What does a rock star do when he wants to attract attention?
Record a new album?
Put on a spectacular stage show?
Or perhaps simply arrange his own funeral?
Alice Cooper chose the third option.
In 1973, at the height of his early career, Cooper attracted attention in the United States with an unusual publicity stunt. In Los Angeles, a kind of “funeral” was staged for the rock star.
A coffin was displayed.
Mourners appeared.
Flowers and funeral wreaths were arranged.
And, of course, the entire event revolved around Alice Cooper – the musician who was already famous for playing with death, horror and dark humor.
The stunt fitted his image perfectly.
But Cooper went even further.
His concerts already featured executions, guillotines, electric chairs and other macabre elements. His “death” was therefore not simply a publicity stunt – it was an extension of the Alice Cooper character.
The idea was clever:
If people actually believed that the famous shock rocker had “died,” they would talk about it.
And that is exactly what happened.
At a time when social media did not exist and rumors had to spread through newspapers, radio and word of mouth, such a stunt could be a remarkably effective form of publicity.
The story shows just how closely rock music and provocation had become connected in the early 1970s.
Alice Cooper didn't just play with death on stage.
He turned death itself into part of his public image.
And in doing so, he demonstrated one of the oldest rules of rock'n'roll:
If everyone is talking about you, you must be doing something right.
Whether people thought he was brilliant, tasteless or completely insane was almost irrelevant.
Alice Cooper was suddenly dead.
At least according to the headlines.
And, of course, only for a very short time.
