Some people might remember this (or not), but back in the Seventies ABC had a late night variety series called "ABC's Wide World of Entertainment." It showed after prime-time, mostly on Friday and Saturday nights, and featured a rotating roster of specials, series and concerts. It was this show that first introduced me to "ALICE COOPER: THE NIGHTMARE." I don't think I had bought the "Welcome To My Nightmare" LP yet, but "Only Women Bleed" was already a Top 40 hit. I was sort of familiar with Alice as one of those Gothic rock figures that made anything BUT sunny-happy pop music, and I'd heard some songs of his I'd liked ("School's Out", "I'm Eighteen", "Elected.") But when I found out that my childhood horror hero, the one-and-only Vincent Price was involved with this "video movie," I was completely sold.
Time has dimmed my memory of that initial experience somewhat, and I'm sure that if by some happy twist of fate that this program were to be re-released at last on DVD, the images would look pretty dated, even cheesy by comparison with today's videos. Nevertheless, there are still images that stick with me: Alice as the fly stuck in a glittery web with glistening, black body-stockinged beauties during the "Black Widow" segment; the cool and chilling dance with a dead lover in "Cold Ethyl," and the spooky ballerina of "Only Women Bleed." But best of all was Vincent Price lending his ghoulishly gleeful presence as the "Spirit of the Nightmare" from which there is no escape for Alice as "Steven." And someday I have to thank Alice personally for that particular number, should I ever be fortunate enough to have the chance...I was so inspired by the song and the performance, that I recreated "Steven" in high school drama class. And got an 'A'.
Which, in spite of its age, I would give to ALICE COOPER: THE NIGHTMARE. If it were available on DVD.
I hope that someone heard me say that...like the folks at ABC, or Dark Sky Films, who seem to specialize in finding this stuff.
Time has dimmed my memory of that initial experience somewhat, and I'm sure that if by some happy twist of fate that this program were to be re-released at last on DVD, the images would look pretty dated, even cheesy by comparison with today's videos. Nevertheless, there are still images that stick with me: Alice as the fly stuck in a glittery web with glistening, black body-stockinged beauties during the "Black Widow" segment; the cool and chilling dance with a dead lover in "Cold Ethyl," and the spooky ballerina of "Only Women Bleed." But best of all was Vincent Price lending his ghoulishly gleeful presence as the "Spirit of the Nightmare" from which there is no escape for Alice as "Steven." And someday I have to thank Alice personally for that particular number, should I ever be fortunate enough to have the chance...I was so inspired by the song and the performance, that I recreated "Steven" in high school drama class. And got an 'A'.
Which, in spite of its age, I would give to ALICE COOPER: THE NIGHTMARE. If it were available on DVD.
I hope that someone heard me say that...like the folks at ABC, or Dark Sky Films, who seem to specialize in finding this stuff.