God, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll: An Interview with Alice Cooper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_GW7JL0-0k

Minute 13:00 to 18:03

This video should have been entitled, “Saved by a love, from both God and spouse”. Alice Cooper came from a multi-generation Christian family, his father had been a pastor, his grandfather an evangelist. Alice Cooper was a “jock”, a cross country runner in high school: innocent, but unconverted and somewhat worldly. He got into rock music by realizing how easy it is to just start a band. The rest is history, but not a good history. Even though his intentions for a while remained relatively “innocent”, he led millions to their demise. I’m not condemning him. That’s between him and God. But I’m super-happy that he came to terms with God, because so many, even church people, don’t come to terms with their Maker. So many don’t surrender to Him. So many have never met Jesus. So many never know the Spirit of a reconciled Father, who enabled Himself to die with His Son on the cross, so that the immutable Law of His kingdom could be satisfied. So many don’t have what Alice Cooper had—the fear of the hard Law and the tender mercy shining from the cross.

The cross is the ground zero for the salvation of not only humanity sunken in the pit of sin, but also of the angelic hosts who lost their perfect trust in the Creator. The cross also saved God Himself from the loss of that perfect trust. And the cross saved the Law from its potentially loss of a foundation in love. Lucifer rigged his conspiracy so deep and convoluted that everything was at stake and everyone would lose. Nothing would ever be as happy with vulnerability and trust as it had been. Everything would have been associated with a past problem that couldn’t be rectified and a future repeat of the same. God’s Law would have remained insufficient to define the elements of happiness. God would have remained less than trustworthy. If it hadn’t been for infinite wisdom and infinite love….

Back to Alice Cooper. Eventually, his famous career led him into drugs,even though it took a while to get there. He was just having fun for many years—nothing wrong with that, right? What’s wrong with having fun? If moderated and safe and lighthearted, you can’t go wrong. Right?

Alice Cooper is lighthearted, even now after his genuine conversion. But, it is tempered with the knowledge of the bad that he is capable of doing. He could be more serious. We live in a different world and country than the 70’s. things were bad then, do doubt. But undoubtedly, everything is more corrupt today. Truly nothing will be 100% good until Jesus returns in destructive power to lay the land low. But, there needs to be a preparation for His return. There needs to be a deep repentance, a full surrender of the soul to the Law of God, and a genuine conversion to Christ.

And Alice Cooper got that genuine conversion through the fear of God’s Law, and the mercy of Christ’s self-sacrificing love.

He said, “I totally understood that hell was not getting high with Jim Morrison. Hell was going to be the worst place ever. In fear i came back to the lord. But i went to another church, and that pastor preached the love of Christ, which now you put the two together and it was exactly right.”

Not so amazingly, his conversion came from the same two part program laid out in the book, The Great Controversy, the chapter, “Modern Revivals”, pages 461, 462.

The testimony of Alice Cooper, like so many others on YouTube, follows the same footprint as the quotation from, The Great Controversy, quoted at the bottom of this post. Alice Cooper has a ministry now and attests to the work of the Spirit. He and the other YouTube witnesses have proven that the Spirit of Prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.

So, starting at minute 13:00, without any further adieu,

Alice Cooper: …that [Elvis Presley’s theme park, “Graceland”] was his [Elvis’] only contact with the outside world…. The Colonel wouldn’t let him go left, right, up, down. He couldn’t go to a movie, he couldn’t go play pool, he couldn’t go to a bar. Because that was… his little life was in that…He could have anything he wanted in that room, or Graceland, but he couldn’t leave. So, right then I realized, if anybody puts you in a mansion or no matter what, and gives you anything you want, you will find a way to kill yourself. Cause it’s not natural to be held up in a place like that. And he [Elvis] did. I mean, he ate himself to death, he drugged himself to death, and he died early.

Pastor Greg Laurie: And that’s happened to so many…

Alice Cooper: Michael Jackson…

Pastor Greg Laurie: Exactly, who ended up marrying Elvis’ daughter.

Alice Cooper: Yeah.

Pastor Greg Laurie: But it’s happened to so many Rock stars. Going back to the so called, “27 Club”, Brian Jones and…

Alice Cooper: Oh, we knew all those guys

Pastor Greg Laurie: You knew these guys. But, yet your life didn’t go that way. i mean it did for a while, didn’t it.

Alice Cooper: Could have. Could have.

Pastor Greg Laurie: And you were starting to go in that direction. You had a serious alcohol problem. And I remember hearing that you like had a big rock of cocaine. And you were like bleeding out of your eyes. It was insane.

Alice Cooper: Yeah. You know, after about two weeks, Cheryl had gone. She had gone to Chicago and said, “I can’t watch this.” But the cocaine was speaking a lot louder than her. And finally, I looked in the mirror, and it looked like my makeup. But it was blood coming down—I think. I might have been hallucinating. I don’t know. Flushed the rock down the toilet, and went to bed for three days. And I woke up and I called her, and said, “It’s done.” And she goes [incredulously], “Right!” She says, “You’re going to have to prove it.” And that was the beginning of our relationship coming back. Of course, one of the deals was we start going to church. And we started going to North Phoenix Baptist. And there was a pastor there, Jackson, who was a Hell’s fire pastor. And there’s 6,000 people there, and he was talking to me. Because I was the prodigal son. Remember I grew up in the church. My dad was a pastor. My granddad was an evangelist. And when the band happened it took me as far away as you could possibly go…. I was a poster boy of everything wrong. And then when I got sober and everything, came back to the church, realizing that’s where I belonged, there. So we started going… you know, a lot of people say that I “came to Christ because of my love of Jesus.” I came to Christ because of my fear of God.

Pastor Greg Laurie: Wow.

Alice Cooper: I totally understood that hell was not getting high with Jim Morrison. Hell was going to be the worst place ever. In fear I came back to the Lord. But I went to another church, and that pastor preached the love of Christ, which now you put the two together and it was exactly right.

Pastor Greg Laurie: well, you know, The Bible even says, “…some saved by fear.” You know, there’s a point where some people they need the hell scared out of them.

Alice Cooper: I’m telling you, because I knew if I died, and , I knew in other words, I knew who Christ was, Jesus Christ was. And I was denying him. Because I was living my own life. I was living my life without Him, I knew that there had to either come a point where I either accepted Christ and start living that life, or if I died in this, I was in a lot of trouble. And that’s what really motivated me.

Pastor Greg Laurie: What does that mean when you say, “accepted Christ”? What does it mean to accept Christ?

Alice Cooper: Well, I don’t think we accept Christ. I think we accept the fact that He accepted us. and I just got to a point of saying, “I’m tired of this life. And I know that this [seeking Christ] is right.” When people say, “Well how do you know that? Put that into words.” I go, “You can’t put that into words. Its because God opens your eyes, and He says…” you know, its supernatural.

Pastor Greg Laurie: That’s right.

Alice Cooper: And you try to tell that to people, and they go, “Well yeah, but so is voodoo. And so is this…” and I would say, “You don’t understand. And I could never explain it to you. But when the Lord opens your eyes and you suddenly realize who you are, and who He is…Oh, it’s a whole different world. And right then, I was baptized, and I went to my pastor, and I said, “I think I’ve got to quit being Alice Cooper now. And he goes, “Really? Do you think God makes mistakes?” and I went, “No.” He said, “Look where He put you.” He said, “He put you in the exact camp of the Philistines. And you were basically the leader! So now, what if you’re Alice Cooper, but what if now you’re following Christ. And you are a Rock star, but you don’t live the Rock star life. Your lifestyle is now your testimony.” And that made total sense to me….

That last part reminds me of something Paul wrote,

“But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.

Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.

Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.

Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.

Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.

For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant.

Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.” (1Cor. 7:17-24).

In closing I quote from Great Controversy to let it and Alice Cooper’s testimony validate each other.

“Wherever the word of God has been faithfully preached, results have followed that attested its divine origin. The Spirit of God accompanied the message of His servants, and the word was with power. Sinners felt their consciences quickened. The ‘light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world’ illumined the secret chambers of their souls, and the hidden things of darkness were made manifest. Deep conviction took hold upon their minds and hearts. They were convinced of sin and of righteousness and of judgment to come. They had a sense of the righteousness of Jehovah and felt the terror of appearing, in their guilt and uncleanness, before the Searcher of hearts. In anguish they cried out: ‘Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?’ As the cross of Calvary, with its infinite sacrifice for the sins of men, was revealed, they saw that nothing but the merits of Christ could suffice to atone for their transgressions; this alone could reconcile man to God. With faith and humility they accepted the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. Through the blood of Jesus they had ‘remission of sins that are past.’ 

     These souls brought forth fruit meet for repentance. They believed and were baptized, and rose to walk in newness of life--new creatures in Christ Jesus; not to fashion themselves according to the former lusts, but by the faith of the Son of God to follow in His steps, to reflect His character, and to purify themselves even as He is pure. The things they once hated they now loved, and the things they once loved they hated. The proud and self-assertive became meek and lowly of heart. The vain and supercilious became serious and unobtrusive. The profane became reverent, the drunken sober, and the profligate pure. The vain fashions of the world were laid aside. Christians sought not the ‘outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but . . . the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.’ 1 Peter 3:3, 4. 

     Revivals brought deep heart-searching and humility. They were characterized by solemn, earnest appeals to the sinner, by yearning compassion for the purchase of the blood of Christ. Men and women prayed and wrestled with God for the salvation of souls. The fruits of such revivals were seen in souls who shrank not at self-denial and sacrifice, but rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer reproach and trial for the sake of Christ. Men beheld a transformation in the lives of those who had professed the name of Jesus. The community was benefited by their influence. They gathered with Christ, and sowed to the Spirit, to reap life everlasting. 

     It could be said of them: ‘Ye sorrowed to repentance.’ ‘For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.’ 2 Corinthians 7:9-11.” The Great Controversy, p. 461, 462.