The original band was/is incredibly under-rated: they were heavy, experimental, raw, and melodic!! R.I.P. Glen. -EK

Neil and the original AC group were the greatest band

I wish they could have stayed together after muscle of love. As much as I love Alice s solo albums,. the raw power and attack of Neal Smith on drums, Dennis on bass and Mike and glen on guitars was clearly missing. Neal is a true star

I was at the Billion Dollar Babies Tour in 1973. I have autographs from both Alice Cooper and Neal Smith...

Was at the Hollywood bowl with Alice cooper, hung with the band at the Hollywood Riot House, played Glen Buxton's white SG and attended the party after the show at the Rainbow, it was a who's who of Rock & Roll royalty. One of the highlights of my life, I was 17 years old.

He comes across as a really good bloke, Alice Cooper is 5 guys and they were great!

Yes, straight up interview. You see how merciless the business is. It gives an insight into the suits who exploit talent. These guys created a great backdrop to my teen angst back in the day when I was 18. For that I will always be grateful. (No one else was doing more than verse-chorus rock in the day!)

Love you Neal!

Neal is the most appreciative loving human being Ive known who is a musician many of whom forget things when they become stars. Neal is about as real as they come. Love him to death.

I saw them for the School's Out show in 1972,at the Hollywood Bowl. I was right down front too! It was great! Ive always wanted Neal's hair.

Great interview, thanks for sharing, Neal explains the history of the band very well.

He has aged really well. Great personality, too. He's a fave drummer of this girl here!

He is my grandpa I'm serious

The original Alice Cooper group were great. I got into rock music when I was about 13 and they were my favorite along with Black Sabbath. Excellent musicians and Glen Buxton is still one of my favorite guitarists- he created some amazing stuff and his playing made the song- today it’s all about shredding and guitar pyrotechnics where the songs are weak, often made to highlight guitar - Van Halen, Yngwie, Steve Vai etc. and many of today’s players are boring and all sound the same. The songwriting and originality of the original Alice Cooper group was fantastic and I never got into Vince’s solo stuff… it just wasn’t the same and they hired the hottest guns in the business- Dick Wagner, Steve Hunter (who I like and were great players but…) I think Killer is one of the best albums ever made and it still sounds amazing, Bob Ezrin’s production was groundbreaking. Neal is a great drummer also and always looked cool doing it.

very cool interveiw... saw Alice Cooper in Cincinnati at a festival Grand Funk, Mountain, Iggy and the Stooges, and Traffic.

Seen Alice many times when he tours the UK, but unfortunately never caught the original band, which just kicked arse RIP GB 🙏

I saw alice cooper in 1973 .great band! Neal smith had a hudge drumset.and he could play it.he had real long hair but he could spin drumsticks like a baton.it was awsome! 3.50 alice cooper and a new band zz top.

Thank You Neal! From one fellow Glendale Alumni-It's All About The Attitude!

The story I have read was Bob Ezrin was in Vince's ear telling him he was the star and could pay musicians instead of splitting it 5 ways and Got Vince to dump them, Plus there was some jealousy going on which is natural. It happens. I remember Neil once paid for a sign that said Alice Cooper was a band! Lol But they kissed and made up but it took some years.

Great interview. Been a fan of the band since I got hold of the Killers album when it came out & I was in high school. A lot of the music on that album painted pictures to me. A blueprint for the musician I would become. Thank you Neal for your story & for turning me onto Tapping the Vein. (Incredible band!)

I enjoyed the first half of the interview, you ask good questions and very easy to talk to, i always knew that

Neal is a badass!!

Actually Neil here tells way better stories than Alice does, ha.Never heard him interviewed before, love this,besides the interviewer who was awful,interrupting talking about himself,come on. I remember sending in $5 bucks to the Alice Cooper Fan Club back in the day, the address was on one of the albums. They sent me a large manila envelope with about a half dozen or so glossy black & white 8 X 10 pictures of Alice and the band,And a "fact sheet" listing facts about Alice and the band,,the only one i remember was that Alice liked Budweiser and Michelob beer and drank a case of each a day. haha

He's cool. Love his drumming. Recovered part of my lost album collection I left behind when I moved, found under a relatives flight of stairs. Great that I am rediscovering the Alice Cooper group. Love Halo of Flies. They had a great sound.

What a great subject, he is so wide open!

Outstanding interview!

put that man in the hall of fame

A complete band!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The most well adjusted rock mucians from the mist outrageous Rock Show. Perfect !

Neal Smith is the greatest of all time.

NEIL SMITH ,how are you ,love your drumming ,

Pretty sure I've heard the chicken story about 200 times now. Does it really need to be brought up time and again? Good lord.

very good interview

Well done!

This guy is so fucking cool....and a real ass kicker!!!

NEIL DO YOU PLAY BLUES ,PROBABLY HEY ANYWAYS LOVE YOUR DRUMMING I KNOW YOU PRACTICED YOUR RUDIMENTS YOUR ROLLS ARE VERY MILITANT .ANYWAYS LOVE THE OPENING FOR PUBLIC ANIM,AL NUMBER NINE GET BACK BROTHA .

BAD ASS..

Yes canada more open for many things & respect music for long time ago !

You guys are the longest running jock prank team,ever lol from the earwigs to Alice Cooper but still great

when was this? N/S looks great, he has taken good care of himself. he talked about canada...bob ezrin, the man who was the bands secret weapon is canadian. i'm sure he played a big role in breaking the band over there...he certainly played a big role in turning the band into international superstars. his production skills are top notch. ezrin is one of the top 10 producers in the world...bob rock/mutt lange/bob clearmountian and daniel lanois are in my list...and they're also canadian...something in the water there that breeds great producers.

What was the zappa lawsuit about? I ll read the book...thanks

The Alice Cooper Group is Alice Cooper it is not what came after ... as a 12 year old I was heartbroken for years until I discovered The Stranglers when I was 16 (Alex Harvey , Hawkwind , Bowie , Iggy , Roxy , Ramones etc all the great stuff was in the circle obviously) Welcome To My Nightmare was ok then Goes To Hell just proved it was gone never mind Lace and Whiskey . They should've NEVER broke up , horrible shame

Neal your # 2 in my book

I worked at a hospital in Il in the 80's when Ozzie did receive a gamma globulin shot after a show. I was disgusted he took it that far. Wether or not you like Ozzie. Our on call ER Doc had to deal with his ass. Alice Cooper the band, would never do that. Neal Rocks Forever. Thank's

This interviewer is brutal.

Alice Cooper band is rock ‘n’ roll. The guitarist were great as the drummer and Alice great band.

I'm forming a band called the Chicken Incident. We throw Alice Cooper into the audience.

Neal...keep banging them drums I have a set of drum sticks :) Very Cool

Winter Pop. Toronto New Year's eve at Maple Leaf Gardens. Wow !

Ozzy said he THOUGHT it was a rubber bat and proceeded to bite the head off. It was already dead.

Most the original band members past Vince could walk up to me and swear the were who the were and I'd still have doubts. Don't look a thing like they did. Yes, I know, we all change. could probably recognize M. Bruce, maybe. Met him once. Don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with the way they look. Just not the same.

So, Alice was the “some stupid with a flare~gun”!

They were all track team Letterman like many starts for bands but they were also artists and writers in high school Buxton played 🏈 and John Speer and John Tatum original d and r g but all met 1st in Arizona the chicken or doves is just that represention of ritualism and the a.c. band still do that to this day they schooled the punks .

Wait a minute... was alice cooper the reason for smoke on the water????

Rush broke the record in Brazil

terrible questions the interviewer asks Neal never gets to shed any light on the bands demise

wow..thats how you got out there

@Clive... yes I did meet them, what an experience!!!

I really wish they'd get past that chicken story... it's just like Ozzie's bat story... we've heard it a million times, get over it... move on! The early Alice Cooper band did some great music... they were brilliant. So much more interesting stuff they could discuss... but hey... I guess the chicken really did come first huh?

I used to play an SG and back then a lot of people wounded it and “Alice Cooper guitar”. Lol

Well i havent heard that twist of the chicken story ?

I bought a snake because of Alice

plaiying snooker?

this guy is one horrible interviewer hard to watch come dude get prepared!!!!

Look it is NILA Smitty the TRANSGENDER Smitty Me Thinks