The Story of Alice Cooper

GARAGE TO STADIUMS

Learn the real story of how Alice Cooper came to fame from our episode guest Reg Harkema, director of the documentary Super Duper Alice Cooper. In this episode you’ll learn:

● How a shocking onstage event propelled Alice to fame

● The strange secret behind the Alice Cooper name

● The innovations Alice created for rock show presentations

● How he and a high school friend turned a love of art into a band concept

● About the unknown 19-year-old that created the sound for their radio hits

● That religion has incredibly always played a role in Alice’s life

● How Alice directly influenced Kiss, Bowie, and even Taylor Swift

The tale that Harkema weaves about Alice’s journey on this Garage to Stadiums episode has so many bizarre twists and turns, it almost begs for a movie treatment. Incredibly, it starts with Alice being born to a devout Christian pastor and his wife.

You will be transported back to the late 1960s to hear firsthand how the peace and love generation was radically altered by the Alice Cooper Band sound and stage show. Discover Alice Cooper’s inspiration for creating a brand of onstage gore and violence delivered Alice’s stated goal “to drive a stake through the hippie dream of the 1960s”.

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Not only did guest Reg Harkema weave a fantastical tale of how the strange Alice Cooper name came about for the band, but he also illuminated listeners on how Alice’s surrealist art influence led to early intriguing stage shows and bizarre songs like the Ballad of Dwight Frye here performed at the Beat Club in 1971.

You will also learn how Alice deftly tapped into the angst-ridden teenage brain wave with a song crafted in the mold of the song My Generation by The Who Alice went on to even greater heights with the release of the album containing the title track of School’s Out in 1972. As Reg says, “you can’t find a straighter line into the brains of a teenager than the phrase school is out for the summer”.

Journey with host Dave Anthony and guest Reg Harkema back to the bell bottoms and high heeled shoes of the early 70s when the band plotted a shocking theatrical show that succeeded in driving international publicity by shocking parents with fake hangings, and levels of violence never seen on stage.

Reg also revealed the inside story of Alice’s harrowing brush with addictions, including how a famous rock icon introduced him to cocaine and how a dancer and his parents played a key role in his recovery. The rollicking tale of Alice Cooper will not only entertain but will give every listener an appreciation for the influence Alice Cooper has had on many famous rock and pop stars.

Guest: Reg Harkema, director of the documentary Super Duper Alice Cooper

Episode Song list: Living, Changing Arranging, I’m Eighteen, Ballad of Dwight Fry, Second Coming, School’s Out, No More Mr. Nice Guy, Welcome to My Nightmare, I Never Cry, Poison, Pass the Gun Around

Host: Dave Anthony
Produced by Podstarter
Air Date: 2024