Talent manager Shep Gordon recalls the first time he saw Alice Cooper perform at the Cheetah club opening for The Doors.
Insight
Massive fame requires parental hatred and youth rebellion, not just art
“So if you can be that definition of rebellion, You can be the thing that the parents hate, that they can say they love. That's how you get to be Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Sinatra. You can't get that big by people just liking your art.”
Assertion Supported
The Chitlin Circuit forced Black artists to perform for free
“If you were a black artist and you had a single, you went to Cleveland, you played a concert for a promoter who was a partner with the radio station. They played your record. That's why you went and did it, not to get paid. You did it because if you didn't go,…”
Insight
Trust provides grace during failures while contracts invite retaliation
“When you fuck up, if you have a contract, they beat the shit out of you. When it's trust, the guy can say to you, I know you did the best you tried. I appreciate you trying.”
Assertion Supported
Jimi Hendrix prompted Shep Gordon to begin managing Alice Cooper
“He said, are you Jewish? And I said, yeah, you should be a manager. And the Chambers brothers were sitting there, and he turned to Lester and said, is that band from Phoenix still in your basement? He said, yeah, you should tell them you found the Jewish guy t…”
Disclosure
Alice Cooper gained fame by not denying false chicken-biting rumors
“So they actually, the press was at Alice, ripped its head off and drank the blood, and we never claimed that it wasn't true. It wasn't true. We never claimed it wasn't true. And that's what catapulted them.”
Insight
Pairing an unknown person with celebrities manufactures instant fame
“You put someone famous next to someone who's not famous, all of a sudden they become famous. Kim Kardashian is maybe our prime example today of that.”