Former ALICE COOPER Bassist DENNIS DUNAWAY: "It's Hard To Believe That Everyone Buys That We Only Drank"
March 5, 2007, 17 years ago
Sleaze Roxx has issued an interview with former ALICE COOPER BAND bassist DENNIS DUNAWAY. The following is an excerpt:
Q: We've all heard about Alice's battles with alcohol, but how much of a factor was it for you?
A: "Alice and Glen drank a lot of whiskey and beer. The severe stages of that was a detrimental factor for the whole band. It was the 60's and 70's and we were at the top of the game. It's hard to believe that everyone buys that we only drank. It makes me realize how easy it is to lead people by repeating over and over what you want them to believe. Exhaustion and hordes of fans offering to turn us on made up our waking lives. Surviving all we did is a miracle."
Q: I was going to ask that. You guys came from the experimental 60s, drugs had to have been a part of the band.
A: "Like Dennis Hopper said, 'If you remember the 60's you weren't really there.' Music was always the ultimate elixer though. Michael, Neal, and I learned to exersize moderation in the arena days. That was more professional. I would have a beer during the encore and a couple after the show but that was about it. Days off, which were rare, were a different story."
Q: Your website says you are working on a memoir, is this going to be a full-blown biography?
A: "I got the inspiration and began writing during my hospital stay. It's a detailed account that focuses on the early years of the band and up until the Hollywood Bowl concert. It's not detailed in the respect of listing every tour date or redundancy like that. The detail is in my intention to put the reader in the station wagon, the rehearsal room, and on stage with the band. I was the quiet observer and have discovered that I noted details about things that nobody else remembers... things that I find to be insightful and entertaining. It's been a slow process because I want it to be a smooth read and ring true. It is nearing completion."
Read the full interview at this location.