Alice Cooper predicted a resurgence of the kind of attitudes in rock performances that were prevalent in the ‘80s, saying that a new generation of bands would follow the spirit and character of Bon Jovi, Motley Crue and others of that era.

In a new interview with Billboard, Cooper said that the kind of theatrical performance that used to be expected of rock bands have been overshadowed by pop artists, but he held out hope for the future.

“Foo Fighters are very good at what they do, Green Day is very good at what they do, because they don’t let up on the audience and give the audience every single ounce of energy that they’ve got,” he reflected. “Then I look around and I go, ‘Why aren’t 18-year-old bands jumping on this?’ I think there’s gonna be a resurgence of the ‘80s, where you’re going to see young bands trying to be Motley Crue, and young bands trying to be Bon Jovi. That was a fun period.”

Cooper also disputed the throwaway description of “hair bands" from the period. “Think of it – the songs were great, the records were great, the videos were great, the stage show was great, and they had personality," he noted. "All of these bands, you look at them, and you go, ‘Wow, these guys really knew what they were doing.’ And then it went away. So I think there’s going to be a resurgence of that.”

He name-checked songwriting collaborator Desmond Child with having had “a lot to do” with the ’80s rock vibe. “Almost everything that guy touched had quality songwriting to it," he said. "And the great thing about that era was finally, somebody was having fun with rock 'n’ roll. Rock 'n’ roll should be a fun music. These bands like Poison and Warrant and Ratt, they were really having fun with the audience. To me, that was a very positive time in rock 'n’ roll. I wish we’d get back to a little more of that. Guns N’ Roses, they’d get up there and just kill the audience. Musically, the band was so good.”

Cooper recently announced a North American tour that begins on Aug. 3 in West Allis, Wisc., and ends on Sept. 7 in York, Penn.