"We can only take it so far, because man can only take it so far, lower self can only take it so far, and you have to realize that the public is only at a certain place. We wont see the day when the public accepts what we wanna project, even though they are accepting a lot now. By the time theyre accepting it, maybe theyll be too old. ... If its total freedom, I guess the ultimate thing you can go into is total silence between the audience and performer, with the performer projecting something he doesnt even have to play. A total silence trip is the ultimate. ... We do antagonize them psychologically. People look at us and react. They either go "Wow! Hey-hey-hey, baby!" and we say thats great. Theyre reacting and thats wonderful. Its better than them sitting there doing nothing. I say make them react — do whatevers in your power to move the audience, and if thats where it is, and there where it is with America, sex and violence, then I say project it."
Alice Cooper is an American singer and songwriter. With a career spanning over six decades, he is known for his raspy singing voice and theatrical stage shows that feature numerous props and illusions. Cooper is considered by music journalists and peers to be "The Godfather of Shock Rock". He has drawn from horror films, vaudeville, and garage rock to pioneer a macabre and theatrical brand of rock
"I used to be such a sweet, sweet thing Til they got a hold of me. I opened doors for little old ladies, I helped the blind to see. I got no friends cause they read the papers. They cant be seen with me and Im gettin real shot down And Im feeling mean. No more Mister Nice Guy, No more Mister Clean, No more Mister Nice Guy, They say hes sick, hes obscene."
"Well we cant salute ya Cant find a flag If that dont suit ya Thats a dragSchools out for summer Schools out forever Schools been blown to pieces."
"I call it treason against rock n roll because rock is the antithesis of politics. Rock should never be in bed with politics. ... When I was a kid and my parents started talking about politics, Id run to my room and put on the Rolling Stones as loud as I could. So when I see all these rock stars up there talking politics, it makes me sick. .... If youre listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who to vote for, youre a bigger moron than they are. Why are we rock stars? Because were morons. We sleep all day, we play music at night and very rarely do we sit around reading the Washington Journal."
"Its so funny that people think I actually ran for President. I am maybe the most un-political person youre ever going to meet. When I put "Elected" out, it was definitely a satire ... "Alice Cooper for President" ... when everybody realized I was running against Nixon, you known, even on a joke level, I think I got a lot of write-in votes."
"To me, if you are in the same building with Peter Sellers or John Cleese, or any of those guys and holding your own making other people laugh, that’s a compliment."
"If you confine it, youre confining a whole thing. If you make it spontaneous, so that anything can happen, like we dont want to confine or restrict anything. What we can do, whatever we can let happen, you just let it happen. ... were taking sex, which is probably another half of American entertainment, sex and violence, and were projecting it, and were saying this is the way everything is right now. Biologically, everyone is male and female, so many male genes and so many female. And so what it is is were saying "OK, whats the big deal. Why is everybody so up tight about sex?" About faggots, queers, things like that. Thats the way they are. ... People dont accept that they are both male and female, and people are afraid to break out of their sex thing because thats a big insecurity thats doing that. Consequently, people will make fun of us. We dont mind that, thats making them accept more, making fun that we accept that. The thing is this is the way we are. We think its a gas. ... We like reactions — a reaction is walking out on us, a reaction is throwing tomatoes at the stage, thats a healthy psychological reaction. Reactions applauding, passing out or throwing up, and all of that is a reaction, and as much of that we can get, the better. I dont care how they react, as long as they react."
"In the life of the mass-order, the culture of the generality tends to conform to the demands of the average human being. Spirituality decays through being diffused among the masses when knowledge is impoverished in every possible way by rationalisation until it becomes accessible to the crude understanding of all."
"I say this to you because we Spaniards are a forgetful people, because we are used to living for the moment, because we do not look back, because we do not know how to see the chain of heroes, because we do not contemplate the sum of sacrifices."
Francisco Franco"Sharon Tate was my best friend. Once, we were roommates. She introduced me to my husband. She was the godmother to my baby daughter who is named for her. In the six years time that I knew her, she never said an unkind word about anyone."
"Long time to see. (VS: Tapion)"
"Most mathematicians prove what they can, von Neumann proves what he wants." Once in a discussion about the rapid growth of mathematics in modern times, von Neumann was heard to remark that whereas thirty years ago a mathematician could grasp all of mathematics, that is impossible today. Someone asked him: "What percentage of all mathematics might a person aspire to understand today?" Von Neumann went into one of his five-second thinking trances, and said: "About 28 percent."
John von Neumann"Children must be free to think in all directions irrespective of the peculiar ideas of parents who often seal their childrens minds with preconceived prejudices and false concepts of past generations. Unless we are very careful, very careful indeed, and very conscientious, there is still great danger that our children may turn out to be the same kind of people we are."