One of my students at school recommended the book. In fact, she thought it was the best book she’d ever read. However, by her own admission, she’s not much of a reader. But she is a Marilyn Manson fan.
In the book, Manson is brutally honest. The book details drug binges and debauchery galore. Manson traces his behavior back to his troubled childhood—surprise, surprise. However, I don’t think Manson ever fully makes his case for how terrible his childhood was. True, his grandfather was a perverted man who hid porno and dildos in the basement, but Manson, birthname Brian Warner, and his cousin seem to gladly sneak into the basement to spy on their grandfather. Manson grew up with a strict Christian upbringing, which he claims scarred him for life. Awww, poor Manson. Manson, get over it and move on. More of Manson’s problems seem to stem from his feelings of alienation.
One review says that in the autobiography, “Manson is shockingly honest, and portrays himself as occasionally stupid, self-centered, over-sensitive, ignoble, and, mostly, highly fallible and human.”
Yes, Manson does portray himself honestly, but he sure doesn’t cut anybody else any slack. Manson and his heavy metal rock cronies are drug addled, women using sadistic hedonists. Page after page of the book reeks of Manson and his cronies drug induced disgusting sexual sadistic escapades. Manson details how he and one of his friends constructed a method to torture chosen concertgoers backstage. They revel in ridiculing and using and abusing people. In one such incident, Manson and others talk a deaf young woman into stripping so they ridicule her. After that game begins to bore them, they push her into the shower and all of them proceed to pee on her. Finally, one of the band members takes pity on her and has sex with her.
Manson seems to be a misogynist of the highest order. He ridicules and uses and abuses women in every conceivable way. It’s hard to feel sorry for Manson. The book spends little time focusing on Manson’s music.
Manson says all Christians are hypocrites and liars. This may be true, but Manson is a cruel, sadistic, user. Manson’s musical escapades on stage and drug binges offstage didn’t shock me. What disgusted me is how little regard Manson has for other people as human beings. In the book, it seems as if he thinks that his emotional pain justifies him inflicting pain on other people.
The book, however, is a gritty realistic portrayal of the behind the scenes rock scene.
