Joe Perry and Alice Cooper recently spoke about their Hollywood Vampires bandmate Johnny Depp. Perry made a bold claim about the actor’s guitar skills.
The two rock legends addressed what it’s like sharing the stage with one of the world’s biggest movie stars, and how audiences react to seeing Depp perform live.
“People are shocked that we are so good, and I can see why,” Alice Cooper said. “It’s sorta glam and you’ve got the movie star in there.”
Perry then spoke directly to Depp’s credibility as a musician, pushing back against any notion that his bandmate’s role is merely a celebrity appearance.
“Johnny has always wanted to be in a band, and now, finally, he’s in one,” Perry said. “After the second or third song people get over the shock of seeing Johnny Depp up there with a guitar. And it’s legit. The band really plays. And you know what? He’s a great player.”
The comments offer a candid look at the dynamic within Hollywood Vampires. They suggest that Depp’s presence goes well beyond star power.
Perry’s praise is not simply a matter of loyalty between bandmates. Depp’s relationship with the guitar stretches back decades, long before Hollywood Vampires ever took the stage.
Depp has been playing guitar since his early teens. He has spoken openly about locking himself in a room to practice as a young man. At 16, he dropped out of high school to join a garage band called The Kids, a group that went on to open for Talking Heads. Music, by his own account, has always been his first love — acting came later.
Hollywood Vampires was formed in 2015, bringing together Cooper and Perry with Depp rounding out a lineup built on genuine musical credibility. The band’s name pays tribute to a legendary drinking club that gathered at the Rainbow Bar and Grill in Los Angeles during the 1970s, counting rock royalty among its members.
Depp’s guitar résumé extends well beyond the band. He has made guest appearances alongside artists including Marilyn Manson, Iggy Pop, Aerosmith, and the late Jeff Beck. Those collaborations place him firmly within the rock world rather than on its fringes, establishing him as a working guitarist with real stage experience.
Cooper himself has been consistent on the matter. “I’d work with him again,” Cooper has said. “The guy is a valid guitar player.” That kind of endorsement, coming from a performer with over five decades in rock, carries weight that no amount of celebrity could manufacture.
