Iconic "Poison" riff credited to Alice Cooper in reality emerged from John McCurry's casual guitar warm-up exercises. This resonant melody reportedly enjoyed a peculiar dual existence.
Gunin' It with the Legends:
Slash might've dismissed rumors about the origins of Sweet Child O' Mine's legendary riff being a warm-up exercise, but another '80s icon's riff, Alice Cooper's Poison, was born from a simple workout routine.
In an exclusive chat with our website, the man behind the riff—John McCurry, a seasoned guitarist who's worked with Cher, Billy Joel, and Bonnie Tyler—reveals the fascinating story of how the riff took shape.
"Hangin' with Alice Cooper is one of the nicest experiences I've had, let alone working with him," McCurry reminisces. "He asked me to create a unique riff to kick off Poison and weave throughout the song."
In the studio, Cooper and the producer, Desmond Child, approached McCurry with a new track for the album, seeking a signature riff for it. They presented a few examples, and McCurry dug up a riff he used to rehearse with, which surprisingly fit the bill.
"When I played it for them, Alice just smiled and patted me on the back. Desmond loved it too," he recalls. "I was ecstatic, and even more so when it became the intro to Poison."
Rockin' It Out: Interestingly, McCurry's riff was previously used in John Waites' Encircled, which had dropped two years prior. However, Cooper's hit eclipsed Encircled in fame.
"Cooper was on the hunt for something that sounded like Sweet Child O' Mine, a catchy opener and a heavy hitter to launch the album," says Chris Sutton, author of Alice Cooper in the 80s [via The Booked On Rock Podcast].
Fortunately, both camps had a civil agreement that allowed the riff to thrive in both Cooper and Waite's songs.
"All they did was change the key and the tempo," Sutton explains. "Poison is in D major, while John Waite's version is in E major."
For an extra dose of rock, the riff is reprised in the introduction of Cooper's Bed of Nails, with the impeccably named guitarist Guy Mann-Dude adding a shred of awesomeness to the track.
Stay tuned to our website for the full interview with the riff-master, John McCurry!
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- John McCurry, the riff-master behind Alice Cooper's iconic song 'Poison', disclosed that Cooper asked him to create a unique riff for the song, which he had originally rehearsed with.
- The riff for 'Poison' was also previously used in John Waite's 'Encircled', but Cooper's hit surpassed 'Encircled' in popularity, with the riff transforming in both songs by changing the key and tempo.
- To entertain audiences, the riff from 'Poison' was reprised in the Introduction of Alice Cooper's 'Bed of Nails', featuring the impeccably named guitarist Guy Mann-Dude adding a shred of awesomeness to the track.
