Alice Cooper has sort-of backflipped on those mean comments he made about Mumford & Sons that one time, in which he labelled them an offence to rock n’ roll.
Two years ago, the shock rocker lambasted the waistcoat-wearing banjo fiddlers and similar-sounding act The Lumineers for being continuously referenced as “rock” bands. Though his words were not delivered with venomous poison, they nonetheless still stung:
“Rock ‘n’ roll isn’t about ‘happy happy happy, everything’s ok, hey we’re The Lumineers, lets clog dance”, he explained, adding that the woodcore Mumfords “are great at what they do… but it’s not rock ‘n’ roll. Don’t call it rock ‘n’ roll, that’s an offence to rock ‘n’ roll.”
However, with the band recently trading in their mandolins for electric guitars for their new full-length Wilder Mind, the Godfather of Shock has happily eaten his words.
“Have you heard the new album? It rocks!” Cooper enthusiastically told NME in a video interview (below). “They proved me wrong”.
“They’re a really good folk band,” he continued. “Then they come out with this new album and they’re a really good rock n’ roll band.”
But even though Alice Cooper has finally given the reformed Mumfords his seal of approval, the veteran rocker doesn’t exactly regret his original comments.
“…I’m not taking anything back because when I made the comments they were playing folk music,” he said. “Now, I’m really impressed with them. That’s the kind of band I’d go and see”.
Not The Lumineers though. Alice isn’t big on clog dancing.
Mumford & Sons are set to tour Australia this November with a massive lineup, while Alice Cooper recently wrapped up a tour alongside glam rock royals Motley Crue.
He’s tipped to release a brand new covers LP with his supergroup The Hollywood Vampires – featuring Dave Grohl, Brian Johnson, Johnny Depp and Sir Paul McCartney – very soon, reporting that the disc is “done, mixed [and] ready to go”.
Watch: Alice Cooper On Mumford & Sons Beef – “They Proved Me Wrong”
Watch: Alice Cooper slams Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers
