THE QUESTIONS!

Q1) Tell me about how you got into the Alice Cooper band? As far as I know you were playing in other bands before you joined "The Nazz".

NS1) I was drumming in a local Phoenix band called "The Holy Grail". "The Holy Grail", traveled to the San Francisco bay area in the Spring of 1967 to seek fame and fortune. By summers end "The Holy Grail" had disbanded, and I was in Los Angeles via Phoenix staying with my friends "The Nazz". I was good friends with Glen and Michael and knew Dennis and Vince pretty well from College. I was living with them in Santa Monica California in the late Summer of 1967, when they kicked their drummer out of the band. Since I was in California looking for a band that needed a drummer, the timing was perfect. It was still about 6 months untill we changed the name of the band to "Alice Cooper" in March of 1968.

Other bands I had in High School & College, were "The Nightriders", "The Laser Beats", "The Cloth of Many Colors", and "Evil".

Q2) What was your first impression of the band?

NS2) I guess that you mean "The Nazz". In the mid- 60's the "Spiders" (early "Nazz"), were making a lot of money for a local band, playing great Stones, Yardbirds and Young Rascals covers. But what I liked the most about "The Nazz" was that they were writing original songs. Their inspiration came from the assault of the "British Invasion Music" bombarding Phoenix at that time. I was in "The Holy Grail" the other top band in Phoenix, and frankly I thought "The Holy Grail" would blow "The Nazz" away on any given night, but they did all cover songs, nothing original.

Q3) Did you know any of the members before joining the group?

NS3) I knew all of the members of the group, we all became good friends. Glen and I both grew up in the same mid western town of Akron, Ohio, but never knew each other there. We became drinking buddies and partners in crime. We used to take my Mom's car and drive all over Arizona to the "The Nazz" gigs. Glen and I were friends a long time before I was ever in the band, it was at that time that I also started to know the Mike, Dennis and Vince better. It was great being in a group with all of your best friends.

Q4) You had a hard time when you came to LA, how was it?

NS4) It was very hard, I did not know where my next beer was coming from. We always had to borrow money from our girlfriends. Speaking of girlfriends, in California there were so many gorgeous women, I always had such a hard time choosing a girlfriend. So, yes they were very very hard times when we first came to LA.

Q5) Did you ever consider to drop out?

NS5) The only time I ever thought about leaving the group was around the winter of 69/70. We were freezing in a mid-west rehersal studio, cold and depressed. I was wondering why I was starving and freezing in Detriot at least if I were in LA I'd only, be starving. I almost got on a plane back to LA that day, but I didn't and I was happy that I had made the right decession.

Q6) How did you get the name Alice Cooper? I´ve heard a lot of storys about that…

NS6) Alice, Dennis and I, plus several friends were fooling aroung with a Ouija Board one night in Phoenix, Arizona early of 1968 and we were asking the Board names that we had in past lives. I did it and the Ouija Board spelled out a name for me then Vince did it, (he was not Alice yet) and the Ouija Board spelled out "Alice Cooper". That is the only story, I WAS THERE!!!! But we all liked the name "Alice Cooper" because it was such a normal sounding all American name. A few months later we changed our name from "The Nazz" to "Alice Cooper and on March 15th &16th 1968 we were introduced for the 1st time as "Alice Cooper", and the rest is Rock n' Roll history.

Q7) Today when you look back, what do you feel?

NS7) It was the party that never ended. I made a lotta money, had a lot of fun traveling the world with my best friends. The "Alice Cooper Group" changed the face of music in the 70's. I think that over the years we inspired and influenced many musicians and groups. I enjoyed the opportunity to co-write some classic rock songs with Glen, Michael, Alice and Dennis, while at the same time creatinge some killer drum parts.

Q8) In the late sixties, you signed your first record contract with Straight. What were your feelings then?

NS8) I felt that we were on our way, but we still had a very long way to go. Frank Zappas lable Straight Records was not going to be the record company to bring our group "Alice Cooper" to the world, but it was a start.

Q9) I guess you guys were really poor in the beginning, when did you start making big money?

NS9) It was not untill "Schools Out", when the money really started to roll in. It was then that I bought my Rolls Royce! Now the party really kicked into high gear.

Q10) During the late sixties and the early seventies you toured a lot, how was it?

NS10) Exhausting!

Q11) Do you miss it?

NS11) I've done it all, so I don't really miss it. But I still like to travel and meet the fans. Plus what I enjoy the most is writing and recording and I still do that. I have two new projects being released in 2001, check my site www.nealsmith.com for more information.

Q12) "Love it to death" became a success, how did the album change your lifes?

NS12) "Love It To Death", didn't change my lifestyle at all, I was still playing live shows all over the country rushing from one town to the next. The only thing that changed was we were getting paid a lot more money now and the money was actually trickling it's way into our pockets and bank accounts.

Q13) You followed it up with great albums like Killer, Schools out, Billion dollar babies and Muscle of love. Which one was the funniest recording and why?

NS13) "Funny" is not a word that I would ever associate with our group "Alice Cooper" to any degree. However the word "Fun" is a very different story we always had fun, or else we were drinking so much that we thought that we were having fun! Recording was always a highlight of fun and "Billion Dollar Babies", especially stands out as a very special "Alice Cooper Group" album for me. That album was a gas to record.

Q14) How much did Bob Ezrin mean to the Alice Cooper group?

NS14) Bob Ezrin was to our band "Alice Cooper", what George Martin was to the Beatles. Bob pushed us all musically individually and collectively, while also understanding us, which was not a task for the faint of heart. If there was ever a question abut Bob's influence and understanding of the band, just listen to the change from our 2nd album "Easy Action" to our 3rd album "Love It To Death". At the time of "Love It To Death", all 5 members of the band, including Bob, were creating and molding what "Alice Cooper" the band, was to become. He had great production and arrangement ideas, but most of all he meshed with our insane chemistry and was like the 6th member of the band.

Q15) Which is your favourite album?

NS15) Any album that sold more than a million copies! From a drummers viewpoint, I like them all for different reasons.

Q16) Do you still have contact with the guys?

NS16) Yes, all the time. Alice and I get together a couple times a year to play golf. Michael and I play at shows once in a while. Dennis and I still play and write together very often and have a CD coming out this year. In November of 1999, all 4 of us played together and it was bitchen!

Q17) How would you describe the person Alice Cooper?

NS17) Brother, friend and partner in crime . Incredible song lyricist, great singer, good golfer (got me started in the early 90's), lousy pool player (because he's so lucky), great father and teller of many interesting stories!

Q18) Dennis Dunaway?

NS18) Friend, brother-in-law, one of the most incredible bass guitarist in the world and a true artist with a wonderful dark sense of humor.

Q19) Glen Buxton?

NS19) I love "Glen" to death, brother, friend, fellow Akronite, partner in crime, rebel, trouble maker, one of a kind, completely original guitar style, GB was the Alice Cooper Group and his own worst enemy, RIP-GB "Schools Out Forever".

Q20) Michael Bruce?

NS20) Friend, incredible talented song writer and guitarist, stubborn pain in the ass, slowly learning to get out of his own way.

Q21) In 1974 the band went seperate ways, why?

NS21) Everything ends sooner or later and "Alice Cooper" ended at the top of our game, the way it should have been. We took a year off because of exhaustion, Glens heath was poor and everyone wanted to record their own music. We were never able to rekindle the flame, as a group again.

Q22) Was there any hard feelings between you guys?

NS22) Not in the large picture! I can not speak for anyone else, but we were very lucky to achieve the success that we did. We were a kick ass rockin' monster that changed the music world and scared the hell out of people in the early 70's. I feel very proud and positive about that and no one in the world can ever take that away from the 5 of us. Those achievements and successes has forever created a welded bond between Alice, Dennis, Glen/RIP, Michael and myself. If there is a negative side, I feel we let the "Alice Cooper" fans down by not giving them more music from the real band.

Q23) You, Dennis and Michael Bruce went on and released "Battle axe" under the name Billion dollar babies, tell me about that time?

NS23) At that time in the mid-70's Warner Brothers Records was suing
"The Alice Cooper Group" for not recording a new record since Muscle
of Love. So Michael, Dennis, Mike Marconi (Neal Smith Solo guitarist),
Bob Dolan (keyboards from ACG/Billion $ Baby tour) and myself got
together in my studio in Connecticut to write a new album for Warner
Brothers. At the time Alice was recording his 2nd solo album and did
not want to join us, so we recorded it on our own under the new band
called "Billion Dollar Babies"

Q24) What do you think of Alice´s solo albums?

NS24) I think the same thing of Alice's solo recordings, Michael Bruce's solo recording, as well as my own solo recordings, they are all good and some better than others, but they would have been much better if they would have all been done as the "Alice Cooper Group".

Q25) After that you been involved in several projects, tell me a little about them?

NS25) After the band "Billion Dollar Babies", in the late 70's, Dennis and myself formed a band called "The Flying Tigers" and played "live" all around the New York tri-state and New England area. In the early 80's I recorded the drums for the Plasmatics on their 2nd album "Beyond The Valley of 1984". I recorded the drums for Buck Dharma ( Lead guitarist BOC ) on his solo album entitled "Flat Out". Buck and I co-wrote the song called "Born to Rock" on that album which became a hit video on MTV. Also at that time Joe Bouchard (Bass guitarist for BOC) and I were writing songs together. One song we wrote was called "Shadows of California", "Blue Oyster Cult" recorded "Shadows" on one of their albums.

My web site www.nealsmith.com has the complete "Neal Smith" discography!

Q26) You recently released "Platinum god", tell me about the album?

NS26) As I mentioned previously, when the "Alice Cooper Group" decided to take a year off in the mid 70's to do solo projects, "Platinum God" was the album that I created and recorded. However, I never released it until Halloween 1999.

To buy a copy of "Platinum God" go to www.nealsmith.com, also find all the information regarding the recording and players on "Platinum God".

Q27) Do you perform live anymore?

NS27) Very rarely, but once in a while.

Q28) Have you ever planned a reunion with the Alice Cooper group like Kiss?

NS28) As I've said a billion times, if Michael Bruce, Alice Cooper, Dennis Dunaway and myself ever thought it would be the right thing to do, then we would do a reunion. Obviously we've never planned it or it would have happened. I never foresee a full blown world tour, but whatever we would do would be very large and a hell of a lot of fun.

Q29) Would you be interested in doing something like that?

NS29) I'm the person pushing it more than anyone else in the group. It would be great to do something for the fans, as well as a great tribute to Glen.

Q30) How do you look on your music now? Is it more like an interest besides the real estate?

NS30) I always take the fun and creativity of my drumming and music very seriously, it will always be the #1 love of my life, I would die without it. Real Estate is a whole other interest of mine, I enjoy it immensely and make a good living at it, but music and drums will always come first with me.

Q31) Lets leave the music, how did you get into the real estate business?

NS31) When I had a few thousand dollars laying around in the early 70's, I started investing it in Real Estate in Arizona. The band had a few group investments as well, That peaked my interest and in the mid 80's I had an opportunity to attend some Real Estate classes. Passing with flying colors I received my Connecticut Real Estate license in 1985 and have been enjoying my 2nd career in Real Estate ever since.

Q32) Tell me about your work as a realtor…

NS32) Not much to tell, I've been listing and selling homes in Fairfield County Connecticut, since 1985. Last year was a killer year and I'm not stopping yet it is a great career. It is a lot of hard work, but I have fun with the marketing side of Real Estate. See www.nealsmith.com "Rock n' Realtor" .

Q33) Have you learned anything from your rock and roll years that can come in handy in your present work?

NS33) Not really. It's apples and oranges, two completely different careers.

I also have some short questions for you.

Q34) When and were was you born:

NS34) 11:30 P.M., September 23, 1947 in Medina, Ohio, USA.

Q35) Where do you live today:

NS35) Fairfield County Connecticut, USA (about 1 hour from New York City)

Q36) Family:

NS36) My girlfriend Rose of 10 years, 1 cat and 1 snake (Basil the Boa Constrictor).

My son Frisbee and his wife Penny, 2 dogs and 1 cat. (New Mexico USA)

My sister Cindy and Dennis, their daughters (my nieces) Renee' and Chelsea, 1 dog and many Doves.

Q37) Last but not least, I´ve heard that Eric Singer has gone back to Kiss. Cant you replace him on Alice´s tour in sweden in april/may?

NS37) Let me be perfectly clear, as I stated in #28 regarding an "Alice Cooper" reunion, if Alice, Dennis, Michael and myself decided as a group to do a reunion, I would love to do one. Under no circumstances would I even consider playing drums on any of Alice's solo tours. The only thing that I would ever consider, that would be killer, is to play with Alice, Dennis and Michael, like we did at the GBMWII, Nov. 1999 in Phoenix Arizona. Lastly, I do not comment on hired drummers, they do not exist in my world, and I have no comments on anything connected to that band that starts with a "K".

THANKS A BILLION!

NEAL SMITH/PLATINUM GOD

WWW.NEALSMITH.COM