Debutantes, drag queens & Vaseline: The epic ‘Coming Out Party for Miss Alice Cooper,’ 1971

07.29.2020
03:50 pm
Topics:
Amusing
Music
Queer
Tags:
Los Angeles
Alice Cooper
The Cockettes
1971

An alternate image for Alice Cooper’s album ‘Killer.’ This image was also used for a calendar that came along with the record.

In the May 6th, 1972 issue of Billboard, there’s an amusing story about how a controversial poster of Alice Cooper (pictured above) ended up plastered on a “staff only” door in the White House during Richard Nixon’s administration. Allegedly, someone at Warner Bros., Cooper’s label at the time, had a pal (described as a “semi-longhaired fellow”) who worked at the White House. The W.H. staffer’s rocker friend would send him care packages full of records and other Warner-related stuff including a poster of Alice Cooper hanging from a noose covered in fake blood. The image was an alternate for Cooper’s 1971 album Killer and also appeared on a nifty Alice Cooper calendar for 1972, included in the record. The staffer then took the poster and stuck it on a door at the end of a “staff only” corridor in the W.H., presumably until it was discovered and burned by one of Tricky Dick’s dicks.

Did this really happen? One can only hope, as Bob Regehr, one of Warner’s greatest assets in the 70s and 80s, was Cooper’s champion and likely had everything to do with the circulation of this fantastic piece of folklore. Regehr was instrumental in signing acts like Roxy Music, the Sex Pistols, and Laurie Anderson. Back in the day, Cooper had Regehr in the first spot in his Rolodex, and for their next act to keep Killer on everyone’s mind, they devised a plan to throw an elaborate party in Cooper’s honor. And when I say “elaborate,” I really mean “deranged,” which makes more sense since this was 1971 and Alice Cooper was involved.

But before we get to the party to end all parties, there’s a little twist as to why the party was dubbed “The Coming Out Party for Miss Alice Cooper.” According to another Warner executive, Stan Cornyn, he was part of a conversation about Killer with Joel Friedman, Warner’s head of distribution for the U.S., and Regehr, who was heading up Warner’s Artist Relations. When Cornyn heard Friedman say, “Alice Cooper! Her record is doing great!” he and Regehr dreamed up the idea of Cooper “coming out” to the world during a star-studded, debaucherous party. And that’s precisely what happened—because it ain’t a real party until the gorilla suit rented for the occasion goes missing during the festivities, never to be seen again.

Held at The Ambassador Hotel, the hotel staff did not know any of the details behind the “coming out” party to be held in their Venetian ballroom. Here’s the wording on the invitation:

“You and a guest are cordially invited to attend the summer season debut of Alice Cooper, to be held at the Venetian Room, Ambassador Hotel, 3400 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, the evening of Wednesday, July 14th, 8:30 PM to midnight. Formal dress or equivalent costume is requested, but hardly mandatory.”

The details of the party were left to Dennis Lopez who had plenty of experience throwing unforgettable bashes all over San Francisco for legendary drag troupe The Cockettes. Cooper was known to spend time with the Cockettes whenever he came through S.F., as Cooper dug their “gender fuck” vibe, and likewise, the Cockettes dug Cooper’s over-the-top showmanship. Advertised as a “formal dress” kind of ball, many guests did arrive dressed to the nines. Inside the Venetian Room, an orchestra was in full swing. After guests were greeted by a Cockette dressed in a gorilla suit, more Cockettes (many with beards, beaded gowns, and headdresses) threw red roses as approximately 500 party goers entered, including Randy Newman, various Beach Boys, Gordon Lightfoot, Donovan, and Cynthia Plaster Caster. Because it’s not a fucking party until someone sticks their dick in a plaster mold. Other members of the Cockettes were dressed as cigarette girls offering up cigars, cigarettes, and Vaseline. In addition to the orchestra, Elsie May, aka T.V. Mama (a former backup singer for James Brown), and her “stoned-freak out soul band” ran through a few numbers before T.V. Mama (a lady of “ample” proportions) stripped down to her undies and performed topless. But what about the guest of honor, Alice Cooper?

When it was time to recognize “Cooper’s coming out,” a massive cake was wheeled into the Venetian Room. Until this point, Cooper had been busy socializing with his guests decked out in a black tuxedo. Once the cake arrived, Cooper rejoined the party dressed in a silver-studded bodystocking while T.V. Mama kept the crowd going, singing and stripping. The cake was decorated with the inscription “Happy Bastille Day, Alice Cooper” and before anyone knew what hit them, Miss Mercy (RIP) of the GTO’s (the Frank Zappa produced group Girls Together Outrageously) burst out from the top of the cake, pelting everyone, including Cooper with frosting, which sounds utterly delicious. Following the cake throwing/topless dancing mayhem, the band took the stage to bang out of few tracks from Killer, concluding the set by showering the crowd with feathers and taking turns swinging on the room’s opulent chandeliers. As guests departed, Cockette cigarette “girls” were now offering up dildos as a parting gift. The hijinx at The Ambassador did not go unnoticed, and it was widely reported in the press along with photos universally referring to Cooper as “he.” Regehr and Cornyn’s plan had worked its magic. Cooper’s album sales jumped significantly.

Stan Cornyn noted the last time the gorilla suit was seen, it was bolting like hell down Sunset Strip around six in the morning powered by a Cockette with a head full of acid.

Alice flanked by members of the Cockettes. Cooper’s bandmates, decked out in identical tuxedos, Dennis Dunaway, Glen Buxton, Neal Smith, and Michael Bruce are also in the photo. Image source.

A few photos from Cooper’s “coming out” bash. Image source.

Another magazine clipping about Cooper’s “coming out” party. Actress, model and Warhol muse Pat Ast is pictured in the bottom right next to the gorilla.

T.V. Mama!

The calendar that came with ‘Killer.’

The piece that ran in Billboard on Bob Regehr where he talks about Cooper’s “coming out” party and the Alice Cooper poster hanging in the WH.