Alice Cooper shy off stage
Alice Cooper The ‘School’s Out’ rocker is much more quiet and down-to-earth than he seems when performing and has a keen interest in helping new musicians, but one of his friends thinks he is often misunderstood.
His friend Jim Brumley said: "He's peaceful, gentle, quiet, very down-to-earth. He's encouraging about the reptile business, Christianity, living clean and promoting new artists. People don't get him. Alice's take is, 'On stage, I'm an actor. I play a part, but I can't be that guy 24 hours a day.' "
Alice – whose real name is Vincent Furnier – struck up a friendship with Jim last year after his entourage visited the Jim Brumley Exotic Amphibian & Reptile Centre to find a snake to appear on stage with him during a US tour.
Jim explained that Alice needs a “consistent” type of boa constrictor after running into problems with the reptiles in the past.
He told the South County Times newspaper: "He knows what kind of snake he wants, and wants to know how it will behave. Everybody was on the lookout for a boa that could be consistent."
Jim now personally delivers or ships snakes to Alice wherever he performs in the US and says the rocker has grown particularly fond of two reptiles named Elizabeth and Detroit.
Jim said: "It's a blast. I get a back stage pass and people think I'm his body guard. I just say, 'No, I'm the dude with the snakes.' "
