Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A Rock 'n' Roller's 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict [Hardcover]

Alice Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 1, 2007

The man who invented shock rock tells the amazing and, yeah, shocking story of how he slayed his thirsty demons—with a golf club. It started one day when Cooper was watching a Star Trek rerun between concerts, bored and drunk on a quart-of-whiskey-a-day habit; a friend dragged the rocker out of his room and suggested a round of golf. Cooper has been a self-confessed golf addict ever since. Today he and his band still tour the world, playing some one hundred gigs a year . . . and three hundred days out of that year, Cooper is on the course.

Alice Cooper, Golf Monster is Cooper’s tell-all memoir; in it he talks candidly about his entire life and career, as well as his struggles with alcohol, how he fell in love with the game of golf, how he dried out at a sanitarium back in the late ’70s, and how he put the last nails in his addiction’s coffin by getting up daily at 7 a.m. to play 36 holes.

Alice has hilarious, touching, and sometimes surprising stories about so many of his friends: Led Zeppelin and the Doors, George Burns and Groucho Marx, golf legends like John Daly and Tiger Woods . . . everyone is here from Dalí to Elvis to Arnold Palmer.

This is the story of Cooper’s life, and also a story about golf. He rose from hacker to scratch golfer to serious Pro Am competitor and on to his status today as one of the best celebrity golfers around—all while rising through the rock ’n’ roll ranks releasing platinum albums and selling out arenas with his legendary act.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With his first book, Cooper, the original shock rocker, attempts to combine autobiography and golf manual in one snappy narrative; that both parts are equally half-baked hardly matters, as Cooper's simple, frank account of his 40-plus years in the rock and roll biz is great entertainment. Cooper started playing golf in the early 1980s-as many as 36 holes a day-to fill his post-rehab days and keep him from the destructive spiral of alcoholism. Thus, golf plays a vital role in this memoir; indeed, without golf, Cooper might no longer be alive-and not incidentally, the rock legend has since become one of the best players on the pro-am tournament circuit. Cooper devotes 12 sections to his "steps of golf addiction" ("Be a Good Imitator," "Let the Adreneline Flow," "Play with Those who Inspire You"), interspersed between short chapters that present a Cliff's Notes version of his life. Revelations include the truth behind the infamous 1969 incident in which Cooper threw a live chicken into a rabid Detroit audience, an unexpected backstage encounter with Liberace and Cooper's late-life conversion to Christianity. While there's more here for fans of Alice Cooper's music than his fellow golfing nuts, the man deserves credit for finding a way to tell his life story that's as unconventional as the life itself.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“Alice writes like he golfs: straight and right down the middle. Like a lot of us golf addicts, he's spent his fair share of his life getting out of the rough and back onto the green. If you're like me and only read like a book a year (OK, like every decade), this should be the one.”

—John Daly

“What a blast from the past, and such insight to the future! Alice Cooper, Golf Monster shares Alice's personal life mission, interwoven with great stories and characters from the 60's through the present in Rock and Roll. Not to mention some wonderful golf tips and experiences, humorously presented. Thank you Alice, for a nice ride!”
—Michael Douglas, actor and creator of the Michael Douglas & Friends Charity Golf Tournament
“Few things are more surreal than playing golf with a guy named Alice. But by the time you reach the second tee, you realize that No More Mr. Nice Guy is one of the wittiest and engaging playing partners you've ever had. Plus, the guy can play! For those who aren't likely to experience the pleasure of a quiet, leisurely round with the man who spends his nights singing "School's been blown to pieces," this book provides the next best thing.”
—Steve Eubanks, author of Golf Freek
“Debauchery, demons and divots! This is the only book I've ever read that should come in 3-D; the crazy stories come right at you from Sinatra to KISS to the Moscow Golf Club.”
—Gary McCord, author of Golf for Dummies

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1 edition (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307382656
• ISBN-13: 978-0307382658
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,342 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians > Rock

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A man who has fought (and overcome) his addictions and personal demons. July 19, 2007

By rnorton828

Format:Hardcover

Alice Cooper, the godfather of shock rock, has been on the music scene for nearly forty years. During that time, he has sold multiplatinum albums, toured the world, battled alcoholism and the rock star lifestyle in general, and become one of America's most respected celebrity golfers. And now, Alice has released Alice Cooper, Golf Monster, his autobiography, which is a most enjoyable read.

Cooper wrote Golf Monster collaborating with Keith and Kent Zimmerman, who also co-authored Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten's memoir. Alice Cooper, Golf Monster is a tell-all memoir that alternates between Cooper's life story and his own "twelve step program" for becoming a golf addict. Alice's sense of humor has been his trademark as a songwriter, and that humor is present throughout this book.

Golf Monster follows Cooper's life (born Vincent Damon Furnier in 1948) from his childhood in Detroit to his teenage years in Phoenix when he formed his first band, the Earwigs, through his forty-plus year musical career and his battle with the alcohol addiction that nearly destroyed his marriage and ended his life. Alice's close friendship with longtime manager Shep Gordon is also covered in this book.

Pop culture buffs will love this book, which is filled with anecdotes of Cooper's exploits with his many celebrity friends and acquaintances, from Frank Sinatra to Groucho Marx, Fred Astaire to Jack Benny, Salvador Dali to Peter Sellers. Many of Alice's colleagues from the rock music industry are here, including Paul McCartney, John Lennon, The Who, Elvis, Frank Zappa, Jim Morrison and Pink Floyd. Alice Cooper, Golf Monster is filled with lots of fascinating tales for readers to enjoy.

Alice writes about his relationship with his father, Ether Moroni Furnier, and the impact his dad has had upon his life. Although the elder Furnier was a minister, he always came out to the VIP Club on Friday nights to watch his son and his band play during their early days in Phoenix. Alice adds that while his father didn't condone his rocker lifestyle, he never had a problem with the music.

Cooper also writes about his conversion to Christianity, and he manages to do so in a manner that is quite interesting without being preachy. While he has talked openly about his faith over the years, he has also managed to avoid the trappings of "celebrity Christianity." Alice describes his walk with Christ as "an on-going, every-single-day kind of existence." Cooper recounts a conversation with his pastor during a time when Alice was struggling to reconcile his old image with his new faith. The minister told Cooper that while he lives in the world of "sex, drugs and rock n' roll," he was also a man who doesn't cheat on his wife, do drugs, or go to strip bars with the boys. The members of Alice's band, and his road crew see him reading his Bible and praying every night on his tour bus, and that quiet example speaks louder than any amount of preaching he could have done from the stage.

The book's title makes reference to Alice's new addiction, and the fact that he has replaced an unhealthy addiction (alcohol) with a healthy one (golf). Between the chapters of Cooper's life story are additional chapters laying out Alice's twelve steps to becoming a golf addict, for those who seriously want to dedicate themselves to the game. Cooper freely admits to having an addictive personality, and in addition to alcohol and golf, some of his other addictions have included horror movies, televisions (at one point, he had twenty-seven sets in his home), TV trivia, watches, shopping, and bad kung fu movies (he watches one before each show as part of his pre-concert ritual). The book's appendix is titled "Alice's Golf Clinic," in which Cooper offers golf tips for improving one's game.

Alice Cooper, Golf Monster is a thoroughly enjoyable read. This is the story of a man who has been to the pinnacle of his profession, conquered addiction and found redemption. I've been an Alice Cooper fan for many years, and I gladly recommend this book not only to other Alice fans, but also for golf enthusiasts.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it to Death January 21, 2008

By JMack VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

As much of an Alice Cooper fan as I am, I am somewhat ashamed that it took me so long to read this book. Based on the title, I originally thought it was more of a golf book. Golf tidbits are intermixed with anecdotes of a life in rock'n'roll. So even those like myself that know almost nothing of the sport will still love this book.

In the history of rock, few figures are as misunderstood as Alice Cooper. Often the victim of baseless rumors during the 70's, he still became one of music's most successful acts. "Golf Monster" chronicles the music, booze, golf in a way that is certain to make readers smile. I never really thought Alice had so many friends in the entertainmnet business! My only real complaint is that I would have liked a longer book with more discussion of the music and tours. Some of my favorite albums were hardly discussed.

I also really enjoyed reading about the "new" Alice Cooper. He is more than enough proof that Christians do not need to be boring. And even in his act, he does not compromise his faith in his on-stage "character". As Alice says, if you believe he errors in his faith, show him. Fans of Alice are certain to love this book, even if they don't like golf.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Alice-Lite May 7, 2007

By Michael Thomas Roe

Format:Hardcover

I've been following the Coop ever since my tender ears beheld "School's Out" on the radio in '73. I think it's safe to say it pretty much changed my life. After reading "Golf Monster", I'm convinced that no one will ever know the true story of Alice Cooper. There have been two previous "authorized" attempts: 1) Michael Bruce's "No More Mr. Nice Guy", wherein the original Alice Cooper guitarist/songwriter gives his side of "the story", which is sometimes different from the Coop's and 2) Alice Cooper's own "Me, Alice" (1976), which gives the reader quite the earful about Alice and band's pre-fame exploits, some of them dealing with sex-in-coffins and things-to-do-with-jelly-donuts. "Golf Monster" does very little to clear up the discrepencies in the aforementioned books and actually throws a little more fuel on the fire. However, it does succeed (and this is what makes the book worth reading) most when it picks up where "Me, Alice" left off. That is to describe the trails and tribulations of Alice, post-"Welcome To My Nighmare". But it must be pointed out that the stories have, over time, become sanitized. The tone and feel of "Golf Monster" is nigh on G-rated. It is darn near Sunday night, have the family over, and read around the fire material.

And more curious, in what is either a brilliant or lose-rock-n-roll-credibility move, Alice has decided to throw golf and religion in to the mix.

So, reader, read at your own peril. This is Alice's "story" as he sees fit to tell in the year 2007. It is rumoured that original Alice Cooper bassist Dennis Dunnaway (a nice guy if ever there were one) is going to present his memoirs. Maybe that will set the record straight. Maybe...