Alice Cooper was over the top, even for me — and I was a fan of King Crimson and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Never much cared for gross-out rock (vomiting blood? bat beheadings??) But as it turns out, it was — and still is — all an outrageous act; late twentieth century vaudeville, in essence.

Count among his fans: Jack Benny, Groucho Marx, Salvador Dali, George Burns, Mae West, Fred Astaire.

Count among his mentors: Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Keith Moon.

Count among his skills: scratch golfer, good cook.

Count among his character assets: great sense of humor, married faithfully for 29 years (to a Joffrey Ballet dancer), recovering alcoholic, Christian.

Christian??

Here’s a teaser:

When I did take the cure for alcohol, which by the way was not a cure, it was a healing. I came out of the hospital never, ever being tempted by a drink, never, ever being like in the least bit, under the worst stress, ever thinking about taking a drink, never went to AA. Everybody’s sitting there going, “Wow, what great willpower.” I have no willpower. I came out and it was a total… It was a healing. My dad was a pastor, my grandad was a pastor, my wife’s father is a pastor, and I’m Christian now. It was a… people say, “There are no miracles,” and I go, “Oh, yes there are.” I’m a walking miracle because I was the worst alcoholic you could imagine, and 24 years I haven’t had, not a drop.

Check it out. Really.