📰 Alice’s Bust — Now It Can Be Revealed – Article: Feb. 1973

A playful NME Gasbag feature clarifying the mystery behind Alice Cooper’s “bust” on the February 3 cover.

A tongue‑in‑cheek NME item revealing that Alice Cooper’s apparent “bust” was nothing more than a decorated T‑shirt — a visual gag that sparked reader confusion and amusement.

📰 Key Highlights

• One‑page humour feature in New Musical Express, February 17, 1973

• Responds to reader letters about Alice Cooper’s February 3 NME cover

• Reveals the “bust” was simply a printed T‑shirt design

• Includes before‑and‑after photos for comic effect

• Part of NME’s Gasbag reader‑interaction column

📰 Overview

This NME Gasbag feature addresses a wave of reader curiosity — and mild panic — over a February 3 cover photo that appeared to show Alice Cooper sporting a bust. The article uses humour, visual comparison, and editorial banter to clear up the misunderstanding.

📰 Source Details

Publication / Venue: New Musical Express

Date: February 17, 1973

Issue / Format: One‑page Gasbag feature

Provenance Notes: Reader‑response humour column.

📰 The Story

The feature opens with a letter from a reader in East Dulwich who admits doing a double‑take at the February 3 NME cover. The image seemed to show Alice Cooper with a full bust — prompting questions ranging from “Has he had a sex change?” to “Is it all that beer weighing his chest down?”

NME’s Gasbag editor responds with characteristic mischief, presenting two photographs:

The original cover image, showing Alice wearing a decorated T‑shirt that creates the illusion of a bust.

A second photo, revealing Alice without the shirt — flat‑chested, as expected.

The editor’s tone is playful, reassuring readers that nothing scandalous or transformative has occurred. The joke hinges on the theatricality of Alice Cooper’s stage persona — a performer who revels in shock, humour, and visual trickery.

The feature also reflects the era’s relationship between artists and the music press. Alice Cooper’s image was already a magnet for controversy and curiosity, and NME leaned into that energy, using the Gasbag column to engage readers directly and keep the conversation lively.

Ultimately, the article is a snapshot of early‑70s rock culture at its most mischievous: a blend of fan fascination, editorial humour, and the theatrical excess that made Alice Cooper a defining figure of the decade.

📰 Related Material

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📰 Closing Notes

This feature captures the playful side of early‑70s rock journalism — a moment where Alice Cooper’s theatrical image collided with reader curiosity, and NME responded with wit and visual proof.

#AliceCooper #NME #1973 #Gasbag #RockHumour #ShockRock #GlamSlamChronicles

📰 Sources

• New Musical Express, February 17, 1973

• NME cover (February 3, 1973)

• Contemporary Alice Cooper press coverage

📝 Copyright Notice

All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non‑commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.