HomeFeaturesFeatures › The Valley’s Most Powerful Men—2012 - Page 2

afm0812-most-powerful-men-alice-cooper

Alice Cooper
For 50 years, this rock legend has called Phoenix home. When he’s not selling out shows and playing alongside the likes of Steven Tyler or Johnny Depp, this husband and father of three is helping troubled kids and teens via his Solid Rock Foundation.

What does “power” mean to you?
Power is influence. You always want to use what power you have to do good things. Using that power for egotistical reasons is not in my vocabulary.

What impact do you strive to have on the Valley?
I’ve watched Phoenix grow for 50 years. I went to elementary school, high school and college here. The band started here. So I feel that I owe it to the city to do whatever I can do to help kids, which is ironic being that Alice Cooper is a name that parents wanted to keep their kids away from for years. We’re never going to run out of kids with gang, drug or family problems. That’s why we organized Solid Rock Foundation, to give kids a place to turn when there’s nowhere else.

How do you balance kids, career and community?
I look at them all as being connected. Of course, I still do the big show eight months out of every year, and I’m still very capable of scaring you out of your wits. But there’s another side to Alice Cooper. I couldn’t have my career without my family, and my community keeps me grounded. But I think the big factor is that I don’t have any significant source of stress in my life. I have great kids, fans and friends. That makes it easy no matter what the schedule looks like.

What has been your proudest achievement?
Thirty-six years of marriage with my wife, and three great, successful kids who have never shown any disrespect to me or my wife or have ever been in trouble. We’re a very tight unit. We are the modern-day Christian Addams Family.

What superpower would you like to possess?
I would be The Diplomat. An unbeatable negotiator. I would be the ultimate problem-solver, able to fix any conflict between people or countries. I would be the person who is able to make all parties see eye to eye, and negotiate peace to eliminate war.