Mick Foley Blogs
10 Reasons Why Nita Strauss is the Coolest Person in the World
Nita Strauss is one of the top guitarists in the world, and is currently on tour as the lead guitarist for the legendary Alice Cooper. I met Nita a couple years ago, am proud to call her a good friend, and, after much thought, have come to think she might just be the coolest person in the world. Here are ten reasons why.
1) THE PLAYING – It’s impossible for me to watch Nita play – live or on video – without getting goosebumps. The hard work and passion are on full display each time she plays, with fingers flying with almost impossible speed up and down the fret-board, leaving me constantly wondering “how does she do that?” Alice Cooper is known for having some of the finest musicians in the business in his band, and if you want to hang with them, you need to bring your A-game. Nita does – every single night. You can check her out this month on the cover of Guitar Player Magazine.
2) THE BEST FACIAL EXPRESSIONS IN ROCK AND ROLL! – Trying to pick out out a single photo of Nita in action is difficult, because they are all so good, all so badass, all so much fun. It’s fascinating to see the way the iconic Cooper and Nita play off each other onstage, and that dichotomy is obvious with each photo that is snapped. But check out that photo of Nita and Alice with me backstage after a recent New Jersey show. That huge smile on her face might be the best facial expression of all.
3) SHE WORE A CACTUS JACK SHIRT ONSTAGE – At the Jersey show, Alice closed out his set with a rousing rendition of “I’m Eighteen”. Funny how the 70 year old Cooper can make the 52 year old me suddenly feel like a teenager again, pumping my fist in the air, singing along, feeling like like Mother Nature had just transported me back in time. Then, the encore, and there is Nita Strauss wearing my shirt – and the 52 year old who had just been 18, suddenly feels like a little kid. “She’s wearing my shirt!” I yell to the total stranger next to me. “She’s wearing my shirt!”
4) SHE IS A HUGE WWE FAN – So maybe Nita made me feel like a little kid at her recent show. But a year and a half ago, it was me in my role of WWE General Manager doing that same type of thing to her. Nita and her boyfriend Josh were my guests at The Staples Center, and a few minutes before my backstage interview segment, I sent Josh a text, telling him to get a candid shot of Nita when the segment aired. So I name-dropped Nita on live national television, telling my backstage antagonists that Nita Strauss, one of the best guitarists in the world, was my special guest at the show that night. A minute or so later, I received a photo from Josh, showing the badass shredder who regularly holds crowds in the palm of her hand, looking very much like a small child on Christmas morning. Nita and Josh will be taking in the sights in New Orleans for WrestleMania weekend, and I would love to see Nita work with WWE at some point in some respect – whether it’s her blistering instrumental version of The National Anthem, playing the heck out of “Bad Reputation” or some other future venture. It’s too much of a natural for it not to happen at some point. Strauss and WWE – it could be the Rock and Wrestling Connection (huge in the 1980’s) for a new generation.
5) SHE WILL BE PLAYING MY ENTRANCE MUSIC – Although she regularly plays to thousands, on May 3rd, she will take the stage at The Icehouse in Pasadena, California in front of a crowd of 150, just to play my entrance music for my story-telling show. I’m no stranger to large crowds either, but performing in this intimate venue, with Nita’s guitar playing me to the stage, will be a highlight of the year for me.
6) HER MUSICAL BLOODLINE GOES BACK TO JOHANN STRAUSS II – No further explanation necessary.
7) SHE UNDERGOES A STARTLING METAMORPHOSIS – Mere minutes after rocking the house at last week’s show in New Jersey, Nita Strauss reemerges to meet me and a few other personal friends. She is low key, unassuming, and almost impossibly nice. I love the classic tales of rock ‘n’ roll debauchery – but there isn’t the faintest hint or suggestion of any such shenanigans backstage at an Alice Cooper show.
8) SHE JAMS WITH MY SON – After a show last summer, Nita took the time to play guitar with my son, Mickey. My son is on the autism spectrum, and is not all that comfortable socially around too many people. But within just a few minutes, Nita has him at ease, talking shop in a way that seems almost like a foreign language to a musical novice like myself. I see that light in her eyes as she connects with my son, and think how fortunate I am to have her as a friend. A few days before Christmas, a package arrived at the Foley house. A Marshall amplifier for my son. Even though I wrapped it up and took credit for the gift, I know – and now you know, it was Nita’s thoughtfulness that made our Christmas bright!
9) SHE WEARS A FITBIT ONSTAGE – Actually, it’s a Misfit Command, but it If you haven’t seen Nita perform live, I urge you to catch her on the Alice Cooper tour. It’s magnificent – and Nita is a force of nature onstage. She’s everywhere – prowling the stage, firing off killer licks while running backward, ascending platforms in a single bound. And she does it all with her Misfit Command tracking her every step; participating in a unique form of multi-tasking in which she not only wows audiences with her energy and virtuosity, but gets in a heck of a workout as well. By upping her exercise level and embracing a healthy lifestyle, Nita shed 50 pounds, and somehow manages to be the simultaneous vision of health, happiness and badass guitar playing on a nightly basis.
10) HER STORIES ABOUT ALICE COOPER – I’m old enough to remember when Alice Cooper terrified people. Hey, I remember when he terrified me! Over time, he came to embraced as a beloved cultural icon, so it’s not as if I’m breaking some exclusive story here, but nonetheless, Nita’s personal stories about his kindness towards others warm my heart, and serve as a personal example for how anyone with power – star-power, or any power – should treat others. He leads by example – rides on the same bus, stays at the same 3-star hotels, treats everyone in the band as equals, and has absolutely no problem sharing the spotlight with the band. When she was first asked to join the band, Nita was concerned that her showmanship, (or is it showpersonship) her flair for the dramatic, might not be well received. Instead, Alice embraced it, and told her in no uncertain terms that when she solos, she IS Alice Cooper, and in the end, the brighter she shone onstage, the better the show, and ultimately, the better the show, the better for everyone, including him. And he wants his musicians to use that platform to better their own careers, to succeed with their own projects – as Nita seems almost sure to do.
I’ll leave you with this final note about Alice and Nita in the form of a text message Nita sent me after my meeting with Alice in New Jersey.
“By the way, I was just in the elevator with Alice and I thanked him for taking a little time with us and mentioned you again. Alice’s eyes went WIDE WIDE WIDE, and he goes, “Wait, that was MANKIND?” He was so starstruck! He said he couldn’t believe he didn’t put it together!”
So how cool is Alice Cooper? He’s a legitimate rock legend, a cultural icon, a man who treats everyone around him with respect and kindness – and a fan of mine! Certainly one of the coolest people you could ever meet. But you can’t have co-holders of this particular title. So although it’s a close contest, I’m picking Nita Strauss as the coolest person in the world!
You can follow Nita on Facebook at facebook.com/NitaStrauss/ on Twitter at twitter.com/hurricanenita on Instagram at instagram.com/hurricanenita or see her on tour throughout the spring and summer with Alice Cooper at alicecooper.com.
PS: I did not actually take credit for the Marshall amp on Christmas… but I thought about it!
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