The artist is the mirror between death and art.

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danielleV
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The artist is the mirror between death and art.

Post by danielleV » Sat Jan 03, 2015 7:36 pm

I saw yesterday on TV the documentary "Super Duper AC";
i focused specially around the Special Forces times and character of Alice Cooper; despite it is said that Alice was bad and ill at this dates, i think and i am sure many people can admit that this precise look , makeup, attitude, hair, songs, set, he had at this moment of Special Forces, was GENIUS, UNIQUE,(not to say of course the songs, genius too), so close and inspired by the Expressionnism painting, and the Expressionnism cinema (see few photos); yes of course it was bad health but sorry, it was THE most genius Alice, its interesting to see how in an Artist life, the top of the creation and inspiration can be exactly when Death and excess are winning and dominating the artist life.
See klaus Nomi, see Sid Vicious; yes there was evil, but there was genius in them.......
(sorry i cant put images directly here so i put the links)
https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hph ... e=5524BC63
https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hph ... e=55474875
https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hph ... e=5540BD58
https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/ ... e4c8ffc812
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 1403_o.jpg
https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hph ... e=54FA471A
https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hph ... e=54F96EF6
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 9269f5e8a2
https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hph ... e=55249CBC
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tsulZIi8aAk/hqdefault.jpg
"I know Danielle!", Alice Cooper, Paris 2017

mr.barlow

Re: The artist is the mirror between death and art.

Post by mr.barlow » Sat Jan 03, 2015 10:45 pm

The Special Forces Alice Cooper look is also my favorite. It was incredibly original, unique and very frightening. That look to me personifies what an "Alice Cooper" should look like. Still today, the whole look and persona is very unnerving and disturbing.

At the time it was very apparant that Alice was under the influence of something much more than alcohol. He was a mess and the look completely captures the insanity that was his life at the time. The live performances from that tour are just downright weird. Alice had developed a very herky jerky way of performing that really was unnerving. He threw away the huge stage show and excess in favor of a very avante garde cabaret performance. It was brilliant.


His drug use was not a big secret to those in the industry and everyone knew he was in trouble. The tour was completed but from what I understand it was a mess behind the scenes and not a very happy tour for all involved. It got worse from there.

At any rate, depsite it's brilliance, the downside is that it nearly killed his career and nearly took his life. Some of the greatest art is conceived during an artist's darkest moments of despair. At his lowest point--both personally and professionally he gave us Dada. The ultimate masterpiece of his career. Also Dick Wagner's masterpiece. I really believe making that album was what enabled him to put it all back together. It's like a public confession--a cleansing.

I can understand why Alice chooses not wanting to discuss that period of his career as I'm sure it is very painful to revisit it. But I think as time goes on that eventually that period of Alice's career will be re-discovered and given the credit it's due.

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Re: The artist is the mirror between death and art.

Post by danielleV » Sun Jan 04, 2015 12:30 am

The most important is the quality of music finally .
"I know Danielle!", Alice Cooper, Paris 2017

mr.barlow

Re: The artist is the mirror between death and art.

Post by mr.barlow » Sun Jan 04, 2015 2:06 am

danielleV wrote:The most important is the quality of music finally .
The quality was always there but I think starting with Special Forces you can see where there were problems. Special Forces contains two tracks left over from the Flush The Fashion writing sessions, a faux live track and a cover song. Also, "You Want It You Got It" seems like it was a throwaway track put togther at the last minute. But the album came out sounding great.

I think Alice's addictions were really starting to play havoc with his work ethic and his writing started to suffer. This reached the tipping point with Zipper Catches Skin which was a near catastrophe. A lot of credit has to be given to the producers of those two albums--especially Erik Scott on Zipper.

After nearly dying Alice was still in terrible shape and did not want to work. Dick Wagner tells of how Shep sent him to coax Alice to get him to do DaDa as he thought it was best for Alice to keep working. He was right.

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Re: The artist is the mirror between death and art.

Post by darkmenace » Sun Jan 04, 2015 7:34 pm

I agree with the sentiment of this thread that Alice was most artistic, or perhaps daring, when he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

I also think the "look" of Special Forces was incredible, but I think the music is just okay. I wish it had been better.

A young friend of mine, a metal head, loves Alice Cooper but hates the SF era and look. He loves scary Alice but jokes that SF Alice scares the heck out of him...too much! To me that means it worked.

Sober Alice seems uncomfortable with his work as "art" and the depth that it exposes. Perhaps that makes sense when you've laid yourself so bare publicly.

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