Alice Cooper’s latest memoir, Devil On My Shoulder, has quickly established itself as one of the fall’s most prominent nonfiction releases, climbing to the top of the UK’s Sunday Times non-fiction bestseller list at No. 1 this week after debuting at No. 7 the week before. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s book is also drawing strong interest in North America, where it entered the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list at No. 4, Publishers Weekly’s non-fiction list at No. 3, and the Toronto Globe & Mail non-fiction list at No. 9.
Published in the UK by Ebury (an imprint of Penguin Random House) and in the United States and Canada by Da Capo (an imprint of Grand Central Publishing/Hachette), the memoir arrives as Cooper continues an active schedule that includes live performances and radio work. Early critical response has highlighted the book’s distinctive structure. Kirkus Reviews described the central tension as the contrast between “self-aware, regular-guy Vince” and his “sinister, egotistical alter ego, Alice,” noting that the latter periodically interjects in a different font. The review observed that Cooper favors close attention to his lyrics and stagecraft over the score-settling common in celebrity memoirs, calling the result a well-told account in which “Mr. Nice Guy takes a hard-earned victory lap.”
Publishers Weekly similarly praised the 78-year-old artist for delivering an “extraordinarily detailed account of his six-decade career.” The review noted Cooper’s efforts to set the record straight, complete with sarcastic asides from his alter ego, and described him as coming across as “surprisingly humble, funny, and personable.” Among the topics addressed is the long-running “chicken incident”; Cooper states that he never bit the head off a chicken. The book also traces the development of the Alice Cooper band’s theatrical style from its earliest days as the Earwigs, when a teenage Cooper and his friends blended rock influences such as the Beatles and Chuck Berry with interests in comic books and horror films.
Devil On My Shoulder is available at traditional bookstores and major online retailers, you can get it at Amazon here: https://amzn.to/4hYcAOG
While the memoir is generating attention, Cooper remains active on the road. He launches the “Alice’s Attic” tour on October 27 in Clearwater, Florida, with North American dates continuing through November 21. The itinerary includes a stop at Stifel Theatre in St. Louis on November 10. Additional dates run through venues in Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ontario, Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, California, Arizona, and Nevada. Following the tour, Cooper returns to Las Vegas for two weekends of “Welcome To Our Nightmare,” his co-production with magician Criss Angel, at the Criss Angel Theatre on November 27–29 and December 4–6.
Cooper also continues his radio presence as a Radio Hall of Famer. He hosts the weeknight syndicated classic-rock program “Alice’s Attic” and the recently launched weekend show “Alice in Underland” on Little Steven’s Underground Garage channel 21 on SiriusXM.
