SickthingsUK

After reading with interest the thread about "questions you would ask Alice" I felt the folowing query was sufficiently away from the original thread to warrant a separate post.

I would love to see a well balanced (i.e.equal weight given to the pre and post seventies "heyday" ) exhaustively researched authorised biography of Alice written by a credible biographer in which the man and his music and cultural legacy, in terms of the history of rock music are fully explored.It would be fantastic if the author was able to interview Alice extensively, along with family, old school friends, the original remaining ACG members, producers, management, graphic designers etc. Also the book could draw together strands from previously published sources along with rarer archived material, photographs etc.some of which are generously shared by members on this site which could be reproduced with permission of course.
While the author should be an admirer of Alice it would only be right to include some criticism of his work on occasion too, as all good biographies do.I feel this could explore some of the more interesting, unconventional questions posed on the other thread while at the same time exploring sensitively and with compassion some of the darker times in Alice's life.

So to my questions. Given the expertise on this site and intimacy with the Alice camp I was wondering:

1. Has the idea of a comprehensive biography ever been given any sort of consideration?

and

2. Do others feel like I do (given the raft of biographies of rock stars with half of Alice's legacy that have been published and are available in Waterstones)that such a biography as I suggest is long overdue?

A book version of SickthingsUK more or less.

>So to my questions. Given the expertise on this site and intimacy with the Alice camp I was wondering:


There's an assumption sometimes in a lot of these questions, that things can happen just because "the Alice camp" wants them to. That's not how things work. No offence to any of these sorts of suggestions, but I've never read anything here that hasn't already been thought of.

> Do others feel like I do (given the raft of biographies of rock stars with half of Alice's legacy that have been published and are available in Waterstones)that such a biography as I suggest is long overdue

It's not our decision. Your question should be directed at the publishers of these books.

Yes, it is VERY long overdue (regardless of who's decision it is). It's amazing to me it hasn`t been done properly by someone yet.

>Yes, it is VERY long overdue

Agreed (I should have added that).

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.

I'm sure if someone like Andy or Si were to undertake an Alice biog (maybe even as a joint venture) it would sell, I'd buy a copy!

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.

Alice signed both my 'Me Alice' and 'Billion Dollar Baby' books at a meet and greet a few years ago. About 'Me Alice' he said 'don't believe a word of it' and to the later, he said 'Now this one is all true'. So believe what you will!

As for a book or whatever, I seem to remember Alice saying in an interview that too many people would have to die before he could do that!

It coulld be interesting provided it was written by someone who doesn't have stars in their eyes. A sycophatic book ala Bowie's Black Book would be of little interest to me. But a true and reasonable account of the history would be pretty cool. Of course such an endeavour would likely have to be unauthorized because Alice likes to be pretty selective on which truth to tell.

I do have to say though, that I tend to believe Alice if he said those peviously mentioned comments about Me, Alice and Billion Dollar Baby. The Me, Alice book seems to be rife with fabrications (refilling jelly doughnuts - c'mon)and The Billion Dollar Baby book, albiet from one man's POV and has some airing of dirty laundry, seems entirely plausible and doesn't contain obvious factual errors like Me, Alice.

I do believe Alice has kept us all kind of guessing to a degree about the background story. Obviously, because we have REAL questions to address. I wonder if a biography would take away some of the mystery that still surrounds Alice....maybe he avoids a biography for that reason.
Clearly, the fans are so investigative that we would strip away any and all fantasies attached to our Beloved Alice, consuming the truth like flesh until we are glutted, leaving the bones.

i think andy should write a biography, with other contributing fans/insiders.

get to it.

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.

GailsFriend wrote: I wonder if a biography would take away some of the mystery that still surrounds Alice....maybe he avoids a biography for that reason.

It has nothing to do with what Alice wants. A biography in no way needs to be authorised to be worth while, although it helps a lot of the subject is happy to be interviewed etc of course

>Obviously, because we have REAL questions to address.

Those would probably not be of interest to the geeral public - only to those who belong to this forum. That would make the kind of book Robbie was referring to less likely, unfortunately.

>I wonder if a biography would take away some of the mystery that still surrounds Alice....

What "mystery"? This isn't Howard Hughes we're talking about.

>maybe he avoids a biography for that reason.

What about "Golf Monster"?

The mystery of Alice Cooper still remains intact with his AUTObiography,Golf Monster, because Alice is/was in full control of what is discussed and not discussed.

A biography would put the questions in the interviewer's hands, not Alice's.

If there is no mystery to Alice, then why is there so many questions to be asked?

Whether an insightful interview, or a biography, it would be interesting to me to have some of those questions answered.

For example, I couldn't find any evidence on STUK about Alice's endorsement of Planned Parenthood.....it is a cool poster that my friend has. So, there is at least ONE mystery....why is that poster so rare? Was/is Alice's endorsement of PP an embarrassment?

See? more questions...more mysteries.

GailsFriend wrote:A biography would put the questions in the interviewer's hands, not Alice's.

biographies do not always contain interviews/interviewers.

GailsFriend wrote:If there is no mystery to Alice, then why is there so many questions to be asked?

simple questions do not always translate to 'mysteries.' in fact, i'm still wondering why you consider every single question of yours a 'mystery'??

GailsFriend wrote:Whether an insightful interview, or a biography, it would be interesting to me to have some of those questions answered.

many of which have been answered in these very forums, no?

GailsFriend wrote:For example, I couldn't find any evidence on STUK about Alice's endorsement of Planned Parenthood.....it is a cool poster that my friend has. So, there is at least ONE mystery....why is that poster so rare? Was/is Alice's endorsement of PP an embarrassment?

how is that a mystery????? alice did a psa poster for planned parenthood. end of story. end of mystery.

GailsFriend wrote:See? more questions...more mysteries.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mystery

Thank you, Matt. I know you care.

no problem.

>I'm sure if someone like Andy or Si were to undertake an Alice biog

I'm good, but I'm not that good. I have a couple of nominations for that task.

>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.

It gives a very good flavour of that tour and for all it's faults (of which there are a few), it's not exactly a piece of fiction.