Alice Cooper

American rock musician Alice Cooper is castaway by Kirsty Young.

As a teenager he says it was British music that he tuned in to - listening to The Beatles, The Yardbirds and The Who.

He realised that while rock music had many heroes, there were few villains - that was the territory he marked out for himself. He developed his trademark look - blackened eyes, straggly hair and glamorous clothes - and set about designing live shows that were gleefully gory and macabre.

While critics have described him as 'the world's most beloved heavy metal entertainer', it took him a while to untangle himself from his creation.

"For a long time I honestly didn't know where I began and Alice ended. My friends at the time were Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and I was trying to keep up with them. And I realised when they all died that you didn't have to be your character off stage."

DISC ONE: The Yardbirds - Happenings Ten Years Time Ago
DISC TWO: The Beach Boys - I Get Around
DISC THREE: The Who - I'm a Boy
DISC FOUR: Laura Nyro - Timer
DISC FIVE: King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man (incl. Mirrors)
DISC SIX: Jane’s Addiction - Been Caught Stealing
DISC SEVEN: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Work Song
DISC EIGHT: Bob Dylan - Ballad of a Thin Man

CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Work Song
BOOK CHOICE: Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut
LUXURY CHOICE: An indoor golf driving range

Producer: Leanne Buckle

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2010.