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"Everyone seeks his own level," explains Alice Cooper. "A band with only two singles just hasn't paid enough dues. These people aren't cool enough to talk to Paul McCartney. If they pull their share of interviews and collect some hits, perhaps they'll be pals some day."
One must be politic to escape the B list, for graduation to the highest level does not depend entirely on financial success. After three years on the road, Kiss has spectacular concert sales and wide radio play. Yet it is snubbed by A listers, since it panders to 14-year-olds. Boston, with two hit singles and a top-charted album, has no audience problems, but Los Angeles musicians think the East Coast boys need a little seasoning before moving up.
B groups are welcome at a Beverly Hills disco called The Candy Store and a Sunset pickup bar called The Rainbow. English musicians, especially those playing for heavy-metal bands, have difficulty moving up. A listers think these long-haired working-class Brits can't mature with the times. Not even Led Zeppelin is fully accepted beyond The Rainbow.
Those who are buzzed through the locked door labeled ON THE ROX have arrived at the top of the alphabet. Located above The Roxy, the club is locally known as Lou Adler's Living Room. It is, in many ways: Adler, the rock mogul who was the prime mover behind the Monterey Pop Festival, controls the keys to the door.
Furnished with sofas and lounge chairs, On the Rox has 40 members. But guests, if famous and rich, are usually buzzed through the door. Norman Mailer made it through, so did Carlo Ponti. Susan Blakely, Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty have keys, as do Ryan and Tatum. But the real stars of On the Rox are Alice Cooper, Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Rod Stewart, Joni Mitchell and Mick Jagger. "It's like a frat house," smiles Cooper, "and only the cream of Los Angeles society belongs. The atmosphere is total cool."
Be Fun. On the Rox is doubly important because it is one of only two places where L.A. music and film personalities can meet informally. The other location is Allan Carr's house (once owned by Jimmy Caan, and, before him, Ingrid Bergman) in Benedict Canyon. "Hollywood awareness" is the game played at both places. If a rock, film or TV performer wants to cross over, his journey must begin here. One must talk and be seen, but most important: Be Fun.
As "King of the A List," Carr continues to bring people together at parties, but he realizes that many rock performers need firm guidance to become "adult" stars. Sighs Carr: "The rock people don't come from affluent backgrounds. They're not used to socializing in chic and elegant style. Keith Moon and Rod Stewart are outgoing. But so many more will never make it."
It may be that the social inadequacies of rock society could become its greatest strength. "Success in my profession is a gift of blind luck," laughs Kooper as he bounds toward his jukebox. "You know I l-o-v-e this town," he shrieks. "It's hard to sing the blues living in a house like this. But I got a good memory."