Rhino Factoids: Alice Cooper to the Rescue

24 years ago today, Alice Cooper surprised one of his fans by helping him save his house. So much for that whole “No More Mr. Nice Guy” thing…

When Patrick Kelly’s home was facing foreclosure after two years of trying to sell the place, he expressed his frustration by emblazoning the outside of his house with artwork which paid tribute to some of his favorite rockers, among them the Rolling Stones and Alice Cooper. His neighbors may not have loved it – go ahead and cue up “Welcome to My Nightmare” – but its unique look made it an instant tourist attraction. All of a sudden, however, newscasters announced that Kelly and his wife were making plans to return the house’s paint job to normalcy, saying that they had something in the works that would enable them to pay off the money that they owed to the bank.

Enter Alice Cooper himself, who contacted Kelly, telling him that he was concerned and was looking into what he might be able to do to help him out. In short order, Cooper came to the Kellys’ house to stage a rock 'n' roll yard sale, if you will, bringing along some memorabilia, signing autographs, and having a specially-designed t-shirt for purchase. In the end, 4,000 fans turned up, raising $13,000 toward the Kellys’ mortgage payment.

In an interview with the Phoenix Gazette, Cooper explained why he’d decided to contribute to the cause. "People in rock n roll live in such a fantasy world,” said Cooper. "It's one of those things where I think we forget there are a lot of people out there one or two payments away from the street. This may catch on. I would like to see Rock to the Rescue continue on...I know you can't go around saving everyone losing their house, but maybe this could spark some thing. This is such a good idea somebody should take it and really get it going... Helping the guy next door, that's the important thing."