“But when musicians are telling people who to vote for, I think that’s an abuse of power. You’re telling your fans not to think for themselves, just to think like you. Rock’n’roll is about freedom – and that’s not freedom.”
He added that his performances are intended as a form of escapism.
“I want my shows to take you as far away as possible from politics. It’s supposed to be an escape from the world we’re living in,” he noted, adding that, “You know the next president is going to be worse than Trump, right?”
Cooper, an avid golfer, has some firsthand experience with the American President on the golf course.
“Here’s the thing about golf. There are people who are purists about golf and then there’s me and my friends. We play for fun and sometimes that means cheating. People have asked me if Trump cheats at golf – they all do — Bush, Clinton, Obama — they’re just having fun!”
Cooper also revealed that his 95-year-old mother lives with him. He calls her a tiger and his biggest fan. “If you say anything bad about Alice Cooper, she’ll be on top of you. I was lucky to get the parents I did,” he said.
The rocker’s parents “had no problem with rock’n’roll” and took their son to church every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Their only concern was the rock’n’roll lifestyle, which often involves drugs and sex.
“And they had a point. It was only when I got sober and had seen all my friends die that I realized they had a point. I’m making the best records I’ve ever made and my health is fantastic. I didn’t need that other stuff,” he said.
Cooper’s latest album, A Paranormal Evening at the Olympia Paris, is out now. His band Hollywood Vampires (with Johnny Depp and Joe Perry) is expected to drop a new album this year.
