Alice Cooper: The Shock King’s Symphony With Billion Dollar Bills
The Spark That Lit the Guillotine
Vincent Damon Furnier—reborn as Alice Cooper—didn’t just find music; he weaponized it. Born February 4, 1948, in Detroit, Michigan, his primary motivator was defiance. A preacher’s son stifled by suburbia, he stumbled into rock ‘n’ roll as a teen, craving a stage to unleash his wild side. Inspired by horror flicks and garage punk, he saw music as a theater of chaos—a way to shock the world awake.
A Life Draped in Darkness
Alice’s biography is a gothic odyssey. Raised in Phoenix, Arizona, after childhood illness, he formed a high school band, the Earwigs, mocking the Beatles. Renaming himself Alice Cooper—a name plucked from a Ouija board—he married dancer Sheryl Goddard in 1976, weathering his alcoholism with her by his side. A born-again Christian since the ‘80s, he’s balanced faith with fright, a duality that defines him.
A Career of Blood and Ballads
The Alice Cooper band, his first act (1964-1974), featured Michael Bruce (guitar), Glen Buxton (guitar), Dennis Dunaway (bass), and Neal Smith (drums)—a crew that birthed shock rock. Solo since ‘75, he’s collaborated with Lou Reed and Slash, while his bond with Johnny Depp (in the Hollywood Vampires) grabbed headlines. TV includes The Muppet Show (1978); films like Wayne’s World (1992) cemented his cult status. Awards? A 2011 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction with the original band, plus a 2003 Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
His biggest hits: “School’s Out” (Cooper/Bruce), a 1972 rebel yell; “Poison” (Cooper/Desmond Child), a 1989 glam-metal sting; “I’m Eighteen” (Cooper/Bruce), raw 1970 angst; and “No More Mr. Nice Guy” (Cooper/Bruce), a sardonic ‘73 classic. Controversy? Plenty—his guillotine-and-snake stage antics outraged parents, sparking 1970s bans. A 1988 animal cruelty claim (he tossed a chicken, fans tore it apart) still haunts lore—he insists it was accidental.
