‘Alice Cooper is a character, like Jekyll and Hyde’

‘Alice Cooper is a character, like Jekyll and Hyde’

"It's such a strange life that I had because I was the prodigal son. I grew up in a Christian church, went as far away as you can, then came back," he told BBC Radio WM. It comes after the singer-songwriter published his autobiography, Devil on My Shoulder, earlier this month, detailing the highs and lows of his nearly six-decade career that earned him the title of the Godfather of Shock Rock.

He is set to appear at the University of Wolverhampton at The Halls on Tuesday. Known for hits such as School's Out, Poison and I'm Eighteen, Cooper, whose real name is Vincent Damon Furnier, spoke about the stark difference between himself and his on-stage alter ego. "Alice, the character I play on stage, couldn't be more opposite to me.

"All through the book, I'll say something and the character will come in and go, 'Wait a minute, that didn't happen like that', so I'm arguing with my character – the Jekyll and Hyde thing all the way through the book, which is kind of unique," the 78-year-old said. He added: "I love playing him because that's who he is and he should be that on stage, but off stage we don't think alike at all. "I'm in church on Sunday.

I even teach Bible study sometimes and you would look at the character on stage and go 'how can that be?'" The rock star also spoke openly about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and warned that today's young people face a far more dangerous environment than previous generations. "When I was on cocaine, I was an entirely different person. All of my senses went away and I was living for the drug, so it's a form of possession," he said.

"And same with alcohol. I know people who are the nicest people in the world but, as soon as they drink, they become just the opposite. It's almost a poison or an allergy or something." The singer spoke about Solid Rock, an organisation he launched to support young people by offering free after-school training in music, dance and art.

"I think kids are living in a really dangerous world right now. What's going on on the street is a much more dangerous world than what we had. "The drugs that are on the street right now will kill you very quickly, whereas in our day, if you got caught with a joint or got caught with a beer you were in trouble if you were underage.

Now it's heroin, that's a big jump. "In the 70s, when we were going, it was normal. In fact, it was unusual if you weren't doing it.

Now, we've all learned from all the people who died at 27 that it doesn't work." During his trip to Wolverhampton, there will also be a Q&A session for fans to engage with the star. The event will be the last of eight dates on the UK book tour, which has also included Cardiff, Cambridge, Brighton, Manchester, Stockton-on-Tees and Glasgow, as well as the London Palladium. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.