Editing Alice Cooper (section)

===1980s===
Cooper's studio albums from the beginning of the 1980s have been referred to by Cooper as his "blackout albums" because he cannot remember recording them, owing to the influence of his new, and increasing, cocaine addiction. ''[[Flush the Fashion]]'' (1980), ''[[Special Forces (Alice Cooper album)|Special Forces]]'' (1981), ''[[Zipper Catches Skin]]'' (1982) and ''[[DaDa]]'' (1983) saw a gradual commercial decline, with the last two not charting within the ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'' Top 200. ''Flush the Fashion'', produced by [[Roy Thomas Baker]], known for his work with [[Queen (band)|Queen]] and [[the Cars]], had a thick, edgy [[New wave music|new wave]] musical sound that baffled even longtime fans, though it still yielded the US Top 40 hit "[[Clones (We're All)]]". The track also surprisingly charted on the US [[Dance Club Songs|Disco Top 100]] chart. ''Special Forces'' featured a more aggressive but consistent new wave style, and included a new version of "Generation Landslide" from ''Billion Dollar Babies'' (1973). His tour for ''Special Forces'' marked Cooper's last time on the road for nearly five years; it was not until 1986, for ''[[Constrictor (album)|Constrictor]]'', that he toured again. 1982's ''Zipper Catches Skin'' was a more [[pop punk]]-oriented recording, containing many quirky high-energy guitar-driven songs along with his most unusual collection of subject matters for lyrics, and [[Patty Donahue]] of [[the Waitresses]] provided guest vocals and "sarcasm" on the track "I Like Girls". 1983 marked the return collaboration of producer [[Bob Ezrin]] and guitarist [[Dick Wagner]] for the haunting epic ''DaDa'', the final studio album in his Warner Bros. contract.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alice Cooper – DaDa |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/dada-mw0000461389 |website=AllMusic |access-date=November 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423184309/https://www.allmusic.com/album/dada-mw0000461389 |archive-date=April 23, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In mid-1983, after the recording of ''DaDa'' was completed, Cooper was hospitalized for alcoholism again, and [[cirrhosis]] of the liver.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sickthingsuk.co.uk/content.php?id=timelines/t-zcs.php |title=Timeline – Zipper Catches Skin |work=SickthingsUK |access-date=April 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319133014/http://www.sickthingsuk.co.uk/content.php?id=timelines%2Ft-zcs.php |archive-date=March 19, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He credits his Christian faith for a recovery doctors described as "miraculous" and he talks of how he did not "recover" but how his addiction was "taken away" by [[Jesus Christ]].<ref>{{cite web |title= Alice Cooper: A Testimony of Finding Purpose Through God's Grace|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqkzpZYLwTs|website=Youtube | date=August 7, 2024 |access-date=May 6, 2025}}</ref> Cooper was finally stable and sober (and has remained sober since that time) by the time ''DaDa'' and ''The Nightmare'' home video (of his 1975 TV Special) were released in the fall of that year; however, both releases performed below expectations. Even with ''The Nightmare'' scoring a nomination for 1984's [[Grammy Award for Best Music Film|Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video]] (he lost to [[Duran Duran]]), it was not enough for Warner Bros. to keep Cooper on their books. By February 1984, Cooper became a "free agent" for the first time in his career.<ref>{{cite web |title=How Alice Cooper Survived The 80s |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/alice-cooper-survived-80s/ |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |date=November 7, 2016 |access-date=December 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720151417/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/alice-cooper-survived-80s/ |archive-date=July 20, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Cooper spent a lengthy period away from the music business dealing with personal problems. His divorce from [[Sheryl Cooper]] was heard at Maricopa County Superior Court, Arizona, on January 30, 1984, but a decision was made by the couple not to move forward with the divorce. The following month he guested at the [[26th Annual Grammy Awards]] alongside co-presenter [[Grace Jones]]. Behind the scenes Cooper kept busy musically, working on new material in collaboration with [[Aerosmith]] guitarist [[Joe Perry (musician)|Joe Perry]]. The spring of 1984 was taken up with filming, Cooper acting in the [[B movie|B-grade]] horror movie ''[[Monster Dog]]'', filmed in [[Torrelodones]], Spain. Shortly thereafter he reconciled with Sheryl; the couple relocated to Chicago. The year closed with more writing sessions, this time in New York during November with [[Hanoi Rocks]] guitarist [[Andy McCoy]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/united+states/michigan/detroit/alice+cooper |title=MusicMight :: Artists :: Alice Cooper |website=Rockdetector.com |access-date=April 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328223310/http://www.rockdetector.com/artist/united+states/michigan/detroit/alice+cooper |archive-date=March 28, 2014 }}</ref> In 1985, he met and began writing songs with guitarist [[Kane Roberts]]. Cooper was subsequently signed to [[MCA Records]], and appeared as guest vocalist on [[Twisted Sister]]'s song "Be Chrool to Your Scuel". A music video was made for the song, featuring actor [[Luke Perry]] and Cooper donning his black snake-eyes makeup for the first time since 1979, but neither the song nor the video drew public interest.<ref>{{cite web |title=Luke Perry Went to Zombie High in a Banned Twisted Sister Video Pre-90210 |url=https://variety.com/2019/music/news/luke-perry-zombie-high-twisted-sister-video-pre-90210-1203154965/ |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=March 5, 2019 |access-date=December 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808212329/https://variety.com/2019/music/news/luke-perry-zombie-high-twisted-sister-video-pre-90210-1203154965/ |archive-date=August 8, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1986, Alice Cooper officially returned to the music industry with the studio album ''[[Constrictor (album)|Constrictor]]''. The album spawned the hits "[[He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)]]" (the theme song for the movie ''[[Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives]]''; in the video for the song Cooper was given a cameo role as a deranged psychiatrist) and the fan favorite "[[Teenage Frankenstein]]". The ''Constrictor'' album was a catalyst for Cooper to make a triumphant return to the road for the first time since the 1981 ''Special Forces'' project, on a tour titled The Nightmare Returns. The Detroit leg of this tour, which took place at the end of October 1986 during [[Halloween]], was captured on film as ''[[The Nightmare Returns]]'' (1987), and is viewed by some as being the definitive Alice Cooper concert film. It was released on DVD in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alice Cooper: 'The Nightmare Returns' To Receive DVD Release Tomorrow |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/alice-cooper-the-nightmare-returns-to-receive-dvd-release-tomorrow/ |website=[[Blabbermouth.net|Blabbermouth]] |date=July 31, 2006 |access-date=December 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205162551/https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/alice-cooper-the-nightmare-returns-to-receive-dvd-release-tomorrow/ |archive-date=December 5, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> The concert, which received rave reviews in the rock music press,<ref group=fn>For example, see the November 13, 1986, issue of ''[[Kerrang!]]'' music magazine, whose front cover bears the headline 'The Night He Came Home ... Alice Knocks 'Em Dead in Detroit'.</ref> was also described by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as bringing "Cooper's violent, twisted onstage fantasies to a new generation". The ''Constrictor'' album was followed by ''[[Raise Your Fist and Yell]]'' in 1987, which had an even rougher sound than its predecessor, as well as the Cooper classic "[[Freedom (Alice Cooper song)|Freedom]]". The subsequent tour of ''Raise Your Fist and Yell'', which was heavily inspired by the slasher horror movies of the time such as the ''[[Friday the 13th (franchise)|Friday the 13th]]'' series and ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'', served up a shocking spectacle similar to its predecessor, and courted the kind of controversy, especially in Europe, that recalled the public outrage caused by Cooper's public performances in America in the early 1970s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Raise Your Fist and Yell – Alice Cooper |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/raise-your-fist-and-yell-mw0000651209 |website=AllMusic |access-date=November 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423184247/https://www.allmusic.com/album/raise-your-fist-and-yell-mw0000651209 |archive-date=April 23, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In Britain, Labour MP [[David Blunkett]] called for the show to be banned, saying "I'm horrified by his behaviour – it goes beyond the bounds of entertainment." The controversy spilled over into the German segment of the tour, with the German government actually succeeding in having some of the gorier segments of the performance removed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sickthingsuk.co.uk/timelines/t-ryfay.php |title=Timeline: Raise Your Fist And Yell 1987 |work=SickthingsUK |access-date=April 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318030447/http://www.sickthingsuk.co.uk/timelines/t-ryfay.php |archive-date=March 18, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was also during the London leg of the tour that Cooper met with a near fatal accident during rehearsal of the hanging execution sequence that occurs at the end of the show.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sickthingsuk.co.uk/theatrics/gallows.php |title=The Gallows |work=SickthingsUK |access-date=April 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318030452/http://www.sickthingsuk.co.uk/theatrics/gallows.php |archive-date=March 18, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

''Constrictor'' (1986) and ''Raise Your Fist and Yell'' (1987) were recorded with lead guitarist [[Kane Roberts]] and bassist [[Kip Winger]], both of whom would leave the band by the end of 1988 (although Kane Roberts played guitar on "[[Bed of Nails (song)|Bed of Nails]]" on Cooper's 1989 studio album ''[[Trash (Alice Cooper album)|Trash]]'').

In 1987, Cooper made a brief appearance as a vagrant in the supernatural horror film ''[[Prince of Darkness (film)|Prince of Darkness]]'', directed by [[John Carpenter]]. His role had no lines and consisted of generally menacing the protagonists before eventually impaling one of them with a bicycle frame.<ref>{{cite news |title=Film: 'Prince of Darkness,' by John Carpenter |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/23/movies/film-prince-of-darkness-by-john-carpenter.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 23, 1987 |access-date=October 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523145644/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/23/movies/film-prince-of-darkness-by-john-carpenter.html |archive-date=May 23, 2019 |url-status=live |last1=Canby |first1=Vincent }}</ref>

Also in 1987, Cooper appeared at [[WrestleMania III]], escorting wrestler [[Jake Roberts|Jake "The Snake" Roberts]] to the ring for his match against [[The Honky Tonk Man]]. After the match, which Roberts lost, ended, Cooper got involved and threw Jake's snake Damien at Honky's manager [[Jimmy Hart]]. Roberts considered the involvement of Cooper to be an honor, as he had idolized Cooper in his youth and was still a huge fan. WrestleMania III, which attracted a [[WWE|WWF]] record 93,173 fans, was held in the [[Pontiac Silverdome]] near Cooper's home town of Detroit.<ref>{{cite web |title=When Alice Cooper Slithered Into Action at WrestleMania III |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/alice-cooper-wrestlemania-iii/ |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |date=March 31, 2017 |access-date=October 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031143443/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/alice-cooper-wrestlemania-iii/ |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Cooper recorded a music video for the "Poison" B-side "[[I Got a Line on You]]" after the song was featured on the soundtrack to ''[[Iron Eagle II]]'' (1988).<ref>{{cite web |title=Iron Eagle 2 – Original Soundtrack |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/iron-eagle-2-mw0000198110 |website=AllMusic |access-date=December 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206164758/https://www.allmusic.com/album/iron-eagle-2-mw0000198110 |archive-date=December 6, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On April 7, 1988, Cooper nearly died of asphyxiation after a safety rope broke during a rehearsal concert wherein he pretended to hang himself, a stunt he would often perform during live concerts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thisdayinrock.com/index.php/general/1988-alice-cooper-nearly-dies-of-asphyxiation-after/ |title=Rock History – 1988 – Alice Cooper nearly dies of asphyxiation after... |website=Thisdayinrock.com |date=April 7, 1988 |access-date=August 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603215754/http://www.thisdayinrock.com/index.php/general/1988-alice-cooper-nearly-dies-of-asphyxiation-after/ |archive-date=June 3, 2013 |url-status=usurped }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://loudwire.com/category/wikipedia-fact-or-fiction/|title=Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction? > Loudwire|website= [[Loudwire]]|language=en|access-date=July 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720225458/http://loudwire.com/category/wikipedia-fact-or-fiction/|archive-date=July 20, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1988, Cooper's contract with MCA Records expired and he signed with [[Epic Records]]. Then in 1989 his career finally experienced a legitimate revival with the [[Desmond Child]] produced and [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]]-nominated studio album ''[[Trash (Alice Cooper album)|Trash]]'', which spawned a hit single "[[Poison (Alice Cooper song)|Poison]]", which reached No. 2 in the UK and No. 7 in the US, and a worldwide [[concert|arena tour]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Trash – Alice Cooper |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/trash-mw0000204877 |website=AllMusic |access-date=November 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423184257/https://www.allmusic.com/album/trash-mw0000204877 |archive-date=April 23, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>