Dennis Dunaway book reviews

[pitkin88]

Dennis does mention in his book that he sometimes can't get in touch with Michael, too.... Maybe they really couldn't find him in the timeframe in which they tried.

Hunter

Stretching. If that was reallt the case I'm sure both parties would have said so. Dennis found mike recently in a book store.

[SickThings]

I'm not defending them or saying that they should or shouldn't have said it, merely suggesting that it may not be an outright lie, just an enhancement of the truth---which is not unusual.

Hunter

[pitkin88]

I'm not defending them or saying that they should or shouldn't have said it, merely suggesting that it may not be an outright lie, just an enhancement of the truth---which is not unusual.

Hunter

I don't believe there was any truth in that statement.

[Devon]

These things can often be political and sometimes a little tact is called for.

It wasnt obvious though as they said he couldnt be found.Their " tact " caused a lot of unecessary confusion.

Shockingly I have to agree with Pitkin.
It was a bad decision. If they had stated the Michael had declined to take part, it wouldn`t have been as much of an issue. It certainly isn`t the first time someone has declined to take part in a project.
It would be a perfectly valid explanation, rather than one that was so obviously untrue.

I kind of agree with you, but leaving the benefit of the doubt, I seem to remember that around the time the documentary was being made that Michael was living in Mexico (and maybe still does) and at one time was riding around on a tour bus. In fact there was a news report where his tour bus was shot at in Mexico.

[A_MichaelUK]

From pitkin88:
"It wasnt obvious though as they said he couldnt be found."

Obviousdly, you take everything you read literally as has already been established here.

>Their " tact " caused a lot of unecessary confusion.

Only if you don't understand how the world works.

[A_MichaelUK]

From pitkin88:
"I was reading between the lines as AMUk suggested."

Well, better late than never, I suppose.

[A_MichaelUK]

From pikin88:
Stretching. If that was reallt the case I'm sure both parties would have said so. Dennis found mike recently in a book store.

Was Dennis lying then? I doubt that. You veer from rationality to irrationality (and that isn't meant to be an attack). Just because you know how to contact someone does not mean they will respond.

[A_MichaelUK]

From Devon:
"In fact there was a news report where his tour bus was shot at in Mexico."

I think the story was that there was an accident and he saved someone's life actually.

[pitkin88]

From pitkin88:
"It wasnt obvious though as they said he couldnt be found."

Obviousdly, you take everything you read literally as has already been established here.

>Their " tact " caused a lot of unecessary confusion.

Only if you don't understand how the world works.

Thanks for that Gandalf.

[rtbuck]

I'm a little over halfway through the book & love it. I love reading about songs & bands that they covered or were influenced by like Duane Eddy's Rebel Rouser & 40 Miles of Bad Road, Paul Butterfield Blues Band's East West,Shake Your Moneymaker, & the Work Song, The Flares Foot Stompin', Contours Do You Love me, Blackwells Why Don't You Love me, Chuck Berry's Nadine, Yardbirds, Stones,Kinks, Who, Bo Diddley...etc. I always loved Fields of Regret but never realized how important the song was in their shows. I found it interesting & Dennis brought that song up a few times in the book

[Gunner]

Not read the book yet, but find this topic interesting as I dislike the lies/bullshit (or 'fun stories' as some of you like to call them) that Alice has come out with over the years.

Re 'no theatrics' issue: I think maybe the band just didn't want the theatrics to go 'all Alice's way', and that other members could be integrated more into the act.

Re 'the fans loved Muscle of Love': did Dennis mean the hard-core fans? If so, he was/is probably right!

On a different note, re Michael Bruce and the lack of involvement/credit etc in 'Super Duper': My belief is that he didn't consider Alice Cooper to be a solo artist and left it at that.

[Gunner]

'enhancement of the truth'?? What a strange expression, a change to the truth is a lie.

[mr.barlow]

IN regards to Alice's "fun stories, he is simply following in a long established show buisness tradition of creating myths, legends and stories.

I hope that everyone who reads this board understands that nearly EVERY SINGLE legendary story that involves bands, musicians, movie stars and celebrities in general were all the work of artistic license, embellishment and in some cases outright fiction.

In Alice's case, he worshipped at the feet of the golden age of Hollywood and it's hype machine. Whether people want to believe it or not--everything that is accepted as "fact" regarding those legendary celebrities was mainly the work of public relations people and furthered by the stars themselves.

Alice is in show business---in show business the emphasis is ALWAYS on the SHOW.

Alice both onstage and off stage is giving people a "show". Alice Cooper is a character. Even when he is not weraing his stage gear he is still in character when playing the rock star.

I would go so far to say that the genuine Alice Cooper (the person) is more like the man we see on the golf course and in his golf clothes. A very wealthy businessman/entertainer who made--and still makes his money--playing a character.

Alice knows and understands that his character is larger than life and knows that when people expect you to be larger than life you have to give them what they want. The actual truth of what happened in most of the stories is rather boring and mundane. People don't want boring and you don't build a legend on being boring.

Again it's show business-and show business very rarely deals in reality.

[darkmenace]

Re 'no theatrics' issue: I think maybe the band just didn't want the theatrics to go 'all Alice's way', and that other members could be integrated more into the act.

The first part definitely, and the second is possible, though Dennis never said it. I think they (Dennis, anyway) wanted creative control restored to the band as a group as far as theatrics and music. Not outsiders nor Alice acting alone or in unison with others outside the band.

Dennis said he didn't like the sailor suits, yet they wore them onstage. And Dennis was right about that and also about the Good to See You movie. The band was marginalized even though their contributions (not counting Glen) could have remained solid.

[darkmenace]

Alice knows and understands that his character is larger than life and knows that when people expect you to be larger than life you have to give them what they want.

I wish this was true, but Alice's tall tales are of a different nature. For decades Alice has been telling people how "boring" he is playing golf and how he's the opposite of his character in real life. This was the beginning of much of his downfall in the 70s and Dennis rightfully says this killed the character and mystique. Alice took a larger-than-life character and systematically reduced it to a showbiz gimmick.

Alice's tall tales, like how the band was signed with the help of Jimi Hendrix or that Frank Sinatra sang "You and Me" serve a different purpose. I think in his own mind they serve to legitimize him and his career. The lies about the chicken are more obvious. If you admit you brought the chicken to the show and threw it to the crowd knowing it would be killed, then you really are a chicken killer, whether the audience does the dirty deed or not. You can no longer claim horror or ignorance.

[steven_crayn]

The exaggeration of the truth for a good story is as old as Shakespeare.

The showbiz stories are actually less interesting than the truth for the Alice Cooper historian and the old school fan.

Book is great about halfway though too good to rush.

[mr.barlow]

Alice knows and understands that his character is larger than life and knows that when people expect you to be larger than life you have to give them what they want.

I wish this was true, but Alice's tall tales are of a different nature. For decades Alice has been telling people how "boring" he is playing golf and how he's the opposite of his character in real life. This was the beginning of much of his downfall in the 70s and Dennis rightfully says this killed the character and mystique. Alice took a larger-than-life character and systematically reduced it to a showbiz gimmick.

Alice's tall tales, like how the band was signed with the help of Jimi Hendrix or that Frank Sinatra sang "You and Me" serve a different purpose. I think in his own mind they serve to legitimize him and his career. The lies about the chicken are more obvious. If you admit you brought the chicken to the show and threw it to the crowd knowing it would be killed, then you really are a chicken killer, whether the audience does the dirty deed or not. You can no longer claim horror or ignorance.

He killed the character? That is ridiculous! Please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the character is currently on tour and getting great reviews.

I would agree that Alice changed the original dark aspects of the character and took it more mainstream but that is the exact reason the he and the character become iconic. He made it more accessible to the masses. By the way, this all started with Billion Dollar Babies--as with that album the WHOLE band was laughing at it all--it was THAT moment that Alice was no longer threatening. They were the biggest pop stars on the planet at that time!

Alice saw the potential, or more so--the need--to go mainstream. The success of Welcome To My Nightmare proves it. The campy tv special aimed at kids and teens and the larger than life tour. Alice and Shep were proven correct.

Now, with that being said, Alice then overplayed his hand and took it too far. I'm certain there were various business reasons behind these changes and most of them did not work out too well. They rolled the dice and lost.

Alice's always reverted to the classic character when his other forays did not work out. He did not kill it as you say, but the classic character saved his career more than once.

Trust me, Alice does not feel the need to validate himself by dropping names. The reason it's done is to create a myth and take an otherwise boring truthful account and make it interesting. Also, I think he is having a great laugh doing it. To see how much people will actually believe. It's something he's been doing since day one--taking things as far as he can and seeing how much people will actually swallow. People are gullible and will believe almost anything----Alice knows this and feeds off of it. He is having fun.

Alice is not one who is concerned about an accurate historical account of his career as he's been very clear since the beginning that it's all been like a big joke that went over very well. I don't think he cares and would rather have fun doing what he's been doing. It's always been show business--he knows it as he is one of the last examples left of a true showman who learned from the greatest legends in the business. His storytelling and embellishments are a cornerstone of show business.

Some fans may not like it, but if you've been fans for a long time then why would you expect anything different? Why would you expect him to change now and become a boring historian concerned with getting "the truth" out to the masses before he eventually passes away.

Also, the truth is readily available. All you have to do is connect the dots and take into account the what others have said. It's all there--and frankly--for the most part--it's boring or at best--typical of what goes on in the industry. It may be historically correct but it makes for an average story.

And...Alice is anything but average.

[Dannorama]

I am likely off topic, but when I see THIS PICTURE, it makes me wonder. It's from Manhattan, 1975. Knowing what I do from all of the books, I think that these were profoundly strange times for this guy. Dennis' book makes me think that the missing camaraderie was palpable.

[nurserozetta]

My book has finally arrived downunda and I havent had the chance to read it yet but I'm wondering , Why did Dennis use the exact same cover photo as Michael did ? That seems a weird choice to me.

[Gunner]

I believe that when interviewers ask questions to an artist then they want truthful replies because I think fans want to know what REALLY happened/happens..in fact I know they do..that's why Dennis wrote the book.

Would any of care to give me examples of other artists that give the bullshit replies on the scale of Alice? I'm more than willing to be convinced otherwise, but I am not.