I’m Eighteen (Live 1990)

The Zoo Crew is spinning the iconic track "I’m Eighteen (Live 1990)" by Alice Cooper from the album Trashes The World, a song that resonates with the rebellious spirit of the Zoo Freaks. Originally released in 1970 as a single from the album Love It to Death, "I’m Eighteen" was a breakthrough for the Alice Cooper band, capturing the angst of being caught between youth and adulthood. In a 2021 post on X, Cooper reflected on the song’s universal appeal, noting, “The simplicity of, I’m eighteen and I like it—you’re expecting him to say, ‘I’m 18 and I just hate it,’ but at the end of it, he goes, and I like it, and that made every eighteen-year-old kid go, ‘Yeah!’” The song’s raw energy was honed by producer Bob Ezrin, who, as Cooper told Mojo in 2010, transformed an eight-minute jam into a tight three-minute rocker by simplifying it and adding a piano to the bassline. Ezrin’s initial mishearing of the chorus as “I’m Edgy” added a humorous twist to the production process.

The 1990 live version from Trashes The World showcases Cooper’s theatrical flair, with an extended intro where he playfully declares he’s not 21, 22, or older, gripping a whiskey bottle in a Wonder Woman T-shirt, as described on Wikipedia. The song’s influence is vast: Joey Ramone based the Ramones’ first song, “I Don’t Care,” on its chords, and John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, reportedly auditioned for the Sex Pistols by miming to it. A 1998 plagiarism suit against Kiss over their song “Dreamin’” from Psycho Circus was settled in Cooper’s favor, highlighting the song’s distinctive riff. Fans on Reddit in 2023 praised its punk precursor energy, with one user noting, “Alice’s snarl and Buxton’s guitar were a precursor of punk.” The song has been covered by bands like Anthrax and Creed, and even performed by Camp Freddy with Chester Bennington and Slash in 2007 at a Declare Yourself event.

Alice Cooper, born Vincent Damon Furnier on February 4, 1948, in Detroit, Michigan, began his musical journey in Phoenix, Arizona, in the mid-1960s. Originally part of a band called the Spiders, Furnier and his bandmates—guitarists Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith—formed the Alice Cooper band in 1968. They adopted the name, as Cooper debunked in a 2009 BBC Radio 2 interview, not from a Ouija board session with a 17th-century witch, but as a humorous contrast to their shocking image. Their early gigs, like one at the Cheetah club in 1968 where they cleared the room in ten minutes, caught the attention of manager Shep Gordon and Frank Zappa, who signed them to Straight Records. Their first two albums, Pretties for You (1969) and Easy Action (1970), flopped, but relocating to Detroit immersed them in a vibrant scene with the MC5 and Iggy Pop, shaping their hard-rock sound.

The band’s breakthrough came with “I’m Eighteen” and Love It to Death in 1971, produced by Bob Ezrin, who tightened their sound. Cooper’s theatrical live shows, featuring mock executions and boa constrictors, earned him the title “The Godfather of Shock Rock.” After the band split in 1975, Furnier legally became Alice Cooper and launched a solo career with Welcome to My Nightmare. With over 50 million records sold, Cooper remains a cultural icon, influencing glam, punk, and metal. Fans can connect with him on his Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts. Dedicated fan communities thrive at sites like Alice Cooper eChive and the Alice Cooper Fans Facebook group, where Zoo Freaks can dive deeper into his legacy.