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Alice Cooper's Panties Were Hot Stuff

As previously reported in the STAR CHRONICLE, Alice Cooper is a far-out guy who heads a far-out rock group, also known as Alice Cooper.

Well, these characters were all set to release their latest album, "School's Out." And the way Alice intended to market the disc was really something' else!

First of all, it was to be released in a jacket that folds into a four-legged school desk. The desk has a piece of bubblegum stuck to its bottom; inside is a comic book and marbles.

Also inside is the record — which was to be wrapped in a pair of paper panties. Yes, paper panties.

"It's a pretty gimmicky idea, and it's bound to create a lot of attention," said a spokesman for Warner Brothers, the company for which Alice records. "We've got 500,000 all set to be shipped."

As it turned out, the promotional stunt did create a lot of attention... but before the albums were shipped. Acting under orders of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), U.S. Customs officers staged what has got to be the biggest panty raid ever when they confiscated all half-million of the paper undies.

In doing so, the FTC referred to the Flammable Fabric Act, which regulates the degree to which clothes must resist catching fire. The panties had to be tested, they said.

Early last June, the FTC reported that the "garments" had failed the test. The Commission told Warner Brothers it could either treat them with some chemical to make them more flame resistant or enclose them in a plastic wrapper with the warning: "Flammable if washed or dry­cleaned."

At this writing, the record firm was pondering its options.