According to the most important artist of the style, it is simply too difficult to compete with the absurd events of reality
Alice Cooper is one of the pioneers and considered the “father” of so-called shock rock, a subgenre that encompasses artists with theatrical aspects in their live performances. Snakes, guillotines and straitjackets are no longer as frightening today as they were in past decades — and the singer himself believes that shock rock no longer exists.
In a radio interview 96.1 KLPX (via Blabbermouth), Vincent Furnier — real name of the artist — reflected on the current situation of the style and used his own show as an example. The veteran explained how the entire presentation revolves around the character Alice Cooper.
He said:
It used to be easy to shock an audience in the 1970s. Now no one is really trying. We didn’t even try. I don’t think anyone does ‘shock rock’ anymore, but those elements are still in the show because they’re fun to watch. It’s still fun to see the guillotine and the fact that you actually ‘buy’ into it, because of what happens before. You really care about the character.
Despite the theatrical resources, the musician highlighted that his show does not have powerful technological resources. So, the “story” told needs to be interesting.
I like that: I want the audience to be involved in the show. We don’t have a lot of lasers. We don’t do things like that, because I want the emphasis to be on the character Alice, what happens to her and what exactly she’s doing.”
Alice Cooper and today’s absurd world
Furthermore, Alice states that today’s world is so absurd that it no longer makes sense to shock people with a rock concert. The singer compares the current situation with the writer’s books Kurt Vonnegutknown for highly utopian science fiction.
Cooper he said:
We’re living in such a Kurt Vonnegut world now, where everything is so absurd. For a person like me or a comedian, the ideas are writing themselves.”
The golden age of shock rock
The roots of shock rock can be traced back to the 1950s, when American Screamin’ Jay Hawkins began bringing smoke, coffins and skull-shaped microphones to his shows, especially during the hit “I Put a Spell On You”. The British Screaming Lord Sutch did something similar at the same time.
In the 1960s, the big name in shock rock was Arthur Brownpioneer in the use of makeup and notorious for wearing a burning helmet during the song “Fire”. Names like Iggy Pop they also began bringing personas to the stage that helped shape the segment.
In the 1970s, Alice Cooper stole the show next to Kiss and of David Bowie. The practice continued through the 1980s, with names like WASPand 1990, with Marilyn Mansonperhaps the last one to really shock the public.
Today the Ghost is a popular phenomenon that invests heavily in theatricality on and off the stage. However, as Cooper said in his interview, the project does not necessarily try to shock the audience.
Collaborated: André Luiz Fernandes.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
