Alice: Biography overdue?

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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by Si » Fri Jan 22, 2010 1:55 pm

steven_crayn wrote:
Si wrote:
steven_crayn wrote: I do have a transcript of the Bob Greene 'Billion Dollar Baby' but haven't read it and from what I've been told it isn't worth reading.
I'd consider it essential reading.

They wouldn't!

Link
Maybe not, but then they see it from a different point of view to us.
By "essential" I mean any Alice fan should read it, if nothing more then so they can be aware of what people are talking about as it is refered to frequently.
Don't you want to see why they dislike it so much?

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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by Si » Fri Jan 22, 2010 1:57 pm

mattcoddington wrote:
WickedYoungMan wrote:I'm not going to swear to it, but I thought these were said to be forgeries at one time?
i believe that book is owned by jeff jatras. all autographs are real.
The comments are probably at least partially in fun as well (although I'm not saying they like the book). They don`t always sign it with those sorts of comments.

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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by mattcoddington » Fri Jan 22, 2010 3:54 pm

Si wrote:The comments are probably at least partially in fun as well (although I'm not saying they like the book). They don`t always sign it with those sorts of comments.
i would say that is correct, as jeff is/was friends with the original band members.

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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by Kate_cz » Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:33 pm

So who's gonna write the book? ;) I read the Golf Monster but unfortunately I had no chance to read Me Alice. The book is hard to find and the price for it is even harder. I love to read about Alice, I could sit in the stories for weeks... :) Over the years I got a lot of information about Alice but how great would be if someone puts all together, with or without Alices "consecration". Ok, all probably doesn't work, but there is really missing a book which goes thru his life with some order. Facts, backstage stories, music, friends, family... There's tons of material for thousands pages. And I can imagine this is work for thousand years :) But I'm afraid, if nobody from STUK makes it...nobody else does :(
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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by mattcoddington » Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:43 pm

Kate_cz wrote:But I'm afraid, if nobody from STUK makes it...nobody else does :(
interesting. why would you say that?

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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by Kate_cz » Sat Jan 23, 2010 2:37 pm

mattcoddington wrote:
Kate_cz wrote:But I'm afraid, if nobody from STUK makes it...nobody else does :(
interesting. why would you say that?
I don't know, but I guess to write Alices biography is not a big commercial thing. I mean, he is famous, but not as famous as the publishers would like. It's not like yeah, we let write and print Coopers biography and earn a fortune... So there needs to be someone who is REALLY interested in Alice... And people living and working around him could write it for sure...but, does he let them to make it?
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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by WickedYoungMan » Sat Jan 23, 2010 4:58 pm

Brian Nelson probably would have been the best author for it. I don't mean that as some sort of suck up statement, but he probably would be the best bet.

Probably a big question, to me at least, would if the book should be an Authorized or Unauthorized Biography. Both have their ups and downs and can ultimately have an effect on how the book comes out.

Personally, and while it would be another documentary, I wouldn't a mind a "Beatles Anthology-ish" type thing personally. But since Alice's career is on going, that sort of thing could probably wait.
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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by A_MichaelUK » Sat Jan 23, 2010 9:25 pm

>Brian Nelson probably would have been the best author for it.

I think he would have needed a really good professional writer to collaborate with.

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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by steven_crayn » Sun Jan 24, 2010 1:14 pm

Si wrote:
Maybe not, but then they see it from a different point of view to us.
By "essential" I mean any Alice fan should read it, if nothing more then so they can be aware of what people are talking about as it is refered to frequently.
Don't you want to see why they dislike it so much?
Prior to the sickcon convention I started reading it, but after hearing Neal Smith in person dismiss the book and discredit the author who ended up cheating on his wife with a schoolgirl and getting fired by the Chicago Tribune, I stopped reading it. 4 months after the scandal his wife died of heart failue.I know Bob Greene was an award winning journalist and I might end up reading it, but I guess that may have been a factor why I stopped plus reading from a laptop or printed A4 is not as accessible as the real book which isn't top of the things to buy list especially if it is negative about my favourite band.
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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by glamprincess » Tue Jan 26, 2010 5:28 pm

steven_crayn wrote:yeah it would be good I enjoyed reading the auto biographies 'Me Alice' & 'Golf Monster' and the Michael Bruce Book 'No More Mister Nice Guy'.

I do have a transcript of the Bob Greene 'Billion Dollar Baby' but haven't read it and from what I've been told it isn't worth reading.
Steven, Bob Greene's book "Billion Dollar Baby" is definitely worth reading. In fact, an arguement can even be made that it is one of the best rock books ever written.

Unlike the three books that you mention above, it is written from the point of view of an outside third party, providing a less subjective approach as well as greater insight. And no matter what anyone says about Bob Greene on a personal basis, he was still a brilliant writer who managed to capture the Alice Cooper winter BDB tour in such a way as to allow the reader to experience life on the road with the band. The reader gets to ride along in the limo, meet the hangers-on backstage and experience the exhilaration of being onstage in front of 20,000 screaming fans. It's an excellent book for enabling the reader to understand the world of rock n' roll superstardom.

The book also covers the Alice Cooper group at its peak, when the band had number one albums and tours. So it's a great historical perspective. Some of the original AC band members probably didn't like the book because as Rolling Stone Magazine said, it probably revealed more than they bargained for. I don't think it portrayed the band members negatively. I think it just showed that they are.....human. The book showed both the positive and negative effects of rock superstardom. It's a fascinating read and I recommend it.

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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by the maniac » Tue Jan 26, 2010 7:03 pm

Alices biography in one respect, would take ages to do. As Alice always seems to be doing one thing or another still, the story carries on, making it impossible for the writer to keep up, but if it were to be a biography done in 2 parts say part 1 1948 to 1979 part 2 1980 onwards, you'd still. Have two books with plentiful reading in. Also why not have a sample cd, from pre Alice then from each Alice Cooper album, and not just the hits. To be put inside the books. Obviously this would have to be a limited addition due to costs.

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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by mattcoddington » Tue Jan 26, 2010 7:05 pm

the maniac wrote:Alices biography in one respect, would take ages to do. As Alice always seems to be doing one thing or another still, the story carries on, making it impossible for the writer to keep up,
that could be said for every single biography ever written about a living person.

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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by WickedYoungMan » Tue Jan 26, 2010 7:37 pm

the maniac wrote:Also why not have a sample cd, from pre Alice then from each Alice Cooper album, and not just the hits.
We kinda got that with "The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper."
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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by Gunner » Wed Jan 27, 2010 8:35 am

A 'proper' Alice biog is conspicuous by its absence in the bookshops and has been for a LOOOOOONG time! Out of all the rock biogs one can think of, Alice would have to be one of the most interesting surely for what he did and when he did it. However, I do feel that he has 'shyed away' from one for personal reasons and even those that could write it without his assistance have respected that.

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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by mattcoddington » Wed Jan 27, 2010 5:55 pm

Gunner wrote:However, I do feel that he has 'shyed away' from one for personal reasons
why do you say that?
Gunner wrote:and even those that could write it without his assistance have respected that.
why do you say that?

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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by steven_crayn » Wed Jan 27, 2010 11:18 pm

I will read the Bob Greene book Glam Princess.

As for the 2 Alice auto biographies I prefered the Michael Bruce auto biography probably as it gave more insight into the music, which as a musician and an Alice fan was the best of both worlds.

Andy who were the writers you had in mind for a new Alice biog?
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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by WickedYoungMan » Thu Jan 28, 2010 5:07 am

steven_crayn wrote:As for the 2 Alice auto biographies I prefered the Michael Bruce auto biography probably as it gave more insight into the music, which as a musician and an Alice fan was the best of both worlds.
Very ironic after your Bob Greene statement. The same things that the band autographed on that photo you linked to earlier would probably be said about Michael's book too.

Here's what Alice said about it...
"Alice Cooper had a few choice words to say recently about the book "No More Mr. Nice Guy", penned by Michael Bruce, the original guitar player for Cooper. "I think it's a wonderful piece of fiction," Cooper tells allstar correspondent Murray Engleheart. "Some of the memories about who wrote what songs are a little out of whack -- like 90%. I had a friend of mine read me excerpts from the book and he'd got through about half of it and I'd go, `What? Are you out of your mind?' I just laughed about it."
(Allstar Online, September 1997)"


I believe this is also what caused some friction between Alice and Michael for a little while, though was seemingly resolved.

As Brian put it about the situation, "Don't you just love happy endings?" And who doesn't enjoy happy endings, am I right fellas?
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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by steven_crayn » Thu Jan 28, 2010 12:02 pm

I was aware Alice wasn't keen on the No More Mister Nice Guy book, I guess the truth lies somewhere in between.

It's easy to have empathy with someone that you admire as a musician and have met more than once as opposed to a journalist who often make a living discrediting people they would love to be but haven't got the talent.
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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by A_MichaelUK » Thu Jan 28, 2010 3:27 pm

>Andy who were the writers you had in mind for a new Alice biog?

They are Jeffrey Morgan and Brian Smith (some of you may be familiar with the former already).

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Re: Alice: Biography overdue?

Post by Maurice » Thu Jan 28, 2010 3:47 pm

Yes, I must admit I enjoy Jeffrey Morgans enthusiastic style very much; he writes like an Alice devotee!
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