Alice Cooper has never shied away from the stranger intersections in his life, horror themed shock rock on one side, deeply rooted Christian faith on the other. In a new conversation with pastor Greg Laurie, the seventy seven year old opened up again about how those worlds coexist, reflecting on addiction, identity and why he believes Jesus remains the centre of everything he does.
Born to a preacher father, Cooper grew up around religion, but it wasn’t until the ‘80s, when he finally quit drinking and using cocaine, that he committed himself fully. When Laurie asked why he thinks so many successful people fall into drugs or self destructive habits, Cooper didn’t hesitate.
According to him, “if you don’t have the Lord in your life, you’re always gonna be trying to fill that hole with something… you’re never going to achieve it.” He argued that even people who appear to have everything — wealth, fame, status — often end up searching in the wrong places. “The most miserable people I knew were billionaires,” he said.
Cooper explained that surrendering control is the sticking point for many: “People do not want to give up their God self… you given yourself fully. And that’s where the fulfillment comes from.”
When asked directly who Jesus is to him, Cooper went straight to the core:
“He’s the core of everything. He’s life itself. He’s the light.”
He described his belief not as an intellectual choice, but as something that shifts “your heart”.
Faith and the Alice Persona
Cooper also addressed the long standing question of whether Christianity conflicts with his on stage persona. His pastor once told him the opposite, that Alice Cooper could now be part of his testimony rather than something to shed.
According to Alice, fans have reached out saying songs like ‘Hey Stoopid’ or even tracks he never intended as religious have helped them in moments of crisis. Albums like Brutal Planet and Dragontown, both heavy concept records, ended up being stocked in Christian bookstores, something his label apparently found baffling at the time.
Cooper continues to attend church and Bible study, insisting that Christianity doesn’t require abandoning rock’n’roll. In his words: “There was never more of a rebel than Jesus Christ.”
MORE IN News
