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The great reformation

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 1:34 pm
by Dannorama
Hi again, Dennis. Hope things are going well! Merry Christmas to you and Cindy. I've been re-reading some passages from your book, and I'd like to hear more about this time about ten years ago... In your book, you touch on Shep's "Aloha" email and group call, telling you that you'd been inducted into the Hall of Fame. (Neal was right, by the way. It was about effin time!) The book quickly goes to Bob Ezrin opening the door for you at the recording studio. (I have to believe that the book editor helped with that.) I'm curious about the time between those two moments. Was there a "holy crap" moment, where you realized that the band was going to be "the band" and record some songs? Did it happen suddenly, or was it more like "one thing led to another?" I know that for us fans, it was a dream come true. Curious about what it was like for you?

Re: The great reformation

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 8:19 pm
by Dreary
It seemed like every year we would hear rumors that Alice Cooper had been nominated and then it wouldn't happen. But a conference call with Shep made that particular nomination feel real.

The telephone was ringing with a tsunami of congratulatory calls. Emails and social media were buzzing with heartfelt messages from a lifetime of friends, family, and fans from all over the world.

The nomination alone brought the band closer together, but the specter of skepticism still overshadowed our hopes for actually being inducted. Other bands had been nominated year after year and still hadn't gotten in. This was pretty much the conversation with Bob Ezrin, Michael, Neal, Alice, and I when we were recording in New York City. We also talked about Glen not being there to share the experience with us. We could only guess what hilarious, sarcastic comments he would have had.

Fast forward to a warehouse in Phoenix, Arizona where we were rehearsing our set for Alice's Christmas Pudding show along with Steve Hunter on guitar. Kyler Clark came in waving for us to stop playing. So we stopped and he said, you're in!
The rest of the day was filled with interviews.

We stood behind the curtain at the Dodge Theater all ready to play. We could hear Bob Ezrin's introduction and his announcement to the audience of 6,000 people that we had been inducted. And the curtain opened to the warmest reception ever.

Back at home, the band had a couple more conference calls. Shep asked what we should wear at the induction ceremony. I suggested all white tuxedos splattered in blood. Shep didn't go for that but Alice adopted the idea for his shirt. We also decided what songs to play.

We had another rehearsal the day before the induction ceremony.

The ceremony itself is described in my book.

The entire experience includes our wishing Glen had been there and our gratitude for our fans.

Re: The great reformation

Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 3:13 pm
by Dannorama
Thanks for your insight! It is truly wonderful to chat with you like this. Reading your book is a fun ride. (That part when Michael J. Fox introduced himself to you is a gas.) Please help me with something - You guys were already in gear to do the Pudding that year, but a live performance is different than recording new stuff together. Was there a moment when it became apparent that Alice Cooper was going to be a studio band again? Or did it it just sort of develop over time? Personally, when I learned (on this site, of course) that the band was going to have new material on W2MN, it was truly a "Eureka!" moment.

Re: The great reformation

Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 8:14 pm
by Dreary
“For a fan of the Alice Cooper band, as I have been since my adolescence in the 1970s, Cooper bassist Dennis Dunaway's first-hand account of the group's humble beginnings, heady triumphs and arguably inevitable implosion is gripping stuff.” - Michael J. Fox

As for Alice Cooper writing and recording together, it's always been up to Alice. By the time Michael finished recording his solo album, we already had songs in the works for our next Alice Cooper album. That was in 1974. If it were up to the wishes of the majority of Alice Cooper (the group), we would have created nearly 30 more albums and shows by now.

Re: The great reformation

Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2021 1:04 am
by Dannorama
Dreary wrote:
Thu Dec 23, 2021 8:14 pm
...If it were up to the wishes of the majority of Alice Cooper (the group), we would have created nearly 30 more albums and shows by now.
If only for a time machine... Thanks, Dennis. You rock.

Re: The great reformation

Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2021 4:27 pm
by Ted Sallis
Dannorama wrote:
Fri Dec 24, 2021 1:04 am
Dreary wrote:
Thu Dec 23, 2021 8:14 pm
...If it were up to the wishes of the majority of Alice Cooper (the group), we would have created nearly 30 more albums and shows by now.
If only for a time machine... Thanks, Dennis. You rock.
Alice Cooper - Original Group and solo combined - have/has released a total of 28 studio albums. So Dennis' estimation that 30 more ACG albums (and shows) would have been created if the wishes of the majority of the Group were respected seems plausible.

I can't help but wonder how much better the Classic Rock Universe could have been if that had been the case.

Ted

Re: The great reformation

Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2021 10:08 pm
by Dreary
Ted Sallis wrote:
Fri Dec 24, 2021 4:27 pm
Dannorama wrote:
Fri Dec 24, 2021 1:04 am
Dreary wrote:
Thu Dec 23, 2021 8:14 pm
...If it were up to the wishes of the majority of Alice Cooper (the group), we would have created nearly 30 more albums and shows by now.
If only for a time machine... Thanks, Dennis. You rock.
Alice Cooper - Original Group and solo combined - have/has released a total of 28 studio albums. So Dennis' estimation that 30 more ACG albums (and shows) would have been created if the wishes of the majority of the Group were respected seems plausible.

I can't help but wonder how much better the Classic Rock Universe could have been if that had been the case.

Ted
30 albums was based on the frequency of releases by the original group and because we never let the facts get in the way of a good over-estimation.

Re: The great reformation

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2022 10:51 pm
by Saint&Sinner
Dennis, you seem to have been pretty good friends with alice over the years and obviously neal too. It strikes me that the "problem" elements of the ACG sticking together over the years were more MB and GB. Again , i could be wrong just how it seems to an outsider.
It's great that you guys are working together again and i love the stuff you all do together.

Re: The great reformation

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2022 11:36 pm
by Dreary
Saint&Sinner wrote:
Sun Jan 09, 2022 10:51 pm
Dennis, you seem to have been pretty good friends with alice over the years and obviously neal too. It strikes me that the "problem" elements of the ACG sticking together over the years were more MB and GB. Again , i could be wrong just how it seems to an outsider.
It's great that you guys are working together again and i love the stuff you all do together.
We've all remained friends despite the confiscation of our band's name, which was the most problematic element by far.

Re: The great reformation

Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 7:57 am
by patrick
We've all remained friends despite the confiscation of our band's name, which was the most problematic element by far.
[/quote]
really great the way you covered that chapter in your book, Dennis !
In the book by Martos Sergio ,Neal was excited about the quality of the songs brought in the Jägermeister gig . Did anything ever happen with those recordings afterwards ??

Re: The great reformation

Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 8:50 am
by Si
patrick wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 7:57 am

really great the way you covered that chapter in your book, Dennis !
In the book by Martos Sergio ,Neal was excited about the quality of the songs brought in the Jägermeister gig . Did anything ever happen with those recordings afterwards ??
I can't read Sergio's book (in Spanish), but if you are referring to the songs PLAYED at the Jagermeister gig, they were released as an official download available when you bought the 'Old School box set'.

Re: The great reformation

Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 8:26 pm
by Dreary
Si wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 8:50 am
patrick wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 7:57 am

really great the way you covered that chapter in your book, Dennis !
In the book by Martos Sergio ,Neal was excited about the quality of the songs brought in the Jägermeister gig . Did anything ever happen with those recordings afterwards ??
I can't read Sergio's book (in Spanish), but if you are referring to the songs PLAYED at the Jagermeister gig, they were released as an official download available when you bought the 'Old School box set'.
The tricky part about the Jagermeister holographic film shoot is that we had to perform the whole set in its entirety without any breaks. That also meant that Alice had to do certain gestures between songs that would later be enhanced with special effects like blowing air toward the crowd later looked like a cloud of cold breath. In addition to that, the slick stage was narrow to limit our movements, and it was covered with fabric that made footing very slippery. Try doing a few kicks on that!

Re: The great reformation

Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2022 7:29 pm
by patrick
thanks Dennis
hadn't seen it yet, but SO in on youtube from that Jagermeisterthing : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSHoW6eGxrk
there's also short clip ( making of) with a.o. you signing little boxes or something . And you used that green bassguitar.