V.I.P. part 2

So, after the show, we had to wait by the backstage door and then we all trooped downstairs to the canteen. There was only 9 of us, so I was hopeful that we'd get a longish time with Alice.................Andy and Toby kept us amused with tales of the venue history and how it was once used to sell slaves at auction......there was apparently an underground passage leading to the hall from the docks so that the slaves could get there unobserved by Joe Public.............


Karen Ann Hunter (she is so lovely) gave out the bags with T shirts and set lists etc and, thenAlice appeared with KC (his PA) and sat at the adjacent table. 'I know you all personally he said - I think we'd all done VIP at least once before.
We all went over and sat with him in turn while he signed all our stuff, and KC took all the pictures. Alice was in great form and spoke to all of us, joking and laughing and being his usual charming self!









When my turn came I took over a huge pile of stuff for him to sign and gave KC my camera. Alice signed all my ancient LP covers, after asking me my name. When I said 'Penny', he said 'ah, Penelope.......and kept repeating it 'Penelope, Penelope, Penelope - only British girls can be called Penelope, it's the perfect British name' - and one I have always detested up til now, but I may have to change my mind because the way he said it made me weak at the knees...............why why WHY didn't I record it?
He was very interested in my scrapbook, picked it up and said ' What is this we have here?' and looked at every page!!! KC said 'Thank you., it's very kind of you to give it to us' so I almost handed it over there and then.........And then they offered me a job on their team........................................ oh wait , hang on........... no, that last part was just my daydream.............sigh......











Anyway, I managed to not to give it to him, by hauling out the pic I'd drawn and said 'well, actually, I did this for you', At this point Alice grabbed it and said 'This is how I see me now'!!!!!! He said it made him look like a movie star, and that Sheryl had fallen in love with his eyes, (haven't we all!) but just had to put up with the rest of him...........









He signed my captured dollar bill, CD, Yearbook (from the boxset), my jacket and of course, my scrapbook. He opened it and said ' you have pictures I don't have!! This must've taken you ages, all of 2-3 hours!! And as he looked through it, he read out several bits - 'All American college boy behind the transvestite juvenile delinquent alter-ego' ..........'Well, thanks very much, Nick Kent' and then said, 'Did you know my first album review of Pretties For You said it was a tragic waste of plastic'.....

He stopped on a page of Glen Buxton pictures and remenisced ' Ah GB! Glen Buxton.... , he was my best friend you know, and we were drinking buddies'.......and I said 'it's a shame he didn't give it up when you did'........
I asked him whether we would ever get to see him play in the UK with Mike, Neal and Dennis, but something sidetracked him so I never got an answer to that....
Then I got him to sign my jacket - he put 'Alice Cooper was here' I am so proud of it, that I have worn it everywhere since....
He told us that he and Bob had a lot of fun making W2MN, he was very 'happy with it' and would be doing I Am Made Of You on his next show - (think he meant next tour)









I love this picture - at this point he was stroking my hair and saying, 'There there, the men in white coats will be along to get you soon...'

All in all we had about an hour with him, which flew by of course, and I am now saving madly for VIP next year. It seems to more you see of him, the more you want.......What a lovely lovely guy he is, - Love Him To Death..
Next stop - Birmingham, the BFI, Ally Pally and Never Mind The Buzzcocks.....