bands, especially the Mothers of Invention and the Doors, and then the Detroit bands, especially The Stooges. Our biggest influences were the British invasion bands, especially The Yardbirds, and then the L.A. The GTO’s showed us where the best Thrift Stores were, and Miss Christine did Alice’s puffy poodle hair-do, but Cindy Smith (Neal Smith’s sister and soon to be Dennis’ wife) pioneered the metallic sequined look. I understand that Frank Zappa’s backup singers – the GTO’s – influenced your early look. The band was conceptually driven so it was calculated, but our playing styles just naturally had an eerie and oftentimes disturbing element. Was this planned out or just the result of the band’s individual personalities? The Alice Cooper Group’s music had such a suspenseful atmosphere to it. Recently, we were fortunate enough to be able to speak to Dennis about the magic and mayhem of the seventies and his focus and wishes for the future. Dennis just appeared at the Chiller Theatre Convention in Secaucus, NJ in October where he reunited and performed with his Alice Cooper band mates, Michael Bruce and Neal Smith for a concert on Saturday evening, the 28th.

They have just released their debut CD, Bones from the Yard and are gearing up for a tour of new material along side the Alice Cooper Group classics. Today, Dennis is still playing and creating with his new band, The Dennis Dunaway Project. This release basically went right past fans who, along with the band, fell victims of minimal publicity by their record company in addition to unscrupulous industry politics.

Dennis and the rest of the band recorded only one album without Alice as the “Billion Dollar Babies.” Battle Axe was a terrific album that actually had material on it for the next Alice Cooper Group record. Sadly, after Alice went on to have success with his solo album and tour Welcome to my Nightmare, this reunion never happened. With the public’s perception blurred as to who or what Alice Cooper was, Vincent Furnier legally changed his name to “Alice Cooper,” thus causing much of the focus to be drawn to him as a solo act rather then as the name of the group.Īfter talking some time off for solo projects, the Alice Cooper Group were to re-group and continue their future as a band. Nice Guy”, “Elected” and the perennial classic “School’s Out,” the Alice Cooper Group reached legendary status but was soon about to face something far more disturbing than any of their darkest lyrics.

With songs like “I’m Eighteen”, “Under My Wheels”, “No More Mr.

By incorporating macabre theatrics with blistering rock songs, the Alice Cooper Group became the largest selling band in the world and dominated the airwaves between 19.

Dennis dunaway book