Alice Cooper is heading back to Cleveland, and this time he's bringing the story behind the makeup. The shock-rock pioneer is scheduled to sit down for a public conversation at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, at 6:30 p.m., where he'll dig into his new autobiography and the six decades of chaos, addiction and reinvention that built his legend.
The event, part of the museum's Hall of Fame Series, pairs Cooper with Rock Hall curator Jason Hanley for a wide-ranging discussion built around Cooper's forthcoming memoir, according to fox8.com. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 10 a.m., priced at $20 for Rock Hall members and $25 for non-members, the station reports.
The book at the center of it all, titled Devil on My Shoulder, chronicles Cooper's iconic six decades in the music industry, the reconciliation of his inner self and outer persona, and his struggles and triumphs through it all, per the same report. The conversation is expected to explore both the reconciliation of Vincent Furnier's inner self with the Alice Cooper stage persona and the broader ups and downs of life as a rock and roll star.
A Memoir That Doesn't Flinch From the Blackout Years
Cooper co-wrote the book with Daniel Richler, and according to Hachette Book Group, it promises an unflinching look at the extent of his addictions, his blackout years, and the creative process fuelled by alcohol and drugs. The publisher notes Cooper was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of its class of 2011.
The memoir's own promotional material, posted on alicecooper.com, frames the split between the man and the monster in stark terms, describing how the two Alices became schizophrenically, almost fatally intertwined over a career spanning six decades. The site lists the book's publication for hardback, ebook and audio release on Oct. 8, 2026, a date that differs slightly from the Oct. 6 release window cited elsewhere in coverage of the Rock Hall event.
From Teenage Garage Band to Hall of Fame Troupe
Cooper's path to Cleveland's museum started long before the makeup and the guillotine stunts. The original band released its debut album, Pretties For You, in 1969, going on to release seven studio albums before disbanding in 1973, according to reporting from the Telegraph. Cooper has since released 22 albums as a solo artist, the paper notes.
That lineup, though, didn't stay broken up forever. The surviving original members — Cooper, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith — reunited for The Revenge of Alice Cooper, marking the first full album by the group's surviving members since 1973, as reported by Cleveland.com. The 14-song set, produced by Bob Ezrin, also features the late guitarist Glen Buxton via technology, allowing unreleased guitar parts to appear on the record decades after his 1997 death.
The album's lead single, Black Mamba, even brought in outside star power: the Doors' Robbie Krieger guests on the track, Cleveland.com reports. According to alicecooper.com's own announcement, the original Alice Cooper group reunited after more than 50 years for the release, which hit shelves on July 25, 2025.
What to Expect at the Rock Hall
For fans heading to the Nov. 2 event, the night promises more than just a stage conversation. The evening is built around Cooper discussing his definitive autobiography with Hanley in an up-close format, giving Cleveland audiences a rare chance to hear the man behind the persona reflect on a career that reshaped hard rock theatrics.
Whether the book's exact release date lands on Oct. 6 or Oct. 8, the timing puts Devil on My Shoulder in readers' hands right around the same week tickets for the Rock Hall conversation go live. For a city that already claims Cooper as part of its Hall of Fame history, it's shaping up to be a fitting homecoming moment.
