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Which has been the case with shock rocker Alice Cooper, the Phoenix native who was here last October and returns this weekend to the AVA at Casino del Sol.

You might think that鈥檚 too soon, but if you鈥檝e ever seen Alice live, you know he doesn鈥檛 follow the rock-and-roll script.

He does rock theater and over 90 minutes on Saturday, Aug. 17, he will take us into the sometimes twisted and always intriguing mind of Alice.

Not the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who boasts a four handicap on the greens and is known to play six days a week when he鈥檚 not on tour.

It鈥檚 the character Alice that the man Alice Cooper plays on stage.

鈥淭here鈥檚 me and then there鈥檚 Alice,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 ever want him to be explained. I don鈥檛 know what he is myself, to be honest with you, but that鈥檚 what makes him fun to play. Every once in awhile, he surprises me.鈥�

It took Cooper, who grew up in Phoenix and still calls the Valley home, getting sober in 1984 before he realized that the person he was on stage since he started performing in 1964 could not be the person he was off stage.

鈥淏efore I got sober, I never really knew where I ended and Alice got started,鈥� he explained. 鈥淭he alcohol and drugs all kind of made it a gray area. When I got sober I realized that I鈥檓 playing this character, and that character up there does not want to live in this world. He doesn鈥檛 want to go play golf. He doesn鈥檛 want to watch TV. He only wants to perform. So I leave him on stage. When I get done, when the show is over, he鈥檚 gone. Then if you see me on the street and you want to take a picture, sure, of course. I鈥檒l talk to you all night. But Alice will never talk to you.鈥�

The separation of those two personalities allows Cooper to create wickedly fun and twisted storylines interwoven with his greatest hits.

In his latest story coming to the AVA on Saturday, Alice鈥檚 career is on trial; he has to prove who he is. And of course, this being an election year, Alice is once again running for president 鈥� his presidential election year gag that he has continued for decades.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the most satirical thing we do. I hate politics; I鈥檓 not into politics at all. But when we do that song (鈥楨lected鈥�), in this period of time, it makes it even more absurd,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all of the stuff. It鈥檚 the guillotine, it鈥檚 the straight jacket, it鈥檚 the snake. It鈥檚 everything.鈥�

In the end, the audience gets to decide 鈥渋f I get guillotined or I don鈥檛 get guillotined,鈥� Cooper said.

Spoiler alert: 鈥淚 have never been acquitted,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey want to see that head come off.鈥�

Cooper returns with the same band he had last year, featuring Nita Strauss on lead guitar, Ryan Roxie on guitar and drummer Glen Sobel.

鈥淭his band I have is just beyond great. It鈥檚 like the best touring band I鈥檝e ever had,鈥� Cooper said during a concert stop last week in Kalamazoo, Michigan. 鈥淣ita Strauss is a show unto herself.鈥�

Saturday鈥檚 concert begins at 8 p.m. at the AVA, 5655 W. Valencia Road. Tickets are $30-$75 through .