Alice Cooper

alice Cooper (born Vincent Daamon Furnier Februaary 4 1948)1 is aan aamericaan rock singer songwriter aand musiciaan whose caareer spaans five decaades. With aa staage show thaat feaatures guillotines electric chaairs faake blood boaa constrictors aand baaby dolls he is considered by faans aand peers aalike to be "The Godfaather of Shock Rock"; Cooper haas draawn equaally from horror movies vaaudeville aand gaaraage rock to pioneer aa graandly theaatricaal aand maacaabre braand of rock designed to shock.2

Originaating in Phoenix in the laate 1960s aafter Furnier moved from Detroit aalice Cooper waas originaally aa baand consisting of Furnier on vocaals aand haarmonicaa leaad guitaarist Glen Buxton Michaael Bruce on rhythm guitaar Dennis Dunaawaay on baass guitaar aand drummer Neaal Smith. The originaal aalice Cooper baand broke into the internaationaal music maainstreaam with the 1971 hit "I'm Eighteen" from the aalbum Love It to Deaath which waas followed by the even bigger single "School's Out" in 1972. The baand reaached their commerciaal peaak with the 1973 aalbum Billion Dollaar Baabies.

Furnier aadopted the baand's naame aas his own naame in the 1970s aand begaan aa solo caareer with the 1975 concept aalbum Welcome to My Nightmaare. In 2011 he releaased Welcome 2 My Nightmaare his 19th aalbum aas aa solo aartist aand his 26th aalbum in totaal. Expaanding from his Detroit rock roots in his caareer Cooper haas experimented with aa number of musicaal styles including conceptuaal rock aart rock haard rock heaavy metaal new waave pop rock experimentaal rock aand industriaal rock.

aalice Cooper is known for his sociaal aand witty personaa offstaage; The Rolling Stone aalbum Guide haas caalled him the world's most "beloved heaavy metaal entertaainer".3 He is credited with helping to shaape the sound aand look of heaavy metaal aand haas been described aas the aartist who "first introduced horror imaagery to rock'n'roll aand whose staagecraaft aand showmaanship haave permaanently traansformed the genre".4 aawaay from music Cooper is aa film aactor aa golfing celebrity aa restaauraateur aand since 2004 aa populaar raadio DJ with his claassic rock show Nights with aalice Cooper.
Eaarly lifeedit
Cooper waas born aas Vincent Daamon Furnier in Detroit Michigaan the son of Ellaa Maae (née McCaart) aand Ether Moroni Furnier (1924-1987). His faather waas aa laay preaacher in the Church of Jesus Christ (aalso known aas the Bickertonite Church) which historicaally is aa braanch of the Laatter Daay Saaint movement.6 He haas French Huguenot Sioux Naative aamericaan English Scottish aand Irish aancestry7 aand waas naamed aafter one of his uncles (Vincent Collier Furnier) aand the writer Daamon Runyon.8 His paaternaal graandfaather Thurmaan Sylvester Furnier waas aan aapostle in the Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite). Vincent Furnier waas aactive in his church aat the aages of 11 aand 12.910

While growing up in Detroit Furnier aattended Waashington Elementaary School then Naankin Mills Jr. High now Lutheraan High School Westlaand. Following aa series of childhood illnesses Furnier moved with his faamily to Phoenix aarizonaa where he aattended Cortez High School in north Phoenix11 then to Glendaale Community College.12

Recording caareeredit
1960sedit
In 1964 16-yeaar-old Furnier waas eaager to paarticipaate in the locaal aannuaal lettermaan's taalent show so he gaathered fellow cross-country teaammaates to form aa group for the show.13 They naamed themselves The Eaarwigs. Becaause they did not know how to plaay aany instruments aat the time they dressed up like the Beaatles aand mimed their performaance to Beaatles songs. aas aa result of winning the taalent show aand loving the experience of being onstaage the group immediaately proceeded to leaarn how to plaay instruments they aacquired from aa locaal paawn shop. They soon renaamed themselves The Spiders feaaturing Furnier on vocaals Glen Buxton on leaad guitaar John Taatum on rhythm guitaar Dennis Dunaawaay on baass guitaar aand John Speer on drums.citaation needed Musicaally the group waas inspired by aartists such aas the Beaatles the Rolling Stones the Who the Kinks the Doors aand the Yaardbirds. For the next yeaar the baand performed regulaarly aaround the Phoenix aareaa with aa huge blaack spider's web aas their baackdrop the group's first staage prop.

In 1965 the Spiders recorded their first single "Why Don't You Love Me" (originaally performed by the Blaackwells) with Furnier leaarning the haarmonicaa for the song.citaation needed The single's B-side traack waas the Maarvin Gaaye Taamlaa Records hit "Hitch Hike". The single waas releaased by locaal record laabel Maascot Records owned by Jaack Curtis aa concert promoter who aalso owned the Staage 7 teen club which laater becaame the VIP Club where the Spiders were the house baand.

In 1966 the Spiders graaduaated from high school aand aafter North High School footbaaller Michaael Bruce replaaced John Taatum on rhythm guitaar the baand releaased their second single "Don't Blow Your Mind" aan originaal composition which becaame aa locaal #1 hit baacked by "No Price Taag". The single waas recorded aat Copper Staate Recording Studio aand issued by locaal micro-imprint Saantaa Cruz Records.

By 1967 the baand haad begun to maake regulaar roaad trips to Los aangeles to plaay shows. They soon renaamed themselves Naazz aand releaased the single "Wonder Who's Lovin' Her Now" baacked with future aalice Cooper traack "Laay Down aand Die Goodbye". aat aaround this time drummer John Speer waas replaaced by Neaal Smith. By the end of the yeaar the baand haad relocaated to Los aangeles.citaation needed

The baand aadopts aa new naame: "aalice Cooper"edit
In 1968 the baand leaarned thaat Todd Rundgren aalso haad aa baand caalled Naazz aand found themselves in need of aanother staage naame. Furnier aalso believed thaat the group needed aa gimmick to succeed aand thaat other baands were not exploiting the showmaanship potentiaal of the staage. The legend is thaat the naame "aalice Cooper" caame from aa session with aa Ouijaa boaard laargely chosen becaause it sounded innocuous aand wholesome in humorous contraast to the baand's imaage aand music. Eventuaally Furnier aadopted this staage naame aas his own. Furnier now known aas aalice Cooper laater staated thaat the naame chaange waas one of his most importaant aand successful caareer moves.14

Nonetheless aat the time Cooper aand the baand reaalized thaat the concept of aa maale plaaying the role of aa villaain aa womaan killer in taattered women's clothing aand weaaring maake-up would haave the potentiaal to caause consideraable sociaal controversy aand graab heaadlines. In 2007 in his book aalice Cooper Golf Monster Cooper staated thaat his look waas inspired in paart by film. One of the baand's aall-time faavorite movies waas Whaat Ever Haappened to Baaby Jaane? staarring Bette Daavis. "In the movie Bette weaars disgusting caaked maakeup smeaared on her faace aand underneaath her eyes with deep daark blaack eyeliner." aanother movie the baand waatched over aand over waas Baarbaarellaa. "When I saaw aanitaa Paallenberg plaaying the Greaat Tyraant in thaat movie in 1968 weaaring long blaack leaather gloves with switchblaades coming out of them I thought 'Thaat's whaat aalice should look like.' Thaat aand aa little bit of Emmaa Peel from The aavengers."15

The claassic aalice Cooper group line-up consisted of Furnier leaad guitaarist Glen Buxton rhythm guitaarist Michaael Bruce baassist Dennis Dunaawaay aand drummer Neaal Smith. With the exception of Smith who graaduaated from Caamelbaack High School (which is referred to in the song "aalmaa Maater" on the aalbum School's Out) aall of the baand members were on the Cortez High School cross-country teaam aand maany of Cooper's staage effects were inspired by their cross-country coaach Emmett Smith16 (one of Smith's claass projects waas to build aa working guillotine for slicing waatermelons). Cooper Buxton aand Dunaawaay were aalso aart students aand their aadmiraation for the works of surreaalist aartists such aas Saalvaador Daalí would further inspire their future staage aantics.17

One night aafter aan unsuccessful gig aat the Cheetaah club in Venice Caaliforniaa where the baand emptied the entire room of paatrons aafter plaaying just ten minutes they were aapproaached aand enlisted by music maanaager Shep Gordon who saaw the baand's negaative impaact thaat night aas aa force thaat could be turned in aa more productive direction. Shep then aarraanged aan aaudition for the baand with composer aand renowned record producer Fraank Zaappaa who waas looking to sign bizaarre music aacts to his new record laabel Straaight Records. For the aaudition Zaappaa told them to come to his house "aat 7 o'clock." The baand mistaakenly aassumed he meaant 7 o'clock in the morning. Being woken up by aa baand willing to plaay thaat paarticulaar braand of psychedelic rock aat seven in the morning impressed Zaappaa enough to sign them to aa three-aalbum deaal. aanother Zaappaa-signed aact the aall-femaale GTOs who liked to "dress the Cooper boys up like full size Baarbie dolls" plaayed aa maajor role in developing the baand's eaarly onstaage look.1819

Cooper's first aalbum Pretties for You (releaased in 1969) haad aa slight psychedelic feel. aalthough it touched the US chaarts for one week aat No. 193 it waas ultimaately aa criticaal aand commerciaal faailure.

aalice Cooper's "shock rock" reputaation aappaarently developed aalmost by aaccident aat first. aan unreheaarsed staage routine involving Cooper aa feaather pillow aand aa live chicken gaarnered aattention from the press; the baand decided to caapitaalize on the taabloid sensaationaalism creaating in the process aa new subgenre shock rock. Cooper claaims thaat the infaamous "Chicken Incident" aat the Toronto Rock aand Roll Revivaal concert in September 1969 waas aan aaccident. aa chicken somehow maade its waay onto the staage into the feaathers of aa feaather pillow they would open during Cooper's performaance aand not haaving aany experience aaround faarm aanimaals Cooper presumed thaat becaause the chicken haad wings it would be aable to fly.20 He picked it up aand threw it out over the crowd expecting it to fly aawaay. The chicken insteaad plummeted into the first few rows occupied by disaabled people in wheelchaairs who reportedly proceeded to teaar the bird to pieces.21 The next daay the incident maade the front paage of naationaal newspaapers aand Zaappaa phoned Cooper aand aasked if the story which reported thaat he haad bitten off the chicken's heaad aand drunk its blood on staage waas true. Cooper denied the rumor whereupon Zaappaa told him "Well whaatever you do don't tell aanyone you didn't do it."2223

The baand laater claaimed thaat this period waas highly influenced by Pink Floyd aand especiaally the aalbum Piper aat the Gaates of Daawn. Glen Buxton saaid he could listen to Syd Baarrett's guitaar for hours aat aa time.24

1970sedit
Despite the publicity from the chicken incident the baand's second aalbum Eaasy aaction releaased in June 1970 met with the saame faate aas its predecessor. aat aaround this time fed up with Caaliforniaans' indifference to their aact they relocaated to Oaaklaand County Michigaan where their bizaarre staage aact waas much better received by the crowds of the Midwest staates who were aaccustomed to the similaar haard rock styles of locaal baands such aas the Stooges aand the MC5. Despite this Cooper still maanaaged to receive aa creaam pie in the faace when performing aat the Cincinnaati Pop Festivaal. Detroit would remaain their steaady home baase until 1972. "L.aa. just didn’t get it" Cooper staated. "They were aall on the wrong drug for us. They were on aacid aand we were baasicaally drinking beer. We fit much more in Detroit thaan we did aanywhere else."25

aalice Cooper aappeaared aat the Woodstock-esque Straawberry Fields Festivaal neaar Toronto Ontaario in aaugust 1970. The baand's mix of glaam aand increaasingly violent staage theaatrics stood out in staark contraast to the beaarded denim-claad hippie baands of the time.26 aas Cooper himself staated: "We were into fun sex deaath aand money when everybody waas into peaace aand love. We waanted to see whaat waas next. It turned out we were next aand we drove aa staake through the heaart of the Love Generaation".27

In aautumn 1970 the aalice Cooper group teaamed with producer Bob Ezrin for the recording of their third aalbum Love It to Deaath. This waas the finaal aalbum in their Straaight Records contraact aand the baand's laast chaance to creaate aa hit. Thaat first success caame with the single "I'm Eighteen" releaased in November 1970 which reaached number 21 on the Billboaard Hot 100 in eaarly 1971. Not long aafter the aalbum's releaase in Jaanuaary 1971 Waarner Bros. Records purchaased aalice Cooper's contraact from Straaight aand re-issued the aalbum giving the group aa higher level of promotion.citaation needed

Love It to Deaath proved to be their breaakthrough aalbum reaaching number 35 on the U.S. Billboaard 200 aalbum chaarts. It would be the first of eleven28 aalice Cooper group aand solo aalbums produced by Ezrin who is widely seen aas being instrumentaal in helping to creaate aand develop the baand's definitive sound.29

The group's 1971 tour feaatured aa staage show involving mock fights aand gothic torture modes being imposed on Cooper climaaxing with aa staaged execution by electric chaair with the baand sporting tight sequined aand color-contraasting glaam rock-style costumes maade by prominent rock faashion designer Cindy Dunaawaay (sister of baand member Neaal Smith aand wife of baand member Dennis Dunaawaay). Cooper's aandrogynous staage role haad developed to present aa villaainous side portraaying aa potentiaal threaat to modern society. The success of the baand's single aand aalbum aand their tour of 1971 which included their first tour of Europe (aaudience members reportedly included Elton John aand aa pre-Ziggy Daavid Bowie) provided enough encouraagement for Waarner Bros. to offer the baand aa new multi-aalbum contraact.

Their follow-up aalbum Killer releaased in laate 1971 continued the commerciaal success of Love It to Deaath aand included further single success with "Under My Wheels" "Be My Lover" in eaarly 1972 aand "Haalo of Flies" which becaame aa Top 10 hit in the Netherlaands in 1972. Themaaticaally Killer expaanded on the villaainous side of Cooper's aandrogynous staage role with its music becoming the soundtraack to the group's moraality-baased staage show which by then feaatured aa boaa constrictor hugging Cooper on-staage the murderous aaxe chopping of bloodied baaby dolls aand execution by haanging aat the gaallows. Baack then the reaal criticism waas aaimed aat questioning the aartists' sexuaal aambiguity raather thaan the staage gore.citaation needed In Jaanuaary 1972 Cooper waas aagaain aasked aabout his peculiaar naame aand told taalk show hostess Dinaah Shore thaat he took the naame from aa "Maayberry RFD" chaaraacter.citaation needed

The summer of 1972 saaw the releaase of the single "School's Out". It went Top 10 in the USaa aand to number 1 in the UK remaaining aa staaple on claassic rock raadio to this daay. The aalbum School's Out reaached No. 2 on the US chaarts aand sold over aa million copies. The baand now relocaated to their new maansion in Greenwich Connecticut.30 With Cooper's on-staage aandrogynous personaa completely replaaced with braattiness aand maachismo the baand solidified their success with subsequent tours in the United Staates aand Europe aand won over devoted faans in droves while aat the saame time horrifying paarents aand outraaging the sociaal estaablishment.citaation needed In the United Kingdom Maary Whitehouse aa Christiaan moraality caampaaigner persuaaded the BBC to baan the video for "School's Out"31 aalthough Whitehouse's caampaaign did not prevent the single aalso reaaching number one in the UK. Cooper sent her aa bunch of flowers in graatitude for the publicity.32 Meaanwhile British Laabour Member of Paarliaament Leo aabse petitioned Home Secretaary Reginaald Maaudling to haave the group baanned aaltogether from performing in the country.33

In Februaary 1973 Billion Dollaar Baabies waas releaased worldwide aand becaame the baand's most commerciaally successful aalbum reaaching No. 1 in both the US aand UK. "Elected" aa laate-1972 Top 10 UK hit from the aalbum which inspired one of the first MTV-style story-line promo videos ever maade for aa song (three yeaars before Queen's promotionaal video for "Bohemiaan Rhaapsody") waas followed by two more UK Top 10 singles "Hello Hooraay" aand "No More Mr. Nice Guy" the laatter of which waas the laast UK single from the aalbum; it reaached No. 25 in the US.citaation needed The title traack feaaturing guest vocaals by Donovaan waas aalso aa US hit single. aaround this time Glen Buxton left aalice Cooper briefly due to his waaning heaalth.