NITA STRAUSS - "When I Got The Confirmation That I Was Going To Be On The ALICE COOPER Tour, I Wound Up Taking My First Actual Guitar Lesson"

12:26 Monday, 4 September 2023

Guitar Player Magazine recently caught up with guitarist Nita Strauss for their October 2023 issue, and during the interview she explains how she managed to transition from shredder to rock guitarist just in time to join shock rock legend Alice Cooper’s live band. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

Guitar Player: How does a shredder come at something like that?

Nita: "It was kind of an education process. When I got the confirmation that I was going to be on the Alice Cooper tour, I wound up taking my first actual guitar lesson."

Guitar Player: Why exactly?

Nita: "To learn, basically. I talked to (longtime Alice Cooper producer) Bob Ezrin, who was a big part of my audition process, and he said, 'Alice Cooper doesn’t need a shred guitar player. He needs a rock guitar player. Can you become a rock guitar player in time?' I said, 'Absolutely. I know I can do it.' This was two weeks before the start of the Alice Cooper-Mötley Crüe tour. When I hung up the phone, I was in a daze. I remember looking at my phone and thinking, 'Wow… Bob Ezrin just told me I don’t know how to play rock guitar.'"