Customer Reviews

The Secret Life of a Satanist: The Authorized Biography of Anton LaVey

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I never knew Lavey. Sometimes, reading about him, one wonders whether anyone ever really did. If you can read between the lines though (too few can), there are some deeply funny and even profound brushes which can be had with the man.

In choosing to either deify or villify him, both his sycophants and his detractors seem to get it all wrong. Lavey is best evaluated warts and all, but also with an eye to the card hand that his critics desperately hide. A quick survey of the characters (or lack thereof) of his three biggest antagonists (the sources of basically every negative accusation making the rounds) speaks for itself. But to whitewash him of any fault would equally leave an impression unworthy of what his legacy suggests.

Much has been made about the fact that Lavey seems to have invented a large part of his 'past' and I feel, from reading this book that this is evidently true. This is supposed to prove that Lavey was a fake and that any of his ideas are suspect. If this is so, then the works of Andy Warhol, Vladimir Nabokov, Jim Morrison, B. Traven and Orson Welles should all be dismissed as counterfeit.

According to Freud, we all make up our 'personas' and attendant 'pasts' as we go along. However, if this book is any record, we don't all do it with equal skill or taste.

Perhaps Lavey's greatest feat of Black Magic was his ability re-enchant the world by awakening an interest in all that is lost, forgotten or damned by consensus reality. Perhaps... but even if he was nothing more than an endearing curmudgeon with a renaissance grasp of junk culture, all his 'artifacts' would still be worth a million kewpie dolls to those with eyes to see.

Yankee Rose indeed.

I also read The Devil's Avenger, by Burton Wolfe (1974), and experienced extreme deja vu. Going back and comparing them, I find many parts identical, often word for word. Read them both and judge for yourself.
Some have written that Anton LaVey ghost-wrote both books. That would explain the situation, and why Wolfe (or heirs?) took no action against the newer book.
I regard this book as a revised and updated edition of The Devil's Avenger.

Blanche Barton's 'Secret Life of a Satanist' gives an intriguing account of the life of Dr. Anton LaVey, founder of America's first 'official' Church of Satan.

Dr. LaVey rose up from a dissatisfied childhood to enjoy success in a variety of careers, including lion taming (or 'lion training,' as he prefers to call it), performing as a musician on a variety of instruments (primarily organ), and working as a crime photographer for the San Francisco police department. Along the way, he allegedly has a brief relationship with Marilyn Monroe while performing music for various West coast clubs.

As his life progresses, his ferocious views lead him to start an occult group in San Francisco, in his new home which would become the notorious 'Black House.' This group (which I believe was called 'The Order of the Trapezoid') evolved into the Church of Satan, which officially emerged in 1966 (or in Satanic parlance, A.S. 1; the first year of Satan).

Following the birth of LaVey's church, the 'good doctor' is associated with various shocking events, especially the death of Jayne Mansfield.

Parts of this book will set off your nonsense detector (assuming you have one), especially when Dr. LaVey suggests that in the future, space colonization will lead to the Satanization of the earth. He also claims to have seen a real life Lovecraftian monster in a cave, and a four-foot caterpillar. In addition to this, the book includes a ritual for lycanthropic transformation. I found these things to be a little hard to swallow.

In spite of these sillier points, this book is otherwise a very compelling story of a driven individual who was determined both to get something out of his life, and to make his mark on the world. Many of the finer points of LaVey's philosophy are brought out, including his tastes in music (he hated rock music!), and his love for forgotten things.

Like most occult books, there's a b.s. factor involved; but in the end this is a well-written story about a true American original. Large portions of this book are taken from interviews with LaVey. Not all readers will agree with LaVey's approach to life, but it's difficult not to admire a man with the guts to wear a pentagram in broad daylight, and defy the religious establishment.

The negative reviewer who calls Satanists "bozos" and pitches a "Christian" alternative doesn't seem to have read this book. I'm not surprised. That reviewer seems to lack a sense of humor. I picked this up after seeing the movie SATANIS abut the Church of Satan and having a blast. The Secret Life of a Satanist is another enjoyable work influenced by Anton LaVey. I loved reading this. Very entertaining, interesting, and fun. It's a hell of a read!

The majority of reviewers on LaVey's books usually fall into 3 categories; 1) Slobbering, groveling, worshipping followers of anything he said or did. 2) Pseudo-intellectuals trying placate their egos with supposedly intelligent perspectives on LaVey. 3) Slobbering, groveling, worshipping religious Jesus-junkies denouncing everything about LaVey. Why can't people just accept him for what he was; a colorful character with a brilliant philosophical outlook on life. Much can be gained by reading his views, but to make a religion out of it is the greatest trick he ever pulled off.

i think this was a very good bio into the life of Mr.LaVey. After reading most of his books, this gives a better understanding of who he was and how he came to be the founder of the Church of Satan.

An informative account of the development of a philosophy unlike any other; from the perspective of a misanthropic genius. An amazing man, an amazing life and an incredible tale. This book is recommended reading for anyone interested in contemporary Satanism, the Church of Satan and its founder, Dr. Anton Szandor LaVey. Four Stars!!!

The biography of the Satanic Pope gives a great appreciation of what the satanism is all about. The book presents the basics and principles aside from the biography of an open minded and well respected man, the Satanic Pope. It has photographs of different moments of LaVey's life. A satanist must-have book.

LaVey was a fascinating character - a scholar of the true occult,"what is hidden". In the '60s he proclaimed himself the founder of the Church of Satan, and probably regretted it for the rest of his life. His philosophy/lifestyle was an intensely personal fusion of humanism, Nietzschean morality, Freudian psychology and carny chutzpah.

I don't know how much of this book is based on fact - it doesn't seem objective, that's for sure - but it's well-written and well worth reading.

A well written yet, chances are, biased book (considering the author is the mother of one of LaVey's children)"The Secret Life of A Satanist" is a must for any hardcore LaVeyian.

Chronicling "The Black Pope" from birth to only a few years before his death (Oct. 29,1997)"The Secret Life..." gives the reader an indepth look at not only the life, but the philosophical standpoint of Anton LaVey.

Honestly, I'd suggest first time dabblers start out with this one instead of "The Satanic Bible". With it's more thorough deliniation of Satanic creed "The Secret Life..." gives it's readers a deeper understanding of not only the the religion, but why it was created and why it's so necessary in today's society.

Anton LaVey was a dangerous thinker, and few books dare to tred as close to him as this highly detailed biography. Even if the author was in cahoots with her subject, "The Secret Life of a Satanist" is still a worthwhile buy for anyone seeking knowledge on society's outermost fringes.