The Long Hard Road Out of Hell
by Marilyn Manson, Neil Strauss
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Book Reviews of The Long Hard Road Out of Hell
Book Review: I've seen better
Summary: 2 Stars
While I can't say one way or the other, not knowing the man personally, I still think that a lot of the "life experiences" he depicts in here are pretty hard to believe. His writing style is all over the place, seemingly knowing what he's doing one moment, then jumping around leaving you unsure of even his *approximate* age during the next chapter. I'm not even completely sure if everything is happening in order. Some stuff may seem really hard to believe (like his youth) if you hadn't grown up in a quasi-rural Mid-Western area, but while it's possible to have happened, I think he's not only adding, but also embellishing certain parts of his youth in an attempt to impress the stereotypical mentality of his fans, and, judging by what almost every other review that I have read notes, his assumed plot seems to have worked. In short, he's displaying way too much grandeur for his allegedly "like-minded" skeptic to take seriously, even if his writing style may seem apparently amateurish in parts. Some points (like his lists of "rules") show a sense of humour and give evidence that he probably shouldn't be taken seriously, which I suppose could be taken either way. I'm not exactly what to make of Chapter 16 or the chapter I can't readily identify that basicly details an acid trip. I also don't normally think much of an autobiography or mere biography that is occupies approximatly one fifth of the pages with old magazine interviews in the middle of the story when they could have just as well been compiled in the back of the book as a magical little thing called an "appendix." I suggest getting this, plus some unauthorised stuff and reading the Rolling Stone articles and then judge for yourself what is Brian Warner: kid from small-town Ohio and what is Marilyn Manson: big enormous rock star.Book Review: Brilliant autobiography, to be appreciated even by non-fans
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: The Long Hard Review of Brian Warner
Summary: 4 Stars
The author of this book is Marilyn Manson with Neil Strauss. The title is The Long Hard Road Out of Hell, and it was published by ReganBooks. There are other books about the author, but not written by him. The author is a musican and his music is readily available at most music outlets.As he describes, in his own words, goths would most likely enjoy this book. People that are upset with the world and don't understand it. People looking for an outlet to let out their fantasies and for people who want to read about a famous rock star.
The book has 3 main parts: When I was a Worm, Deformography, and How I got my Wings. There are several chapters under those parts. The is an autobiography, and it starts out in his childhood and continues until 1998. When I was a Worm is referring to himself in his childhood and the things that happened which influenced how he is now. Deformography consists of when he went to Florida and started a band, and experimented. Lastly, How I got my Wings is about when he is famous and him struggling and coming to himself more.
In this book Marilyn is very to the point and describes everything. I wouldn't recommend this book for even a junior high child, high school should be okay. You need an open-mind and look past the make-up and crazy fantasies. If you can see that, he too can be a human being.
Overall I enjoyed the book. I didn't know what to quite expect from a rock n roll artist, especially an autobigraphy from Marilyn Manson. So many people have their minds made up about him and have judged him already. After reading this, he's not this evil entity, he's just a person. It also opens your eyes into the perpective of another and you can see the world through different eyes.
Book Review: Made in Manson
Summary: 5 Stars
My frist impression of this book? WOW. Manson has been criticized a million times, and this book gives reason. This book can be read by anyone, anyone who has never even heard his music will still find this book highly addivctive. I have read several biographies and autobiographies (the dead, mccartney...) but none of them have a down to earth feeling and they all talk about technical aspects of their lives. They dont tell about their shortcomings, drugs, sex....ect. But manson gives a full dose of his life from the time he was a baby till the point when his single (The Beautiful people) reaches No.3 in the charts. This book is so explicit and raw that it makes it painfully normal but that same time extraordinary. Each one of us can relate to this book in some way or the other. You might hear some Goth kids come up and say "I'm different and this book is just like my life." Thats rubbish. This book is for all us no matter what clothes we wear or what our background is. Its about life in a "normal" world that happens everyday seen through the eyes of someone with excellent ideas and visions with a view to change it. And yes, he too is normal and ordinary trying to make his dreams come true and break away from the conformity of society. This book should be used by every one as a model to not only believe in yourselves, but also to acknowledge your shortcomings. Soccer moms and Businessmen alike should quit their demented and disgusting repetitive life and try to find something new. This book teaches us that life never stops....whether you are me or Marilyn Manson. Written simple and brilliant.
Book Highlight: Manson's explicit details about his rock star sex life.
Book Review: Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was a fascinating and definitely worthwhile look into the eyes of America's monster, Mr. Brian Warner. It took me only a day to read, because I could not put it down, and I am in the course of reading it a 3rd time now. Brian, or as you most know him by, Marilyn Manson, had one messed up childhood, and it really makes you see exactly why he puts a lot of his messages in music. He even explains a lot of personal things about his album AntiChrist Superstar that most people never knew, and for me, that makes the album all the better and in depth. Its packed with dozens of photos and even some drawings by Manson himself, and it has 14 full color pages of Manson pictures in the middle if you just cant get enough of him. Some highlights of the book are Manson getting kidnapped by Trent Reznor of NIN, Manson's `rules' about drugs, cheating, and homosexuality, pages of affidavits regarding the horrible things that supposedly happened at his concerts (but of course didn't)stories and poems Manson sent into a magazine to be published, and an explination of that whispering noise at the beginning of the song `tourniquet.' The only problem I had with this book is it didn't seem personal enough. It was based more factually than it was emotionally for Manson, which is something I wasn't hoping for, seeing as how we all know he always has something intelligent or artistic to say about the world. But little does he go into his theories or his views throughout the book. And i wish he would have written this book later, so he could have talked about the things that happened after he wrote this, such as his album Mechanical Animals or Holy Wood.But still, its fantastic.