Alice Cooper, 2 million panties, what could go wrong?
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 16: Alice Cooper performs during Fire Fight Australia at ANZ Stadium on February 16, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cole Bennetts/Getty Images)
Were you lucky enough to have picked up Alice Cooper’s School’s Out in 1972? Did you still have the paper panties that came with the album? Yes, as a promotional bonus with the album, you got yourself a pair of panties wrapped around your record. But there was an issue getting this whole idea to work. Alice Cooper, 2 million panties, what could go wrong?
But before we get to that, let’s learn a little about School’s Out, the anthem of Summer. Alice Cooper wrote this song, per songfacts.com, after watching Bowrey Boys movies. In one of the movies, the character does something dumb, which prompted one of the other guys to say, “Hey, Sach, School’s Out!” Alice liked this so much that it became the basis of “School’s Out”.
The album was released in the summer of 1972 and easily became an anthem for the end of Summer. The song is an expected feature of every Alice show and has been used in commercials and numerous movies and shows. Alice even performed the song with his son in 2009 at the Arizona State University graduation ceremony. He even wore his Class of 66′ varsity letter jacket from Cortez High.
2 Million Panties
Let’s get back to the panties! According loudersound.com, Craig Braun is the designer behind the cover of School’s Out and the man behind the panties. Craig wanted to do something extra for the album. To quote Craig:
“We decided it would be great to wrap the record in a pair of paper panties,” he recalls. “My production guy found a supplier in London, the first 500,000 pairs were flown in, and when the single was a hit we ordered another million-and-a-half with the half-million flown into JFK and the rest sent by ship.”
But when the panties arrived in Philadephia, customs held up the shipment. Customs deemed that the panties were wearable clothing and could not be flammable. Craig and his people, contacted customs to explain that these panties were a promotional item and not meant to be worn. But customs told them that the panties must be treated with a chemical to deflammatise them.
Craig was forced to chemically treat the undergarments, but the timing was becoming crucial. The label Warners had found a different supplier in Mexico which would have left Craig with 2 million panties. Luckily, School’s Out was a mega-hit and they could afford the redundant panties.
“It was a good thing they did,” he concludes, “because otherwise, my next move would have been to hire a helicopter and dump those panties all over the Warners parking lot.”
Bonus! Alice Cooper gallery:
Happy Birthday, Alice Cooper!!
