Things You May or May Not Know About Alice Cooper
Rockin’ before she could walk, Kaili is a vinyl hound who knows the words to every post-1960 song.
Alice Cooper at Credicard Hall in Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 2011
www.focka.com.br | Eduardo Gabriel CC BY-ND 2.0 via flikr
Alice Cooper On the Road Again
Classic rock hounds rejoice! Alice Cooper is coming to a town near you.
Does this man ever get tired of touring? Apparently not. In 2019 he appeared in various festivals in Mexico, North America, and Europe. And while COVID-19 threw a wrench into the “Ol Black Eyes is Back” tour in 2020, Alice was back in 2021 and has several dates planned for 2022. The 74-year-old claims he is a "lifer."
I thought it would be fun to share some things you may or may not know about Alice Cooper – the man and the band.
Who Is Alice Cooper?
Alice came into the world February 4th, 1948 as Vincent Damon Furnier, and he grew up in Detroit, Michigan where his father was a layman in the church. Young Vincent was also active in the church for a time before the family moved to Phoenix, Arizona. There, Vince attended Cortez High School, where he met future Alice Cooper lead guitarist Glen Buxton, rhythm guitarist Michael Bruce, and bass player Dennis Dunaway.
By 1975 Furnier had legally changed his name to Alice Cooper and began his successful solo career. And since he never owned the rights to the band’s name, he continues to pay a royalty to the original band members so that he can legally use the name in his shows.
He has actually recorded more albums as a single artist—19 of them and counting—than he did with the original band (7 albums to their name).
Alice Cooper, the Band
After graduating from high school in 1966, the band members recorded their second single "Don’t Blow Your Mind," which actually became a #1 hit in the Phoenix area. Michael Bruce had joined the band by this point, and the band began making trips to the U.S. west coast, calling themselves the Nazz and playing bars in the Los Angeles area.
It so happened that musician Todd Rundgren already had a band called the Nazz, so in 1968, Furnier decided on the name Alice Cooper because it sounded tame and non-threatening, unlike the image the boys were cultivating for themselves through their music and on-stage personas. He later said it was one of the best career moves he ever made.
Alice Cooper Killer Tour
Township Auditorium, Columbia, South Carolina. May 10 1972.
Hunter Desportes CC BY 2.0 via flikr
How Did Alice Cooper Get Their Start?
The band was approached by Shep Gordon one evening after their music had emptied the bar they were playing even before the set was half done. Shep was a manager who saw something raw and original in them and suggested that he arrange an audition for them with Frank Zappa, who was looking to sign new bands to his own label. A meeting was arranged for 7:00 o'clock, which they guys mistakenly thought meant 7:00am. And so it was that they arrived at Zappa’s house early one morning to play their crazy sound. Zappa was so blown away by what he heard that he signed them to a three-album record deal.
The first album recorded for Zappa’s Straight Records, Pretties for You, was released in 1969, followed by a second album in 1970. Easy Action was met with about the same level of indifference that had met their first. The guys were still getting out there though, refining their act and doing what they could to promote their shock rock. In May of 1970, the guys, along with a band called The Flaming Groovies, opened a two-night gig for Iggy Pop and the Stooges at the famous Fillmore West in San Francisco. The Fillmore’s old saloon feel was the perfect backdrop for the bands and their patrons, including a large group of Hells Angels and San Fran’s own Cockettes.
Ongoing frustrations on the coast led the band to take on a Detroit road manager and move back to Michigan, where the music scene was more accepting of their bizarre stage antics and angry music. Detroit bands just had an intensity about them that was accepted there, and Alice Cooper was in good company with Iggy Pop and his fabulous Stooges, the MC5, Ted Nugent, Grand Funk Railroad, and the Cradle, featuring hard-rockin’ Suzi Quatro and her sisters.
In June of 1970, the guys somehow landed a spot on NBC’s Midsummer Rock, though nothing about the show was ready for prime-time television. Though the editors in the booth managed to cut out the violence that broke out before and even during the concert, they left in enough to ensure that NBC’s phones were ringing off the hook…who wanted to see a band that wore makeup? What kind of rubbish was this?
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Love It to Death: Third Time Lucky
Album number three proved to be the charm. With Canadian record producer Bob Ezrin finally convincing the guys to tighten up their songs, Love it to Death produced the hit "I’m Eighteen," which rose to number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971.
The song struck a chord with teenagers everywhere. Being in between childhood and adulthood is a tough place to be, and the song perfectly captured the angst that every teenager feels.
Alice at Ottawa Bluesfest July 12, 2012
ceedub13 CC BY 2.0 via flikr
Spiders and Snakes...Oh My!
Furnier’s early attempts at making music led him and his band-mates to enter and actually win a talent contest by mimicking the Beatles. This unexpected win by the Earwigs further fueled their desire to actually learn how to play their instruments, which they set about doing with great zeal. They also came up with a new name for their band. Now known as the Spiders, Vince and the guys played in and around the Phoenix area with a huge spider web as a backdrop behind the drum kit.
High school’s art class influences like Salvador Dali and a track-and-field running coach who had the guys construct a guillotine to cut watermelon led the band to adopt artsy, glam, and, at the time, shocking themes into their act.
Alice realized very early on that the show, or ‘le spectacle’ as the French say, was the key to defining an image that set the band apart from other rock bands. Giant toothbrushes, baby’s losing their heads, and songs that hinted at necrophilia were all part of the package at an Alice Cooper concert.
The glam look adopted by the band was actually started by Frank Zappa’s girl band The GTOs, or Girls Together Outrageously. The GTOs liked to dress the guys up with feather boas and makeup, and the look just kind of stuck.
The boa constrictors used on stage were all very real. Alice still keeps snakes, and his current one is named Christopher, after the late-star Christopher Lee. His previous snakes have had names like Count Strangula and Cobra Winfrey.
Alice Cooper Songs
As much as it was about the show—and the show was truly an experience—there was always the music. The solid guitar work and bass, the often creative and off-beat drumming and the smart, well-crafted lyrics that truly told a story.
Even among the songs that never made it as hit singles, there were some true gems, including "Desperado," which was based on Robert Vaughn’s character who was an on-the-run gunman in the movie The Magnificent Seven.
The song "No More Mister Nice Guy" from the Billion Dollar Babies album was Alice’s retort to what his mother’s church group thought of him and his music. The song showed up in the movie Dazed and Confused and also on an episode of The Simpsons.
The song "Reflected" from the album Pretties for You, went nowhere as a song, and was later rewritten as "Elected." The revamped song was the second single from the School’s Out album, and made it to number 26 on the Billboard chart.
Dear Alice Cooper, I Wish I Had Your Handicap!
Thomas Broadbeck CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia
Alice Cooper Is a Golfer? A Restaurateur? A Radio Host?
You’re likely to find Alice on a golf course when he isn't on the road. Alice is a regular in pro-am tournaments, and has a golf handicap of 5.3. Now, that’s something! Alice says that taking up golf saved him from alcoholism, and he has even written a book called Golf Monster: A Rock 'n' Roller's Life and 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict. If you love the Coop, this is a great read. Lots of wonderful stories, with a golf/life philosophy woven throughout.
Over the years, Alice has also had a few other projects to keep him busy, including a now-closed restaurant in Phoenix called "Cooper’stown" that was "the" sports bar in Phoenix for almost two decades until it closed in 2017.
These days, Alice hosts a syndicated radio show called "Nights With Alice Cooper" that is broadcast in numerous countries around the world. Alice takes requests and plays some of his favorite classic rock tunes.
Rock on Alice!
© 2016 Kaili Bisson
Comments
Kaili Bisson (author) from Canada on April 25, 2019:
Hi Wesman,
lol, yes, go back to bed.
Alice was pretty smart, and recognized that you have to cultivate an image to set yourself apart. Funny, in hindsight, to look at these guys and think how all of this could have been so shocking. I mean, compared to some stuff since then, it all seems rather tame.
Agreed, Ghost is part of the evolution of shock rock. Arguably, some punk bands were an early part of that too. Safety pins anyone?
Wesman Todd Shaw from Kaufman, Texas on April 25, 2019:
I also had no clue Alice Cooper had been a band's name, so I'd always thought it was the man's stage name. I guess I can go back to bed, I've already learned something today!
Selling an image is often a successful strategy. I remember I bought the first Marilyn Manson album, before anyone I knew had ever heard of the band, simply because the name of the album, and the artwork on the album cover intrigued me. And I guess I had extra money in my pocket that day.
Nowadays my favorite metal band is Ghost. Which I guess is, in some sense, an evolution of the whole shock rock thing. The Ghost idea is pretty satirical, with the whole Satanic priest and the nameless ghouls.
Kaili Bisson (author) from Canada on October 26, 2018:
Have a wonderful time at the show Terry! I love Alice and his band is great! The guys in the original group were all wonderful musicians too, and this past summer Blue Coupe (featuring original Alice Cooper bass player Dennis Dunaway) actually played my high school reunion...it was awesome!
Terry B. on October 26, 2018:
I am 58 years old and have always been a huge fan but, became totally hooked after hearing the"Welcome to my nightmare" album. My husband took me to see Alice for the first time last year. What a fantastic show! Going to see him again tomorrow night. Can't wait!
Donna Farris on August 03, 2018:
Thank you. Been a fan since 1970. Love Alice and his shows. Finally got to see him in the 1990's. Always understood he was trying to get us to pay attention to life. Don't believe everything we see and hear.
Kaili Bisson (author) from Canada on September 26, 2016:
Hi Tonya,
Enjoy the concert! He is a great performer, and he works very hard to really put on a show.
Tonya Welton on September 25, 2016:
i was more of a fan of his in the 80s when I was in high school. And life happened. Now, am in my early 40s, and going to see him in concert next week in Windsor. My first time too!
Kaili Bisson (author) from Canada on May 05, 2016:
Hello lambservant and thank you for reading and commenting. Not everyone's cup of tea :) He truly is intriguing, very smart and very well-spoken. Sure wish I could golf like he does!
Lori Colbo from United States on May 05, 2016:
I was never a fan, but I always found him intriguing. This was very insightful.
Kaili Bisson (author) from Canada on May 05, 2016:
Hi Faith and thank you. I'm so glad you enjoyed this. I have seen him a few times, and like the energizer bunny, he just keeps going and going. He is a true showman!
Faith Reaper on May 05, 2016:
Hi Kaili,
Wow, what a comprehensive hub on Alice Cooper. I learned so much that I had no clue about. Interesting and informative.
I saw him in concert way back in the early 80s when he played at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. What a show!
My husband was stationed in the Air Force there then. We were just married.
Enjoyed this read.
Kaili Bisson (author) from Canada on April 27, 2016:
Hi Jodah and thank you for reading and for your positive feedback...glad you learned some tidbits about Alice. Your comments about the radio show don't surprise me, as he has always struck me as being a very smart man.
John Hansen from Gondwana Land on April 27, 2016:
A very informative and interesting hub, Kaili. I wasn't always a fan of Alice Cooper early on but came to later after he went solo, though I never knew "Alice Cooper" was the actual band's name. In fact, you filled me in on a lot I didn't know...like he was still touring. He DJ's a late night radio show that plays here and he is very intelligent and quick witted.
