Hell Is Living Without You (Trash, 1989)

This week we re-visit Trash, an album that firmly placed Alice back into Top 20 status in both the US and UK. The record was released in 1989, and the song “Poison” was the ultimate catalyst for the album’s success. The LP also featured collaborative works with Jon Bon Jovi and Steven Tyler.

Trash was a highly sexualized album, and multiple sources find Alice stating that he didn’t want to be boxed into only the bloody side of Shock Rock. Alice admits, “in some cases, sex is more dangerous than horror.”  There were four singles released from the LP – “Poison,” “Bed of Nails,” “House of Fire,” and “Only My Heart Talkin’.”

Videos for each of the singles were released, and along with the likes of Guns’ n’ Roses, Mötley Crüe, Poison, Def Leppard, etc., Alice found himself catapulted into the 80s/90s arena of the “Hair Bands.” It was an audience and scene Alice admittedly wanted to attract.

** ON A PERSONAL NOTE: I remember this time period vividly. As an avid fan of the “Hair Bands,” I can recall watching MTV and the announcement of new videos as they were released.

In the Summer of ’89, I was introduced to Alice Cooper (with the release of “Poison”). At that point, I had no idea about the history surrounding Alice Cooper – the band or the character. It would later make more sense as to why MTV made such a big deal about Alice and this new song/video – he trailblazed the way for so many of the bands that were currently on top of the Hard Rock/Metal scene during that time.

Another introduction to Alice Cooper and his music was made later that year with Megadeth’s cover of “No More Mr. Nice Guy.” A song I had never heard until Mustaine, Ellefson, & Company released their version on the Shocker soundtrack. **

“Hell Is Living Without You” is the second to last song on the Trash LP. The song tells the story of someone that can’t bear the thought of living without the one they love. It’s a tale of desperation, sorrow, and remorse. The song gives no reference points or descriptors as to what has transpired, but it’s obvious this person is devastated.

Has this ever happened to you? Have you been through a rough breakup or divorce? Have you lost a loved one? There are literally hundreds of scenarios in which this narrative makes sense. For some, it may not even be a person, it might be wealth, alcohol, drugs, status, etc., but for this post, we will be focusing on living life as it was designed to be lived.

Hell is a word often used to describe a state of torment or misery. It can also reference a state of extreme disorder or confusion; chaos. Even still, from the perspective of God’s Word, we find the word hell depicting eternal punishment, shut off from the presence of the Lord, a blazing furnace, and so on. In a manner of speaking, hell is life – both earthly and everlasting life – apart from God.

Looking at the song from a Biblical viewpoint, we find the torment and pain of a life lived by someone that has never fully known or embraced their Creator, and that is where our focus will reside in this post – the Hell we inflict upon ourselves when we choose to live life without Him.

We spend a reasonable amount of time, “looking for love.” It seems humanity in some form or fashion just wants to be loved – embraced, understood, cared for, cherished. At our very core, we crave relationships with other people. God’s Word often speaks about fellowship and the advantages of living a life together with one another. Looking at Hebrews 10:24-25, we find a call for unity and encouragement.

“24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.“

In those verses, we find a great deal of wisdom. Recognizing that by design, we are stronger and more focused when we walk together with others. But there’s a key element to all of this. In verses 22-23, we find the foundation for all of our other interactions and relationships.

“22 Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.“

Through sincerity and yearning to better know our Creator, we find the significance of walking together with the rest of His creation. In God’s Word, we see multiple verses calling for unity and the importance of community (Proverbs 18:1, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Acts 8:30-31).

We, as His creation, are a body held together by Him, our Father – our Creator. From the time God noticed Adam should not be alone (Genesis 2:18), we find our Father, by design, providing us an alternative to isolation. Yet while we yearn to find fulfillment through our relationship with others, it’s our relationship with Him that supersedes them all.

It’s our fellowship with Him that teaches us the importance of life, the importance of others, and the true definition of Love (1 John 4:7). A divine love that is known in Greek as Agape – a universal, unconditional form of Love that transcends and persists regardless of circumstance. Knowing this, wouldn’t real Hell mean living without Him and His adoration? Living without His perspective, His guidance, and His wisdom? Wouldn’t Hell involve living our lives without the presence of our Designer?

We’ve made a habit of seeking things in this world first and assuming that we can’t live without them. When instead, it’s actually the Love of God that we should pursue first. His Love is what separates us from the things of this world – it is what truly defines purpose and fulfillment. We inflict Hell – torment, confusion, misery, and chaos – upon ourselves by willingly living and accepting a life without Him.

Real Hell is living without the very source that gives, sustains, and binds all life together. Read the lyrics to the song’s chorus, thinking about the Love our Father – the Love of a Creator who willingly sent His only Son to die for our sins and forever grant us access to Him through His Holy Spirit.

Hell is living without your…
Love ain’t nothin’ without your…
Touch me, heaven would be like…
Hell is living without you
Nights get longer and colder
I’m down begging to hold ya
On my own and I feel like
Hell is living without you

Knowing Him and feeling His healing power, His warm embrace, and His restorative nature are overwhelming. All grace, mercy, and honor have been bestowed upon us because of Him, and the very thought of being apart from such magnificence would be Hell. In fact, without Him, we would not have the ability to love (1 John 4:19). Again, it’s by design that we are instinctively drawn to connection and relationship.

Wrapping this up, our Heavenly Father is often depicted as some eternally angry all-knowing being that is ready and willing to strike us down when we slip up or get out of line. If that were true, humanity would have ceased to exist thousands of years before now. On the flip side, scripture reveals a caring Father willing to lift us up when the world wants nothing more than to drag us down.

1 John 3:1 reads, “See what great Love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.” We’ve all heard the saying, “Hell on Earth.” Such a saying makes perfect sense from the standpoint of a world that does not know Him.

Many still see God as vengeful, angry, and ready to punish us all. If you feel this way, we implore you to search out His true nature, character, and intent. Through the writings of John, a disciple that walked faithfully with Christ (both in the flesh and in spirit), you will find a loving Father that is absolutely defined as LOVE.

The entire book of 1 John clearly paints a picture of pure, honest admiration – the Love of our Father made flesh and atoning for the fall of humanity. As we discover Him, it becomes evident that literal Hell is anything and any place void of Him and His presence. May we all come to know Him and see Him for what He truly is – the purest form of Love – “Agape” Love.

In conclusion, life is one incredible ride – a surprising journey. When Trash was released, little was publicly known about Alice’s transformation and faith, yet only a few years later, the vision and beginnings of what would become Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Foundation would start to take form.

From that vision, The Rock, a teen center focused on presenting teens the chance to explore their talents, was built. Alice admits that Solid Rock is a faith-based endeavor, “The Lord told us to do it. So we just obeyed. That’s all.“

May we all come to see life and our walks with Christ this way. Not as some mandatory marching orders, but missions passed down with grace and mercy from a Father that wants nothing more than to show and share with us a Love without end. Amen.

That’s it for this week, see you next Friday!

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