Review by Library Journal Review
Playing bass for the Alice Cooper Group from the group's origins as a high school talent show joke band to stadium-packing success, Dunaway amassed more than a lifetime's worth of road memories. With help from Rolling Stone staff writer -Hodenfield, those reflections become an informative, entertaining, and surprisingly cheerful work. The pacing is fast, the chronology is tight, and the balance of personal, professional, and cultural details is spot-on. A few clunky phrases and run-on sentences are easily forgiven; especially memorable passages involving the band's farmhouse headquarters and their 100 percent pure Motor City roadie, Leo, will have readers laughing out loud, while the drink- and drug-fueled decline of guitarist Glen Buxton is poignant without being schmaltzy. A refreshing sense of graciousness even extends to issues surrounding the band's 1975 breakup. VERDICT Dunaway's upbeat tone and flair for storytelling lift this work a step above the average musical memoir. Recommended for music historians, children of the 1970s, and, of course, Cooper fans.-Neil Derksen, Pierce Cty. Lib. Syst., Tacoma © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A visit to the magical, blood-spattered world of the Alice Cooper Group, courtesy of Dunaway, the band's bassist, co-songwriter and "theatrical conceptionalist." Hard-rock fans of a certain generation think of Alice Cooper as the original shock rocker, a platinum-selling performance artist who took to the stage looking as if he stepped out of A Clockwork Orange, ranting and raving about billion-dollar babies and how school was out forever. Today, in comparison to the Marilyn Mansons of the world, Cooper's schtick seems almost quaint, but during his heydey, he was a frightening, formidable force in the rock world. A close friend from childhood on, Dunaway was with Cooper every step of the way, and he documents that story in this agreeable memoir. But does Cooper's place in the rock world merit a memoir from his bassist, and is the bassist a good enough memoirist to overcome his own lack of notoriety? The answer to both questions is a qualified yes. Dunaway makes a solid case for Cooper's place in the rock pantheon, continually pointing out not just the fact that he was an above-average singer, songwriter, and frontman, but also the role he played in incorporating theater into rock performance. To Dunaway's credit, the book is more than just an homage to his old friend; it's a love letter to an era. But it's not all roses. Readers looking for the kind of lasciviousness they expect from an Alice Cooper confidant won't be disappointed, as the author does plenty of sordid, albeit not-too-slimy dishing about the band's backstage shenanigans. Dunaway has a terrific memory, which is both a positive and negative: though the book can get bogged down in minutiae, the author leaves no stone unturned. An affectionate, sharp-eyed memoir that, while it doesn't add anything groundbreaking to the rock-lit canon, will appeal to Alice Cooper die-hards and fans of his brand of music. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
