1 00:00:00,710 --> 00:00:21,230 Speaker 1: Disgraceland is a production of Double Elvis. This is a 2 00:00:21,290 --> 00:00:26,730 Speaker 1: story about nightmares. About rope burns, baby dolls, and black 3 00:00:26,770 --> 00:00:32,229 Speaker 1: widow spiders. About addiction, resurrection, and the long, strange life 4 00:00:32,380 --> 00:00:36,470 Speaker 1: of one of rock's most interesting showmen. It's not just 5 00:00:36,530 --> 00:00:40,650 Speaker 1: a story about shock rock or stage blood or fake executions. 6 00:00:41,090 --> 00:00:44,070 Speaker 1: It's a story about the real kind of darkness. The 7 00:00:44,110 --> 00:00:47,430 Speaker 1: kind that eats you from the inside out. The kind 8 00:00:47,470 --> 00:00:50,110 Speaker 1: that convinces you to pick up a gun. And the 9 00:00:50,150 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 1: kind that sometimes, hopefully, you survive. This story spans decades, demons, 10 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:02,700 Speaker 1: and more than one near-death experience. It includes a surgeon's scalpel, gallows, 11 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:05,819 Speaker 1: and a secret room where a beetle passed out cold 12 00:01:05,900 --> 00:01:08,730 Speaker 1: with a dollar bill up his nose. And it ends, 13 00:01:09,050 --> 00:01:11,810 Speaker 1: maybe not ends, but swerves, on a day when the 14 00:01:11,870 --> 00:01:14,970 Speaker 1: godfather of shock rock flipped on the radio in his 15 00:01:15,030 --> 00:01:18,610 Speaker 1: Shelby Mustang and heard something that sounded like his future. 16 00:01:19,690 --> 00:01:23,420 Speaker 1: This is a story, of course, about Alice Cooper. A 17 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:26,580 Speaker 1: story that begins in an empty theater and ends more 18 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:30,090 Speaker 1: or less with the voice of God. And this being 19 00:01:30,130 --> 00:01:32,330 Speaker 1: a story about Alice Cooper means that it's also a 20 00:01:32,370 --> 00:01:36,069 Speaker 1: story about great music. Unlike that music I played for 21 00:01:36,110 --> 00:01:38,910 Speaker 1: you at the top of the show. That wasn't great music. 22 00:01:39,490 --> 00:01:42,930 Speaker 1: That was a preset loop from my Mellotron called Jacko 23 00:01:42,990 --> 00:01:48,140 Speaker 1: Wacko MK2. I played you that loop because I can't 24 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: afford the rights to Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson. 25 00:01:52,180 --> 00:01:54,660 Speaker 1: And why would I play you that specific slice of 26 00:01:54,780 --> 00:01:59,750 Speaker 1: self-reflection cheese? Could I afford it? Because that. was the 27 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:04,340 Speaker 1: number one song in America on April 6th, 1988. And 28 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:06,820 Speaker 1: that was the day Alice Cooper put down the gun, 29 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: flushed the coke, and clawed his way back from the grave. 30 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:17,169 Speaker 1: On this episode, blackouts, breakdowns, Brandy Alexanders, and the gory, 31 00:02:17,350 --> 00:02:23,010 Speaker 1: glorious rebirth of Alice Cooper. I'm Jake Brennan, and this 32 00:02:23,710 --> 00:02:52,060 Speaker 1: is Disgraceland. He tried to run, but there was no escape. 33 00:02:52,740 --> 00:02:56,140 Speaker 1: His heart was pounding. Sweat poured down from his face. 34 00:02:56,800 --> 00:03:00,130 Speaker 1: It mixed with his black makeup, leaving long, dark trails 35 00:03:00,230 --> 00:03:04,050 Speaker 1: running down his cheeks. Alice Cooper looked back, and the 36 00:03:04,090 --> 00:03:08,210 Speaker 1: shadowy figure was closing in. It was like a nightmare. 37 00:03:08,750 --> 00:03:11,780 Speaker 1: No matter how fast he ran, the figure kept gaining 38 00:03:11,910 --> 00:03:16,139 Speaker 1: on him. As he came closer, he realized the shadowy 39 00:03:16,220 --> 00:03:20,710 Speaker 1: figure was a man wearing black robes. and black executioners 40 00:03:20,750 --> 00:03:24,500 Speaker 1: who had covered his face. Even more terrifying was what 41 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:27,300 Speaker 1: he had in his hands. It was a long, thick 42 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:31,739 Speaker 1: rope tied in a noose. Alice sprinted towards the stairs 43 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: that rose in front of him, but he felt his 44 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:37,570 Speaker 1: legs were stuck in cement. The figure had been chasing 45 00:03:37,610 --> 00:03:40,830 Speaker 1: him for hours and he was exhausted. Alice tried to 46 00:03:40,850 --> 00:03:43,470 Speaker 1: will himself forward. He made it up the steps, but 47 00:03:43,750 --> 00:03:46,210 Speaker 1: then he saw something that made his blood go cold. 48 00:03:47,470 --> 00:03:50,500 Speaker 1: At the top of the stairs... was a hangman's gallows. 49 00:03:51,420 --> 00:03:55,130 Speaker 1: Above the gallows was a large sign, a sign that read, 50 00:03:56,110 --> 00:04:01,110 Speaker 1: Alice Cooper. Alice turned around and his tormentor was right 51 00:04:01,150 --> 00:04:04,330 Speaker 1: behind him. There was nowhere to run. This was the end. 52 00:04:05,730 --> 00:04:08,060 Speaker 1: The executioner grabbed him by the arm and pulled him 53 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,420 Speaker 1: toward the gallows. Alice had no strength left to fight. 54 00:04:12,180 --> 00:04:16,100 Speaker 1: It was clear. Alice Cooper was about to be hanged 55 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:21,090 Speaker 1: for his crimes. At least that's how it looked from 56 00:04:21,110 --> 00:04:23,890 Speaker 1: the empty seats out in the house at London's Wembley Arena. 57 00:04:24,690 --> 00:04:28,370 Speaker 1: But Alice Cooper's nightmarish stalker had a secret. He wasn't 58 00:04:28,410 --> 00:04:31,810 Speaker 1: an executioner. He was a wizard. Or at least as 59 00:04:32,010 --> 00:04:35,539 Speaker 1: close as he could get to being one in 1987. 60 00:04:35,540 --> 00:04:38,680 Speaker 1: Because behind that black mask and robes wasn't a murderous 61 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:42,820 Speaker 1: monster from the 1980s slasher films that inspired Alice Cooper's 62 00:04:42,860 --> 00:04:47,179 Speaker 1: latest stage show. Instead, it was the celebrity magician James 63 00:04:47,300 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 1: Rand a.k.a. the Amazing Randy, a.k.a. the Gandalf of rock 64 00:04:52,820 --> 00:04:56,340 Speaker 1: and roll. James Randy had been the wizard behind Alice 65 00:04:56,400 --> 00:05:00,190 Speaker 1: Cooper's electrifying live shows for the last 15 years, and 66 00:05:00,210 --> 00:05:02,930 Speaker 1: The Gallows was one of his best designs. It had 67 00:05:02,950 --> 00:05:05,530 Speaker 1: been a fan favorite for years, and now they were 68 00:05:05,550 --> 00:05:08,510 Speaker 1: bringing it back as part of Alice Cooper's The Nightmare 69 00:05:08,570 --> 00:05:12,159 Speaker 1: Returns tour, but not before rehearsing it once or twice 70 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:15,920 Speaker 1: before the show. Not that they needed to. Over the years, 71 00:05:16,150 --> 00:05:19,420 Speaker 1: Randy and Alice had perfected the routine. They had done 72 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,380 Speaker 1: it hundreds, if not thousands of times, and it ran 73 00:05:22,420 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 1: like clockwork. The key was the piano wire concealed behind 74 00:05:27,060 --> 00:05:31,140 Speaker 1: the thick rope. When Randy dressed as the executioner, grabbed 75 00:05:31,220 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: Alice Cooper by the arm, he pulled him up to 76 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:36,850 Speaker 1: a real working gallows, and he pulled a real noose 77 00:05:36,990 --> 00:05:41,089 Speaker 1: tightly around Alice's neck. But while all this was happening 78 00:05:41,150 --> 00:05:44,390 Speaker 1: to distract the crowd... Alice Cooper was busy clipping the 79 00:05:44,450 --> 00:05:47,770 Speaker 1: thick piano wire to a harness on his back. The 80 00:05:47,830 --> 00:05:50,940 Speaker 1: executioner would pull the handle, the floor would drop out, 81 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:55,460 Speaker 1: and Alice Cooper would plummet downward. Then, just an inch 82 00:05:55,540 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 1: before the rope pulled tight, the harness would catch Alice 83 00:05:58,980 --> 00:06:05,300 Speaker 1: and stop him from choking to death. The illusion was convincing, 84 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:07,739 Speaker 1: and along with the rest of the show... which featured 85 00:06:08,020 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 1: Alice Cooper beheading baby dolls with a sword and simulating 86 00:06:11,500 --> 00:06:14,580 Speaker 1: sex acts with mannequins and murdering an evil nurse who 87 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,350 Speaker 1: tortured him and never failed to get a reaction. Audiences 88 00:06:18,470 --> 00:06:22,690 Speaker 1: loved it, but politicians and other professional scolds railed against 89 00:06:22,730 --> 00:06:25,969 Speaker 1: the violence on stage. Some even called for the shows 90 00:06:26,010 --> 00:06:28,370 Speaker 1: at Wembley to be canceled. That was nothing new for 91 00:06:28,470 --> 00:06:32,089 Speaker 1: Alice Cooper. He had been shocking crowds for years, just 92 00:06:32,130 --> 00:06:34,549 Speaker 1: as he had been doing this gallows scene for years. 93 00:06:35,220 --> 00:06:37,660 Speaker 1: so Alice Cooper wasn't worried about the noose as it 94 00:06:37,700 --> 00:06:40,840 Speaker 1: pulled tight around his neck. What did worry him, though, 95 00:06:41,220 --> 00:06:45,750 Speaker 1: more than any controversy, were the declining ticket sales, the 96 00:06:45,790 --> 00:06:50,070 Speaker 1: cancelled shows, the ten years since his last hit, and 97 00:06:50,089 --> 00:06:53,130 Speaker 1: the new crop of hair metal bands. They'd probably grown 98 00:06:53,190 --> 00:06:55,590 Speaker 1: up on his music, and now they were lining up 99 00:06:55,710 --> 00:06:59,510 Speaker 1: to replace him. He hoped this tour would turn things around, 100 00:06:59,870 --> 00:07:02,370 Speaker 1: but as he was led towards the gallows, he had 101 00:07:02,410 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: his doubts. Maybe the world had moved on, and maybe 102 00:07:05,779 --> 00:07:08,490 Speaker 1: it was harder to shock people in 1987 than it 103 00:07:08,550 --> 00:07:14,190 Speaker 1: had been in 1973. As Alice Cooper looked out into 104 00:07:14,210 --> 00:07:16,610 Speaker 1: the thousands of empty seats in the arena, he couldn't 105 00:07:16,630 --> 00:07:19,130 Speaker 1: help but wonder, was this going to be his fate 106 00:07:19,490 --> 00:07:22,580 Speaker 1: on this tour? Would he kill himself every night in 107 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:25,680 Speaker 1: front of empty arenas? And could the world still be 108 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: shocked by Alice Cooper? Alice felt the burn as the 109 00:07:30,260 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 1: rope closed tightly around his neck, Behind him, the band 110 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:37,380 Speaker 1: was playing a dark rock and roll dirge. A drumbeat 111 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:40,860 Speaker 1: urged him onward as he stepped into the gallows. And 112 00:07:40,900 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 1: with everything in place, the band was building to a climax. 113 00:07:44,430 --> 00:07:48,410 Speaker 1: The guitars suddenly cut out. And then there was a drumroll. 114 00:07:49,450 --> 00:07:51,590 Speaker 1: Everything went silent in the arena for just a second 115 00:07:51,630 --> 00:07:54,370 Speaker 1: as the tension built. And then Randy pulled the lever. 116 00:07:55,390 --> 00:07:59,720 Speaker 1: Strobe lights flashed. Fog billowed across the stage. Alice Cooper 117 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:02,360 Speaker 1: felt the floor drop out from beneath him just as 118 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:06,600 Speaker 1: it had so many times before. He felt himself falling. 119 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:10,700 Speaker 1: And then he heard a loud snap. He felt the 120 00:08:10,740 --> 00:08:13,640 Speaker 1: safety wire go slack. He was falling through the air 121 00:08:13,660 --> 00:08:16,420 Speaker 1: with nothing to stop him. Nothing except the noose at 122 00:08:16,460 --> 00:08:19,920 Speaker 1: the end of the rope. It all happened in a 123 00:08:19,980 --> 00:08:23,460 Speaker 1: fraction of a second. But Alice later swore he saw 124 00:08:23,500 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 1: his life flash before his eyes as he fell. He 125 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 1: saw his bandmates back in Arizona when they were just 126 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:31,780 Speaker 1: starting out as a high school talent show joke. He 127 00:08:31,820 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 1: saw his wife Cheryl and their kids. He saw his friends, idols, 128 00:08:36,059 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 1: and fellow icons he'd crossed paths with over the years. 129 00:08:39,370 --> 00:08:41,670 Speaker 1: He saw the dark times that had nearly killed him 130 00:08:42,030 --> 00:08:45,690 Speaker 1: and the light that had saved him. In those two seconds, 131 00:08:46,070 --> 00:08:49,450 Speaker 1: he saw it all. But he also felt the rope 132 00:08:49,550 --> 00:08:53,689 Speaker 1: getting tighter and tighter. In an instinct of self-preservation, he 133 00:08:53,770 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 1: snapped his head back as he fell. He felt the 134 00:08:56,260 --> 00:08:59,160 Speaker 1: rope rake across his chin. It dug into his flesh 135 00:08:59,220 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 1: and ripped away a patch of skin. He hit the 136 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:05,350 Speaker 1: ground with a loud bang and collapsed to the floor. 137 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:09,610 Speaker 1: His head slammed onto the stage and everything went black. 138 00:09:12,090 --> 00:09:14,270 Speaker 1: When he opened his eyes a moment later, there were 139 00:09:14,290 --> 00:09:16,670 Speaker 1: people standing over him and they were staring at him 140 00:09:16,710 --> 00:09:19,929 Speaker 1: with fear in their eyes. Alice felt a wet spot 141 00:09:19,970 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 1: on his chin and he lifted his hand to it. 142 00:09:22,260 --> 00:09:23,960 Speaker 1: When he pulled his hand back, it was covered in 143 00:09:24,059 --> 00:09:29,660 Speaker 1: dark crimson blood. Death had come for Alice Cooper, but 144 00:09:29,700 --> 00:09:34,540 Speaker 1: he'd literally been able to slip the noose. Afterward, he 145 00:09:34,580 --> 00:09:37,180 Speaker 1: was recovering in the dressing room when his manager asked 146 00:09:37,220 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 1: if he wanted to cancel tomorrow's show, or at least 147 00:09:39,780 --> 00:09:43,490 Speaker 1: remove the gallows scene from the setlist. Of course Alice 148 00:09:43,510 --> 00:09:45,910 Speaker 1: didn't want to remove the scene. What he wanted to 149 00:09:45,950 --> 00:09:48,890 Speaker 1: do was to get a thicker piano wire for his harness. 150 00:09:49,670 --> 00:09:51,309 Speaker 1: He was going to give the people what they wanted. 151 00:09:52,050 --> 00:09:55,880 Speaker 1: Anything less would be a disgrace. because Alice Cooper had 152 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:59,210 Speaker 1: already lived through darkness worse than death. And now he 153 00:09:59,230 --> 00:10:01,760 Speaker 1: was determined to get out. back on top. No matter 154 00:10:01,780 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 1: what it took, he was going to drag the world 155 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:38,819 Speaker 1: back into Alice Cooper's nightmare. The Sunset Strip was living 156 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:42,020 Speaker 1: up to its name. It was bathed in pink and 157 00:10:42,100 --> 00:10:45,280 Speaker 1: orange light as the evening sun sank into the Hollywood Hills. 158 00:10:46,420 --> 00:10:50,739 Speaker 1: The strip looked beautiful for just a moment. Then it 159 00:10:50,820 --> 00:10:55,500 Speaker 1: plunged into darkness. However, the darkness was far from still 160 00:10:55,950 --> 00:10:59,650 Speaker 1: and far from silent. Because the darkness had a voice. 161 00:11:00,390 --> 00:11:02,730 Speaker 1: A voice that called out to the creatures of the night. 162 00:11:03,210 --> 00:11:06,429 Speaker 1: The ones who slept in the daytime, staying hidden from 163 00:11:06,470 --> 00:11:09,590 Speaker 1: the sun. The voice of the night called out to them. 164 00:11:10,030 --> 00:11:12,910 Speaker 1: It pulled them out of their hiding spots. It demanded 165 00:11:12,950 --> 00:11:16,309 Speaker 1: they take to the streets to satiate their unquenchable thirst. 166 00:11:17,110 --> 00:11:21,560 Speaker 1: Their thirst for blood. Because at night, the Sunset Serp 167 00:11:21,580 --> 00:11:24,620 Speaker 1: was crawling with vampires, if he knew where to look. 168 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 1: Not long after the sun finally disappeared behind the hills, 169 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:33,840 Speaker 1: the vampires stirred. They slunk down the boulevards, staying hidden 170 00:11:33,900 --> 00:11:37,640 Speaker 1: in the shadows. and they crept through the alleyways, stalking 171 00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:40,839 Speaker 1: their prey. These vampires would go to the ends of 172 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:44,610 Speaker 1: the earth to satisfy their craving, and further, to get 173 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:47,929 Speaker 1: their fix, they would travel all the way over the rainbow. 174 00:11:51,050 --> 00:11:54,030 Speaker 1: And that's exactly where a coven of vampires was meeting 175 00:11:54,130 --> 00:11:58,790 Speaker 1: on this night in 1973, in their lair above the 176 00:11:58,850 --> 00:12:01,670 Speaker 1: Rainbow Bar and Grill, one of the hottest night spots 177 00:12:01,750 --> 00:12:07,080 Speaker 1: on the Sunset Strip. Below in the bar, luminaries from 178 00:12:07,140 --> 00:12:10,850 Speaker 1: Lemmy to Elton were rubbing elbows. But in the tiny 179 00:12:10,910 --> 00:12:14,230 Speaker 1: room above the rainbow, the same small group of vampires 180 00:12:14,290 --> 00:12:17,609 Speaker 1: met every night. And tonight they picked up the scent 181 00:12:17,690 --> 00:12:20,750 Speaker 1: of the crimson elixir they craved before the young blonde 182 00:12:20,809 --> 00:12:24,839 Speaker 1: bartender even stepped into the room. She threw open the door, 183 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,900 Speaker 1: completely unprepared for what was waiting on the other side. 184 00:12:28,559 --> 00:12:30,520 Speaker 1: As soon as she stepped into the room, they were 185 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:34,050 Speaker 1: on her. Their mouths were foaming. And they screamed in 186 00:12:34,130 --> 00:12:37,870 Speaker 1: tongues that she could barely understand. Because these Hollywood vampires 187 00:12:38,250 --> 00:12:41,230 Speaker 1: weren't looking for the blood from the young bartender's veins. 188 00:12:41,730 --> 00:12:44,350 Speaker 1: They were looking for the blood of the vine. Because 189 00:12:44,390 --> 00:12:48,790 Speaker 1: these vampires were no ordinary bloodsuckers. They were some of 190 00:12:48,809 --> 00:12:55,600 Speaker 1: the biggest boozehounds in rock and roll history. Keith Moon, 191 00:12:56,000 --> 00:13:00,100 Speaker 1: John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Mickey Dolenz from the Monkees, and 192 00:13:00,140 --> 00:13:03,850 Speaker 1: Elton John's songwriter, Bernie Taupe. and the captain of this 193 00:13:03,929 --> 00:13:09,990 Speaker 1: cabal of Hollywood vampires, Alice Cooper. In 1973, they gathered 194 00:13:10,030 --> 00:13:12,510 Speaker 1: in this tiny room above the rainbow to let loose 195 00:13:12,690 --> 00:13:15,410 Speaker 1: out of the public eye. The room had a sign 196 00:13:15,470 --> 00:13:19,360 Speaker 1: out front that read, Lair of the Hollywood Vampires, a 197 00:13:19,410 --> 00:13:21,740 Speaker 1: nickname they had earned from their habit of sleeping all 198 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:25,720 Speaker 1: day and drinking all night. The sign listed Alice Cooper 199 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 1: as the club's president. Keith Moon was the vice president. 200 00:13:29,230 --> 00:13:31,069 Speaker 1: and the rest of the members joined by going through 201 00:13:31,110 --> 00:13:34,250 Speaker 1: a hazing process that would kill most mortals. They had 202 00:13:34,270 --> 00:13:38,190 Speaker 1: to out-drink every member of the club. That's exactly what 203 00:13:38,230 --> 00:13:40,050 Speaker 1: John Lennon was trying to do that night as he 204 00:13:40,070 --> 00:13:44,600 Speaker 1: took down his 12th Brandy Alexander. Alice Cooper slowly sipped 205 00:13:44,650 --> 00:13:47,060 Speaker 1: on a Bud Tallboy as he rode a golden buzz 206 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:50,920 Speaker 1: into the night. He listened to Lennon ramble incoherently about 207 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:53,500 Speaker 1: getting back with Paul McCartney for a new album together, 208 00:13:53,860 --> 00:13:56,600 Speaker 1: or maybe just quitting music altogether and going back to Yoko. 209 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:01,069 Speaker 1: It was hard to follow if Alice was being honest. Still, 210 00:14:01,490 --> 00:14:03,630 Speaker 1: he couldn't believe he was sitting in this dimly lit 211 00:14:03,690 --> 00:14:07,290 Speaker 1: room chatting with an honest-to-God Beatle, even if the Beatles' 212 00:14:07,370 --> 00:14:10,450 Speaker 1: train of thought was a little hard to follow. The 213 00:14:10,490 --> 00:14:13,470 Speaker 1: Brandy Alexanders were part of the problem, but the cocaine 214 00:14:13,510 --> 00:14:17,400 Speaker 1: definitely didn't help either. John Lennon straightened up another four-inch 215 00:14:17,460 --> 00:14:19,980 Speaker 1: line of white powder on the small wooden table behind them. 216 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:22,980 Speaker 1: He offered a rolled-up dollar bill to Alice Cooper, but 217 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:27,350 Speaker 1: Alice waved him off. Alice could handle his booze no problem, 218 00:14:27,390 --> 00:14:30,489 Speaker 1: but drugs weren't really his thing. He grew up in 219 00:14:30,510 --> 00:14:33,870 Speaker 1: a religious household. His dad was a preacher. And even 220 00:14:33,910 --> 00:14:36,410 Speaker 1: though he had left the church behind years ago, there 221 00:14:36,430 --> 00:14:39,210 Speaker 1: were certain things that he kept off limits. And cocaine 222 00:14:39,250 --> 00:14:42,200 Speaker 1: was one of them. He talked about his anti-drug stance 223 00:14:42,260 --> 00:14:45,820 Speaker 1: in interviews all the time. John Lennon shrugged and he 224 00:14:45,860 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 1: lowered his head to the table to snort the coke. 225 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 1: But the Brandy Alexanders won the battle with the cocaine. 226 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,760 Speaker 1: And before we could inhale... Lennon slumped over in his 227 00:14:54,820 --> 00:14:58,060 Speaker 1: seat and passed out, with a rolled-up dollar bill still 228 00:14:58,140 --> 00:15:03,400 Speaker 1: sticking out of his nose. Alice Cooper shook his head 229 00:15:03,460 --> 00:15:06,620 Speaker 1: and grinned at the unconscious Beatle. If John Lennon wanted 230 00:15:06,660 --> 00:15:08,960 Speaker 1: to join the Hollywood Vampires, he would have to pass 231 00:15:09,020 --> 00:15:12,360 Speaker 1: the test some other night. Alice sipped his beer and 232 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:15,440 Speaker 1: reminded himself for the millionth time to stay off the powder. 233 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:17,780 Speaker 1: For him, it was enough of a high to play 234 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:19,880 Speaker 1: to packed crowds every night. as he had been doing 235 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:22,890 Speaker 1: for the past three months on a massive 64-day tour 236 00:15:22,930 --> 00:15:26,590 Speaker 1: with his band, Alice Cooper. That was another thing about 237 00:15:26,670 --> 00:15:30,430 Speaker 1: Alice Cooper in 1973. Alice Cooper wasn't actually a person 238 00:15:30,590 --> 00:15:37,920 Speaker 1: at all. Alice Cooper was a band. Alice Cooper was 239 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 1: founded by five school friends in Phoenix, Arizona. They ran 240 00:15:41,780 --> 00:15:45,040 Speaker 1: cross-country together. And eventually they realized they had an equal 241 00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:47,420 Speaker 1: love for everything from the Beatles and The Who to 242 00:15:47,460 --> 00:15:52,180 Speaker 1: Leonard Bernstein musicals and avant-garde art. Alice Cooper, the man, 243 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:56,200 Speaker 1: was born Vincent Fournier in Detroit. He moved to Phoenix 244 00:15:56,260 --> 00:15:58,920 Speaker 1: in high school, whereupon he convinced the rest of the 245 00:15:58,970 --> 00:16:01,370 Speaker 1: guys to play a few school-related Beatles parodies in their 246 00:16:01,390 --> 00:16:04,250 Speaker 1: high school talent show. The response was so good that 247 00:16:04,270 --> 00:16:07,470 Speaker 1: they started a real band, one they called The Spiders. 248 00:16:07,910 --> 00:16:10,990 Speaker 1: Then The Naz, not to be confused with Todd Rundgren's 249 00:16:11,050 --> 00:16:15,110 Speaker 1: The Naz. And finally settling on, you guessed it, Alice Cooper. 250 00:16:16,550 --> 00:16:19,830 Speaker 1: After conquering the local Phoenix scene, Alice Cooper, the band, 251 00:16:19,930 --> 00:16:22,910 Speaker 1: quickly headed for Los Angeles. But that was a mistake. 252 00:16:23,590 --> 00:16:26,630 Speaker 1: Their first show in town, they cleared out a 2,000-person 253 00:16:26,670 --> 00:16:29,550 Speaker 1: ballroom in less than 10 minutes. Because L.A. at the 254 00:16:29,610 --> 00:16:32,790 Speaker 1: time was deep into the Laurel Canyon flower power folk 255 00:16:32,850 --> 00:16:36,470 Speaker 1: rock thing. And Alice Cooper, again, the band, were anything 256 00:16:36,570 --> 00:16:40,120 Speaker 1: but hippies. And they didn't care about politics. They didn't 257 00:16:40,140 --> 00:16:42,480 Speaker 1: want to sing protest songs. What they wanted to do 258 00:16:42,740 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 1: was make hit records that rocked. They wanted groupies, fast cars, 259 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:50,710 Speaker 1: and stacks of cash. So they split from L.A. and 260 00:16:50,770 --> 00:16:54,130 Speaker 1: headed to Detroit. Away from Hollywood, they knew they would 261 00:16:54,150 --> 00:16:56,350 Speaker 1: need to find ways to get attention, and they were 262 00:16:56,390 --> 00:16:59,410 Speaker 1: willing to do whatever it took. So they began taking 263 00:16:59,470 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 1: to the stage in women's clothes and in S & 264 00:17:01,940 --> 00:17:05,520 Speaker 1: M gear and heavy makeup. This was years before Kiss 265 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:08,530 Speaker 1: put out their first album, by the way. Alice Cooper 266 00:17:08,570 --> 00:17:12,449 Speaker 1: courted controversy by dismembering baby dolls with axes on stage 267 00:17:12,710 --> 00:17:15,490 Speaker 1: and reportedly once doing the same to a live chicken. 268 00:17:16,510 --> 00:17:19,260 Speaker 1: The band sang about necrophilia, they sang about murder, and 269 00:17:19,540 --> 00:17:23,540 Speaker 1: they sang about literally blowing schools to pieces. When their song, 270 00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 1: Schools Out, became a surprise hit, the band decided to 271 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:30,040 Speaker 1: go even bigger for their next album. They recorded Billion 272 00:17:30,060 --> 00:17:33,790 Speaker 1: Dollar Babies in studios stretching from LA to London. Hollywood 273 00:17:33,810 --> 00:17:37,130 Speaker 1: vampires Keith Moon, Harry Nilsson, and Ringo Starr were all 274 00:17:37,210 --> 00:17:40,170 Speaker 1: said to take part in the late-night drunken recording sessions, 275 00:17:40,230 --> 00:17:43,090 Speaker 1: but everyone's memory was too blurry to know for sure 276 00:17:43,170 --> 00:17:46,869 Speaker 1: who played what. The tour was equally over the top. 277 00:17:47,690 --> 00:17:50,930 Speaker 1: They hired the choreographer from West Side Story, a magician, 278 00:17:51,060 --> 00:17:54,560 Speaker 1: James Randi, to construct a live show that reportedly cost 279 00:17:54,560 --> 00:18:02,090 Speaker 1: $ 1. 2 million in production alone. As production costs swelled and 280 00:18:02,109 --> 00:18:05,870 Speaker 1: the attention grew, so did the ego of Vincent Fournier, 281 00:18:06,270 --> 00:18:09,869 Speaker 1: Alice Cooper's frontman, a.k.a. Alice Cooper. He was the one 282 00:18:09,930 --> 00:18:11,850 Speaker 1: doing the interviews, he was the one on the covers 283 00:18:11,890 --> 00:18:14,510 Speaker 1: of the magazines, and he was the one almost everyone 284 00:18:14,590 --> 00:18:19,270 Speaker 1: was calling Alice Cooper. So, in 1974, he had his 285 00:18:19,330 --> 00:18:23,090 Speaker 1: name legally changed. And it wasn't long before Alice Cooper, 286 00:18:23,369 --> 00:18:26,350 Speaker 1: the man, started thinking that he could get along without 287 00:18:26,570 --> 00:18:30,119 Speaker 1: Alice Cooper, the band. So the next year, he ditched 288 00:18:30,150 --> 00:18:32,620 Speaker 1: his old high school friends for his first solo album 289 00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:36,820 Speaker 1: using the now legal name of Alice Cooper. Welcome to 290 00:18:36,859 --> 00:18:40,820 Speaker 1: My Nightmare was another audacious concept album that mixed the 291 00:18:40,900 --> 00:18:45,419 Speaker 1: avant-garde with vaudeville horror and hard rock. The tour was 292 00:18:45,460 --> 00:18:48,560 Speaker 1: like a dark Broadway musical. It featured a huge set 293 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:51,280 Speaker 1: that cost a quarter of a million in production dollars 294 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:54,109 Speaker 1: to build. In addition to the famous gallows scene, it 295 00:18:54,130 --> 00:18:59,290 Speaker 1: also included moving six-foot-tall Black Widow spiders suspended on 20-foot-high 296 00:18:59,369 --> 00:19:04,970 Speaker 1: crystal pyramids, plus a 10-foot cyclops and nearly 100 crew members, musicians, 297 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:10,320 Speaker 1: and backup dancers. One of those backup dancers was 18-year-old 298 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:14,930 Speaker 1: Cheryl Goddard. On tour, she and Alice bonded while watching 299 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:18,020 Speaker 1: old horror movies after the shows. And within a year, 300 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:21,780 Speaker 1: they were married. Alice Cooper was one of the biggest 301 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:24,139 Speaker 1: rock stars on the planet, and he was newly married. 302 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:29,119 Speaker 1: But as his fame grew, so did his appetites. But still, 303 00:19:29,420 --> 00:19:32,630 Speaker 1: he told himself he was cool. After all, he didn't 304 00:19:32,650 --> 00:19:35,469 Speaker 1: drink on stage, and he never touched drugs. There were 305 00:19:35,510 --> 00:19:38,570 Speaker 1: lines he wouldn't cross. At least that's what he told himself. 306 00:19:39,609 --> 00:19:42,570 Speaker 1: But Alice Cooper was about to meet a demon. one 307 00:19:42,609 --> 00:19:51,430 Speaker 1: that would make those lines disappear. We'll be right back 308 00:19:51,810 --> 00:20:02,700 Speaker 1: after this word, word, word. It was the middle of 309 00:20:02,740 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 1: the afternoon. From the outside, it was a completely normal 310 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:11,520 Speaker 1: sunny day in this upscale Beverly Hills neighborhood. Completely normal, 311 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:15,310 Speaker 1: except for the DEA agents and the SWAT team swarming 312 00:20:15,350 --> 00:20:19,990 Speaker 1: around one of the mansions. Inside, the house was pitch black. 313 00:20:20,950 --> 00:20:24,030 Speaker 1: Alice Cooper was lying face down on the floor, terrified. 314 00:20:24,730 --> 00:20:27,490 Speaker 1: Next to him was a pistol, loaded with six bullets 315 00:20:27,550 --> 00:20:29,710 Speaker 1: in the barrel. And next to the pistol was a 316 00:20:29,780 --> 00:20:31,940 Speaker 1: rock of cocaine nearly as big as the barrel of 317 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:35,300 Speaker 1: the gun. There was no escape. His life was about 318 00:20:35,340 --> 00:20:37,580 Speaker 1: to be over. The police were about to bust down 319 00:20:37,619 --> 00:20:40,699 Speaker 1: the door and arrest him. That's when he heard, The 320 00:20:40,780 --> 00:20:46,960 Speaker 1: demon's voice. Grab the gun, Vincent. The demon had entered 321 00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:51,609 Speaker 1: Alice in 1978. Now, six years later, it was almost 322 00:20:51,650 --> 00:20:55,070 Speaker 1: completely in control. And it only had one goal. To 323 00:20:55,150 --> 00:20:59,770 Speaker 1: kill Alice Cooper. Unable to resist the command, Alice reached 324 00:20:59,830 --> 00:21:02,910 Speaker 1: for the gun. He felt goosebumps raise on his arms 325 00:21:02,970 --> 00:21:06,620 Speaker 1: as his fingers grazed the cold steel. The demon urged 326 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:09,780 Speaker 1: him onward. Do it now, Vincent. Pick up the gun. 327 00:21:11,210 --> 00:21:14,470 Speaker 1: With every shred of willpower, he tried to resist. He 328 00:21:14,510 --> 00:21:16,830 Speaker 1: tried to think of something else. So he focused on 329 00:21:16,869 --> 00:21:20,169 Speaker 1: his wife, Cheryl, and their baby girl. The demon had 330 00:21:20,210 --> 00:21:22,919 Speaker 1: scared them away months ago. In fact, they left in 331 00:21:23,020 --> 00:21:25,879 Speaker 1: such a hurry that Cheryl's closet was still filled with dresses. 332 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,680 Speaker 1: Those dresses were now covering every window and every door 333 00:21:29,780 --> 00:21:31,959 Speaker 1: in the mansion, meant to block out the sun, but 334 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:35,080 Speaker 1: now also blocking out the sight of the gathering SWAT 335 00:21:35,100 --> 00:21:40,800 Speaker 1: team outside. Because although the cops wanted Alice Cooper in 1984... 336 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:44,060 Speaker 1: It seemed like no one else did. Cheryl was done 337 00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:48,479 Speaker 1: with him, and so were his fans. It all started 338 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:53,440 Speaker 1: back in 1977, with a 77 tour. Alice was visibly 339 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:55,770 Speaker 1: drunk on stage for the first time in his career. 340 00:21:56,430 --> 00:21:59,810 Speaker 1: He missed cues and flubbed lyrics. Even worse, for the 341 00:21:59,830 --> 00:22:03,590 Speaker 1: first time in his career, the shows were boring. Fans 342 00:22:03,650 --> 00:22:07,169 Speaker 1: began whispering that something was wrong with Alice Cooper. Ticket 343 00:22:07,190 --> 00:22:10,209 Speaker 1: sales plummeted. And as soon as the tour ended, Cheryl 344 00:22:10,270 --> 00:22:13,120 Speaker 1: insisted that he go to rehab. Even if he spent 345 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:15,820 Speaker 1: most of his morning puking up blood, Alice still did 346 00:22:15,859 --> 00:22:18,340 Speaker 1: not think that he had a problem. But to save 347 00:22:18,380 --> 00:22:22,419 Speaker 1: his marriage, he agreed. However, in typical Alice Cooper style, 348 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:25,850 Speaker 1: he did it in the most theatrical way possible. Rather 349 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:30,010 Speaker 1: than a rehab facility, he checked himself into an insane 350 00:22:30,150 --> 00:22:33,750 Speaker 1: asylum in upstate New York. He spent days in group 351 00:22:33,770 --> 00:22:37,050 Speaker 1: therapy sessions and nights writing songs in a padded cell. 352 00:22:37,750 --> 00:22:39,869 Speaker 1: and he did manage to kick moves while he was there. 353 00:22:40,450 --> 00:22:42,430 Speaker 1: But from the start, it was clear he had much 354 00:22:42,530 --> 00:22:44,730 Speaker 1: bigger plans for his stay on the inside than just 355 00:22:44,750 --> 00:22:48,710 Speaker 1: getting clean. Because immediately after he got out, Alice Cooper 356 00:22:48,730 --> 00:22:51,790 Speaker 1: started working with fellow Hollywood vampire Bernie Taupin on a 357 00:22:51,830 --> 00:22:54,330 Speaker 1: new concept album based on the patients he met in 358 00:22:54,369 --> 00:22:58,609 Speaker 1: the asylum called From the Inside. Soon after, the pair 359 00:22:58,630 --> 00:23:01,050 Speaker 1: hit the road for a short publicity tour for the album. 360 00:23:02,010 --> 00:23:04,649 Speaker 1: In interviews, Alice Cooper claimed he had been cured of 361 00:23:04,690 --> 00:23:08,350 Speaker 1: his cravings for alcohol. In photos, instead of Bud Tallboys, 362 00:23:08,430 --> 00:23:11,690 Speaker 1: now he held cans of Coke. But Bernie Taupin liked 363 00:23:11,750 --> 00:23:15,450 Speaker 1: Coke too. And for Bernie Taupin, Coke wasn't a drink 364 00:23:15,470 --> 00:23:18,460 Speaker 1: in a can. It was blow. It was dust. It 365 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:22,240 Speaker 1: was the devil's dandruff. In A Newly Sober, Alice Cooper 366 00:23:22,260 --> 00:23:24,460 Speaker 1: was desperate for something else to take the edge off. 367 00:23:24,540 --> 00:23:26,720 Speaker 1: So he did something he swore he would never do. 368 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:29,980 Speaker 1: He let a demon in. And it didn't take long 369 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:33,740 Speaker 1: for the demon to take control. Soon, Alice wasn't just 370 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:37,770 Speaker 1: snorting cocaine. He was smoking crack. every day. And his 371 00:23:37,830 --> 00:23:41,470 Speaker 1: drinking came back with a vengeance. Now, fueled by blow, 372 00:23:41,810 --> 00:23:44,389 Speaker 1: he wasn't riding a golden buzz into the night anymore. 373 00:23:44,830 --> 00:23:47,770 Speaker 1: He was tossing down bottles of whiskey and wreaking havoc 374 00:23:47,810 --> 00:23:51,169 Speaker 1: just like John Lennon and Keith Moon. Even worse, the 375 00:23:51,230 --> 00:23:54,530 Speaker 1: demon led him to commit the ultimate sin. He abandoned 376 00:23:54,609 --> 00:23:58,950 Speaker 1: hard rock for a new wave. The stylistic change was 377 00:23:58,990 --> 00:24:02,510 Speaker 1: a total flop. His label refused to even support a 378 00:24:02,550 --> 00:24:06,060 Speaker 1: tour for his album, Zipper Catches Skin, Not that Alice 379 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 1: was in any shape to perform. Instead of playing for 380 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:14,840 Speaker 1: packed crowds, now his days revolved around smoking crack in 381 00:24:14,859 --> 00:24:17,320 Speaker 1: a Beverly Hills mansion with the windows blocked out by 382 00:24:17,380 --> 00:24:22,169 Speaker 1: his soon-to-be ex-wife's abandoned clothing. He could hear the demon 383 00:24:22,250 --> 00:24:24,610 Speaker 1: hissing all of this into his ear, and he knew 384 00:24:24,650 --> 00:24:28,030 Speaker 1: it was all true. Everything was gone. Any minute the 385 00:24:28,050 --> 00:24:30,290 Speaker 1: police would break down his door and arrest him, they 386 00:24:30,310 --> 00:24:33,420 Speaker 1: would expose him as a hypocrite and a junkie. after 387 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:38,060 Speaker 1: he'd spent his entire career railing against hard drugs. Pick 388 00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:42,740 Speaker 1: up the gun, Vincent. The demon was growing insistent. It 389 00:24:42,810 --> 00:24:44,830 Speaker 1: forced him to grab the gun tightly in his hand. 390 00:24:45,810 --> 00:24:48,770 Speaker 1: Alice Cooper was desperate and exhausted, and he knew he 391 00:24:48,790 --> 00:24:52,330 Speaker 1: couldn't hold out much longer on his own. In desperation, 392 00:24:52,369 --> 00:24:55,430 Speaker 1: he combed his memories for another voice. A voice he'd 393 00:24:55,470 --> 00:24:59,390 Speaker 1: heard once as a teenager, after a freak accident. Like 394 00:24:59,430 --> 00:25:03,280 Speaker 1: the demon, this voice once commanded him. But unlike the 395 00:25:03,330 --> 00:25:06,690 Speaker 1: demon who was trying to kill him, this voice commanded 396 00:25:06,770 --> 00:25:12,530 Speaker 1: him to live. And so, he did. Later, his parents 397 00:25:12,590 --> 00:25:15,630 Speaker 1: called it the voice of God. They said it meant 398 00:25:15,690 --> 00:25:19,560 Speaker 1: that he was destined for something big. Alice Cooper believed 399 00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:23,000 Speaker 1: it once too, but that was a long time ago. Still, 400 00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:25,460 Speaker 1: the thought of his parents stopped him in his tracks. 401 00:25:26,359 --> 00:25:29,850 Speaker 1: They loved him, despite everything, even after he left the church. 402 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:33,149 Speaker 1: even after he became the most controversial shock rocker on 403 00:25:33,170 --> 00:25:37,149 Speaker 1: the planet, even after he became a drug addict. Now, 404 00:25:37,250 --> 00:25:40,030 Speaker 1: as he struggled with the demon inside him, their love 405 00:25:40,090 --> 00:25:44,000 Speaker 1: gave him just enough power to drop the gun. He 406 00:25:44,060 --> 00:25:46,780 Speaker 1: stood up and walked towards the front door, ready to 407 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:50,500 Speaker 1: surrender to whatever was waiting on the other side. He 408 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:53,119 Speaker 1: took a deep breath, and then he stepped outside with 409 00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:56,030 Speaker 1: his hands in the air. And outside waiting for him 410 00:25:56,050 --> 00:26:03,280 Speaker 1: there was nothing. No SWAT team. No LAPD. No DEA agents. 411 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:06,600 Speaker 1: It had all been a trick of the demon inside him. 412 00:26:07,020 --> 00:26:09,760 Speaker 1: The demon that was trying to kill Alice Cooper. It 413 00:26:09,859 --> 00:26:13,040 Speaker 1: screamed at him. It tried to force its way back inside, 414 00:26:13,100 --> 00:26:17,380 Speaker 1: but it was too late. The exorcism was already complete. 415 00:26:18,220 --> 00:26:22,080 Speaker 1: Alice Cooper was free. He picked up the cocaine and 416 00:26:22,140 --> 00:26:25,020 Speaker 1: sprinted towards the bathroom. Before he could change his mind, 417 00:26:25,060 --> 00:26:27,280 Speaker 1: he tossed the drugs into the toilet and flushed them 418 00:26:27,300 --> 00:26:30,169 Speaker 1: down the drain. The next morning, he picked up the 419 00:26:30,210 --> 00:26:33,230 Speaker 1: phone and he called Cheryl. And he just said two words. 420 00:26:34,460 --> 00:26:40,879 Speaker 1: I'm back. Of course, it wasn't that easy. Not for 421 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:43,600 Speaker 1: his addiction. And not for his marriage either, and especially 422 00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:46,540 Speaker 1: not for his career. It took years to build up 423 00:26:46,580 --> 00:26:49,170 Speaker 1: enough trust for Cheryl to move back in. It took 424 00:26:49,230 --> 00:26:51,410 Speaker 1: years for record labels to believe that he was really 425 00:26:51,470 --> 00:26:54,180 Speaker 1: clean enough to work. And it took years before anyone 426 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:56,330 Speaker 1: would trust him with the cash to mount a major 427 00:26:56,369 --> 00:26:59,190 Speaker 1: tour like the comeback special he had planned in his head. 428 00:27:00,030 --> 00:27:02,609 Speaker 1: Because to do it right, Alice Cooper knew that the 429 00:27:02,650 --> 00:27:05,590 Speaker 1: show would have to have everything. All the big hits 430 00:27:05,650 --> 00:27:09,110 Speaker 1: from the past, the six-foot Black Widow spiders, the dismembered 431 00:27:09,150 --> 00:27:12,490 Speaker 1: baby dolls, and of course, the gallows scene. Because this 432 00:27:12,530 --> 00:27:15,690 Speaker 1: wasn't the first time that Alice Cooper had nearly escaped death, 433 00:27:16,100 --> 00:27:17,880 Speaker 1: and he had a feeling it wouldn't be the last. 434 00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:22,060 Speaker 1: But it didn't matter, because whatever it took, Alice Cooper 435 00:27:22,100 --> 00:27:25,060 Speaker 1: had a feeling He was about to be back on top. 436 00:27:25,100 --> 00:27:55,869 Speaker 1: The End Vincent Fournier screamed in agony. The pain in 437 00:27:55,910 --> 00:27:57,909 Speaker 1: his side felt like he was being jabbed with a 438 00:27:57,970 --> 00:28:01,230 Speaker 1: lightning bolt. At just 13 years old, he wondered if 439 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:04,240 Speaker 1: he was dying. From his hospital bed, he looked up 440 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:07,500 Speaker 1: at his parents. The terrified expressions on their faces told 441 00:28:07,540 --> 00:28:09,859 Speaker 1: him he just might be. Then he looked over at 442 00:28:09,900 --> 00:28:12,180 Speaker 1: the doctor standing next to his parents, and he didn't 443 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:16,550 Speaker 1: feel any more reassured. He knew this was serious. Earlier 444 00:28:16,609 --> 00:28:19,970 Speaker 1: that morning, he woke up with a bad stomachache. It hurt, 445 00:28:20,310 --> 00:28:23,590 Speaker 1: but it didn't seem that bad. A few hours later, 446 00:28:24,010 --> 00:28:26,770 Speaker 1: the pain was so horrible he could barely stand. And 447 00:28:27,369 --> 00:28:29,449 Speaker 1: that's when his parents decided to take him to the 448 00:28:29,510 --> 00:28:32,390 Speaker 1: emergency room. It was a good thing that they did 449 00:28:32,470 --> 00:28:36,060 Speaker 1: because the doctors immediately realized that his appendix had burst. 450 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:39,560 Speaker 1: The rupture was sending enough poison flooding into his gut 451 00:28:39,580 --> 00:28:42,700 Speaker 1: to kill a dozen men. The pain was so bad 452 00:28:42,740 --> 00:28:45,060 Speaker 1: that he was fading in and out of consciousness while 453 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:47,600 Speaker 1: the surgeon told his parents that he needed an emergency 454 00:28:47,660 --> 00:28:52,020 Speaker 1: surgery to save his life. But the doctors were not optimistic. 455 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:54,620 Speaker 1: He heard the surgeon say to his parents that there 456 00:28:54,660 --> 00:28:58,360 Speaker 1: was only a 50-50 chance Vincent would survive. As the 457 00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:01,320 Speaker 1: pain continued to ripple through his insides, he watched his 458 00:29:01,380 --> 00:29:05,140 Speaker 1: father and mother clasp hands, and then they frantically began 459 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:10,760 Speaker 1: to pray. Prayer was the family's natural reaction to any 460 00:29:10,820 --> 00:29:13,790 Speaker 1: major events these days. It was why they had just 461 00:29:13,850 --> 00:29:17,410 Speaker 1: moved to Phoenix from Vincent's birthplace of Detroit, because his 462 00:29:17,470 --> 00:29:20,540 Speaker 1: father had heard God's voice. And the voice told him 463 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:22,420 Speaker 1: to give up his job as a car salesman to 464 00:29:22,460 --> 00:29:25,490 Speaker 1: become a preacher. So he did. And then the voice 465 00:29:25,550 --> 00:29:28,110 Speaker 1: led him to a church in Phoenix. So the family 466 00:29:28,150 --> 00:29:32,170 Speaker 1: packed up and moved across the country in 1960. Vincent 467 00:29:32,230 --> 00:29:34,670 Speaker 1: heard the words of his father's prayers echoing off the 468 00:29:34,750 --> 00:29:37,330 Speaker 1: tile walls of the hospital as the doctors wheeled him 469 00:29:37,370 --> 00:29:41,080 Speaker 1: away to the operating room. But then he heard another voice, 470 00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:44,420 Speaker 1: one that seemed to come from inside of him. It 471 00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:48,360 Speaker 1: wasn't a demon. It was peaceful, calm, full of light. 472 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:51,600 Speaker 1: While the surgeon cut into his side and tried to 473 00:29:51,660 --> 00:29:54,800 Speaker 1: remove the damaged organ, he hovered in a dream between 474 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:58,020 Speaker 1: life and death. And in the dream, the voice stayed 475 00:29:58,060 --> 00:30:00,570 Speaker 1: with him. And every time he started slipping off into 476 00:30:00,610 --> 00:30:02,870 Speaker 1: the darkness, it was there to guide him back towards 477 00:30:02,910 --> 00:30:07,030 Speaker 1: the light, commanding him to live. For hours, he floated 478 00:30:07,070 --> 00:30:09,870 Speaker 1: on the edge of death until finally the surgeon removed 479 00:30:09,910 --> 00:30:15,270 Speaker 1: his appendix. When he woke up, the voice was gone. 480 00:30:16,110 --> 00:30:19,030 Speaker 1: He had a four-inch-long scar across his abdomen, but he 481 00:30:19,070 --> 00:30:25,080 Speaker 1: was alive. Was it a miracle? His parents were convinced. 482 00:30:25,660 --> 00:30:29,520 Speaker 1: Was it science? The surgeon credited recent medical advances for 483 00:30:29,580 --> 00:30:33,220 Speaker 1: saving his life. Or was it just plain luck? It 484 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:36,700 Speaker 1: was impossible to say, but whatever it was, Vincent Fournier's 485 00:30:36,780 --> 00:30:41,500 Speaker 1: life was saved. Years later, that voice would save Alice 486 00:30:41,540 --> 00:30:47,310 Speaker 1: Cooper's life as well. And that was how Alice Cooper 487 00:30:47,390 --> 00:30:51,070 Speaker 1: found himself driving around Phoenix in his black Shelby Mustang 488 00:30:51,130 --> 00:30:53,070 Speaker 1: on a warm spring day in 1989. It had been 489 00:30:53,090 --> 00:30:57,090 Speaker 1: years since he had had a hit. and he was 490 00:30:57,170 --> 00:31:00,670 Speaker 1: scanning the radio dial looking for a familiar song. Something 491 00:31:00,690 --> 00:31:04,030 Speaker 1: by the Beatles or The Who. But instead, he landed 492 00:31:04,070 --> 00:31:06,900 Speaker 1: on a song by Bon Jovi. They were just one 493 00:31:06,940 --> 00:31:08,640 Speaker 1: of the new crop of hair metal bands that were 494 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:11,020 Speaker 1: making it big on the glam-heavy version of rock and 495 00:31:11,060 --> 00:31:15,060 Speaker 1: roll that Alice Cooper had practically invented. Part of him 496 00:31:15,100 --> 00:31:18,690 Speaker 1: hated these dudes, but he had to admit, guitars were rockin' 497 00:31:18,730 --> 00:31:22,090 Speaker 1: and the songwriting was good and the production was great. 498 00:31:23,630 --> 00:31:28,940 Speaker 1: But it needed something. Something dark. Poison. Like that poison 499 00:31:28,980 --> 00:31:31,600 Speaker 1: that ran through his gut as a teenager. Like the 500 00:31:31,660 --> 00:31:36,470 Speaker 1: poison that ran through his veins for most of the 80s. Poison. 501 00:31:37,030 --> 00:31:39,130 Speaker 1: It had a nice ring to it. It sounded like 502 00:31:39,150 --> 00:31:41,610 Speaker 1: the name of a hit song. The kind of song 503 00:31:41,650 --> 00:31:44,930 Speaker 1: that would put Alice Cooper back on top. After all, 504 00:31:45,430 --> 00:31:49,260 Speaker 1: that was his destiny. And anything less would be a disgrace. 505 00:31:50,660 --> 00:32:10,770 Speaker 1: I'm Jake Brennan, and this is Disgraceland. All right, thanks 506 00:32:10,790 --> 00:32:14,150 Speaker 1: for checking out this episode on Alice Cooper. Guys, which 507 00:32:14,380 --> 00:32:18,260 Speaker 1: artist has had the greatest second act in music history? 508 00:32:18,420 --> 00:32:22,920 Speaker 1: Alice Cooper obviously has had an incredible run after his 509 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:26,350 Speaker 1: fall from grace, but there's plenty of others to choose from. 510 00:32:26,790 --> 00:32:30,229 Speaker 1: Frank Sinatra, John Frusciante, the list goes on and on 511 00:32:30,350 --> 00:32:33,650 Speaker 1: and on. Will Kanye West ever redeem himself and make 512 00:32:33,710 --> 00:32:38,670 Speaker 1: a second act? Let us know, 617-906-6638. Voicemail and text, 513 00:32:38,690 --> 00:32:40,490 Speaker 1: you might hear yourself on the next After Party at 514 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:44,940 Speaker 1: DisgracelandPod on the socials, DisgracelandPod at gmail.com to email me. 515 00:32:45,380 --> 00:32:48,860 Speaker 1: All right, here comes some credits. Disgraceland was created by 516 00:32:48,920 --> 00:32:52,020 Speaker 1: yours truly and is produced in partnership with Double Elvis, 517 00:32:52,340 --> 00:32:56,470 Speaker 1: The Exactly Right Network, and iHeart Podcast. Credits for this 518 00:32:56,550 --> 00:33:00,370 Speaker 1: episode can be found on the show notes page at DisgracelandPod.com. 519 00:33:01,100 --> 00:33:04,120 Speaker 1: If you're listening as a Disgraceland All Access member, thank 520 00:33:04,140 --> 00:33:06,860 Speaker 1: you for supporting the show. We really appreciate it. And 521 00:33:06,900 --> 00:33:09,120 Speaker 1: if not, you can become a member right now by 522 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:14,460 Speaker 1: going to DisgracelandPod.com slash membership. Members can listen to every 523 00:33:14,590 --> 00:33:18,050 Speaker 1: episode of Disgraceland ad-free. Rate and review the show and 524 00:33:18,090 --> 00:33:21,930 Speaker 1: follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook at DisgracelandPod 525 00:33:22,290 --> 00:33:27,820 Speaker 1: and on YouTube at YouTube.com slash at DisgracelandPod. Rock-a-roll up. 526 00:33:31,980 --> 00:33:33,750 Speaker 1: He's a bad, bad man.