Posted on 05/30/2019 4:04:35 PM PDT by Gamecock
This is another item that belongs in the Johnny Carson “I DID not know THAT!” category.
What do heavy metal rock music and Reformed theology have in common? It turns out that there is an affinity of two of the biggest metal bands of all time to R.C. Sproul.
I don’t remember how I first came across this, but the Van Halen III album has in its liner notes a “special thanks to” section. Among the mostly unknown names is R.C. Sproul.
It turns out that in the fall of 1996, after a falling out with vocalist Sammy Hagar and a failed reconciliation with founding vocalist David Lee Roth, arena rock superstars Van Halen found themselves without a singer. They called on Gary Cherone, veteran of the Boston rock scene, for an audition.
Guitarist Eddie Van Halen liked Cherone’s work ethic and soon named Cherone as the band’s third (and as Van Halen would often comment, “final”) vocalist. Van Halen III is their eleventh studio album. It is the only Van Halen album to feature Gary Cherone on lead vocals, and is Van Halen’s most unpopular album.
Apparently, Cherone is an R.C. Sproul aficionado as well. He is also an avid pro-life advocate who once wrote an Open Letter to Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam challenging his pro-choice stance.
(No, I am not making any of this up.)
But guess who is R.C. Sproul’s most famous convert?
Shock rocker Alice Cooper.
Although he isn’t the most vocal Christian, Alice has confirmed in interviews that he is in fact born-again. How did his conversion come about? As though being a Christian isn’t oxymoronic enough, it turns out that Alice Cooper is also an avid golf fan. Both he and his wife are preacher’s kids too. Alice Cooper’s father is a Reformed missionary to the Navajo Indians. Sheryl Cooper’s father is a Baptist preacher in California and an avid R.C. Sproul fan.
The following is the story found on several message boards:
As it turns out, R.C. Sproul is also an avid golfer. R.C. did a small promo spot on a Golf My Way video on how to improve your game. Sheryl’s father had been sending them R.C. Sproul books on a regular basis. However, Alice and Sheryl chucked them in a box, never thinking of them again. Then one day, Alice is watching this Golf My Way video with R.C. doing a promo spot. At that very point, Sheryl walks into the room and says “Hey! That’s the guy on those books that Daddy keeps sending us!” Alice’s reply was something to the effect “Yeah, sure…” Anyway, they go to the box, and pull out the books and sure enough it’s the same guy. They hop on the phone to Sheryl’s father to see what this guy is all about. Sheryl’s father says to them to register for the upcoming convention in San Diego, and see for themselves what he’s all about.
So they did.
At the convention, Alice Cooper comes to the registration desk and registers as Vince Cooper, but pays with his VISA card, which says Alice Cooper. The guy on registration recognizes him right away, and lets the rest of the staff know he’s there. So, after the day is done, people are starting to realize who this guy is. They’re asking question after question and Alice says, “Yeah, I’m trying to see what the Lord wants me to do in life.”
The following is from Wikipedia.com
Alice has avoided “celebrity Christianity” because, as he states: “It’s really easy to focus on Alice Cooper and not on Christ. I’m a rock singer. I’m nothing more than that. I’m not a philosopher. I consider myself low on the totem pole of knowledgeable Christians. So, don’t look for answers from me.”
When asked by the British Sunday Times Magazine in 2001 how a rebellious shock-rocker could be a Christian, Alice is credited with providing this response “Drinking beer is easy. Trashing your hotel room is easy. But being a Christian, that’s a tough call. That’s real rebellion!”
After conquering his alcoholism, Cooper became a noted golf enthusiast beginning in Winnipeg MB and has since participated in several Pro-Am competitions (This was detailed in his book, Alice Cooper: Golf Monster). He has appeared in commercials for Callaway Golf equipment. He reportedly has a 5 handicap and plays 6 days a week. Since 1997, he has hosted an annual golf competition, the Alice Cooper Celebrity AM Golf Tournament. All proceeds from the event go to Cooper’s charity, the Solid Rock Foundation. In August 2006, he participated in the Northern Rock All Stars Cup event – a celebrity version of the Ryder Cup, for charity.
Cooper even penned a brief foreword to the Gary McCord book, Golf for Dummies.
Per your comment on another thread.
The late R.C. Sproul is a giant among modern theologians.
I saw all three VH singers in concert.
I thought they were all good.
All different.
And Pro Life. Wow.
New respect.
Praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who can save those people may think irredeemably lost. And me.
I miss Sproul
Alice Cooper was a close neighbor/friend and frequent golfing partner with the late, great Glen Campbell, another born again Christian.
It was predestined.
It turns out that there is an affinity of two of the biggest metal bands of all time to R.C. Sproul.
Not only that, but ..... an Amillenial metal band.
(I know nothing about them but what's on this page.)
And yes, I knew about the RC — Alice Cooper connection.
Kewl story, thanks for posting it.
I’m just here waiting for the pharisees who think Alice isn’t Christian enough.
Sammy and his son Aaron are great guys! They took us all to dinner prior to a meeting for a tv show I was producing; if anything, I should have bought dinner. Very generous, smart, and down to earth happy people. (I should share my “Michael Anthony hot sauce” story where Hagar accidently set me up for unbearable pain a year later....)
This is awesome. Thanks for sharing.
I’m just here waiting for the pharisees who think Alice isn’t Christian enough.
**************************************************
The pharisees wouldn’t understand that Alice is among the elect.
Alice is a faith-in-Christ’s sacrifice guy.
He knows that’s his only chance, just like the rest of us.
Hardly news.
Cooper is a golfer? Who knew? I mean I only saw him in a pro-celeb tournament more than 40 years ago. I watched him put away a case of tall boys in 18 holes.
He met wife Cheryl while she was a dancer in his Welcome To My Nightmare road show. Cheryl was one of two women dancers the band nicknamed “the Cherry sisters” on account of them seemingly bound and determined to cling to their virginity until old age. Back his bandmates called him “Vinnie the Boss,” a send-up of his given name, Vincent Damon Fernier, long before anyone referred to that Jersey idiot as “the Boss.”
Alice’s stunt gaffer in the Welcome To My Nightmare show was none other than The Amazing Randi, professional skeptic and magician. Randi designed and built the guillotine Alice used in the show so he hired Randi to tour with the band and even play the role of the executioner in the show. He sort of went unnoticed because he wasn’t well known back then but if you saw the Welcome To My Nightmare show, you saw The Amazing Randi cut off Alice Cooper’s head (and Alice’s future wife dancing).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.