Guitarist Ryan Roxie, perhaps best known for his work with shock rock legend Alice Cooper, is featured in a new interview with Guitar World. An excerpt is available below.
Guitar World: How do you view your role amongst the controlled chaos that is an Alice Cooper show?
Roxie: "I would say controlled chaos is a good way of putting it, but then again, sometimes it's just utter chaos (laughs). I view my role as staying true to the attitude of the original Alice Cooper. I know that a lot of the Alice Cooper audience come from different eras, with people coming in during Dick Wagner's era and other's coming in when Kane was first in the band back in the '80s. But for me, the classic Alice Cooper band is the great guitar riffs of Michael Bruce, Glen Buxton and Dennis Dunaway, played through those songs the original band created. I try to recreate that vibe, not just musically but attitude-wise, every night on stage with Alice."
Guitar World: Will we see more of Kane Roberts in 2023, or is a return for Nita Strauss in the cards?
Roxie: "One of the best things about being in the Alice Cooper band as a 'hired gun' is that we don't have to make those hard decisions about who's in the band. All we have to do is make sure that no matter who is in the band, the show is entertaining and that we back up Alice Cooper to the best of our ability while upholding the legacy of that music. I defer that to management and, of course, Alice. We'll see what happens, but I don't know if there's anything set in stone yet. Who knows? All I can guarantee is whoever is in that spot will do an incredible job and that we will mesh and rock as a unit. That's what we do and what people have come to expect from us. Hopefully, we deliver on that. I think we do. The fans will let us know if we don't, I guess.
I can say that I love and am supportive of both. I was in the band with Nita for eight or nine years, so there's history there. And then, when Kane came in, I loved what he brought to the band under some challenging circumstances. When he came in, we all completely supported the return of Kane Roberts, which showcased a different era of Alice that the fans love. We'll see what happens. I know some big shows are lined up with Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe, so we'll see who's out there when the time comes."
Read the complete interview here.
Alice Cooper recently announced the Too Close For Comfort tour, launching on April 29 in Youngstown, Ohio. Get your tickets here.
Too Close For Comfort tour dates:
April
29 - Covelli Centre - Youngstown, OH
May
2 - Allen County War Memorial Coliseum - Fort Wayne, IN
3 - Miller High Life Theatre - Milwaukee, WI
6 - Sanford Center - Bemidji, MN
9 - State Farm Center - Champaign, IL
10 - The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY
13 - Tennessee Theatre - Knoxville, TN
14 - Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium - Spartanburg, SC
15 - North Charleston Performing Arts Center - North Charleston, SC
17 - Shreveport Municipal Auditorium - Shreveport, LA
18 - Beau Rivage Theatre - Biloxi, MS
