To mark Cooper’s 75th birthday on Feb. 4, author Gary Graff shares 75 key moments from the rocker’s life in an elaborate illustrated biography.
On Feb. 4, shock rocker Alice Cooper turns 75.
To celebrate the milestone, veteran music journalist Gary Graff has just published “Alice Cooper at 75,” a lush coffee table book full of photos and images exploring 75 key events in Cooper’s life and career.
The book, which will be in stores Jan. 31, is an unauthorized illustrated biography that starts with Cooper, born Vincent Damon Furnier in Detroit, playing in garage rock bands. The book follows a chronological timeline through his 28 studio albums, gory live stage shows and musical collaborations – as well as his Christian faith, love of golf, charity work and life as a husband, father and grandfather.
Graff, who has interviewed Cooper numerous times throughout his career for various newspaper and magazine articles, described his subject as fascinating.
“I grew up in Pittsburgh and I was a huge fan of Alice as a kid,” he said. “Like any other kid, I heard that there was this guy and he kills chickens on stage, which of course, wasn’t the true story, but yeah, he cuts their heads off and he wears makeup and it just captures your imagination.”
He said that at the time, 1971-1973, Alice Cooper’s music was the ultimate act of rebellion.
“Your parents didn’t like him, your older siblings didn’t like him and anyone who was a hippie didn’t like him,” he said. “Alice liked to say that they were the stake in the heart of the hippie movement with what they did, so for a particular generation that was trying to find its own rock icon and its own music, Alice was definitely one of a handful of artists they found … the others being like David Bowie and Elton John.
