Iconic shock rocker Alice Cooper has opened up about music and politics, clearly stating he feels the two shouldn’t mix.
While to many, music and politics have always gone hand in hand, the 2016 election of US President Donald Trump has seen many musicians become rather outspoken in regards to political affairs.
While we’ve seen the likes of Pearl Jam, Jack White, Dave Grohl, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, and even Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath all share their political opinions, we’ve even seen Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor blast musicians such as Taylor Swift for not using their platform to address similar issues.
“You don’t hear a lot from the Taylor Swifts of the world, and top-tier, needle-moving cultural youth, because they are concerned about their brand, their demographic and their success and career and whatnot,” Reznor explained back in June.
However, famed shock rocker Alice Cooper seems to believe the opposite, explaining in a new interview with The Guardian that the two topics should remain seperate at all times.
“I don’t like to mix politics and rock’n’roll,” Cooper explained. “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. 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.”
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“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. And you know the next president is going to be worse than Trump, right?”
Check out Alice Cooper’s ‘Poison’:
Of Course, this isn’t the first time that Alice Cooper has hit out at rockers who use their fame to influence politics, telling The Inquisitr back in 2016 that he feels it’s “the worst idea ever”.
“First of all, why do people think rock stars know more than they do?” Cooper asked. “That is the biggest fallacy in the world – if anything we’re dumber. We’re not smarter than anybody else. I mean, why do you think we’re rock stars?”
“Trust me, we don’t read magazines you don’t read. Nobody calls us up and gives us as inside information on politics. We know less than you do. If I watch TV it’s Family Guy.”
“Rock n’ roll was built to go as far away from politics as you could get,” he concluded. “When my mum and dad talked about who to vote for, I’d go in the other room and put on the Beatles or Rolling Stones – and I’m still like that.”
While some fans might disagree with Alice Cooper’s stance on politics, others might prefer this approach, allowing them to solely enjoy music without encountering differing opinions. Whatever the case, it looks as though music and politics won’t be separating any time soon, no matter what Alice Cooper might prefer.
Check out Alice Cooper’s ‘Elected’:
