From The Inside (From The Inside, 1978)

From The Inside was released in 1978. At the time, the LP was met with mixed reviews. However, the album is invaluable to Alice’s catalog and has become one of Alice’s most outstanding classic records.

On this album, Coop poured his heart out in a way that fuses honesty, comedy, and raw emotion into a finely recorded piece – one that celebrates his journey to sobriety (and the characters he met along the way).

“From The Inside was ten songs making up a concept album of all the characters I met in the insane asylum…So I went in, I was in there because of alcohol, and everybody else was in there because they were criminally insane.” – Alice Cooper

Dissecting the title track, Alice recounts his time on the road. The song depicts how he ended up at Cornell Medical Center in mid-October 1977.

The listener is quickly drawn into the hospital and the experience – introducing us to the characters he met during his stay. The songs and LP artwork take on a narrative like One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.

The LP gatefolds open to a still shot of the inmates, further embracing the storyline. Each character is personified in the photo and helps enhance the music – a tangible piece to hold as the listener engages with the music.

The nightmarish scenario begins as he sings about drunken nights traveling across the country. He discusses the whiskey, the crowd, and his withdrawal from society into the clinic.

You were screaming for the villain up there
And I was much obliged
The old road sure screwed me good this time
It’s hard to see where the vicious circle ends

I’m stuck here on the inside, looking out
That’s no big disgrace
Where’s my makeup? Where’s my face on the inside?

Has there ever been a time in our lives when we were caught up in something? In our work? In our play? In our misery? In our joy? In our pain? In ourselves?

These aren’t easy questions to ask or answer. However, most of us, at some time or another, have asked one or more of them. The above questions are the ones we ponder during self-reflection and recollection.

Alone with our thoughts, this can often become an “on the inside, looking out” experience. A place we never really thought we’d ever be. A path that didn’t seem so harsh until we reached our destination, and once there, we recognized the ‘vicious cycle’ that brought us there.

For Alice, his path led him to alcohol addiction. But the destination can be any number of places (and with many different traps) such as pride, malice, lust, greed, envy, etc. – dark places in life, ones that require intervention.

Things don’t just happen to us. Almost everything we seriously consider in this world has a physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual aspect (sometimes a combination) attached.

Illness, injury, addiction, careers, interests, and many other events affect us in many different ways. In this post, we will look at those above-listed elements and their effect on us.

Physical.
Alice has vividly spoken of a time when he would “wake up vomiting blood.” The adverse effects of alcohol had reached a crescendo. His body was shutting down.

Physical strife is a part of life. Whether it’s self-inflicted, unexplained, just a matter of age, or some other affliction, there’s no doubt that at some point in life, it affects us all.

But what does suffering bring? Is there anything good or positive that can come from it? Like most things, it becomes what we allow it to be.

God’s Word has many things to say about suffering. Searching for ‘Bible verses about suffering,’ we are greeted with article after article about the top ten verses, methods for healing, and other topics listed about such things. Yet, it takes more work to find much benefit from affliction.

After digging deeper, we find several verses and stories where God’s Love and adoration for humanity are seen through one’s strife.

In Job 42:5, we find Job rejoicing after walking through all the trials and tribulations of his life. It was almost as if Job hadn’t entirely known God until he endured the horrific events set before him that took place.

Suffering also forms many relationships – it is the catalyst for connection.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 1:3-5

In the above-listed verses, we find a call to comfort others experiencing strife in the same way God comforts us. A specific bond is formed between those who have confronted similar afflictions and can share that experience.

Lastly, a certain amount of growth, maturity, and refinement are products of physical pain. In James 1:2-4, we find the power of perseverance. Combine those verses with Isaiah 48:10, and we find that our true character is revealed as we walk through the “fire,” so to speak.

During these times, who’s character will emerge? Our nature? Christ’s nature? Maybe a combination? It’s easy to read and claim that physical strife strengthens us, but it’s something more to believe and discover its meaning while enduring the pain.

Emotional.
We are emotional beings. This album is filled with emotion. As Alice dealt with the healing processes of sobriety, traces of anger, regret, vulnerability, fear, etc., were revealed.

While it’s true that most of the album is about other folks in the sanatorium, there’s still a heartfelt confessional playing out as the record spins. It’s evident.

Emotions are tricky. Depending on our state of affairs, we may find specific places in life where we control them, or on the flip side, we might see them controlling us. The three main ways to deal with our emotions are: 1) to manage them, 2) to let them control us, or 3) to suppress them.

Maybe we have a firm grip on keeping our cool at work yet lash out irrationally at loved ones in the home. Perhaps we have suppressed all emotions for a parent, spouse, or friend/family member we once cared about deeply.

Whatever the case may be, we can’t escape our feelings. We must learn how to utilize them – not hide from them.

God’s Word shows us that Christ, like the rest of humanity, was emotional. He displayed several emotions, and we find some unexpected responses to unlikely scenarios as He walked this earth.

“For the joy set before Him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:2

Stop and think about that verse for a moment.

Jesus was joyous about being humiliated, beaten, and finally crucified on the cross?!?! Why? Because he knew it was the Father’s will. He knew that His sacrifice was the Father’s gift to humanity. It was deeply emotional for Him. No doubt it was a mixture of emotions, but at the heart, there was joy.

“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?” – Matthew 23:33

In the above-listed verses, Jesus displays anger at the Pharisees. He was infuriated by their actions, abusing their power and making claims they had no right to make. In the process, they would also condemn others when they were just as guilty (if not more so).

Christ’s range of emotions was vast. He showed compassion (Matthew 9:20-22, John 8:1-11), suffered in agony (Luke 22:42), displayed exhaustion (Mark 6:31, Luke 5:16), became full of sorrow (John 11:33-35), and the list goes on. Using Christ’s example, we find responding with emotion is natural.

It’s part of human nature. However, what we also see is Christ using a healthy amount of self-control when exercising His emotional responses. We must do our best to strive for the same.

Mental.
There’s a civil (or maybe not so civil) war being waged between His Spirit and our flesh. That war is fought on the battlefield of our minds. It’s the fiercest war we face as believers.

The way we think is not always Biblical, but the truth is that we are the gatekeepers of our thoughts. We have control over them. We can displace them with His Word. We decide what we let in and what we keep out.

Our thought processes and mental health can control how we live and may influence the other aspects mentioned above if we allow them. Mental toughness takes practice. However, mental preparation dramatically reduces our chances of being ensnared by the traps laid forth by the enemy.

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” – Psalm 119:130

God’s Word gives us many guidelines concerning our thoughts, and the above-listed verse lays the groundwork for our mind perfectly.

If we are to walk with Him, we must ingrain His Word into our daily lives. We must be able to draw upon scripture and apply it to our everyday thoughts. He has spelled out who we are to be and how we are to think. It’s not a secret.

We are asked to take every thought captive and turn it over to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). It’s a process. The process of a lifetime. A struggle where battles are won and lost along the way. But we fight to win the war.

One of the most important things to remember and know is that His Will for us is perfect (Jeremiah 29:11, 1 Timothy 2:3-4). We must not buy into the world’s perspective. A life walked with Christ is not one lived in captivity.

He doesn’t ask us to submit our thought process to Him in bondage. He asks us to present our thoughts to Him that we may be FREE. Where He is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Spiritual.
The spiritual side of things requires faith. It requires a willingness to trust and know there is more to this life than what is tangible. Like the other aspects, we can decide whether we want to acknowledge the significance of its presence or not.

Some embrace the Spirit. Some have found it easier to ignore or suppress it. And others may not even know or understand that it exists.

God’s Word is saturated with accounts of unexplained miracles, blessings, and the existence of the spiritual realm – the unseen events that bring us to Life – a new Life in Him.

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:1-10

The above-listed verses reference the spiritual world – that there is a spirit of this world – the ruler of the kingdom of the air (the enemy) – and the Holy Spirit – the spirit of salvation – made available to us through Christ Jesus.

While it may seem confusing that such forces carry power (God’s power being all-powerful and the enemy relying on us to grant him power), it’s not ambiguous. It’s reasonably apparent.

If we begin searching for it, we must know it’s not found in some scientific theory or equation. It’s discovered through conviction – the practice of faith (and usually not on the surface but deeper within).

The power of prayer and transformation requires us to seek His will (Matthew 7:7, 1 John 5:14-15). It’s not just a ”believe it,” and He will do it” sort of deal. It requires that our desires align with His Sovereign Will (Acts 4:28), His Moral Will (Matthew 22:36-40), and His Permissive Will (Psalm 37).

We should not expect God to move or respond if our plea requires the opposite of His nature. If our prayer asks Him to be something different than who He is, we should not expect things to change. The further we walk in alignment with His Spirit, the more we begin to notice His Kingdom here on earth.

What does that mean – His Kingdom, here on earth?

It means our prayers match His Word (John 17:1-25), and we begin bearing His fruit (John 15:1-8, Galatians 5:22-23). We see the church (His people) working together to accomplish His works. We see unconditional Love. Love that gives without asking for anything in return – Agape Love, God’s Love (John 15:13).

We see change and transformation in the most unlikely places. We see His Spirit guiding and controlling the hearts and minds of those who seek and love Him. Are His people perfect? No. Do they fail? Yes. But is He evident in their works? Yes.

Accepting Christ and embracing His Spirit does not strip away the imperfections of humanity. It acknowledges that there is more. It recognizes that we have faith in knowing that righteousness comes not through our works but through Him. We are made righteous through His Spirit.

Wrapping this up, we are complex creatures. Everything we experience carries with it one or more facets of our being. Whether physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, or a combination, our interactions with life are seen through those lenses.

We were created that way. Our minds and bodies comprise many moving parts, processes, and functions – things we can’t wholly comprehend through our understanding.

Yet, we take great comfort in knowing Him as our Creator and Lord (Romans 1:20). We know that through His Word, the aspects of this life will begin to make sense.

He’s given us the blueprints to follow. The question is, “Are we willing to?”

In conclusion, “From The Inside” is a great song. One that makes us examine our thought processes and well-being.

It forces us to analyze the direction our life is heading. Could we “wind up on the losing end”? Are there areas in our lives where we need help? Do we feel as if we are failing in certain areas? Maybe with family and friends? Maybe at work? Perhaps just life in general?

Up to this point, Alice Cooper, the man, had been trying to be Alice Cooper, the character, on stage and off stage – a task that nearly killed him.

“All the guys that tried to be their image on stage and off stage died – they all died early if you think of it. Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Keith Moon, look down the list. If you can make it past 27, you might have a chance of living.” – Alice Cooper

Luckily, the ones who loved Alice most made the tough decision to intervene.

If you or someone you know is struggling, seek help. Confide in someone you trust.

Be willing to recognize that life isn’t meant to be walked alone. It’s not intended to be pretty. It’s designed to be a process – one that leads to transformation.

That’s it for this week. Be well, and catch you next week!

Until then, keep Walkin’ in Faith and Rockin’ with Alice!