Shock rocker Alice Cooper is an unlikely fan of pop superstar Lady Gaga, insisting the singer is the female version of his outrageous alter ego.

The veteran musician was born Vincent Furnier, but he performs as heavy metal star Alice Cooper, complete with black face paint, whenever he hits the stage.

And the 63 year old admits he can see a lot of himself in the Paparazzi hit-maker, a native New Yorker whose real name is Stefani Germanotta.

Cooper says, "Lady Gaga is the female Alice Cooper. She totally gets it. She created a character named Lady Gaga and wrote songs for Lady Gaga, just as I write songs for Alice.

"But when you meet her offstage, she's nothing like that person... and neither am I."