The 77-year-old shock rock legend’s music has appeared in Matt Groening’s iconic animated sitcom and rival show “Family Guy”, but Cooper has yet to voice a character.
Cooper told GRAMMY.com when asked if he’d like to appear on the long-running program, “Oh yeah, absolutely. When “The Simpsons” came out, they were totally unique. It was really, really funny. I really admired what they were doing. I showed up on “Family Guy.” They used my music a lot. Groening and those guys did an Alice character, and so did “Family Guy.” I thought “Family Guy” was probably more pointed, but I couldn’t say [it was] more clever. They were both really very clever.”
A Simpson’s cameo wouldn’t be Cooper’s first time on TV, though. In 1978, he made his legendary appearance on “The Muppet Show,” which he won’t forget anytime soon.
Cooper recalled, “My favorite thing in the world was being on ‘The Muppet Show.’ When they called me to be on “The Muppets,” I went, ‘Oh man, I spent all this time making Alice Cooper the new monster. This is just going to water it down.’ I loved the show — it was a very funny show, very clever. I asked them, ‘Who’s done the show recently?’ They said, ‘Christopher Lee and Vincent Price,’ and I went, ‘I’m in!’ If those guys can do ‘The Muppets’ […] I haven’t earned the pedigree that those guys have, so I will definitely do it.”
As well as musical performances of “School’s Out,” “You and Me” and “Welcome to My Nightmare” on the Halloween special, Alice portrayed an agent of the Devil, offering the Muppets fame and fortune in exchange for their souls. Gonzo swiftly wanted in, only to discover he had “other plans” for his soul.
“That ended up being the reference point to an entire generation, me doing ‘The Muppet Show.’ It’s amazing, to this day people go, ‘I discovered you on ‘The Muppet Show,’ and after that I went and got all your albums.’”