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

Alice Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 27, 2008

Wretched excess, rock stardom, and golf—from the man who invented shock rock

In this tell-all memoir, Alice Cooper speaks candidly about his life and career, including all the years of rock ’n’ roll history he’s been a part of, the addictions he faced, and the surprising ways he found redemption.

From a childhood spent as a minister’s son worshiping baseball and rock ’n’ roll; to days on the road with his band, working to make a name for themselves; to stardom and the insanity that came with it, including a quart-of-whiskey-a-day habit; to drying out at a sanitarium back in the late ’70s, Alice Cooper paints a rich and rockin’ portrait of his life and his battle against addiction—fought by getting up daily at 7 a.m. to play 36 holes of golf.

Alice tells hilarious, touching, and sometimes astounding stories about Led Zeppelin and the Doors, George Burns and Groucho Marx, John Daly and Tiger Woods . . . everyone is here from Dalí to Elvis to Arnold Palmer.

Alice Cooper, Golf Monster is the incredible story of someone who rose through the rock ’n’ roll ranks releasing platinum albums and selling out arenas with his legendary act—all while becoming one of the best celebrity golfers around.

Editorial Reviews

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


From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Alice Cooper is a legendary rock icon, his name a household word. He tours around the world every year and continues to release albums. He also participates in many celebrity charity events and has hosted ten of his own annual Alice Cooper Celebrity Golf Tournaments. He is a comfortable five handicap.

Keith and Kent Zimmerman are a unique writing team of twin brothers. They are the coauthors of twelve books, including Rotten with John Lydon of the Sex Pistols, Orange County Choppers™: The Tale of the Teutuls, and the New York Times bestseller Hell’s Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club.


From the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (May 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307382915
• ISBN-13: 978-0307382917
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #341,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Could have been longer, June 21, 2008

By 

Bobby K. Daugherty "Jack of the Trade Winds" (The Seven Seas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A Rock 'n' Roller's Life and 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict (Paperback)

I bought this book and read it in one setting. There are a few stories told here that I didn't know about, and he does seem to take golf very seriously. I myself detest golf but I must admit Alice is very persuasive. The style of writing utilized here is very difficult to resist and I found the book difficult to set down.
There are a few parts in the book where Alice discuses his religious faith, but he's not pushy with it. There are some genuinely funny stories relayed in the book and he does cover a few of the lesser known events of his career.
Overall I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in classic rock. I'm not a big golf person and would not know how good his golf tips are.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How Much of this Really happened?, March 21, 2010

By 

melodygoddess (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A Rock 'n' Roller's Life and 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict (Paperback)

Half of this book is golf tips and golf philosophy from Alice. The other half is his autobiography. Alice has apparently met many celebrites. He always did like to name drop but there are plenty of photos of him with Hollywood royalty so he did meet a lot of show biz people.

Alice has been known to be a story teller though. In the 70's he used to get bored answering the same old questions from reporters so he'd start to make up stories to shock and amaze reporters and amuse himself, like starting the rumour that he was really the actor who played Eddie Haskell on Leave It To Beaver.

One of the new wrinkles in this auto-biography is how he met his manager Shep Gordon. In his 1976 autobiography, "Me Alice", Alice decribes how his then drummer Neal Smith's sister Cindy Smith ran a clothing boutique in LA. Shep Gordon and his pal Joey Greenburg came into the boutique for some reason. They mentioned to the sales lady that they were rock n'roll managers. Cindy overheard this and convinced Shep and Joey to check out her brother's band who were in desperate need of a manager. Shep didn't seem too receptive at first until she told them they were to receive a six thousand dollar advance from Frank Zappa to join his record label. All of a sudden Shep and Joey's ears perk up and the rest is history.

In Alice's 2nd auto-biography, "Golf Monster", no mention is made of Cindy Smith. Alice and his original band mates were staying at the famous Land Mark hotel in LA. Shep Gordon was also staying there. Jimi Hendrix was also there and met Shep Gordon. In casual conversation Jimi asked Shep what he did for a living and such. Then Jimi said, Are you Jewish? "You should be a manager." Jimi arranged for Alice to meet Shep and the rest was history.

I guess this is more exciting story than the first one with Cindy Smith. It's better to say that Jimi Hendrix introduced me to my manager. What's Jimi going to do, deny it?

So take whatever you hear from Alice with a grain of salt..still interesting reading though.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to his nightmare..., July 9, 2010

By 

Stephen Woods (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A Rock 'n' Roller's Life and 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict (Paperback)

Fans of the radio show "Nights With Alice Cooper" will know what to expect with this book.

Alice Cooper is easy company and a great story teller. He is open with his thoughts about everything in life, frank with his views and has a dry sense of humour.

He bounces the reader between his passion of golf (you don't have to be a fan), his development of "Alice" (again, you don't have to be a fan), backgrounded by his long battle with alcohol addiction - by the end of his story, you will be a massive fan!!