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Alice Cooper recently appeared on the podcast Rock & Roll High School with Pete Ganbarg to discuss his storied career
The rocker, 77, opened up about his inspirations and how he learned about the art of the anthem
Cooper noted that it was important to capture a certain feeling when writing and recording his hit "School's Out"
Alice Cooperlearned from the best.
In a recent appearance on the podcastRock & Roll High School with Pete Ganbarg, the rocker, 77, opened up about creating a summertime anthem with his 1972 hit, "School's Out." Cooper told Ganbarg that it wouldn't have been possible without The Who's influence.
"We understood what an anthem was after hearing 'My Generation,' " he said.
Cooper pointed to the 1965 hit's staying power, explaining that it's "an anthem because 100 years from now, a 16-year-old kid hears that song and goes 'Oh, he's talking about me!' "
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Understanding that an anthem needed an element that people could relate to, Cooper got to work. Speaking about the inspiration behind "School's Out," Cooper explained, "At the same time, everybody hated school. We thought, if you can capture the last three minutes of the last day of school before summer vacation, that would be a joyous song."
After being released in the early '70s, "School's Out" became a landmark glam rock anthem and was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015.
Speaking with PEOPLE in January 2025, the singer discussed how the rockstar lifestyle has changed over the years since getting sober in 1983.
"When I used to drink, my drink was whiskey and Coca-Cola. I used to be theDean Martinof rock 'n' roll. There was always a drink in my hand," he said.
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Cooper shared that when he first got sober, friends who could "socially drink" would avoid alcohol around him.
"I went, 'Guys, it's different with you. You guys can have a drink, two drinks, and then leave it," he recalled. "When I was drinking, I had to have another one and another one and another one and another one.' If you're in my situation, I can't have any alcohol."
Cooper told PEOPLE, "I have absolutely no desire to ever put alcohol in my mouth again, or any drug," noting that abstaining from alcohol hasn't ruined his rockstar reputation.
"But I've never once had anybody come up to me and go, 'Wow, what a wimp,' " he says, emphasizing that while sobriety "sounds like it would be anti the character of rock 'n' roll … rock 'n' roll is more of an attitude. You don't have to be drunk or high to be a rocker, you know. It's just an attitude."
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