Alice Cooper, Golf Monster?

In a word YES!

In fact, it is how Alice Cooper describes himself in his new autobiography.

As I start this post, I realize some people may be a little shocked that I have read, let alone am writing a revue of his recent autobiography Alice Cooper, Golf Monster. Yet, I think it makes perfect sense. I have enjoyed his music over the years. He has produced many great songs that have, rightly so, become classics.

I have to say that I enjoyed reading the book immensely. The style he chose to use in writing the book is a combo of biography, golf tips & 12 step program. I know some people wonder why the last 2, why not a straight bio? It makes perfect sense. Why? Because he was once an alcoholic & is now addicted to golf. These facts gave him the perfect format for the book.

Alice Cooper was born Vincent Damon Furnier on 4 Feb 1948 in Detroit, MI. (The same place that produced Ted Nugent.) His 7th cousin was the Maquis de Lafayette. His paternal grandfather was an evangelist. His maternal grandfather was a moonshiner. His early years in Detroit were that of a typical child of the 50s, if your life was written in part by Damon Runyon.

This book is the story of how that child grew up & became Alice Cooper. It is an honest look at his life, good & bad. Like I said, for the most part it was a typical childhood. He was active in sports (track & field), became interested in music. He also had some serious health problems that resulted in his family ending up in Phoenix AZ.

So, how does golf come into the picture? How does a hard drinker rocker become a golf addict? That story is at the heart of the book & why he chose the format he did. As he puts it: "If rock 'n roll made my life, then golf saved my life. Included in this tale are the twelve golf steps I created that enabled me to trade in those harmful addictions for healthier ones." Like I said, the perfect format for him to tell his life story.

While being honest about the good & bad in his life there is 1 thing that he opted not to do, make this a tell all book about his sex life. & for that I applaud him. He acknowledges his promiscuous ways before he met his wife, Sheryl. But, after they married he has remained completely faithful to her. He does share the story of how both Raquel Welch & Mae West tried to seduce him & failed. But that is as far as he goes. In fact the only thing that nearly destroyed his marriage was his alcoholism.

It was his drinking that nearly destroyed not just his marriage but nearly killed him. He finally went into a santitarium in 1977. He came out sober. Unfortunately he eventually began drinking again & in 1983 things were so bad Sheryl filed for divorce. He knew that his marriage couldn't end that way, so he went back into rehab & has stayed clean & sober ever since. This is where golf comes in. He took his love for golf & used it as a substitute.

He also shares some interesting stories of the many greats he has met over the years. Some of these meetings & friendships came about because of his being a musician, some because of his playing golf. 1 of the most touching was his friendship with Groucho Marx during thelast years of Groucho's life. Anither great story is that of his frienship with Peter Sellers.

The book is also the story of how he created his many classic rock songs as well as his great ballads. Some of those songs are extremely personal. How You Gonna See Me Now is about his feelings after getting out of the sanitarium in '77.

He talks a little about his becoming a Christian. He shares his truggle with reconciling being a rock star with his faith. When he acknowledged his faith he knew it would cost him some fans. But he knew it was the right thing to do. Why? I'll let him answer. "Ultimately, becoming a Christian became the most rebellious and risky thing I've ever done. I was now rebelling against the very business that invented me, and that's true rebellion." He see himself (& rightly so) as "merely a rck star who's a Christian." As he goes on to point out what he does doesn't glorify evil. As he says "I'm holding up a mirror to evil itself and making people think about it."

He also talks about how he sees his stage character of Alice Cooper vs the person he is off stage. & yes the on-stage Alice is totally different from who he is off-stage. It is a character he created & plays.

Another thing he does in the book is comment on the difference in the music industry from his childhood to now. He makes a point that I absolutely agree with. Today's songs (& artists)aren't "built to last". Music is "disposable".

There is so much more I could say about what I liked about the book. But to do so would be to give away too much of the content. Instead I would highly recommend that you read this book & find out for yourself exactly how he ties everything together, golf & rock. & when you are done it will make perfect sense to you how the same Alice Cooper can be a rock star & a golf monster. How he can be both a great entertainer & a devout Christian. How School's Out can encompass rebellion as well as be used in a Staple's ad. How the guy billed as No More Mr. Nice Guy is 1 of the nicest there is.