Born Vincent Furnier, the son of a preacher, Alice Cooper emerged from the Detroit scene of the ’70s in a flurry of long hair and sequins to restore rock with a sense of showmanship, while simultaneously striking fear into the very core of Middle America with the chicken-slaughtering, dead-baby-eating theatrics that would cement his identity.
This first ever “doc opera” is a highly stylised whirlwind collage of rare archival footage, animation, and candid interviews, chronicling Alice Cooper’s history from his humble beginnings to his triumphant comeback after kicking addiction.
The documentary premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year and combines commentary from the likes of Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Johnny Rotten, Iggy Pop, Cooper’s mom, members of the original Cooper lineup and Cooper himself. It was directed by Scott McFadyen and Sam Dunn, who made the Grammy-nominated Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, along with Reginald Harkema, who won the Toronto International Film Festival Special Jury Prize for the 2006 film Monkey Warfare.
