Guitarist Damon Johnson has shared the stage with a long list of legendary acts, but an incident during his first show with Alice Cooper left him shaken.
During an appearance on the Talk Louder podcast, Johnson — who first played with Cooper in 2004 — recalled his hair-raising debut with the shock rock icon.
“We had three days of rehearsal and there’s all of this, all these notes about the production,” the guitarist remembered, adding that he was told where to stand for various theatrical parts of the show, including the use of a guillotine and sword play. “I was like, ‘Wow, man. This is like a Broadway musical.’”
Johnson was excited for his debut alongside Cooper, whom he’d long held in high regard.
“I’m just like wide-eyed and like ‘Holy shit, man. I’m the guitar player for Alice Cooper! Well one big moment that I knew was coming was I had to play the guitar lick, the intro to ‘Is It My Body.’”
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“So I walk up to the front of the, dead center front of the stage,” the guitarist continued. “Because Coop had already said, ‘Hey man, I want you shoving that guitar down their throat, man. Don’t lay back, get up there and work it.’ I said, ‘Got it. No problem.’ I’m playing the intro to ‘Is It My Body.’ There’s like six spotlights. And I’m standing there feeling like Thor on top of the mountain with his hammer.”
Johnson Wasn’t Ready for One of Cooper’s Famous Props
As much as Johnson was enjoying his time in the spotlight, things were about to take a dramatic turn.
“I feel Alice walk up beside me and he puts his arm up on my shoulder, because he’s going to lean on me and sing that opening line,” the guitarist explained. “All of a sudden there’s that fucking boa constrictor. Which no one had ever said one word about. Not one word.”
Caught off guard, Johnson suddenly found himself paralyzed by fear.
“It was about 8,000 people,” he recalled. “I am shitting myself. Because I’m cool with snakes as long as I know I’m about to see one. Just don’t spring that shit on me, man.”
Johnson tried his best to outwardly stay cool, even though internally his mind was racing. “I’m just looking down at my left hand like, ‘Oh God. As soon as the drums come in I’m getting the fuck away from here.”
Johnson said he was happy he didn’t faint or run away, given how shocked he was. The guitarist ended up enjoying two separate runs performing with Cooper, from 2004 to 2006 and again from 2009 to 2011. Still, all these years later, he admits he would have appreciated a heads up going into that first show.
“Why don’t you just write ‘snake’ on the set list?” Johnson pondered while laughing. “That’s all you had to do. ‘Is It My Body’ dash ‘snake.’”
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Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner
