Dennis Dunaway and Vince Furnier, who later on had his
name legally changed to Alice Cooper, met in High School
art class and quickly became fast friends. They bonded
over common passions for Surrealism, music and a penchant
for outrageousness. Dennis, an unassuming and quiet fellow,
thrived on Vince's wit and gift of the gab. They formed a
band in 1964 and most surprising, all surviving members
remain friends to this day. I shall refer to Mr. Dunaway
as the sole author because as he himself points out,
Chris Hodenfield, a writer for Rolling Stone Magazine at
the time, had followed the band on tour in the 70s to do
a feature, and was asked by Mr. Dunaway to "polish [the]
manuscript".
SNAKES! GUILLOTINES! ELECTRIC CHAIRS!: My Adventures
in The Alice Cooper Group is a rather unusual rock
biography in that it focuses on the music rather than
groupies, drugs, parties, and acrimony and bitterness
that is often the fare of rock star biographies. Mr.
Dunaway, whose distinctive bass sound was an intrinsic
part of the distinctive sound that made The Alice Cooper
Group successful, but most importantly he was also the
brain behind the spectacular and gory theatrical shows,
as well as the extravagant clothing that made the band
both famous and infamous.
I found most interesting that The Alice Cooper Group not
only stood out visually, but the story of the band
members resembles no other group's either. Dennis and
Vince were long distance runners, both came from
backgrounds with close family ties, but Dennis had a
vision which only a front man with Vince's gifts could
pull off. Their style which became known as Shock Rock
was really created by the boys next door with a taste for
the absurd: imagine the Marx Brothers putting on a rock
concert and there you have it.
Mr. Dunaway is a very engaging and humble narrator as he
takes us through the vibrant music scene of the 60s and
70s, and the huge success that was the revolutionary
Alice Cooper Group. SNAKES! GUILLOTINES! ELECTRIC CHAIRS!
is the story of a teenage boy in awe of his luck at being
able to do what he loves and meeting la crème de la crème
of the era's entertainment industry. But my favourite
part of SNAKES! GUILLOTINES! ELECTRIC CHAIRS! is the
riveting and in-depth look at the whole creative process
of writing music, producing a record, and then literally
getting the show on the road through the eyes of a gifted
and generous musician; it felt as if I was transported in
time and being a witness to musical history.
SNAKES! GUILLOTINES! ELECTRIC CHAIRS! is a book I would
definitely recommend to anyone who has an interest in
rock music, even people who might never have heard of The
Alice Cooper Group. It is not a titillating book, but
rather a very well written, honest and fascinating
account of a band's story by a true artist who has his
head screwed on right and knows his priorities.
As the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame says: "Before the world
heard of KISS, the New York Dolls, Marilyn Manson or Ozzy
Osbourne, there was Alice Cooper, the original shock-rock
band."
When Alice Cooper became the stuff of legend in the early
'70s, their shows were monuments of fun and invention.
Riding on a string of hits like "I'm 18" and "School's
Out,"
they became America's highest-grossing act, producing four
platinum albums and hitting number one on the U.S. and
U.K.
charts with Billion Dollar Babies in 1973. Their utterly
original performance style and look, known as Shock Rock,
was swiftly copied by countless bands. Dennis Dunaway, the
bassist and co-songwriter for the band, tells a story just
as over-the-top crazy as their (in)famous shows.
As teenagers in Phoenix, Dennis Dunaway and lead singer
Vince Furnier, who would later change his name to Alice
Cooper, formed a hard-knuckles band that played prisons,
cowboy bars and teen clubs. Their journey took them from
Hollywood to the ferocious Detroit music scene, along the
way adding new dimensions of rock theater. From struggling
for recognition to topping the charts, the Alice Cooper
group was entertaining, outrageous, and one-of-a-kind.
Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs! is the riveting
account of the band's creation in the '60s, strange glory
in
the '70s, and the legendary characters they met along the
way.
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