CHARACTERS
76 years ago Alice Cooper was born: 5 fun facts about the Godfather of Shock Rock
Vincent Furnier, a.k.a. Alice Cooper, was born in Detroit on Feb. 4, 1948. Alice is one of the most iconic and controversial figures in the history of rock, to the point of being universally considered the father of Shock Rock for his song lyrics largely inspired by fiction horror.
His concerts have always been a unique experience, bordering on the risky: from the boa twisted around his neck to the many macabre stage elements, not to mention the distinctive corpse paint with which Alice has made his performances unique.
Here are 5 interesting facts (that you may not have known) about Alice Cooper, referred to by audiences and journalists as "The Godfather of Shock Rock"
Happy birthday to Alice Cooper!
Vincent Furnier, aka Alice Cooper, was born in Detroit on Feb. 4, 1948. Alice is one of the most iconic and controversial figures in the history of rock, to the point of being universally considered the father of Shock Rock for his live performances and song lyrics inspired largely by horror fiction. His concerts have always been a unique, borderline risky experience, from the boa twisted around his neck to the many macabre stage elements, not to mention the distinctive corpse paint with which Alice has made his performances unique. Here are 5 fun facts (that you may not have known) about Alice Cooper, referred to by audiences and journalists as "The Godfather of Shock Rock"
The origin of the name Alice Cooper
Where does the stage name Alice Cooper come from ? Probably, the inspiration comes from the name of a witch burned at Salem in the 17th century, but the singer in his autobiography said that the name came to him by chance: he imagined himself "Alice Cooper" as a little girl with a lollipop in one hand and a butcher knife in the other.
Where did the inspiration for your look come from ?
Alice Cooper revealed that the inspiration comes mainly from the movie What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, in which Bette Davis was very flamboyantly made up, bordering on the ridiculous. The other film that helped define the image of Alice Cooper was Barbarella and particularly the character played by Anita Pallenberg, who wore leather clothes and a pirate's blindfold.
The musical debut is related to the Beatles
Alice Cooper 's first approach to music was during Talent Show of Phoenix, in 1964, when the future singer with some friends staged an imitation of the Beatles on the festival stage, dressing up as the 4 boys from Liverpool. At the time, neither Alice nor his friends knew how to play any musical instruments, so their performance was limited to a simple mime.
In 1988 he almost died during a concert
It is known that Alice Cooper concerts are never mundane, and more than once they have endangered the singer's life. In 1988, for example, a mock hanging scene was planned during one performance: however, the mechanism jammed and Godfather came close to actually hanging himself to death. This is just one of many times when Alice came very, very close to death.
The alternative life of Alice Cooper between degrees and golf
There is not only music in the life of Cooper. The singer has also received two honoris causa degrees, the first in 2004 from Grand Canyon University and the second in 2012 from Los Angeles Musicians Institute. In his spare time, Alice also likes to keep fit by practicing golf.
Rankings
01/12/2023
In 2008, 'Rolling Stone' compiled a list of the 100 best singers of all time.
This ranking was compiled 15 years ago by 180 people, including several musicians (e.g. Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Justin Timberlake, George Michael, Keith Richards), journalists and music experts.
On 1 January 2023, however, 'Rolling Stone' published an update of the ranking that revolutionised the list, especially with regard to the Top Ten. As the well-known US magazine was keen to point out, this ranking does not only take into account technical and vocal abilities (it is not a list of the best voices of all time), but also the originality of the vocal timbre, the record catalogue, the writing ability and the musical legacy of the singers in question. Here are the top 20 positions.