Alice Cooper

School's Out Completely

I am many words
into this thing, word after
word after still more
words chopped up by lines
and counting, always counting
as if it meant more
that way, but at least
it's not a whole damn novel.
(This is not a line)

‎December 9, ‎2013 3:26 PM

I took the idea from Alice Cooper. He wrote "Can't think of a word that rhymes" as a centerpiece lyric in School's Out - a classic rock song from 1972. School's Out is just about perfect Rock in my opinion including the sentiment, and including not caring about lost grade points because of lousing up the rhyme. Even students buried in the slog up the degree slope feel just like this. And even better than that in the song is the wide open acceptance of childish rhyme as a legitimate expression. All of it embedded in real musicianship. There you go. Perfect Rock.

Of course in "real life" Alice and the entire early band graduated from the same Phoenix, Arizona high school where they were cross country runners and then Alice (named Vincent at the time) attended some community college. He quit school to pursue success in the music business. Thanks to Frank Zappa, among others, he made it. Vincent was originally a Detroit, Michigan boy.

In the same spirit here I can claim I am missing a last line because I write in triplet lines using Haiku 5-7-5 syllable count. But wait. That is the last line. :D



As Cooper himself stated: "We were into fun, sex, death and money when everybody was into peace and love. We wanted to see what was next. It turned out we were next, and we drove a stake through the heart of the Love Generation" This was in reference to the band's increasing shock rock success circa 1970. Hmmm. As a full blown Hippie I should hate this guy.

Always a consummate marketer, Alice Cooper renamed himself after his band. He was born Vincent Damon Furnier. I wonder if he keeps his name as a backup anonymous identity. I would.