On October 7, the New York City landmark Strand Bookstore hosted an extraordinary conversation between the iconic, enormously influential Alice Cooper and Grammy-winning writer Anthony DeCurtis to celebrate the former’s latest literary feat, Devil on My Shoulder: A Memoir. Digital, physical, and audiobook copies of this definitive autobiography of “The Godfather of Shock Rock,” co-authored by Daniel Richler, were unleashed the day prior by Da Capo (of Hachette Book Group), which recently published (Cooper’s godson) Dave Mustaine’s In My Darkest Hour: A Memoir, for which the Strand organized an amazing event last month at the Kaufman Music Center.
In New York, Cooper coincidentally ran into his friend, actor Michael Douglas, whose memoir was also released through Hachette that same day, and he stopped by Barnes & Noble to meet and pose with readers before heading to the Strand. Cooper will embark on what will surely be an unforgettable UK book tour, but the Strand always guarantees the best experiences.
Although the Strand has multiple locations, their evening with Mr. Cooper and Mr. DeCurtis took place on the charming sixth floor of their 828 Broadway shop, an East Village staple, which has served as the family business’ home base since 1957. The store has hosted talks with countless other heavyweights, including Nick Cave and Guns N’ Roses pioneer Duff McKagan. However, an extra-special energy preceded and accompanied Alice Cooper.
Two hours before the celebrity conversation, the line stretched down the block—Cooper would later point out some of his die-hard followers from his seat. Once inside, fans could pick up their thick, signed hardbacks. Looking around, one could spot more than one painted face, accessories like top hats, and other nods to Cooper’s aesthetics.
Remarkably, Cooper’s original bassist, Dennis Dunway, who launched his memoir at the Strand in 2015, was among those who turned up to show support.
Alice Cooper’s New Memoir Explores the Man Behind the Monster
The director of events, Walker, first stepped up to the microphone with a beautifully prepared speech, welcoming attendees and informing them of the venue’s history: “The Strand was founded in 1927 by Benjamin Bass on 4th Avenue’s Book Row. Book Row stretched from Union Square to Astor Place but gradually dwindled from 48 bookstores. And after 99 years, the Strand is the sole survivor, now run by third-generation owner Nancy Bass Wyden.”
Walker then introduced Mr. Cooper and Mr. DeCurtis. Professor DeCurtis is not only a current editor at Rolling Stone, but he is also revered for his contributions to other major outlets, including The New York Times and Relix, as well as his formidable achievements as an author. Thus, it was no surprise that DeCurtis masterfully conducted an incredibly informative interview (using pre-submitted audience questions) that covered the span of Cooper’s career. Cooper artfully worked in countless bits of trivia that delighted those present.
The two speakers touched upon topics as the origins of the Alice Cooper banner, Cooper’s revolutionary theatrics (which even earned the admiration of the late surrealist giant Salvador Dalí, who solicited his collaboration), faith, his reaction to surpassing idols in the charts for the first time, horror movies, the adorable eccentricities of the Who’s tragically late Keith Moon, and much more.
Of his newest book’s title, Cooper commented, “I think every one of us here has a little devil on our shoulder.” Sobriety famously brought Cooper back to Church, as he reminded us, before emphasizing, “I think a lot of my existence and being here today was because of prayer.” Cooper and his multi-talented wife, Sheryl, who is an integral part of the Alice Cooper stage shows, are both children of pastors. Sheryl, as expected, looked gorgeous as she later stood up for the applauding crowd.
Alice Cooper, who renewed his vows with Sheryl this March, provided the secret to a wonderfully inspiring marriage: “My wife cuts my head off every night. […] And, you know, we kill each other every night. That’s why we’ve been married for 50 years. And, you know, I stab her, kill her…” Cooper noted that the 40-pound guillotine blade that Sheryl sends crashing or watches drop during concerts still causes him to feel a bit tense, since it only barely misses his neck. The idea of a guillotine came from Cooper’s cross-country and journalism teacher, who used one as a cute punishment for tardiness.
Cooper and DeCurtis discussed the line between Alice Cooper and the man coexisting in the same body as the historic alter ego—the man born Vincent Damon Furnier. The legendary artist said his character hassled him a lot, trying to creep in and even correct him, while he was penning Devil on My Shoulder. He summarized, “One of the main themes of the book is this interaction with the Alice Cooper character.” The gentleman before us, admired for his kindness and humility, views Alice, the fabled entertainer, as his polar opposite.
The frontman encourages his bandmates to maintain a healthy separation between their stage personas and amiable, everyday selves as well: “I tell them all the time, I say, ‘Look, when you’re onstage, I want you to reek of ego, because the audience wants you to be bigger than life. They want you to be something they could never be. Like, you’re an Avenger, you know. And when you get offstage, I expect that to disappear. […]’ When I’m offstage, I have zero ego about anything.” The Good in this unlikely role model speaks louder than any devil perched on the shoulder.
Popularity hit Cooper in an unreal way, as he recalls, “There was this moment when I went out to dinner, and I’d go, ‘Do I have to put makeup on? Bring the snake again?!’” He continued, “At the time, honestly, I didn’t know where I began, and Alice ended. You know, it was very-very confusing for me. And when I got sober 43 years ago, I finally went, ‘Alice doesn’t want to live here. He doesn’t want to go shopping.
He doesn’t want to play golf. He doesn’t want to do any of this stuff. He just wants to be up there onstage. So, let’s leave him up onstage.’” The self-proclaimed “golf monster” joked that a golf club in Alice’s hand would naturally turn into a weapon.
Cooper has been a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee since 2011, and he joined the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame the following year. At the Strand, he confessed to lacerating photos of The Golden Girls’ beloved Betty White (after her heartbreaking death) and Mother Teresa, playfully calling the spot on his board where he practiced an “honor.”
As for future generations of rock musicians, Cooper offered hope, pushing back against claims that the genre is dead and rotting. He stated, “You can’t stop a teenager from being angst-filled, and what’s a better way to get that out than having a loud guitar, and a bass, and drums, and a band?! […] Now, rock is where it should be. It’s ‘outlaw’ again. So, now, it’s all the kids that didn’t get invited to the party […]. There’s anger now in rock, and all these young bands are going to come up, and you’re going to see a resurgence of hard rock. I think that’s just inevitable.”
There was so much more worthy of relaying. However, if you want to hear everything the Strand’s guests have to say, you’ll have to keep a close eye on the store’s upcoming events. For more from Cooper, buy his autobiography, preferably from The Strand, the perfect customer-oriented local business to support.
Also, tune in to Cooper’s new weekly SiriusXM show, Alice in Underland, which premieres October 10. You can find it on Little Steven’s Underground Garage, the channel of Renaissance man Steven Van Zandt.
The post Alice Cooper Jokes That His Secret to a 50-Year Marriage Is a Guillotine: ‘My Wife Cuts My Head Off Every Night’ appeared first on VICE.
