Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs!

My Adventures in The Alice Cooper Group

By: Dennis Dunaway, Chris Hodenfield

Narrated by: Dennis Dunaway

Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

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 US and UK 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 cosongwriter 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 and strange glory in the '70s and the legendary characters they met along the way.

©2015 Dennis Dunaway and Chris Hodenfield (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

A Fabulous Rendering of a Criminally Underrated Group

Dennis lays it all out there for the reader. You get a vivid glimpse in to one of the biggest bands of the early '70s. His perspective is crucial for anyone who is a fan of the original band known simply as Alice Cooper. Dennis takes you from the early school days of bunch of friends looking to have some fun to a group of musicians who took their craft seriously but not themselves. Along the way, you are treated to stories of impoverished conditions, crazy parties, negative reactions to their creative output and the groups rise to fame. Finally, there is an explanation of how the biggest band in the world at the time dissolved to obscurity. This book was one of the best rock books written and I believe that even a person who isn't an Alice Cooper Group fan would enjoy it.

A Wild Ride !!

Loved hearing about the crazy early days and the creativity behind the group
Refreshing to hear about the band members and not just one person

A Rock Bio That Should Be Blueprinted..So Lovely

Dennis Dunaway rocks it as reader and eyewitness to the greatest show on earth that also made your grandma want to faint. All your favorite albums are here. It is so great to hear the stories behind the creation of Halo of Flies, Black Juju, and the hits, too. You know we had a lot of them while we listened, and we hear about all their hijinks and fun on the road wirh the intonation of Dennis. Frankly, it helped having the book and audio after all those fun times. Come join the party.

Excellent. kept me interested all the way through.

This was a very engaging rock bio. A must for Alice Cooper(the band) fans and music fans alike.

Rock-N-Roll chaos from someone who was there

Rock memoirs are a dime a dozen now days, and most of them aren't worth a dime. This one is different, though. In part, that is due to the fact that Dennis Dunaway kept a journal throughout the events of this book. This turned out to be a reference material that was invaluable. The journal turned out to be a detailed record of a time that was a game changer in Rock history. There are tales about the Alice Cooper Group hanging out with The Doors, Frank Zappa and the Byrds on the Sunset strip in the late 60s. Than into Detroit to tear it up with The Stooges and MC5 before heading to NYC when the NY Dolls and KISS were just beginning. These were all seminal moments and when you add in the story of the AC Group with their theatrics and myths about them, you have a great read. This book does have omissions and Dennis Dunaway is a little to involved with the material with his narration but it stands above most of the Rock memoirs out there.

The Alice Cooper BAND book I always hoped for!

I was an obsessive music lover, and 9 years old when I first heard Killer on my best friend's uncle's portable 8-track player. I searched it out, caught up on the albums I was missing, and was henceforth known as the "kid who loves that weird band" in West Virginia in 1972.
The band's look, the snake (Kachina started me on a lifelong love of snakes as I became a loving snake dad many times over) and mostly the songs, gave me the first band that truly felt like mine.
Once I was an adult, playing guitar, writing songs, and eventually working as a radio DJ and meeting many of my childhood heroes (like David Bowie, Iggy Pop), I understood how much went into their music and career. Dennis Dunaway is singularly one of the most inventive bassists ever to pluck or attack a bass guitar. His bass lines are unlike anyone else's ever. I understood that at 10 listening to Gutter Cats. Finally hearing this well-spoken guy with a great memory explain most everything I ever wondered about this band and these guys. For anyone who ever wondered why those early records are SO much better than Alice circa Nightmare and up will have their questions answered here. It was a joy and a pleasure. I felt 10 years old again.

Just WoW

Absolutely fantastic, hearing Dennis read this was such a special gift . Truly amazing.

Absolutely loved it!! ❤️❤️

As a huge Alice Cooper fan I thought I knew so much, But after listening to this I was amazed and just mesmerized by what I was listening to . 1 first became a huge Alice Cooper fan when my Uncle came home from Vietnam and gave me all of his albums and in the pile of albums was Love It To Death. Unlike most girls in my class back in the early seventies I wasn't into Leif Garrett, Shawn Cassidy any of those, I had googly eyes for the long haired bass player on the front of the album..lol. Thank you for the audio book Dennis it was awesome. I'm a clinical lab courier and I drive a lot and your book was perfect entertainment. Thank you again!!

An entirely WICKED book!

I love this book! I've read this book many times. I was around when this stuff all happened. I can remember some of it but I never understood all of this stuff. I like this so much I never feel like I'm wasting time when I read it!

Nicely Done!

This book spoke from the heart. Dennis gave an enlightening and realistic perspective on the history and progression of Alice Cooper. The good times and the bad and the ultimate achievement of making it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Great Job Dennis. Congratulations!