My dog bit me today

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

When William Shakespeare wrote those words, the birth of Alice Cooper was still a few centuries into the future, but the words could easily be applied to him. Cooper is originally from Deeee-Troit. I saw him perform there a few decades ago. His voice is harsher now, huskier. I am not sure if that is from wearing it out or is part of the evolution of his stage persona. I was not planning a post this week, but when I stumbled onto this performance by Cooper just two months ago at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany, I could not resist the temptation to bring the two of them here to my page. For anyone not familiar with the Wacken festival, it is held for three days every August, has been around since 1990 and draws seventy to eighty thousand hard rock fans from around the world each year. Back to Cooper: His act looks like chaos personified, but watching him and his troupe closely reveals a show choreographed to ensure everyone -- not just Cooper -- is recognized for his or her importance to the production. Cooper has more stature in the music world than some might guess, and the musicians on stage with him are among the best in the realm of hard rock. And, in case some might think the attractive young lady is there as a "beauty beside the beast" stage prop, Orianthi Panagaris probably is the premiere female guitar player performing today. She was the lead guitarist in Michael Jackson's "This Is It" concert series. (Little doubt, the most aptly named tour in the history of rock.) Anyway .... here are about twenty minutes of Alice Cooper and Wacken. Both are more than mere show events; both are "happenings," and I personally hope to see Cooper perform again and to attend a Wacken festival before my time runs out. Incidentally, speaking of time, Cooper, who is 65 and has been on stage since he was a teenager, for sure, is having the last laugh on those who five decades ago predicted his musical career would never last. Whether you like his songs or not, he has earned immortality among the legends of rock. Having the last laugh is cool .... is it not?