The Influence of Alice Cooper

“Most of the kids won’t see the influence of Alice Cooper on someone like Lady Gaga,” says Harkema. “But she sure does. We do our interviews with Alice Cooper in his ‘man-cave,’ and there’s a picture up there of Lady Gaga and she’s basically written on it, ‘I stole everything from you, thank you God.’” Although it may not be apparent when considering all the gruesome torture implements that Cooper uses as props on stage, the whole performance-aspect, mixed with the idea of dressing up in elaborate costumes, has been incredibly influential for many contemporary musicians from Michael Jackson to Arcade Fire, and can ultimately be traced back to Cooper’s performances.