In a candid interview with Rock Candy magazine, rock icon Alice Cooper opened up about reuniting the original Alice Cooper band after more than five decades. In conversation with editor Howard Johnson, Cooper reflected on their original breakup in 1974 and why 2025 marks the perfect time to come together again.
“I’ve always known it couldn’t have lasted between us back then,” Alice admitted.
“There were too many things in the way. Mike [Michael Bruce] went through a bad period, Dennis [Dunaway] had some physical problems, Neal [Smith] had some physical problems. Plus I was dealing with my cocaine and alcohol things and that set me back at least five years.”
The band had achieved monumental success through seven groundbreaking studio albums, but behind the scenes, personal issues and lifestyle clashes were tearing them apart.
“At the end of the ‘Muscle Of Love’ album period, we were not on the same page lifestyle-wise. I don’t think anyone really understood where the group should be going. We were dysfunctional.”
🎤 A Reunion That Feels Like “Coming Home”
Despite the split, Cooper never saw it as a complete ending.
“I think the way it has finally worked out is perfect,” he continued.
“I never truly felt the band divorced. Rather we separated, and everyone went off down their own track. But what you have to remember is that we were in high school together, so we have real history… and when we finally got back together and started playing as a band, it felt just like coming home.”
This emotional return marks not just a revival of sound but a restoration of long-standing friendships and unfinished creative business.
🎧 “The Revenge Of Alice Cooper”: A New Chapter
The band’s new studio album, “The Revenge Of Alice Cooper,” produced by longtime collaborator Bob Ezrin, hit shelves this month. Fans and critics alike say it sounds as if the group picked up exactly where they left off in 1974.
Ezrin, often referred to as the band’s unofficial “fifth member,” helped channel the raw energy, theatricality, and grit that made the original Alice Cooper sound so influential in the first place.
🔥 Legacy, Pain, and Redemption
While much of the story is wrapped in nostalgia, it’s also a reminder of how difficult the journey was. Addiction, health issues, and conflicting visions almost destroyed what would become a legendary group.
Alice’s struggle with cocaine and alcohol may have set him back, but the reunion is proof that time—and real friendship—can heal old wounds.
