Alice shot from a cannon ?

[damiennalice]

I dont think I've ever heard of this (or is it a wonderfully made-up story?) ...

Word for word from a PERFORMING SONGWRITER Magazine interview ...

Q : Thinking about all the stage props that youve used over the years,there mustve been some malfunctions. Did the 9-foot animatronic cyclops ever go berserk?

A : (Laughs) Everything has broken down.Weve had more Spinal Tap moments than anybody.We had a giant cannon once and we decided to shoot Alice across the stage.we had it custom made.That thing was 20 feet long.We used it at stadium shows and they would load me into this cannon and then of course Id get out the side. There was a dummy inside the cannon that would literally shoot across the whole stage into a net.As soon as it was in the net I would switch places with it and come out like Id been shot across the stage.So I get into the cannon and there are 15,000 people watching and I roll out of it. Its all loaded and theres a big explosion and the dummy comes about halfway out and is just hanging there out of the mouth of the cannon (laughs).What do you do at that point? You have to play it like Clouseau.You have to pull it out and kick it back like no ones going to notice. The next day we put the cannon away and one of the guys in the Rolling Stones saw it and said Where'd you get that cannon? And we ended up selling it to the Stones and I think they used it as a giant phallic symbol(laughs).
But I always tell the guys theres no such thing as a mistake. If youre coming toward the audience and you trip over a garbage can and fall down thats a mistake. Until 5 minutes later when you do it again.Then its part of the show.If you make a mistake make it twice,make it it 3 times.The audience has no idea that it wasnt planned.


When would this have taken place is my question.

[smanomega]

I thought i heard of them just trying this around 77 BUT I could be wrong ( and probably am.......)

[sparkinthedark]

FWIW, I've heard Alice mention this story a couple of times, one of which I think was on the Australian TV show "Enough Rope with Andrew Denton" but sadly Alice gave no indication of when this might have taken place.

[pitkin88]

I thought this happened in a rehearsal not an actual show. I don't believe the cannon was ever used live.

[Si]

As far as I know it wasn`t done live in front of an audience.
Could be questionalble if it ever got off the drawing board.

[pitkin88]

As far as I know it wasn`t done live in front of an audience.
Could be questionalble if it ever got off the drawing board.

Probably Alice just embellishing or unable to remember due to alcohol. Wasn't this idea 73-74?

[mkayers]

I remember reading something about it being tried out for the 1974 tour but like everyone says, I thought it was just in the testing stages.

[A_MichaelUK]

>When would this have taken place is my question.

I think it's supposed to have happened in 1971 or 1972 (if it did actually happen, although I think Dennis Dunaway or Michael Bruce referred to it, as well).

[WickedYoungMan]

I wonder what part of the show that was supposed to be.

[sparkinthedark]

My guess would have been the execution, but I see what you're saying. It's just a circus trick in comparison with the more traditional means of execution that Alice has used.