This book is a gem. Perfect for any Alice Cooper fan. I really enjoyed this book. Good read. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

Truly essential for Cooper fans, and I can’t imagine anyone who enjoys rock bios not enjoying the ride from Phoenix high school through hell and back to become the biggest band in the world. Dunaway does an amazing job introducing the reader to each member’s personality... I never knew how much I missed Glen and what a tragedy his loss was. Better than Alice’s own “Golf Monster” and better than Michael Bruce’s “No More Mr. Nice Guy” by a mile, but it makes me want to read both again.

Dennis Dunnaway who was the bassist in the Alice Cooper band describes the beginnings of first him meeting Vince Furnier who would later become the frontman and then the person we all know as Alice Cooper. Going back to there high school days and when they formed a band added members and then came up with the original guys who would play on their albums, at least the first seven. I had come across them in 71 when I was just 11 from an older friend thinking that it was their first record, I found out later it was the second. I had listened to them throughout the ’70s and beyond even when he went solo.
Here though you get a look at the actually beginnings from high school through their time in southern California where they were part of the Topanga Canyon scene in the late ’60s with Morrison of the Doors, Hendrix, Joplin playing at Whiskey a-go-go. That they were part of that scene was amazing what time in the mid to late sixties to be around that crowd.
You get to see the first person that really changed the music scene in performers with creating a character and becoming that character. Long before any of the other ones who have become famous. also, they came up with the stage props from guillotines, electronic chair, adding a snake when someone threw their boa snake on stage during one of their concerts. Behind their writing the songs that would become hits as well. I found this to be a very good book and interesting as well.

SNAKES! GUILLOTINES! ELECTRIC CHAIRS! is a book by Dennis Dunaway, bass player from the original Alice Cooper group, and friend of Vince Furnier (or Alice) and Glen Buxton going back to their high school days at Cortez High School in Phoenix.

Dennis tells a complete story of the career of the band going back to their humble beginnings, and describes how even in their earliest existence as a band they weren’t your average band, and that they went out of their way to shock and awe their audiences while having a lot of fun while doing so.

High school days behind them, they eventually are joined by both Neil Smith (who’s sister Dennis becomes involved with and eventually marries), and Michael Bruce.

Detailing the years of struggles to realize their goals and to attain acceptance, he also describes the closeness of the band and the strength they found in each other to get through the toughest times, as well as sharing in the moments where they find success and worldwide notoriety.

Dunaway writes this account in way that makes it a very enjoyable read, and unlike other books written by members of bands (especially bands that experience a breakup), he accents the positive while not shying away from the fallout of success, especially in terms of his description of Glen Buxton’s difficult battle with drugs and alcohol; yet also making clear his importance both in terms of his role in the band as well as his friendship and humor with sarcasm that was an important part of what he brought to the table to deal with struggles and hardships the band faced along the way.

Dennis could’ve gone down the road followed by others, especially in describing the way the original band was replaced after “Billion Dollar Babies” and before “Welcome To My Nightmare” with a band that included Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner (two of my favorite guitarists) without resentment (albeit disappointment), and focused on giving an account of that period of the band’s history that is an important part of the story of the band’s existence.

I really liked this book, and having been born and raised in the Detroit area, then moving to the Phoenix area & staying in Arizona for the entire 80’s, it was great to be a part of both places that consider Alice Cooper (the original band) to belong to them as hometown heroes (first song I learned on guitar was “Be My Lover” in my youth).

One memory I have is of a classmate related to Neil Smith who brought a picture of him visiting his family to class back when I was in Jr. High in MI., and then meeting Alice in Scottsdale AZ while he was shopping with his wife, and how patient he was and making time for everyone that approached him. Sadly, one friend knew Glen and wanted to introduce me to him, but never could arrange a time when he was in a good place, which pretty much fits with the author’s account of that period of time.

Recommended for all interested in the original Alice Cooper band, it is also an interesting read regarding not only the history of the band itself, but the times and changes within the music industry in that period of time, and the people they experienced within it.

4 stars.

This book was a wild informative ride and I loved it !

I love biographies and autobiographies, especially ones where you feel like you learn new information or ones that feel like the author doesn't hold back. This was a fun one for that.

Through the hard times and the struggles, it painted a vivid picture and really made you feel what they felt.

Any time one individual purports to tell a story involving a group of people, particularly an extended story, there will be some question as to the accuracy of what is said. In the prologue to 'Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs...' Dennis Dunaway states that "I'm here to tell you about it as I remember it." Okay, fair enough.

This book follows Dennis, his friend Vince, and several others on a 10-year journey that took them from sharing a bag of tacos in the back of a station wagon in Phoenix, Arizona all the way to Sao Paulo, Brazil where, in 1974, the band known as Alice Cooper played to a crowd of 185,000 (their last concert before breaking up).

Somewhere along the way fact mixed with fiction, rumors became legends, and Vince morphed into a character named "Alice" who, a little farther along the way, went from band member to solo artist.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Alice Cooper (the band - not the man) was the way they seemed to be around so many famous musicians at a time when those musicians were still very approachable. Being at the forefront of the changing music scene with resident stays in both Los Angeles and later Detroit meant they mixed with both '60s icons and emerging superstars of the '70s.

From a young Wayne Newton giving them advice on how to stand for their first TV appearance (when they were still known as The Earwigs) to Elton John "raving" about their costumes after attending their performance at The Hollywood Bowl.

At one time or another they partied or shared the stage with The Yardbirds, The Byrds, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, Steppenwolf, Aretha Franklin and even John Lennon (who commandeered a feather pillow they used in their act and refused to return it).

While Dennis Dunaway does address some of the better known rumors there are still some things that get a little bit glossed over... The story behind the breakup seems a bit sanitized and incomplete. There is a slight edge of bitterness that flares up from time to time throughout the book but it seldom lasts long, if anything there is more an impression of melancholy over lost friends and roads not taken.

I found 'Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs: My Adventures in the Alice Cooper Group' to be an interesting and enjoyable read.

***Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the authors for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs: My adventures in the Alice Cooper Group by Dennis Dunaway is a Thomas Dunne for St. Martin’s Griffin Group publication.

An insightful, provocative and fascinating look at the Alice Cooper Group!

Okay. A show of hands. How many of you knew that Alice Cooper was the name of a band before it became the trademark persona of Vince Furnier, the band’s lead singer?

I'd never heard of the Alice Cooper Group, truthfully. It wasn’t until Vince took the name legally and began to show up on more mainstream forms of media, that I took any notice. So, for me, Vince was Alice Cooper.

It wasn’t until decades later when I watched a documentary- not sure if it was ‘Behind the Music’ or something else- that I discovered the process in which Alice gained control over the name and his solo career skyrocketed.

This is a really an old story in many ways. In fact, if Grady Hendrix had set ‘We Sold Our Souls’ a couple of decades earlier, The Alice Cooper band would fit right into the narrative.

Dennis Dunaway is the bassist and a founding member of the group, which he helped start with Vince back when they were teenagers living in Phoenix.

The group was an anomaly for their time. They were one of the first, if not THE first rock bands to embrace the androgynous look. They were always looking for fresh ideas and trying to take whatever the current trends were a bit further, which occasionally made them a target in conservative Phoenix.

They were not the first musicians to add theatrics to their show, by any means. Look up Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, for an example. But, for all intents and purposes, the Alice Cooper Group was the first of its kind.

I think the timing was just perfect for this group to capture the imaginations of rock fans. But, their climb up to rock and roll iconoclast honors was a long, hard journey. There was no ‘American Idol' back then, so these guys had to earn their status the hard way, by paying their dues.

The band played small seedy clubs, nearly starved to death, and stayed in fleabag motels. They rubbed elbows with rock legends, before they were rock legends, and even got a leg up from the one and only Frank Zappa. They were also supported by the now notorious GTO’s who also helped with stage outfits and performance ideas.

But just as they were on the cusp of really breaking out, the group was chewed up by the rock machine and spat out, transforming Vince into the stage persona he had spent years perfecting. He, literally, and legally, became Alice Cooper.

The band?

Well, they never reached the pinnacle of fame Alice did. But, this is a book about Dennis’ adventures while he was a part of the band. And what a wild and crazy ride it was. The irony is that the band was so close knit, exhibiting a solidarity rarely seen in rock groups. So, the story, while as old as rock itself, is also a cautionary tale, a realistic look at the business of rock and roll and the inevitable toll it takes. It either envelopes you until it sucks out your very soul or kicks you to the curb leaving you thirsting for more.

Dennis is obviously still harboring a grudge, although he tries to downplay it, but who can blame him? But, despite everything, I don't think he ever stopped caring about his old friend, Vince.

When he mentioned the famous interview Alice did on the Tom Snyder show in the early eighties, I hurried over to YouTube to see if I could find a clip. The videos I found were not very good, quality wise, but the images of Alice are shocking. He literally looked like death warmed over. Although, this is Dennis’ memoirs, his personal recollections, Alice is a larger than life presence in the book. But, another bittersweet spirit hovering nearby was that of lead guitarist, Glen Buxton.

This book is full of wild and crazy rock and roll antics. Dennis, and his fellow band mates may not have gotten the fame, or money, or the amount of credit they deserved, but they made an indelible mark on rock music, and its culture, and left a rich and legendary legacy for many future stars who benefited from their pioneer experimentations and boldness.

This book seemed like a catharsis for Dennis. A way to vent out a little of his bitterness, to recall the fun times, the crazy times and accept some love and long overdue appreciation for his part in changing rock and roll, and was a tribute to his friend, Glen. Dennis is still out there doing what he does best- playing music.

This is a fun, nostalgic book. It’s not overly whiny or heavy, although Dennis does reiterate the cruel twist of fate the Alice Cooper group was dealt a time or two. However, Dennis and the other band members, occasionally work with Alice, despite all the water under the bridge. They still get together, still hang out and still write songs together, which is good to know.

Fans of nostalgia, rock music memoirs, history and pop culture will enjoy reading this one. I did enjoy hunting down information about the group and watching a few videos-(although the quality is not always too great), even though I was never a huge fan growing up. It is easy to see their influence, and in some ways, they still seem cutting edge. If nothing else they were imaginative, creative, and daring, and will go down in rock and roll infamy.

4 stars

Firstly, thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read 'Snakes! guillotines! Electric Chairs!' The following is my honest review.

To start off I am a fan of the Alice Cooper group. As a child in the eighties, I remember my parents sharing the albums on cassette tape with me and my brother very fondly. However, I didn't know a lot of the personal details of the band before reading this book.

I have to say, it was a lot of fun reading this book. When reading Dennis Dunaway describe certain performances, such as in movies or other televised events, I would take a break. I could go on youtube and many times watch it before continuing the book. It really made the stories come alive for me.

I highly recommend this book to Alice Cooper fans new or old, and rock autobiography fans.

I'm just lukewarm on this memoir of the rise and fall of the Alice Cooper band, yet told through the eyes of only the original bass player. And maybe that one sentence is the crux of the problem I had with this: it felt very skewed. There are many mentions of his prolific contributions to songs (whether or not he had received credit) as well as his ideas for the live shows and while he does credit his band-mates for their ideas, there's still this feel in reading that his share of creativity was greater, just not recognized. With a memoir focusing almost entirely on a band, versus a musician's own memoir, I would prefer to hear different voices and different points of view. Alice Cooper the man (versus the band) doesn't figure heavily in the book at all (he's always there, but it feels like he's in the background); it's almost written to the point that it's a surprise that he would even be able to break away with the Alice Cooper persona and name. However, in its favor, the book does set the stage of the late 60s and early 70s quite well; it's easy to picture the band just trying to make it in the various areas of the country even though it's not particularly clear why they're moving around so much.
If this were solely the memoir of the bassist Dennis Dunaway, I'd recommend it a bit more, but to tell the story of the Alice Cooper band, it needed more than one member's interpretation.

What an interesting book. It gives you the inside info on the group and little snippets of their lives.

Although this book, co-authored with Rolling Stone writer Chris Hodenfield, was first published in 2015, it now gets a paperback version and if you missed out on it first time around make sure you get this one. Why? Well Dennis Dunaway was the bassist in the original line-up of the Alice Cooper Band, which later became just Alice Cooper as Alice Cooper was seen as a person, not a group (something which Dunaway explains in detail how this evolved in the book).

Dennis Dunaway says he has a great memory and you can tell as he recalls in detail legendary incidents such as how the name Alice Cooper came about and the infamous chicken incident. The book is rich in anecdote with great tales of meeting the Yardbirds, Jim Morrison and the Doors, plus plenty of insight into how the young Dunaway and Vincent Furnier (who would change his name to Alice Cooper) met and the group formed. We find out how the various theatrical ideas came about such as the guillotine and snakes, which are still part of Alice Cooper’s stage show to this day.

They had a wild rock ‘n’ roll time, often living hand to mouth as they created classic albums such as ‘Killer’, ‘School’s Out’ and ‘Billion Dollar Babies’. Dunaway doesn’t spare the detail as he recalls how drugs and drunk affected them all, none more so than guitarist Glen Buxton who died in 1997. Dunaway devotes a chapter to Buxton and one of the book’s poignant moments is when he sees Buxton shortly before his death and he was seemingly in a good place, with plans to get married and a stable home life.

Despite the band finding out that they were no longer the Alice Cooper band, as Alice Cooper was now solely about Alice and his then new album ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’, the surviving band members Dunaway, drummer Neal Smith and guitarist Michael Bruce, have worked again with Alice in recent times. Most recently on Alice’s latest album ‘Paranormal’ which contained a bonus disc of the four of them rattling through live classics from the time they were together.

Would have been interesting to read more about Dunaway’s work from the 1980′s onwards including the underrated Deadringer album and his ongoing musical adventures with Neal Smith and former Blue Oyster Cult members Joe and Albert Bouchard in Blue Coupe. Still the book is about Alice Cooper and that is where the main interest lies for most readers.

This book was about so much more than just Alice Cooper. The author did a stellar job of providing a clear history of the music scene of the 60s and 70s and the pitfalls that are caused by sudden fame and success. This is a fast read that is immensely enjoyable!

Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs! My Adventures in the Alice Cooper Group by Dennis Dunaway and Chris Hodenfield was received direct from the publisher. Alice Cooper, the mere mention of the name conjures up the image of beheadings on stage, fake blood and white makeup. Dennis was one of the founding members of the band that brought on the likes of KISS and GWAR among others. It was very interesting to see the Alice Cooper band grow into the powerhouse that it has become and, as all bands experience, see egos come and go, and eventually, with most bands, someone's ego will win out. If you, or someone you buy gifts for likes this band or is interested in the “business,” give this book a read. Always remember” putting an electric chair into your act, well, that's a matter of execution.”

I'm a fan and avid reader of music-related bios and i have to say that I really enjoyed this one. The writing is clear and lucid & provides an engaging behind-the-scenes look at life as a member of Alice Cooper - not just the crazy backstage stuff but also the nuts & bolts of being in a struggling (and then wildly successful) rock band. 5 stars!

As a lover of anything and everything Alice Cooper, this was a must read for me. My first gig being in 1999 meant it was only last year that I experienced the original line up in its full glory. Reading this only made me wish I’d seen them first time around.
This anecdotal memoir is perfect for any fan, of any age.

4.5/5

This was such an enjoyable read. It was more than just a book about the early years of Alice Cooper - back when Alice Cooper was a band and not one man - it was about the music scene in the late 60s early 70s. It is also about friendship and the pitfalls of fame. 

Do yourself a favour and get your hands on the first few albums of Alice Cooper and listen to them while you're reading this book. It really enhances the experience of reading this story. You also get a better sense of how they developed as a band in those first few years. 

Highly recommended if you have an interest in music, even if you never listened to Alice Cooper.

Not long ago, when I was trying to explain to my thirty-something daughter how utterly mesmerizing the Beatles’ sound was . . . how do you characterize how something so familiar could sound new? My kids grew up with the Beatles being part of what is now called Classic Rock. Classic Rock! I can imagine the jaw-dropped horror of my shaggy-haired peers back in the sixties.

When I saw that one of the Alice Cooper band’s members had written a memoir I had to read it. Though I’d never liked their music—it was way too crazy male-gaze for me as a teen and young adult—I knew the names, and the look, and I also was aware of how their intense theatricality changed the look of rock music, and formed punk, especially the LA Punk scene, which I was a part of in the late seventies and early eighties.

It surprised me to discover that the germinating idea behind Alice Cooper was an experience similar to one I’d shared: a talent show for kids. Dennis and his friend Vince did what I and three girls did: borrow guitars, make up silly songs to Beatles tunes, and pretend to be The Beatles.

In my situation, we four twelve year olds combed our hair in front of our faces, strummed the single chord we’d been taught, and started singing our (kaff) clever parody, “She was just 94, and shaped like a door. . .” and the rest of our amazing lyrics were lost because the entire audience erupted into frenzied screaming.

They shouted and shrieked until to the end. Even months later, kids I’d never spoken to before came up and said, “Weren’t you one of the Beatles in the talent show?” For one day I was famous, and it felt . . . unreal.

Well, the same thing happened to Dennis and Vince, inspiring them to go on to become musicians. The jet-force exhilaration of your music gripping thousands—millions—of close packed humans by flesh and spirit . . . what incredible power, what a rush!

And what a cost to keep fueling it?

Dennis talks engagingly, and with the resonant note of experience, about the pure white fire of creative flow—when it’s flowing, it’s a nerve-jolting, heart-hammering, brain-frying lightning strike. Few can control it, sparking emotional roller coasters accelerated by that step into unreality that fame causes, which can trick the unwary into thinking that the rules no long apply. It’s because that white fire is not controllable any more than lightning is, and so the young musicians would try anything—anything—to get it back.

Here’s the dangerous thing about the white fire, whether you’re high on drugs or not, you believe your every utterance is art, every movement freighted with meaning. It’s only when you’re stone cold sober that you realize that the Magical Mystery Tour Bus— if you are not in control, the drugs are—looks to everyone else like a bunch of loud, smelly, drooling louts hooting like apes.

Jimi Hendrix . . . Jim Morrison . . Janis Joplin . . . they all sought any method or means they could to tame that fire. They were surrounded by smiling hipsters cooing admiration and handing out street stuff like candy—very expensive candy, but money became one of those unreal things—and they dropped, or rushed, or sped, or mainlined, or whatever it took, to find what they thought was the fire, the attempts intensified into semblance of meaning, perceptions that exalted trivia into a tapestry of gravitas that unraveled with the bleak dawn.

Written with the aid of Rolling Stone writer Chris Hodenfield, Dennis Dunaway tells a vividly engaging, often pungent and irreverent, but at heart human and humane story of a bunch of nerdy guys in Phoenix AZ during the early sixties who made it to the top—and then, at the apex of their career, crashed and burned.

Many of the Alice Cooper myths are exploded (like the so-called chicken) as Dunaway looks honestly at the toll the rock and roll lifestyle took on them, made exponentially tougher by the fallout of fame.

As soon as the actual hardcover comes out I’m buying a copy for my drummer son, whose band is just getting going. I’ll bet he’ll enjoy it as much as I did.