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Alice Cooper and Salvador Dali Live the Surreal Life

In 1973, both legendary artist and the python-loving rocker were at the height of their infamy. So when Dali filmed Cooper wearing $1 million worth of Harry Winston jewels for what was to be the world's first moving hologram (still on display at the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida), the even was treated as a momentous summit of eminent weirdos. And Dali honored the occasion with a suitably strange memento.

Alice Cooper. Let me tell you about the first meeting. We sit down at the St. Regis in New York, which was sort of Dali's stomping ground, and eight unisexual nymphs wearing chiffon and glittery eye makeup walk in. Then Gala, his wife, in a full tuxedo — top hat, gloves, spats, cane, everything. Then Dali comes in and he's got Aladdin shoes, purple socks that Elvis gave him, blue velvet pants, and a giraffe-skin coat, and goes, "The Dali...is here" Dali was a rock star; he was our patron saint. By 1971 or '72, Alice Cooper and Bowie were the only artistic things going on, so he looked at what we did as surrealism. but I was nowhere near his league. He made me the straight man. So there's a three-day shoot for the hologram and finally a small press conference where he says, "This is the Alice Cooper brain," and pulls out a ceramic brain with a chocolate éclair stuck to it and covered with ants that spell out AliCE AND DALI. I asked if I could have it and he said, "Of course not — it's worth millions." And he'd made it the night before. Stayed up all night making the Alice Cooper brain.

Bob Gruen (photographer). Those diamonds would be worth $30 million today. So there's this guy in a bowler hat with an attaché case and a very beautiful woman and a ruther thuggish-looking guy with a machine gun standing guard by the door. The man in the bowler hat opens and attaché case to reveal the diamonds on a red velvet pillow, and the woman walks them over to present to Dali and Alice. The jewels had their own entourage.

Alice Cooper. That's definitely in the top five things that ever happened to me. And by the way, no one knows where the brain is. It's my holy grail, so if you find it, let me know.