When they were young men, the members of the band called Alice Cooper were a threat to the very fabric of our society. On 28 June 1972, they appeared on Top of the Pops, performing “School’s Out”, and, yes, by that point in glam rock’s evolution, seeing men in candy-coloured Spandex on your TV wasn’t out of the ordinary. But other things seemed all wrong.
The way the drummer, Neal Smith, hunched over his kit like a caveman. The way the two guitarists and the bassist seemed sullen and uncaring. And most of all there was the singer, all in black, with shirt open to the waist, and black gloves – conventional rock star attire from the neck down – but with a face that looked ruined, as if he’d just been let out of a dark cell after a very long time. He wore make-up, but not to make himself look feminine or glamorous. He looked like death.
