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LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 20, 2024: Alice Cooper performs at Eventim Apollo. (Photo by Matthew Baker/Getty Images) Getty Images Early next month I'm heading to Phoenix, Arizona, to participate in David Fishof's 30-year-old Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp. The idea is that amateur musicians, for a price, get to jam with big-deal rock stars. I'm a lapsed drummer, and thought it would be interesting to participate and to write about the place. For this particular camp, Alice Cooper is one of the featured artists. I had interviewed Alice recently, but by phone. Now would be my chance to meet the legend in person, and for us to actually jam. It's been four decades since I've been behind a drum kit in any meaningful way. In the late 1980s, I had a band called The VPs, which, like Weird Al Yankovic, wrote parody songs. Our difference was that we were business executives on Wall Street and Madison Avenue by day poking fun at our yuppie lifestyles by night. We got semi-famous for like, 15 seconds playing at then-hot New York clubs including The Tunnel and Limelight, and at lucrative corporate parties. Along the way, we released three LPs, sold via a direct response network using television commercials on CNN, VH-1 and MTV. We were also featured on mainstream television media including The Today Show and Good Morning America, and in the New York Times Magazine and USA Today. LAS VEGAS - NOVEMBER 11, 2007: David Fishof, CEO and founder of Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp, auctions off a poster for charity during the camp's anniversary Campalooza concert at the House of Blues inside the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Getty Images Classics like "Love Potion Number Nine" became "Stockbroker On The Line," and "Secret Agent Man" became "Madison Avenue Man." You get the picture. Our records amusingly are still available as collector's items on eBay. Yesterday at Guitar Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, I took my first drum refresher lesson with Gal Galamity, an accomplished pro sticks-man. I was apprehensive, of course, what with the long lag time since I had played. Once I sat down and adjusted the drum kit, though, it wasn't so bad. The song I'm to perform with Alice is "I'm 18," with a fairly straightforward 4/4 beat. After running through the tune several times with guidance from Gal, I was able to replicate the drum part fairly accurately. Another reason I chose "18" is that when I was in my teen band, we covered it, although I was only 17 at the time. How far we've all come over the decades. In addition to running through the song, Gal taught me some simple rudiments like paradiddles and proper hand stick grip. Since I'm self-taught, I've picked up a lot of bad habits, and the rudiments and such helped me see the drum kit in a different light. We're also going to rehearse “No More Mr. Nice Guy," a bit more complex than "18" in the hopes I might perform that one with Alice as well. We'll see how it goes. HOLLYWOOD, CA - OCTOBER 06, 2020: Guitar Center on the Sunset Strip after announcement of rock legend Eddie Van Halen's death. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images) Next week, I'm heading back to Guitar Center for another lesson. To prepare, I've purchased a drum pad and medium-sized sticks. Hopefully, I'll be able to incorporate yesterday’s learning into the tunes. In any case, stay tuned for a full report on the fantasy camp experience. Camp counselors Britt Lightning of The Vixens, and Ron Blumenthal of Bumblefoot Music LLC, say drumming is like riding a bicycle - mostly muscle memory - but I have my doubts. Don't want to bonk playing with Alice. Maybe the shock rocker really would turn into that "no more mister nice guy" persona. Naw, Alice is a fun cat, and a crack golfer, too. Looking forward! Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions
