Alice Cooper The 54-year-old shock rocker and restaurateur--he owns Alice Cooper'stown sports bars in Phoenix and Cleveland--contemplates the Hall of Fame, Little League baseball and his hometown Phoenix Suns.
SI: For those planning to eat at one of your restaurants, do you
recommend the Ryne Sandburger or the Megadeth Meatloaf?
Cooper: What about the Big Unit? In Phoenix we have a two-foot
hot dog called the Big Unit. That's our most popular item. I
mean, can you believe we get away with calling it that?
SI: As the Suns' most famous celebrity fan [Cooper has season
tickets at courtside], how do you rate the trade of Jason Kidd
for Stephon Marbury?
Cooper: Boy, was that a bad idea.
SI: Should Alice Cooper really be coaching a Little League team?
Cooper: When Wayne's World came out [in 1992], I was coaching 11-
and 12-year-old kids, and we had a practice the Monday after the
movie opened. The kids were just standing there stunned. Finally
one little kid comes up to me and says, "Coach Cooper, how did
you get in Wayne's World?" I said, "Well, I got this little
band."
SI: You're currently on a world tour to promote your Dragontown
CD. Can you outlast the Stones?
Cooper: At this point I'm in better shape than all of them put
together.
SI: In high school you ran a 4:32 mile. How long does it take you
now?
Cooper: I recently ran a 6:10 mile, and I still run two miles
every night.
SI: Has the Baseball Hall of Fame called to complain about the
name of your restaurant?
Cooper: Not yet, but I think the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
should be calling me. I think I'm being blackballed. But it's
great to be the Pete Rose of rock and roll. I bet on my own
bands.
SI: Your website says Kerri Strug has eaten at Cooper'stown in
Phoenix. What would have happened if a gold-medal-winning gymnast
had come on stage with you back in the 1970s?
Cooper: We would probably have barbecued her. A little Kerri
Strug rib roast would have gone a long way. --R.D.
For more from Alice Cooper, go to cnnsi.com/scorecard.
COLOR PHOTO: DAVID LIAM KYLE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES(COOPER) "I recently ran a 6:10 mile"