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'I'm Not Lewd,' Swears Alice

"There's nothing lewd in this show," Alice Cooper told a reporter before one of the warm-up dates on his 68 show "Welcome To My Nightmare" tour. "I believe in suggestion. I don't do it. I suggest it." But Alice's reputation for the violently bizarre preceded him in Erie, Pa., where the local Humane Society called the concert promoter to check out rumors that evil Alice was skinning cats on stage. While Erie's animal lovers were quickly assured that nothing of the kind took place in Alice's new all-singing, all-dancing revue, the Australian immigration authorities were not so easily convinced. When the semi-documentary feature film "Good To See You Again, Alice Cooper" was screened Down Under, a number of upset mothers complained to the cultural minister who in turn passed the buck to the man in charge of granting work permits and visas. Without seeing an Alice Cooper show for himself, the immigration chief resolved not to allow Alice into Australia, although Cooper cannot legally be refused entry into the country before he asks for it.

With reviews of the "Nightmare" show taking a decidedly positive turn, Alice's $800,000 production is expected to gross between $5 and 6 million. Adding to his list of fans who are celebrities in their own right, Alice accomodated musical comedy star Carol Channing's request for five barkstage passes for the Atlanta show, while writer/model/actress/photographer Candice Bergen toured with the Coop for several days in order to put together a lengthy feature for a major men's magazine.

Meanwhile, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, and Neil Smith met with Alice in Detroit, squelching rumours that the "old" Alice Cooper band aren't talking. No specific plans were made for the group to get back together in the immediate future, however, as Alice has plans to take the "Nightmare" show around the world before he considers any future recordings.