"I have absolutely no idea what to do, so I should fit right in": Alice Cooper has launched yet another bid to become US president

Alice Cooper in top hat with snake
(Image credit: earMusic)

Shock rocker Alice Cooper has launched another bid to become US President. The Detroit native, whose classic Elected has been soundtracking the polls since 1972, has launched an official AliceForPresident website and a short video explaining why he should finally be elected.

"Well, I'm Alice Cooper, and I'm a troubled man for troubled times," says The Coop. "I have absolutely no idea what to do, so I should fit right in." 

Fans can sign up for campaign updates and purchase "Super Tuesday" t-shirts, and while cynical observers might argue that Cooper's political aspirations are merely a front for his merchandising operation, there's no doubting his commitment to the charade. It goes back years.

In 2020, Cooper's campaign slogan was "I can do nothing as well as they can do nothing,” and in 2016 his Wild Party confounded expectations by launching parallel bids to become US president and UK prime minister, appealing to British voters with pledges to “get Brian Johnson back in AC/DC” and "rename Big Ben as “Big Lemmy.” The launch was true to a promise he made four years earlier, when he tweeted, “If I’m elected I promise the formation of a new party, a third party, the Wild Party!”

And so on and so on, all the way back to 1972. 

Back in the real world, Cooper has been at pains to point out that musicians should never get involved in politics, telling the Metal Hammer: In Residence On Spotify podcast in 2016, "I absolutely hate it. It’s the worst idea ever. First of all, why do people think rock stars know more than they do? That is the biggest fallacy in the world – if anything we’re dumber. We’re not smarter than anybody else. I mean, why do you think we’re rock stars?

“Trust me, we don’t read magazines you don’t read. Nobody calls us up and gives us as inside information on politics. We know less than you do. If I watch TV it’s Family Guy.

"Rock’n’roll was built to go as far away from politics as you could get. When my mum and dad talked about who to vote for, I’d go in the other room and put on the Beatles or Rolling Stones – and I’m still like that."

Alice Cooper's campaign trail a.k.a. the Too Close For Comfort tour is currently in mainland Europe, and returns to North America in July. More European dates, including UK shows, arrive in October. Full schedule below.  

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Alice Cooper: Too Close For Comfort UK tour 2024

Jun 12: Hamburg Stadtpark-Open-Air-Bühne, Germany
Jun 14: Bratislava Aegon Arena, Slovakia
Jun 15: Nickelsdorf Novarock 2024, Austria
Jun 17: Pardubice Enteria arena, Czechia
Jun 19: Dübendorf The Hall, Switzerland
Jun 20: Dessel Graspop Metal Meeting 2024, Belgium
Jun 22: Northeim Waldbühne Northeim, Germany
Jun 23: Maxeville Heavy Weekend, France
Jun 26: Viveiro Resurrection Fest 2024, Spain
Jun 28: Barcelona Alma Festival 2024, Spain
Jul 01: Nürnberg Stadionpark, Germany
Jul 02: Dresden Junge Garde, Germany
Jul 04: Butzbach Schlosshof, Germany
Jul 06: Breisach Pinot & Rock, Germany
Jul 07: Albi Pause Guitare Sud De France, France
Jul 08: Montreux Jazz Festival 2024, Switzerland
Jul 10: Pordenone Blues Festival, Italy
Jul 12: Weert Bospop Festival 2024, Netherlands

Jul 30: Niagara Falls The Avalon Ballroom Theatre, ON, Canada
Jul 31: Albany Palace Theatre, NY
Aug 02: Kalamazoo, Wings Event Center, MI
Aug 03: Davenport Mississippi Valley Fair, IA
Aug 04: Peoria Peoria Civic Center, IL
Aug 06: Huber Heights Rose Music Center at The Heights, OH
Aug 07: Rockford BMO Center, IL
Aug 10: Tulsa River Spirit Event Center, OK
Aug 11: Park City Hartman Arena, KS
Aug 13: Denver Mission Ballroom, CO
Aug 15: Valley Center Harrah's Resort, CA
Aug 16: Costa Mesa OC Fair & Event Center, CA
Aug 17: Tucson Casino Del Sol, AZ
Aug 20: Albuquerque Isleta Amphitheater, NM
Aug 22: Salt Lake City Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre, UT
Aug 24: Lincoln Pinnacle Bank Arena, NE
Aug 25: Saint Paul Xcel Energy Center, MN
Aug 27: Milwaukee American Family Insurance Amphitheater, WI
Aug 28: Cuyahoga Falls Blossom Music Center, OH
Aug 30: Clarkston Pine Knob Music Theatre, MI
Aug 31: Noblesville Ruoff Music Center, IN
Sep 01: Maryland Heights Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, MO
Sep 03: Burgettstown The Pavilion at Star Lake, PA
Sep 04: Syracuse Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater, NY
Sep 06: Mansfield Xfinity Center, MA
Sep 07: Holmdel PNC Bank Arts Center, NJ
Sep 08: Camden Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, NJ
Sep 10: Bristow Jiffy Lube Live, VA
Sep 11: Charlotte PNC Music Pavilion, NC
Sep 12: Alpharetta Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, GA
Sep 14: Austin Germania Insurance Amphitheater, TX
Sep 15: The Woodlands The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, TX
Sep 17: Rogers Walmart AMP, AR
Sep 18: Fort Worth Dickies Arena, TX

Oct 02: Paris Zénith de Paris, France
Oct 03: Stuttgart Porsche Arena, Germany
Oct 04: Lingen EmslandArena, Germany
Oct 06: Oberhausen Rudolf Weber-ARENA, Germany
Oct 08: München Olympiahalle, Germany
Oct 09: Berlin Max-Schmeling-Halle, Germany
Oct 11: Leipzig Arena Leipzig, Germany
Oct 12: Esch-sur-alzette Rockhal, Luxembourg
Oct 14: Glasgow OVO Hydro, UK
Oct 16: Birmingham Utilita Arena Birmingham, UK
Oct 17: Manchester AO Arena, UK
Oct 18: Leeds First Direct Arena, UK
Oct 20: London Eventim Apollo, UK
Oct 21: London Eventim Apollo, UK

Tickets on sale now.

Fraser Lewry
Online Editor, Classic Rock

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 38 years in music industry, online for 25. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.