454 - Alice Cooper - Love It To Death - Shep Gordon

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EPISODE SUMMARY:

So many of rock 'n' rolls heroes and legends are long gone, making it a rare occasion when someone with firsthand experience can verify in intimate detail what really happened and what is simply the product of music lore. That's why when you talk about an album like Alice Cooper's 1971 theatrical shock rock release Love It To Death, it's truly the best of fortune to have as a guest Shep Gordon, the man who managed the band's career, along with many other huge stars such as Teddy Pendergrass, Emeril Lagasse and Sylvester Stallone, during their most seminal moments. Who else can knows more about the steps that lead to their success, the creative directions they ended up taking, and the what really happened with a certain chicken? For all true aficionados of music history and this episode is NOT one to miss!

SHOW NOTES:

00:15 – Intro
08:00 – Managing a band is good cover for a drug-dealer
12:00 – Making music parents hate
17:15 – Success: You don’t know you have it till it’s there
23:00 – When your label doesn’t want a hit
29:00 – Chasing other people’s dreams
36:45 – Go ahead and use Shep however you want
41:00 – The light of religion & the darkness of theater
48:30 – Living a life of service
56:30 – Facts!
58:45 – A bunch of horny soldiers
1:01:30 – The chicken story
1:04:15 – Outro

ALBUM STREAM - LOVE IT TO DEATH:

NEW ARTIST INFLUENCED BY ALICE COOPER:

“Might Be Right” by White Reaper