Billy Bowers, Alice Cooper & Dali’s Cape Of Horrors

Associated with the San Francisco transgender performance art group the Cockettes as well as being part of that city’s Mukluk and City Of Lights communes, the amazing collage “art-wear” created by Billy Bowers racked up a major client list in the 70s, including Andy Warhol, Norma Kamali and Alice Cooper as well as members of Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith.

His jackets were first displayed at Granny Takes A Trip’s New York outlet in 1971 and soon after Billy was appearing in such magazines as L’Uomo Vogue alongside models, collaborators and friends including his long-term partner Bruce Norman aka Snappy.

For an in-depth study of Billy’s work, THE LOOK recommends a great feature on Billy’s career by Lionel A. Biron – including an interview conducted as recently as June 07 – which can be found on the Queer Arts website.

Meantime it’s a pleasure to relate just one tale from his exciting life and times. SF collector and rock & roll couture expert Ben Cooney was told this by Billy himself.

In late 1973 it seems Billy was commissioned 10 pieces for Alice Cooper, who, at the time, was collaborating with Salvador Dali on a holographic portrait.

An arrangement was made to view the resultant creations at Granny’s NYC shop. Among them was a so-called Cape Of Horrors: made of monkey fur, the garment was adorned with taxidermied rats sewn around the collar.

Two stuffed bats formed the clasp while rat skulls and bones were stitched down the length.

Alice and his entourage organised to meet Dali at Granny’s to pick up the collection of clothing before heading to a makeshift photography studio to continue work on the portrait. But the wily Surrealist arrived at the store first.

Here the story becomes confused; while some believe that Dali seized upon the cape and promptly hid it in his limo before Alice could get to it, Granny’s manager John Lidoni told Ben they simply gave it to him.

Whatever, once Alice and his chums arrived, chaos reigned, and it wasn’t until a year or so later that Billy noticed that the singer had never actually received it. There, in a press article, was a picture of Dali not only wearing the cape but proclaiming to the world he had made it.

These days Billy concentrates on taking photographs and creating wall-hangings and artwork in the city by the bay with which he and his extraordinary creations are indelibly associated.