Wayne Campbell: So, do you come to Milwaukee often?
Alice Cooper: Well, I’m a regular visitor here, but Milwaukee has certainly had its share of visitors. The French missionaries and explorers began visiting here in the late 16th century.
Pete: Hey, isn’t “Milwaukee” an Indian name?
Alice Cooper: Yes, Pete, it is. In fact, it was originally an Algonquin term meaning “the good land.”
Wayne Campbell: I was not aware of that.
Alice Cooper: I think one of the most interesting things about Milwaukee is that it’s the only American city to elect three Socialist mayors.
Wayne Campbell: [to the camera] Does this guy know how to party or what?
Guess where I’m going this weekend. Yepper, it’s wheels up for the good land Friday morning. Off to visit my BFF Deb, and then on to Madison for dinner with Dr. Frank and his consort, the lovely Cindy. It’s a weekend in the Dairy State — do I live an exciting life, or what? (Although, truly, I think it’s fascinating that Milwaukee has elected three Socialist mayors.)
Cheese for all!
Mindy said on August 24, 2007 at 5:39 am
I’m jealous! Wisconsin is wonderful. We were aiming for gainful employment in Madison when the offer for Fort Wayne arrived. Lovely town. The main streets have bike lanes, something that every Midwestern town should have. The newspaper sent a Welcome to Madison package that amazed me when it arrived because someone had to make the assumption that we were looking for jobs. It had maps, apartment guides, pens and notepads, a key chain, and a coffee mug. Have some New Glarus brew while you’re there. Mmm.
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Cathy D. said on August 24, 2007 at 8:08 am
Waterpark capitol of the world, too.
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Danny said on August 24, 2007 at 11:55 am
Man, Alice Cooper is a cool, cool renaissance man. Wrote one of the ultimate anthems of teenage rebellion with School’s Out, knows his history, well spoken and thoughtful, obviously well read and he stills kicks butt and looks great.
I had heard for years that he had converted to Christainty, but thought it was just urban legend. But there is actually have a 9 minute CNN interview on youtube where he talks about it. He’s very low-key and has seemingly avoided the pitfalls of mixing celebrity with faith. Wise man.
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Peter said on August 24, 2007 at 12:48 pm
I had a tape of Alice Cooper and Patti Smith arguing about faith back in the ’70’s. It was beyond weird.
Before you declare Milwaukee a worker’s paradise, I think one reason the mayors got elected was Milwaukee’s large pro-union German base. I was told in planning class (so I can’t completely verify it) that one of their legacies (the mayors, not the pro-union Germans) was the uniform house number signs you see on houses in Milwaukee.
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derwood said on August 24, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Go ride Avalanche at Timber Falls.
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alex said on August 24, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Smoke a doob and visit the House on the Rock near Spring Green.
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LA mary said on August 24, 2007 at 3:50 pm
I keep seeing photos of Tom Cruise or his robowife toting their child around. Never a stroller. There was a photo of robowife falling down while walking on cobblestones in stilettos. She was carrying the robotot. Do Scientologists have some issue with strollers? This looks like a healthy kid who is quite large for her age. What is the deal with hauling her around?
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Cathy said on August 24, 2007 at 7:04 pm
I agree with LA mary. When did strollers become déclassé? Check out Brangelina. I swear you never see those kids walk.
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Danny said on August 25, 2007 at 10:15 am
Maybe Katie is using the kid-curling as her secret workout routine that she can perform dsicretely under the watchful, scientological, all-seeing Eye. When she reaches fighting strength, she plans to escape.
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nancy said on August 25, 2007 at 10:19 am
Dateline…MILWAUKEE — I’m convinced they only do it for the cameras. As soon as they’re past the paps, the kid goes right back to the nanny.
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basset said on August 25, 2007 at 10:22 am
one of our pal and role model Bob Greene’s early books, “Billion Dollar Baby,” was an account of traveling as part of Alice’s show… they did an arena tour around Christmas, Bob would come out at the end dressed as Santa Claus and they’d slap him around & drag him offstage.
we can only imagine.
pretty interesting book actually, Alice and his manager seemed to be the only grownups in the whole troupe.
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harry near indy said on August 25, 2007 at 10:36 am
danny, iirc, alice cooper used to drink heavily before he went into a.a. and decided to substitude golf for booze. he has a very low handicap, maybe a 2.
and remember wisconsin as the home of joe mccarthy.
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Danny said on August 25, 2007 at 10:51 am
Yeah, I had heard that he golfed and had co-authored a book, but I had no idea that he was that good. Even as a non-golfer I can appreciate that low of a handicap.
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Danny said on August 25, 2007 at 10:53 am
Hilarious, basset. I might have to hunt that book down.
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basset said on August 26, 2007 at 8:26 am
I may have it in a box in the back of a storage locker somewhere, will try & get over to the u-store place and look this weekend.
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deb said on August 26, 2007 at 11:09 am
i’m not even a native, but i’ve gotta stand up for the cheesehead state here. yes, it did produce joe mccarthy, alas — but what about aldo leopold, fightin’ bob lafollette, les paul, frank zeidler, father groppi and liberace? greats, all.
not to mention tony shalhoub, william rehnquist, tom snyder, bradley whitford, chris noth and jane kaczmarek, who grew up in my very own little burg and is occasionally sighted here during the summer. not that i’m braggin’ or nuthin’, but wisconsin should be known for a lot more than beer, cheese and commie-baitin’ joe.
btw, alice cooper has described Our Fair State’s whistling straits, site of this year’s senior open, as “the devil’s golf course.” he should know.
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basset said on August 26, 2007 at 3:19 pm
guess I am culturally deprived or something… I don’t recognize frank zeidler, father groppi, tony shalhoub, chris noth or jane kaczmarek, and I suspect that bradley whitford is not the one who’s part of Aerosmith.
let’s see, from my part of Indiana, which would be southwest… Larry Bird, Gil Hodges, Phil Harris, Red Skelton, John Poindexter, the Graham brothers, Eugene V. Debs, Paul Dresser, Theodore Dreiser… that’s about it as far as I can remember.
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Marcia said on August 26, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Billion Dollar Baby is a great book. I can say that since Nancy’s out of town.
Actually, basset, you should dig your copy out. They go for a lot of money, used, on Amazon or eBay.
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deb said on August 26, 2007 at 5:48 pm
bassett, okay, maybe some of those references were a little too inside baseball. frank zeidler was one of the legendary socialist mayors to whom alice cooper referred, father groppi was a huge figure in the civil rights movement, and the other four are actors (“monk,” “sex and the city/law and order” “malcolm in the middle” and “west wing,” respectively). and how could i forget frank lloyd wright (although our chimney guy, who once worked on a couple FLW structures, says those in the building trades call him “frank lloyd wrong”) and alfred lunt and lynn fontanne? sorry. i’ll stop now. but you get the idea.
john poindexter? eww.
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basset said on August 26, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Father Groppi I probably should have known, then… never seen any of those four shows the actors are on, I worked in tv long enough that I don’t watch it much.
Frank Lloyd Wright, yeah… Lunt and Fontanne, them too… John Poindexter’s family ran a funeral home down in Daviess County and might still, for all I know.
the Graham brothers were a big deal in the auto industry back in the 20s and 30s, had a lot to do with the founding of Chrysler and had their own company for several years… look up “sharknose Graham” for a great example of 30s design.
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Dorothy said on August 26, 2007 at 6:03 pm
I’m lovin’ Bradley Whitford! Chris Noth ain’t so bad either.
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deb said on August 26, 2007 at 6:08 pm
i’m with you, dorothy. after our town’s fourth of july parade a couple years ago, we walked home right behind jane kaczmarek and her kids and family. it was cool to see her — and hear her use the word “reconnoiter” — but i was bitterly disappointed bradley whitford wasn’t with them.
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joodyb said on August 26, 2007 at 8:20 pm
don’t forget the best stretch of the North Coast is in Wisconsin. and islands and lots of boats.
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LA mary said on August 27, 2007 at 10:21 am
One of my grandmothers was from Wisconsin. I have a tintype of her with her parents and siblings circa 1884.
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