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Help from Alice Cooper, placement in People magazine’s “Stars of the Future” issue and a mountain of cocaine? It seemed Gentlemen Afterdark were headed for great things in the early ’80s Phoenix new wave scene. Nope. This Phoenix glam act, once referred to as the “West Coast answer to the New York Dolls,” almost made it when its 1983 self-titled EP was produced by Alice Cooper and his main man, Dick Wagner. Their break never came, but that didn’t stop them from partying like it had, further foiling their plans. You know the drill. So they split up, with Tucson’s Winston Watson going on to play with Bob Dylan and Greyhound Soul, and singer Brian Smith going on to be a writer and the big boss at Detroit’s alt-weekly. The group reunites for shows in Tucson and Phoenix for one weekend only — a chance to remember what almost happened.
