Alice Cooper… what the hell happened?

I have devoted a lot of words, more than I am willing to admit, to the fact that Black Sabbath are awesome beyond words. For the simple reason that they codified and set an ISO-like standard for the art form that would eventually be known as doom metal. But whilst they took this art and made it mainstream, they were far from the only or first example of music that was designed from the get-go to disturb the listener. So, in the interests of providing wholeness to my represented view of history, today I am going to talk about one of the other great influences upon my visual art, my limited forays in music, and most importantly my writing. Anyone who has heard the sagas of characters like Kronisk and Linula already know the person I am talking about. Today, we are going to discuss a few points in the musical career of one Vincent Damon Furnier, or as he has been signing things since shortly after he achieved fame under this alias, Alice Cooper.