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136 of 140 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This man knows his Hell, April 25, 2004
By A Customer
You wouldn't think a middle aged Southern conservative housewife like me would be caught dead reading something like this. The cover alone should scare me away. And the first word of the first chapter is one I wasn't allowed to say as a child. But with that first word Manson reveals immediately what his entire book portrays - Hell. The story mates his life with Dante's Inferno; even the chapters are structured as the divisions and circles of Dante's hell. This was a stroke of genius and makes for a fascinating read. Manson's life parallels Dante's journey through hell, and, like in the Inferno, it begins with pain and steadily becomes much worse. In the Inferno however, the protagonist with whom we identify is Dante, who is not one of the punished. We must guess at the psychic torment of the damned through Dante's conversations with them. Manson takes us on the same journey but as one of the condemned. He takes us inside his head to see firsthand the progressive blackening and relentless decay of his soul. But that is only one of the many levels on which this book operates. It is also the story of a man's struggle to come to terms with his own nature when that nature is something the world perceives as evil and he suspects they may be right. He has amazing self awareness, and the rare ability to articulate his inner battles in powerful, captivating ways. The book is riveting, for he is laying bare his soul for all to see, and he knows it is ugly. But by the end of the book, after he has sunk to the dark bottom of the pit, there is a glimmer of hope. He gains the sense that there may be some beauty hidden under all the self-loathing and screw ups that are his existence. Like Dante, Manson finally confronts Satan himself, and discovers the exit from hell. But if you are not up to all this psychological and metaphysical stuff, you can just enjoy the book on its surface. Wicked, outrageous, and at times hilarious, it is fast paced and full of action, but not for the prudish or squeamish. Be prepared for something that is probably worse than triple X and is quite disturbing. I have never heard Marilyn Manson's music and I'm not real sure I want to, as "heavy metal" just isn't my thing, but I stumbled upon this book quite by accident and must say it is one of the most entertaining reads I've ever had. I highly recommend it for anyone who has an interest in infernal literature, typically written by the righteous, as this is an equally compelling point of view from the debased sinner. The violence and shock rivals John Bunyan, but from the opposite side!
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69 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant autobiography, to be appreciated even by non-fans, September 16, 2005
This book is co-authored with Neil Strauss, who is a master of the biography genre. I picked it up solely on the strength of Strauss's name and not because I am a Manson fan. This is a masterpiece of an autobiography and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes reading about life in the fastlane and unusual characters. Hearing Manson's story behind the music made me want to explore his music more, but you definitely don't have to be a fan to appreciate this fine piece of literature.
One of the highlights of the book is reading about the Antichrist Superstar tour through Manson's tour diary. This was the tour that was constantly in the media for supposed crime and disgrace and violence. During the tour and the media frenzy, I always thought Manson was out to make headlines and shock, but to hear the story in his own words, he didn't have to do a heck of a lot to provoke the American Family Association. They invented enough on their own to make Manson into a scarier caricature of who he already was.
Manson is depraved and twisted, and reading some of his narrative definitely has a gruesome allure. There's also a softer side here, that of a confused boy who first heard heavy metal music when it was played backwards over his Christian school's PA system to show the students the depraved Satanic messages it carried. Who wouldn't want to get into heavy metal after that? Manson was also repeatedly wounded by women and lacked healthy relationships.
In this book, Manson disputs some of the rumors surrounding him, via a list of fake information posted by "fans" on the internet. I certainly had my eyes opened as some of the Manson myth was dispelled.
Highly recommended to any music fan, pop culture fan, or fans of the memoirs of interesting people.
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41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating Look at the birth of Marilyn Manson, January 31, 2007
This book was extremely fascinating. It really brings to life the transformation of Brian Warner to Marilyn Manson. It shows events in his childhood that helped to shape him into the person he is. With first person memories, he describes his childhood and the impact music played on his ambitions and goals.
The book goes on to talk about the formation of his band and how the members met, discussing problems with band members and how the band had lofty goals that seemed unreachable. Later, opening for Nine Inch Nails, he became friends with Trent Rezner and later came to know Anton LaVey, both of whom had great influence on his life. Manson talks about how his rise to Superstar status changed his view on drugs, sex, other life aspects. He explains how he took on the the name Marilyn Manson permanently, stating that at a certain moment he realized Brian Warner was dying and Marilyn Manson was being born.
Throughout the book there are moments where Manson remembers where he was when he came up with ideas for some of his songs including his version of "Sweet Dreams" and "The Beautiful People". The book also covers some of his own philosophies about love, homosexuality, and life.
The book is beautifully constructed with photos and artwork which help with the understanding of what he is discussing. The book goes into great detail, allowing the reader to really understand why Marilyn Manson is the way he is. A fantastic read that, I believe, fans and non-fans would enjoy.
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