Alice Cooper Group / Glam Rock (October 26, 1972) – “Ugly Ugly Ugly Ugly” Feature - Star-Phoenix
This provocative Star-Phoenix feature by Grace Lichtenstein examines Alice Cooper within the wider phenomenon of theatrical rock in 1972. Using the Alice Cooper Group as its main example, the article considers shock-rock staging, audience reaction, sexuality, image and the increasingly elaborate spectacle surrounding contemporary performers, while also drawing comparisons with Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Marc Bolan.
Publication: Star-Phoenix
Date: October 26, 1972
Country: Canada
Writer: Grace Lichtenstein
Original Service: New York Times Service
THE STORY
Published under the repeated headline “Ugly ugly ugly ugly”, Grace Lichtenstein opens with a deliberately confrontational assessment:
“Alice Cooper is ugly. His music is ugly. His boa constrictor is ugly.”
Rather than limiting the discussion to Alice Cooper alone, the article uses the group as the starting point for a broader examination of the increasingly theatrical and visually provocative direction of rock music.
The feature asks why freak rock, transvestite rock and decadent rock had become prominent when such imagery had previously been associated with the edges of popular culture.
Lichtenstein suggests that the excess surrounding contemporary rock acts might represent a reaction to an earlier period of comparatively restrained rock performance.
ALICE COOPER GROUP
The article places considerable emphasis on the success of School’s Out, noting the large audiences attracted by the Alice Cooper Group.
The feature describes the group’s theatrical concerts and the deliberately unsettling imagery incorporated into the performances.
Alice Cooper’s stage act is discussed through its use of spectacle, including the boa constrictor prominently shown in the accompanying photograph.
The article also refers to the group’s performance of “I’m Eighteen”, describing the song as capturing adolescent frustration and uncertainty particularly effectively.
School’s Out is also discussed as part of this identification with teenage audiences.
THEATRICAL ROCK
The central theme of the feature is the growing importance of theatre within rock performance.
Lichtenstein argues that music alone was increasingly supplemented by elaborate staging, costume, visual provocation and spectacle.
The article discusses how performers pushed conventional ideas about acceptable stage presentation while attracting increasingly large audiences.
Alice Cooper Group are treated as one of the most obvious examples, with shock imagery and deliberately provocative visual presentation forming an integral part of the performance rather than simply decorating the music.
MICK JAGGER
Mick Jagger is another important figure within the article.
The feature discusses Jagger in the context of sexuality and provocative rock performance, placing the Rolling Stones frontperson within the developing history that preceded the newer theatrical performers.
A smaller photograph appearing towards the lower centre of the page is captioned:
“MICK JAGGER . . . started it all”
The caption reinforces the writer’s argument that the visual and sexual provocations associated with 1972 rock had developed from earlier performers rather than appearing suddenly.
DAVID BOWIE
David Bowie receives a significant section towards the end of the feature.
The article describes Bowie’s presentation in detail and discusses the deliberately ambiguous image surrounding Bowie’s stage performances.
Bowie is presented as one of the most prominent British examples of rock’s increasingly theatrical direction.
The writer also references Bowie’s competition within Britain from other contemporary performers.
MARC BOLAN AND T. REX
Marc Bolan is specifically identified as one of Bowie’s major British competitors.
The article states:
“Bowie already has competition in Britain from the likes of Gary Glitter and cute little Marc Bolan of T. Rex.”
Although Bolan is mentioned only briefly, the reference is significant within the wider context of the article.
It places Marc Bolan and T. Rex firmly within the contemporary discussion surrounding image-conscious British rock during 1972, alongside Bowie and the increasingly theatrical performers dominating the period.
GLAM ROCK IN 1972
Although the piece concentrates primarily on Alice Cooper, its wider subject is the transformation taking place within popular music.
Rock presentation had become increasingly visual, flamboyant and provocative. Clothing, sexuality, theatrical staging and carefully constructed personas were becoming nearly as significant to some performers as the records themselves.
Alice Cooper, Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Marc Bolan are presented at different points within that changing culture.
The article does not offer an entirely approving assessment. Its language is often deliberately provocative and sceptical, providing a valuable example of how some mainstream North American writers reacted to the emergence of theatrical and glam-oriented rock.
PHOTOGRAPHY
The main photograph dominates the upper half of the page and shows Alice Cooper on stage with a boa constrictor.
The printed caption reads:
“ALICE COOPER SERENADING PET BOA CONSTRICTOR”
A smaller photograph of Mick Jagger appears further down the page beneath the caption:
“MICK JAGGER . . . started it all”
The photographic layout reinforces the central argument by placing contemporary theatrical rock alongside one of the performers the writer regards as an important earlier influence.
CONTEXT AND NOTES
Published in October 1972, the feature provides a contemporary North American perspective on the increasingly theatrical direction of rock music.
Alice Cooper Group serve as the principal subject, but the article broadens its argument through comparisons with Mick Jagger and David Bowie and a direct reference to Marc Bolan and T. Rex.
For a glam-rock archive, the clipping is particularly useful because it demonstrates that these performers were already being discussed together in contemporary mainstream journalism, even when writers had not yet settled upon a single universally accepted description for the developing movement.
The feature should also be preserved without softening its criticism. Its sometimes hostile and provocative terminology forms part of the historical record of how theatrical rock was perceived during the period.
FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
Event: Feature examining Alice Cooper and theatrical rock
Publication Date: October 26, 1972
Era: 1972 glam and theatrical rock period
Tone: Provocative, sceptical and analytical
Writer: Grace Lichtenstein
Photography: Large Alice Cooper stage photograph with boa constrictor and smaller Mick Jagger photograph
WHAT THE CLIPPING SHOWS
• Alice Cooper Group used as the principal example of theatrical rock
• Discussion of School’s Out and “I’m Eighteen”
• Examination of shock staging and visual presentation
• Mick Jagger presented as an important predecessor to the newer theatrical performers
• David Bowie discussed as a major British exponent of highly stylised rock presentation
• Marc Bolan and T. Rex specifically identified among Bowie’s British competition
• A contemporary 1972 attempt to understand the rapidly developing glam and theatrical rock phenomenon
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