During a conversation with Kerrang Magazine, Nita Strauss talked about playing in Alice Cooper‘s band, how the singer treats his bandmembers, getting emotional onstage, and more.
When asked: “When you’re playing with other people, whether as a guest guitarist or with Alice Cooper, are there moments where you wish you could blast out your full emotion, but you can’t because you might overwhelm the vocalist?”, the guitarist replied:
“Absolutely. Especially with Alice Cooper. We’re a supporting act to Alice. There’s this invisible line on stage that we don’t cross. If Alice wants us to take the front stage, we will run with it, but it’s his show, and we’re conscious of that.
“We’re there to make the Alice Cooper show as great as it can be, but not to be, like, Alice Cooper featuring Nita Strauss. There are three lead guitar players in Alice Cooper’s band: myself, Ryan Roxie, and Tommy Henriksen.
“There isn’t any room for the three of us to do that, especially with Alice there. We have to give the crowd that guitar hero experience while also not taking anything away from Alice.”
Have you ever played a set while crying?
“Oh my God, so many times! The first time I played ‘Poison’ with Alice Cooper, I cried so many times. When I was recording the album, there are these two ballad tracks that are just super personal to me, and I was just crying.
“Not even cute, movie tears, like actual bawling! [Nita does a hacking, open-mouthed sob] I’ve cried during guitar clinics. I’m a very emotional guitar player, so it’s not uncommon for me to cry. I just let it flow through me.”