Alice Cooper: King of shock rock turns 70
Snakes, straitjackets, blood and an execution by guillotine — they've all been part of Alice Cooper's horror shows. The cult star has inspired heavy metal musicians for the past 50 years.
Alice Cooper is timeless
Fans said his show at Germany's Wacken Open Air 2017 was one of the best acts of the festival. Despite his age, he and his band gave a performance on a bright August afternoon that even some of the youngest musicians can't manage. He showed just how present he still is, and just how timeless his stage show has been over the past 50 years.
'The worst band in L.A.'
Cooper's musical adventure began in the 1960s. He played in various cover bands before forming the Alice Cooper Band. Their mission: to "drive a stake into the heart of the Love Generation." Musician Frank Zappa was impressed by Alice Cooper's talent to empty out a club just minutes after taking the stage. Zappa signed on "the worst band in L.A." and produced two albums with them.
'No more Mr. Nice Guy'
The collaboration with Zappa was not very successful. But when Alice Cooper met producer Bob Ezrin, the band got an intense new sound. A contract with Warner Brothers Records took the band forward as well. And then things went wild. After all, an Alice Cooper show was a real shocker in that day and age, complete with fake blood, snakes, and themes of torture and death.
'I hate dolls'
Laser effects, lots of makeup and a whole bag of tricks made for a wild horror show. In the midst of it all was Cooper in a straitjacket, on the rack or under the guillotine's blade. He butchered things too, preferably demonic baby dolls. Cooper shook off the resulting criticism. "Just because I cut off the heads of dolls doesn't mean I hate babies, I just hate dolls."
Favorite jacket
Back in the 1970s Cooper's shows were considered scandalous, even dangerous. A British politician called for them to be banned, while the German government ordered part of his act removed. So of course his concerts and tours were constantly sold out. The first truly record was the 1972 concept album "School's Out." The next one, "Billion Dollar Babies," shot the band up into the realm of the gods.
'Poison ... running through my veins'
But living the life of a rock star took its toll. Cooper became an alcoholic. But even when the band broke up in 1974 and he became the solo artist Alice Cooper, success did not disappear. His album "Welcome to My Nightmare" became a rock classic. Following that were many ups and downs, detox and relapse, until 1989's "Poison" became a mega hit.
Hollywood star
Alice Cooper received his very own star on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame" in 2003. Showing up in his traditional outfit, he was as giddy as a child about getting his own star, and he promised fans he would polish it every time he walked by. For fans on the lookout: it is located between the stars of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and country star Gene Autry.
Of all things ... golf!
To this day, Alice Cooper still goes full throttle on stage. But on the golf course, he's more laid-back. For the past 30 years, the sport has balanced out his wild stage shows. He says it helped him to recover from alcoholism and wrote in his 2007 book, "Golf Monster," that it even saved his life. The book offers all sorts of anecdotes about his life in rock 'n' roll.
Loving husband and father
It may sound rare for a rock star, but Cooper has been married for the past 40 years to Sheryl Goddard. He's always been faithful to her, he told German magazine Stern in an interview. He said that at home, he's just a normal guy. Cooper has three children, and the eldest daughter, Calico, often performs with him on stage as a nurse, dominatrix or Paris Hilton being bitten in the neck by her dog.
No end in sight
Cooper's 27th studio album, "Paranormal," was released in July 2017. Produced by long-time colleague Bob Ezrin, Alice Cooper offers up straightforward rock, playing along with other famous contemporaries: Roger Glover (of Deep Purple), Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) and Larry Mullen (U2). The album immediately made the top ten in many countries and is far from a farewell gift to fans.