These days Alice Cooper is unfortunately associated with his gimmicky ads for Saturn. But in the 1960s Cooper paved the way for putting on elaborate stage shows that later would make rock music icons such as David Bowie or Kiss famous. If you don’t remember these shows, then you won’t know the “Supermensch” Shep Gordon, the mastermind behind artists like Alice Cooper and numerous other rock and movie stars. Mike Myers, aka Austin Powers, has made a documentary film titled SUPERMENSCH – THE LEGEND OF SHEP GORDON about the life and career of the legendary Hollywood insider. Gordon was the showbiz manager of Cooper, Blondie, Frankie Valley and Teddy Pendergrass (he even managed Pink Floyd for nine days) but he is only known to the most devoted fans of the music industry. In the mid-60s Gordon managed to stagger to LA where the stoned young man had a chance meeting with an equally stoned Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix in a hotel. They introduced him to the, at the time, unknown Vincent Furnier, who later became Alice Cooper. Together the duo created their legendary rock shows, which included live chickens. Later he would save Groucho Marx from financial chaos, hone his talents as a gourmet chef, cook for the Dalai Lama, and invent the “Celebrity Chef”. Myer’s film crafts a loving portrait of his friend and all-around talent Shep Gordon and is a memorial to Gordon's achievements in the history of rock music.

David Herger