He was born this way
June 12, 2012 11:40 PM Subscribe
yeah, I smiled, then chased a few other links. Man, ole Alice has put together one hot band. This version of Elected is worth at least two more smiles. I doubt it was much better back in 72.
posted by philip-random at 12:02 AM on June 13, 2012
posted by philip-random at 12:02 AM on June 13, 2012
I have some issues with this song (basically the first mega-smash hit gay anthem that was specifically designed and commercialized to be a Mega-Smash Hit Gay Anthem, and part of the onslaught of the corporate commodification of "gay culture" into a one-sided stereotype), but Alice fucking owns it here.
Also I really love that "Die Yuppie Scum" t-shirt.
posted by Jon_Evil at 12:02 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Also I really love that "Die Yuppie Scum" t-shirt.
posted by Jon_Evil at 12:02 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
*send to XBMC*
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:13 AM on June 13, 2012
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:13 AM on June 13, 2012
Sorry, but Gay Anthems have been specifically produced for us for at least twenty years now. I'd say that ever since Donna Summer's "I Will Survive" came out of nowhere to enjoy eternal playtime, people have been trying to replicate that success. Madonna was pretty good at consistently churning them out for awhile there - gay guys were probably listening to her on average a decade longer than anyone else. And Cher's brief comeback was pretty much exclusively sustained by teh gay.
Born This Way is remarkable in that it is popular outside of that specific and explicit target audience, but yeah, us gays been listening to shitty pop anthems designed just for us for a long time now.
posted by mek at 12:14 AM on June 13, 2012 [7 favorites]
Born This Way is remarkable in that it is popular outside of that specific and explicit target audience, but yeah, us gays been listening to shitty pop anthems designed just for us for a long time now.
posted by mek at 12:14 AM on June 13, 2012 [7 favorites]
Last I heard, Alice (aka Vincent Furnier) had found himself some religion of a born again kind, but it's cool to see it hasn't affected his ability to cut loose, offend, wallow in gore, sing timeless anthems of rebellion and freakishness.
On the other hand ...
posted by philip-random at 12:18 AM on June 13, 2012
On the other hand ...
posted by philip-random at 12:18 AM on June 13, 2012
"I Will Survive" was by Gloria Gaynor.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:21 AM on June 13, 2012 [14 favorites]
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:21 AM on June 13, 2012 [14 favorites]
He was born (again) this way
posted by mediated self at 12:30 AM on June 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by mediated self at 12:30 AM on June 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
Also I really love that "Die Yuppie Scum" t-shirt.
Now if only he could persuade all his other Republican-voting chums to embrace the sentiment...
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:31 AM on June 13, 2012 [5 favorites]
Now if only he could persuade all his other Republican-voting chums to embrace the sentiment...
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:31 AM on June 13, 2012 [5 favorites]
Gay Anthems have been specifically produced for us for at least twenty years now.
Twenty years??? I think you'll find that the concept of being "born this way" has been a motif for gay anthems for nearly FORTY years now.
(And I Will Survive isn't a gay anthem. It's a feminist anthem. And yeah, BOP has the rest of the story. If you want gay anthems that were engineered to be wide hits, look to the Village People. It was, after all, fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A., for reasons which were all too well known to the right segment of the audience.)
posted by hippybear at 12:31 AM on June 13, 2012 [7 favorites]
Twenty years??? I think you'll find that the concept of being "born this way" has been a motif for gay anthems for nearly FORTY years now.
(And I Will Survive isn't a gay anthem. It's a feminist anthem. And yeah, BOP has the rest of the story. If you want gay anthems that were engineered to be wide hits, look to the Village People. It was, after all, fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A., for reasons which were all too well known to the right segment of the audience.)
posted by hippybear at 12:31 AM on June 13, 2012 [7 favorites]
"I Will Survive" was by Gloria Gaynor.
Eek, I knew that too. Revoke my card.
posted by mek at 12:32 AM on June 13, 2012
Eek, I knew that too. Revoke my card.
posted by mek at 12:32 AM on June 13, 2012
I saw him live when I was working at the San Diego county fair when I was 14. I had no idea what was going on.
posted by Drumhellz at 12:40 AM on June 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Drumhellz at 12:40 AM on June 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
It can't be a real gay anthem if it isn't crass and commercial in some way.
Loved this version, loved to see Alice still rock out and looking good.
posted by MartinWisse at 1:02 AM on June 13, 2012
Loved this version, loved to see Alice still rock out and looking good.
posted by MartinWisse at 1:02 AM on June 13, 2012
Alice Cooper is justifiably underrated, but he did have a comic book. Damn! That comic book was great! Have you ever seen that? In the comic book, Alice Cooper is confined to a mental ward, but things turn political. It's the wild and crazy guy from the clinic! He's trying to co-opt the franchise of the electorate!
posted by twoleftfeet at 1:29 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by twoleftfeet at 1:29 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Pretty awesome
posted by krazykorean at 1:36 AM on June 13, 2012
posted by krazykorean at 1:36 AM on June 13, 2012
And every time I try to hum it, out comes "Express Yourself". By the third bar, more or less.
posted by kandinski at 1:38 AM on June 13, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by kandinski at 1:38 AM on June 13, 2012 [5 favorites]
I live near musical equipment legend Bob Heil. The rumor around these parts is that when Heil was still located in Sparta, Illinois in the 70s, he used to have regular (very famous) visitors come to see him to talk about whatever custom gear project they wanted him to build for them. (he designed and built the Who's Quadrophenia mixer, for example). And apparently Alice Cooper was one of those visitors! Sparta is a very small farm town in Southern Illinois. So, just imagine in the 70s driving down the street of a small rural quiet farm town only to see the freak that was 1970s Alice Cooper walking down the sidewalk. I am told that such scenarios actually happened with regularity. (Joe Walsh was another common visitor… and many others, if local legend is to be believed; i'm pretty sure it's all true)
posted by readyfreddy at 3:16 AM on June 13, 2012
posted by readyfreddy at 3:16 AM on June 13, 2012
Alice Cooper Republican? Born again? Fuck me.
Actually, Alice Cooper has been highly religious and a Republican since at least the 1970s. He was a preacher's son, and he's been married for decades to one of his dancers, who also is a preacher's kid. He also loves to golf and was Barry Goldwater's neighbor in Arizona for many years. So the Republicanism or the religiosity isn't really anything new. Born again rumors crop up from time to time simply because Alice Cooper is a frequent churchgoer, but they make the mistaken assumption that Cooper only recently started being religious.
posted by jonp72 at 4:54 AM on June 13, 2012 [3 favorites]
Actually, Alice Cooper has been highly religious and a Republican since at least the 1970s. He was a preacher's son, and he's been married for decades to one of his dancers, who also is a preacher's kid. He also loves to golf and was Barry Goldwater's neighbor in Arizona for many years. So the Republicanism or the religiosity isn't really anything new. Born again rumors crop up from time to time simply because Alice Cooper is a frequent churchgoer, but they make the mistaken assumption that Cooper only recently started being religious.
posted by jonp72 at 4:54 AM on June 13, 2012 [3 favorites]
Here's me looking up tour info.
Under My Wheels - Berlin in Oct 2011
Me and the offspring were groovin' to Gaga's Born This Way last night. This is just perfect, thanks, hippybear!
posted by readery at 4:54 AM on June 13, 2012
Under My Wheels - Berlin in Oct 2011
Me and the offspring were groovin' to Gaga's Born This Way last night. This is just perfect, thanks, hippybear!
posted by readery at 4:54 AM on June 13, 2012
Yeah, 'born again' doesn't even apply, according to Renfield via the old Sick Things mailing list. Alice has always had his religious side. To get past the dissonance this may invoke, realize that early Alice was played as a victim and only since Trash has the provocateur persona evolved.
posted by Ardiril at 5:13 AM on June 13, 2012
posted by Ardiril at 5:13 AM on June 13, 2012
Your pastor may not be too metal, angrycat, but Jesus sure is.
posted by monkeymadness at 5:27 AM on June 13, 2012
posted by monkeymadness at 5:27 AM on June 13, 2012
I hope he plays this when he opens for Iron Maiden in about 2 weeks. I'll be there.
posted by COD at 5:33 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by COD at 5:33 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Have you ever looked at a person, not just their features but who they are, and thought that they look like they're from some specific city? Alice Cooper has always seemed like he should be from Toledo to me, I don't know why.
posted by charred husk at 5:40 AM on June 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by charred husk at 5:40 AM on June 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
He also loves to golf
Easy there, buddy - let's not automatically connect golf with the right wing. Huge golf fan here - and also hugely liberal.
posted by davebush at 5:44 AM on June 13, 2012
Easy there, buddy - let's not automatically connect golf with the right wing. Huge golf fan here - and also hugely liberal.
posted by davebush at 5:44 AM on June 13, 2012
Alice, along with his pal Ted Nugent, has always swung to the right, along when they started out in the end of the hippy dippy 60's it was something of a novelty at least. So, regrettable politics, but you'll get my copies of 'Eighteen' and 'Schools Out when you pry them from my cold dead hands.
posted by jonmc at 6:18 AM on June 13, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by jonmc at 6:18 AM on June 13, 2012 [3 favorites]
Has anyone else been having a ton of buffering issues with youtube lately? It's been the equivalent of realplayer for me the past few weeks... Not trying to derail, just trying to figure out if it's something on my end.
posted by inigo2 at 6:39 AM on June 13, 2012
posted by inigo2 at 6:39 AM on June 13, 2012
monkeymadness: "Your pastor may not be too metal, angrycat, but Jesus sure is."
My pastor is Bob Beeman. He's the Ricky Rachtman of preachers.
posted by symbioid at 6:39 AM on June 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
My pastor is Bob Beeman. He's the Ricky Rachtman of preachers.
posted by symbioid at 6:39 AM on June 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
Alice Cooper has been highly religious and a Republican since at least the 1970s.
Creationist too.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 6:46 AM on June 13, 2012
Creationist too.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 6:46 AM on June 13, 2012
that was an awesome arrangement but the best part was the woman guitarist. She's amazing.
posted by bluesky43 at 7:11 AM on June 13, 2012
posted by bluesky43 at 7:11 AM on June 13, 2012
> Alice Cooper has been highly religious and a Republican since at least the 1970s.
Last Halloween I saw Alice Cooper give a Q&A about his love of horror films at the BFI in London. His gleeful descriptions of cinematic gore drew chuckles from the audience, but his admission that he believed in God elicited gasps.
posted by hot soup girl at 8:05 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Last Halloween I saw Alice Cooper give a Q&A about his love of horror films at the BFI in London. His gleeful descriptions of cinematic gore drew chuckles from the audience, but his admission that he believed in God elicited gasps.
posted by hot soup girl at 8:05 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
> Alice Cooper Republican? Born again? Fuck me.
Seriously? You aren't aching to hear the Alice Cooper Christmas Album? You aren't urgently looking forward to Alice and Marilyn Manson doing "How Great Thou Art"?
posted by jfuller at 8:05 AM on June 13, 2012
Seriously? You aren't aching to hear the Alice Cooper Christmas Album? You aren't urgently looking forward to Alice and Marilyn Manson doing "How Great Thou Art"?
posted by jfuller at 8:05 AM on June 13, 2012
Alice Cooper got over his alcoholism by turning to religion. That doesn't make him automatically into a Guns and Gawd nut like Ted Nugent.
He still puts on a hell of a show, likes his golf and runs a restaurant.
That's all fine by me, as long as he still does "Billion Dollar Babies", "Under My Wheels", "Only Women Bleed" and "Poison" followed up by his head getting chopped off in a guillotine.
posted by Renoroc at 8:16 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
He still puts on a hell of a show, likes his golf and runs a restaurant.
That's all fine by me, as long as he still does "Billion Dollar Babies", "Under My Wheels", "Only Women Bleed" and "Poison" followed up by his head getting chopped off in a guillotine.
posted by Renoroc at 8:16 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
That doesn't make him automatically into a Guns and Gawd nut like Ted Nugent.
His calling one Sarah Palin "a breath of fresh air" doesn't help his case, either.
posted by hell toupee at 8:24 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
His calling one Sarah Palin "a breath of fresh air" doesn't help his case, either.
posted by hell toupee at 8:24 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
followed up by his head getting chopped off in a guillotine.
I saw Alice Cooper on a double bill with Rob Zombie not terribly long ago.
I seem to remember he was killed some six or seven different ways during that show. Very Grand Guignol all around. When he's put into the box and has all the spikes driven through him, the blood spray made pretty good contact with a lot of the front of the audience.
posted by hippybear at 8:25 AM on June 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
I saw Alice Cooper on a double bill with Rob Zombie not terribly long ago.
I seem to remember he was killed some six or seven different ways during that show. Very Grand Guignol all around. When he's put into the box and has all the spikes driven through him, the blood spray made pretty good contact with a lot of the front of the audience.
posted by hippybear at 8:25 AM on June 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
You aren't aching to hear the Alice Cooper Christmas Album?
Cooper does a large concert every year in the Phoenix area called Alice Cooper's Christmas Pudding. Here's a review of the most recent one.
He also contributed this to an anthology album not too long ago.
So, you think you're joking, but you may actually be suggesting to the Universe that this actually needs to happen. I'd watch your record bins toward the end of the year for the next few years -- you might be surprised.
posted by hippybear at 8:42 AM on June 13, 2012
Cooper does a large concert every year in the Phoenix area called Alice Cooper's Christmas Pudding. Here's a review of the most recent one.
He also contributed this to an anthology album not too long ago.
So, you think you're joking, but you may actually be suggesting to the Universe that this actually needs to happen. I'd watch your record bins toward the end of the year for the next few years -- you might be surprised.
posted by hippybear at 8:42 AM on June 13, 2012
Fun fact: Alice Cooper was "discovered" by Frank Zappa. Zappa wanted to call him Alice Cookies.
posted by Dick Laurent is Dead at 9:08 AM on June 13, 2012
posted by Dick Laurent is Dead at 9:08 AM on June 13, 2012
Yeah, 'born again' doesn't even apply,
I believe I'm the first one to use "born again" in this thread. Sorry. It was late and I was lazy. I believe I should have said evangelical, but honestly, I'm not even sure if that's right.
What is the proper designation for a Christian of a protestant denomination who believes what he believes but doesn't feel inclined to shove it down the throats of others?
posted by philip-random at 9:08 AM on June 13, 2012
I believe I'm the first one to use "born again" in this thread. Sorry. It was late and I was lazy. I believe I should have said evangelical, but honestly, I'm not even sure if that's right.
What is the proper designation for a Christian of a protestant denomination who believes what he believes but doesn't feel inclined to shove it down the throats of others?
posted by philip-random at 9:08 AM on June 13, 2012
charred husk: "Alice Cooper has always seemed like he should be from Toledo to me, I don't know why."
More like Milwaukee.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:59 AM on June 13, 2012
More like Milwaukee.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:59 AM on June 13, 2012
"What is the proper designation" - In this case, you could say he was "born that way".
posted by Ardiril at 10:25 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Ardiril at 10:25 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
> So, you think you're joking, but you may actually be suggesting to the Universe that this actually needs to happen.
Not joking. If I had a metal band we would do an Easter show, ending with a headbanger "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" that would crack the planet open and let the yolk gush out.
posted by jfuller at 10:59 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Not joking. If I had a metal band we would do an Easter show, ending with a headbanger "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" that would crack the planet open and let the yolk gush out.
posted by jfuller at 10:59 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
He had a really catchy "new wave" song back in 1980, Clones.
posted by cazoo at 11:27 AM on June 13, 2012
posted by cazoo at 11:27 AM on June 13, 2012
> Alice Cooper has always seemed like he should be from Toledo to me, I don't know why.
Perhaps something about him reminds you of Maxwell Klinger?
posted by hot soup girl at 5:49 AM on June 14, 2012
Perhaps something about him reminds you of Maxwell Klinger?
posted by hot soup girl at 5:49 AM on June 14, 2012
What is the proper designation for a Christian of a protestant denomination who believes what he believes but doesn't feel inclined to shove it down the throats of others?
Endangered species?
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 8:40 AM on June 14, 2012
Endangered species?
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 8:40 AM on June 14, 2012
« Older Fiona Russell Powell | In the land of the Old Masters, the multimedia... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by Lazlo at 11:57 PM on June 12, 2012