Alice Cooper says new memoir is his fullest and most honest account

Alice Cooper has released his third memoir, Devil on My Shoulder, which he describes as his fullest and most honest account of his life.

The 78-year-old musician grew up in a religious family that moved from the Detroit area to Arizona, in part to help with his childhood asthma.

The book traces his move toward rebellion and his rise with a band known for theatrical stage shows and songs such as “I’m Eighteen” and “School’s Out.”

Cooper also writes about drug and alcohol addiction, his struggle to honor his Christian faith, and the sobriety he says he has maintained for more than four decades.

He revisits stories he previously told, including the well-known “chicken incident,” while noting that people who were there remember it differently.

The memoir matters to Cooper because he says he wants to correct past exaggerations and tell the truth as he remembers it.

He is promoting the book in New York and continues to tour, with close to two dozen performances still scheduled for this year.