The legendary rocker recalls his controversial performance at the 1969 Rock and Roll Revival Festival in Toronto, where he threw a chicken into the audience.
- Jun 24, 2024
AceShowbiz - In the upcoming A&E documentary "Biography: Alice Cooper" premiering on Sunday, June 23, the legendary rocker delves into a pivotal moment in his career: the infamous chicken incident at the 1969 Rock and Roll Revival Festival in Toronto. Cooper, then 76, explains that he was surprised to see a chicken on stage during his band's set. Coming from Detroit, he had little experience with farm animals and assumed that the chicken would fly away like a bird.
To his astonishment, the chicken plummeted into the audience, who proceeded to tear it apart and throw it back on stage, leaving feathers and blood scattered everywhere. Cooper recalls that John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who were also performing at the festival, witnessed the incident and found it amusing.
The next day, record label executive Frank Zappa contacted Cooper to confirm the rumor of a chicken being killed on stage. Cooper admitted to the presence of a chicken but denied killing it. Zappa encouraged him to keep quiet, as the controversy had generated widespread media attention. The chicken incident became a defining moment, painting Cooper as a mysterious and outrageous figure in the rock scene.
"Biography: Alice Cooper" explores Cooper's journey from his childhood in Detroit, where he struggled with asthma, to his rise as an iconic character in music history. The documentary also sheds light on his struggles with addiction and his triumphs in the entertainment industry.
