Alice Cooper is known for his hits, his trademark eyeliner, his ghoulish stage performances, and his campy B-horror persona, but I don’t think he gets enough credit for being a great storyteller. He’s one of Rock n’ Roll’s finest. (He should also get praise for Cooperstown. His restaurant used to serve some of the best ribs in Phoenix, but sadly, it’s gone now).

Alice Cooper’s lyrical imagination is honored in the new Horror fiction anthology: “Dismember the Coop,” a collection of 15 short stories inspired by his music. Proceeds from the book will go to the Alice Cooper Solid Rock Foundation, a non-profit that benefits teens in the Phoenix, AZ metro area. That alone should be enough to get you interested.
“Dismember the Coop” features stories that run the Horror gamut, including the darkly comic, atmospheric, eerie, gory, splattery, spooky, and the just plain fucked up. Editor Bert Edens’ story takes the crown for this last category; his “Daddy Daughter Dance” story veers into Eric LaRocca territory, cranking the disturbing aspects to 11. I’m not saying this as a negative - - Horror needs risk-takers. Some other standout stories include:

“My Dead Drunk Friends” by Joe Scipione, inspired by a song from Cooper’s Hollywood Vampires side project with Johnny Depp and Joe Perry. Good, classic-style Horror with a clever twist that I should have seen coming.

“The Geek” by Madison McSweeney, based on “The Sideshow” from Cooper’s The Last Temptation album. This one took me by surprise; some stellar writing on display here.

“Caffeine” by Ross Baxter. Zombies, but with a fun twist ending. Inspired by Alice Cooper’s resilience throughout his career and his life.

“Feed My Pugenstein” by Bryan Stubbles. Inspired by “Feed My Frankenstein” by Alice Cooper. Probably my favorite in the book. It’s intentionally comical and ridiculous in all of the best ways, with genuine laughs and a creative story structure technique.

“A Dress to Die For” by Petina Strohmer is another fun one, inspired by “The Saga of Jesse Jane.” The less said the better; just don’t ask about the red stains on her dress.



Overall, none of the stories here are direct adaptations; they’re tales that connect with the tone, concepts, imagery, and feel of specific Alice Cooper songs and records. The occasional Easter eggs are fun for the Alice faithful, but honestly, this collection should appeal to any Horror reader, even if they’re not fans of the music. I really enjoy the personal notes from each author, briefly explaining the Alice Cooper connections in their stories, and various other things that went into the tales.
If you have any appetite - - or tolerance, at least - - for the occasionally twisted, occasionally shocking, occasionally gross, occasionally scary, then you’ll enjoy reading through the anthology. And it’s for a good cause. As I was going through, I was inspired to go and listen to the referenced Alice Cooper materials, and to think about which songs I’d have built my own stories out from. I’m already a fan, but if anything, this made me appreciate him a little bit more.