Alice Cooper and friend
Face it – rock and roll isn’t that scary. Unless you’re an uptight parent, or some kind of preacher. Rock music about Halloween, and the stuff that comes with Halloween, is goofy and funny, but it isn’t frightening. Although I must admit, I got a bit of a fright the first time I saw Adam Lambert perform … but thankfully that’s not rock and roll. Or is it? Bwahahahaha!
Back in the day, there was Alice Cooper. He had an act that involved boa constrictors, decapitating baby dolls with a guillotine (or something) and an electric chair. Alice also had Top 40 hits – “I’m Eighteen,” “School’s Out” and “No More Mr. Nice Guy” among them. Successful, certainly; entertaining, probably. But scary? No.
Before Alice, back in the 1950s, there was Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. He jumped in and out of a coffin during his stage act, performed fake voodoo rituals and had some pretty crazy music. But his snake wasn’t even real. After Alice, you can take your pick among the punk rockers of the late 1970s: they were kind of disturbing, but honestly not scary. And from the 1990s, you had Marilyn Manson – the less said about him the better.
So by default, I guess Alice Cooper is the scariest guy in rock and roll. Unless you count Adam Lambert …
MP3: “Black Juju” by Alice Cooper
MP3: “Feast of the Mau Mau” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
MP3: “Excitable Boy” (live) by Warren Zevon
MP3: “Frankenstein” (live) by Edgar Winter
MP3: “Don’t Fear The Reaper” by Blue Öyster Cult
MP3: “Skeletons In The Closet” by Alice Cooper
MP3: “Skull Ring” by Iggy Pop w/the Stooges
MP3: “Screamin’ Ball (At Dracula Hall)” by the Duponts
MP3: “Haunted House” by Jumpin’ Gene Simmons
MP3: “The Blob” by the Five Blobs
MP3: “This Is Halloween” by Danny Elfman
MP3: “Bo Meets The Monster” by Bo Diddley
MP3: “Witch Queen of New Orleans” by Redbone
MP3: “Hallowed Be My Name” by Alice Cooper
MP3: “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath
MP3: “Monster Motion” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett
MP3: “Out Of Limits” by the Challengers
MP3: “Purple People Eater” by Sheb Wooley
MP3: “Here Comes The Bride (The Bride of Frankenstein)” by Elvira, Mistress Of The Dark
MP3: “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr.
30 Days Out 