Alice Cooper didn't go as far as to say he didn't like Mumford and Sons, but he definitely established his opinion on bands that dabble in folk rock and acoustic guitars. He told Fuse that describing Mumford as rock 'n' roll would be "an offense to rock 'n' roll."
"I just feel that this whole generation needs to all eat a steak," he said. "Maybe they just need to quit eating vegetarian food and get out there and get some blood pumping in their system. Rock 'n' roll is not about 'Happy happy happy, everything's okay. We're The Lumineers, let's clog dance.' Hey, there's a place for that. If I wanted to see a great clog dancing band, I'd see The Lumineers."
Although Cooper tried to avoid directly dissing the music of bands like Mumford and The Lumineers, his thoughts on the trend toward folkier music was established when he described them as trying to conform.
"I get they want to be folk rock, and I guess they want to look like everybody else," he said. "I'm old school when it comes to if you're in a band, you're an outlaw. You don't play by those rules, you're a rock 'n' roll outlaw. It doesn't mean you have to be on drugs, but when you get onstage you don't play the guitar up here, and it's not an acoustic guitar. You play the guitar down here. It doesn't come from your brain, it comes from your guts. It comes from your groin. It's sexual. It's tribal."
Cooper, outside of his sometimes comically grotesque lyrics and face paint, is often considered one of the friendlier faces in rock 'n' roll. But he may be trying to harden his image again, announcing earlier this year that he would be touring with Antiparent Superstar Marilyn Manson during 2013. He praised bands like The Foo Fighters and Green Day for keeping the faith to electric instruments and straightforward rock.
