The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has opened its doors to more hard rock acts in recent years, with Metallica just this year joining previous entrants like Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Van Halen and, of course, the mighty Led Zeppelin.

But despite a 40-year career that has seen him craft such enduring rock anthems -- such as 'Schools Out,' 'Elected,' 'Eighteen,' 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' and 'Welcome to My Nightmare,' all continued staples at classic rock radio -- and redefining the idea of the live rock show with theatrics that remain unmatched by his many follwers, Alice Cooper has yet to receive his invite to join the exclusive club.

"It is a private club. There are about eight or nine guys that decide who's gonna be in the Hall of Fame," he tells Noisecreep. "I don't know where they got the authority to do that, but it's their club. If you're not invited, you're not invited."

And yes, unlike the Sex Pistols, who don't want the honor, Cooper wants in. "It's one of those things that I'm in everything else, and I can't quite understand why there's a hiccup there," he says. "I hear of bands being in the Hall of Fame that I've never heard of. And then there are a lot of bands that were Alice disciples that are in the Hall of Fame that I've sold more records than."

Still, while he is wondering when he'll be, uh, elected (sorry, too easy), he takes comfort in knowing that his legacy is secure. "It doesn't define Alice Cooper. History defines Alice and the history books will last a lot longer than the Hall of Fame."