JUNE 29, 2018INTERVIEW – MICHAEL BRUCE OF ALICE COOPER GROUP
When looking at some of the most storied performers of the
past four decades, a handful that come to mind in the Rock genre might
be David Bowie, Marilyn Manson,
and Alice Cooper. All recognized
by name alone, does anyone ever stop to think about the bands behind each artist
playing a major part in the music? There was The Spiders From Mars with Bowie
for the early portion of his career, an array of impressive lineups behind
Manson, and then there was the original Alice Cooper Group, a band through and
through that worked as a team.
Attaining
success together with albums such as 1971’s Love
It To Death and 1972’s School’s
Out, one of the key components of the magic was Mr. Michael Bruce, lead
guitarist and songwriter for the Cooper clan. A part of it all through many
important years, Bruce is a piece of the story that needs to be told. Recently
we caught up with the musician to talk his time a part of the Alice Cooper
Group, the latest edition of his book, No
More Mr. Nice Guy, being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, plus
more.
CrypticRock.com
– You have been involved in music professionally
for over 5 decades. From your extensive contributions to Alice Cooper’s Group to
your solo work, you have attained a good deal of success. Through everything,
briefly tell us, how would you describe the ride of a life in Rock-n-Roll?
Michael
Bruce – When I started out, in high school, I was a Folk
singer and I started playing in a band kind of to meet girls. (Laughs) Then it
became a passion of mine to write music. I remember when we started out, I
thought, “The Beatles are famous now, it’s all over, everything has been done.”
Although, that is never true, music evolves just like everything does. It’s been
something I am really fortunate to have done. I was very lucky as well. I would
recommend it to anyone who loves music.
CrypticRock.com
– You have really accomplished a lot. As mentioned,
you were a key part of the Alice Cooper Group, being the main songwriter of many
of the band’s songs. For you, what was the creative energy like during that
period?
Michael
Bruce – We had kind of a bumpy start with our first two
album – 1969’s Pretties
for You and 1970’s Easy
Action. We were really not comfortable with the label and Frank (Zappa) –
once we got on his label, we spent a lot of time trying to get off. (Laughs)
When we started working with Bob Ezrin, we saw someone who could take the ideas
that we were doing and make them happen musically as well as our live shows.
For
that time, for those first few albums, 1971’s Love
It To Death and Killer, as
well as 1972’s School’s
Out, we were really writing frantically. It’s just one of those things when
it’s happening, you just keep doing it. I was very prolific at that time. I
really love the stuff on Love
It To Death and Killer,
it is the kind of stuff we got away from later on. I missed a lot of it, I think
it was really a departure from a lot of the things we did later on and I thought
it was really unique.
Warner
Bros.
Warner
Bros.
CrypticRock.com
– It was a great time for the band! Speaking of the
band even more, much of the life and times of the Alice Cooper Group is vividly
outlined in your book, No
More Mr. Nice Guy. The original book was released some 20 years ago, but
you have a new edition of the book out now. Tell us about the updated version of
the book.
Michael
Bruce – It pretty much paraphrases the original book and
we have added chapters and photographs, such as The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,
getting back together with Alice, going over to the UK, etc. I left a lot of it
intact from the first book because I thought it would appeal to a whole
different crowd of music fans who are following the band today. I still think a
lot of it is very pertinent to what is going on now.
Dennis
Dunaway’s book is so detailed, you can use that as a reference book. I didn’t
get as precise as he did and detailed, I kind of went for the bigger picture. I
think people will really enjoy it, it’s a good read. We are going to be having
different book signings around the country later this year. I hope to meet some
of the fans and get their reaction to the book. It’s kind of interesting 20
years ago we did it, now we are back. It seems to be doing really well.
CrypticRock.com
– Yes, and 20 years ago it received a good reaction
too. Now, an entire whole new generation of Rock fans can dig into it. When we
write something, years later our feelings may change about what we created. Do
you look back in hindsight and think this is exactly what I wanted to say with
my music?
Michael
Bruce – I try not to get in that would of, should of,
could of trap. When you have hindsight, you can always look back and think, “I
should have done this or that.” I pretty much think what we did, and what I did,
was pretty representative of what we were feeling and going through at the time.
We were living a lot of the Rock-n-Roll, we did straight ahead. Later on, Billion
Dollar Babies (1973), that was kind of more a fantasy trip
that we were kind of living at the same time. (Laughs) It was pretty realistic,
a lot of those song titles and different things we wrote about were things that
were happening with the band, it was like a living chronology. I think it’s very
representative of that period.
Gonzo
Multimedia
CrypticRock.com
– A lot of it is very classic material that people
love today. Beyond Alice Cooper Group, you have also done your share of other
projects, including a list of solo albums. Do you have any new music in the
works?
Michael
Bruce – I do! Actually, my wife plays bass, she is a
trained Jazz bass player. We also have a drummer. I have been writing all along
as the years have gone by and I have some really good songs. One of them was
used when Alice did the sequel to Welcome
2 My Nightmare (2011). We used a song on there he calls “When
Hell Comes Home,” and it was a song of mine called “Hellhole #9.” I am going to
redo it the way I did and it will be on the album.
We
are hoping to come out with something probably this fall. We are arranging the
tunes now and I am looking forward to it. I really want to do this one, it’s a
collection and I think people will be surprised at the music I have written over
the years. It is kind of like Cooper stuff that never got to be Cooper
stuff.
CrypticRock.com
– Very cool! Can we expect some tour dates
associated with the new music?
Michael
Bruce – Absolutely! We are still putting the band
together. I am going to start working in the studio and we are trying to find
players who aren’t just looking for a gig, but who want to get involved with it.
It’s a time-consuming, labor of love type thing. We can headline or we can open
for somebody. We will have to wait until the album takes shape and see where we
are going with it.
UMe
earMUSIC
CrypticRock.com
– That will be something to look forward to as it
unfolds. You mentioned the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You were rightfully
included in the induction with the band back in 2011. What was it like to be
honored like that?
Michael
Bruce – When I found out about it, I was kind of surprised
after all this time. I thought we were pretty much passed over and it was not
going to happen. Then I got to thinking, what took so long? From what I
understand, there was a change in the conceptual direction of the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame.
As
the artists started changing, one of Alice’s roadmen said, “When Iggy Pop gets
in, you guys will be shortly after that.” He was exactly right, Iggy got in, and
boom, the next year we were inducted. It’s changed a lot from the direction I
think they originally conceived it for. People change, the country changes,
music styles change. I think it was only correct that it evolved and adapted to
the ongoing changes in music. When I watch the awards shows, I’m not sure where
it’s going now. For me, it’s kind of like treading water, it doesn’t know where
it’s going.
CrypticRock.com
– Yes, and it was long overdue that you got in. It
is great it finally happened.
Michael
Bruce – Absolutely. I’m glad we all got inducted and it
wasn’t just an Alice thing. The one thing I do kind of regret is there has been
such a separation from Alice and the original band, because it was pretty much
what got us where we are today, the original group thing. Now he is so much of a
solo artist, people are looking at it as two different things, which wasn’t the
case originally.
Polydor
ETR
CrypticRock.com
– That is very true. It is good you were put in as
a band. Unfortunately, sometimes members of a band are slighted by the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame.
Michael
Bruce – Yes, when David Bowie was inducted, he was
inducted by himself. I think the Spiders from Mars on the first couple of albums
were really incredible.
CrypticRock.com
– Yes! They certainly should be honored too. Last
question. We also cover Horror and Sci-Fi films on CrypticRock. If you are a fan
of either or both genres, what are some of your favorites and why?
Michael
Bruce – Where do I start? I was big on Science Fiction.
Through my fifties, I was always making flying saucer type things – I would see
something that looked like a saucer, I would grab it and glue it together. One
of my early black and white favorites was Invaders
from Mars (1953), and of course, The
Day The Earth Stood Still (1951). A great Japanese movie I
don’t see much in reruns is The
Mysterians(1957), it stuck with me.
For
Horror, some of it is really tacky. When I look back at the old Vincent
Price stuff such as House
of Usher (1960), it gets kind of eh. It’s real dramatic and
there is always some girl in distress. The Sci-Fi stuff with
futuristic alien type
stuff is where my head’s at. (Laughs)
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