Damon Johnson wasn’t prepared for one of Alice Cooper’s well-known props during his first show with the rocker.
The guitarist went on the Talk Louder podcast and shared how he got stressed by all the stage directions and the big production. Even though he liked being in the spotlight, things got pretty intense for him. Johnson revealed:
“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. All of a sudden there’s that f*cking boa constrictor. Which no one had ever said one word about. Not one word.”
The musician was frozen with fear as he continued:
“It was about 8,000 people. I am sh*tting myself. Because I’m cool with snakes as long as I know I’m about to see one. Just don’t spring that sh*t on me, man.”
Damon Left Cooper For Thin Lizzy
Johnson pretended to be calm on the outside, but inside, he was panicking. He was relieved he didn’t pass out or flee. The guitarist performed with Cooper for two periods, from 2004 to 2006 and then from 2009 to 2011. He joined Thin Lizzy after leaving Alice. In a 2022 interview with Ryan Roxie, Damon said he met Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy in 2006. Later, Johnson invited Gorham to a Cooper show, and later, Johnson learned that Thin Lizzy needed a guitarist.
Gorham recommended Johnson, and Johnson met with the Lizzy guys. They saw Cooper’s show together and then Lizzy played with Cooper the next week. He revealed how it went after that show:
“That was my audition. They were all at the soundboard. After the gig, their manager came over and said, ‘Hey, your name is getting tossed around. What do you think?’ I just went, ‘Oh my god, that would be incredible, I’d be thrilled, but I can’t do that, man.’ Cooper is going to Australia, putting a wrinkle in the Cooper situation. I can’t cause a problem like that. So, we flew back home after that run, and it was my wife Linda; she goes, ‘If you don’t pursue this Thin Lizzy thing, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life.’”
After Thin Lizzy went on hiatus, Johnson formed the Thin Lizzy spin-off band, Black Star Riders. In the following years, he also kept producing music as a solo artist and as a member of Brother Cane. Damon also joined Lynyrd Skynyrd to replace the late guitarist Gary Rossington.
You can watch his whole conversation below.