The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell (1999) - Plot & Excerpts
I am a huge fan, really enjoyed reading about the man before the star. I would have rated 5 stars, however, I feel the timeline was too soon. As other reviewers have pointed out all the really interesting stuff from MM came after this book was published.This book is about him, his journey, not so much about being a rockstar. He is not a typical rockstar. Similar, yes, and he is an entertainer, but he is not the garden variety rocker that is all about sex and drugs and booze, etc. At least in the beginning when this book came out that was the show, but his message is what mattered.I have met him and had an interesting and amusing conversation with him back when this book came out, and believe it or not he is very shy.What Marilyn Manson is all about is challenging us to look at what is happening around us, question authority, shake things up, etc. Things we should do w/o the need of an artist/rock star to tell us to do. He knew what needed to be done to get to where he is and he predicted what would happen along the way. He is not just Marilyn Manson the rock star like Alice Cooper or KISS are shock-rockers. There is more to it than that. He became this thing because we needed it to happen. Almost like a superhero comes along because society needs him to. He is there to be a scapegoat much like the president or god/jesus/satan. It is not just for the shock of it and show of it like KISS and Alice admit to and joke about it being an act for money.Make no mistake HE IS A TRUE ARTIST. One of the very few in the music business. He has concept albums that tell stories, Antichrist Superstar is a story from start to finish of a rock star like him. For example, the lyric "world spreads it's legs for another star, world shows it's face for another scar."People who criticize him and just don't get it are the ones he targets with the shock rock part, however, there is much more to it, to him, than that. That is just the surface. There are layers to his work, all the albums have a theme and have depth and various art and imagery from those eras mixed in and often times hidden. Why would the guy go to the lengths he does if he doesn't care? He wouldn't. Why would he almost quit the business and become a recluse when it all goes a bit too far, like being blamed and berated for columbine to the point he can't take it? Why wouldn't he just say it is an act and be done with it all? That would be the easy thing to do and what someone that doesn't care would do. But he didn't, he endured it and he is still around and he learned from it and grew up a little.As far as the religion aspect, I am not going to get into that too much. But I will say he has a message, not a religion. Satanism is not about the devil, but is all about self-preservation. Christianity is all about control, telling people they are not good enough on their own. They need god's strength, blah-blah-blah. Manson is challenging that. More people should question it and think about it and they are. That is why Manson is what he is. This is why he attracted the attention of his mentor and friend Trent Reznor, another great artist (more in terms of music/prouction) that would not have supported Manson all those years if he wasn't an amazing talented artist. Manson was on Trent's label and Trent made sure he had more freedom to do what he wanted w/o the record label messing it up. They have all this drama around them now, and it is too bad Trent didn't try harder to help his friend that struggled with the same issues Trent himself and damn near all stars go through...More recently Manson got sucked into it all and started with the drugs and becoming more and more like a plain old rockstar. I hope he can break out of that. We need artists like him around. We need more books telling their story.
Chances are, regardless if you've heard his music or not, you've at least heard of Marilyn Manson. Though he's lost some of his notoriety over the years, he was Public Enemy #1 for religious leaders and politicians in the mid to late 90's. Now, whereas I don't consider myself a fan of his music, I've always been fascinated by Brian Warner, the man behind the alter-ego of Marilyn Manson. In interviews, Manson has always come across as intelligent and articulate, so I was curious to see the man behind the makeup. The biggest impression I walked away from was that Brian Warner doesn't want to be Marilyn Manson, but in a way he feels like he has to. In most of the book, he laments the sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle, but then goes on to go into detail about some of his backstage escapades. The thing is, he does so without the usual "rock star gusto" you would expect from Gene Simmons or Tommy Lee. Rather, Warner seems almost resentful about his behavior, as if he doesn't want to do these things, but feels he must for some obscure dedication to being a rock star. However. as interesting as these moments are, at times the book can feel weighed down by his own artistic side and some items (like a lengthy interview given early in his career) seem to be nothing more than filler. In truth, I was expecting a detailed autobiography, but it seems to be more of a lite Autobio/memoir.That's not to say that the book isn't entertaining, but it doesn't reveal as much as I'd like. I really wanted to learn more about him, but instead it feels like a fluff piece for a Rolling Stone article. (And indeed, the book was co-written by a Rolling Stone author.)If you're a fan of Manson, I recommended this book. It won't shed any new light about him, merely just reinforce all the things you like about him. However, for those on the outside (such as myself) who wants to know the man behind Manson, I don't suggest reading this book. Aside from a few bits from his child hood and a frenzied love/hate relationship with Trent Renzor, you really won't learn much.
What do You think about The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell (1999)?
I'm not a fan of his music at all but WOW, what a roller coaster of a read this autobiography was. Don't be fooled, Manson is uber-intelligent. The levels of depravity he reaches is simply shocking. What did surprise me though in the last few chapters dealing with personal confessions is that this satanist is frightened by nightmares and still fears the dark (?).2 quotes I liked:- 'A thing worse than a lie is an exposed lie.'- 'As a bipedal animal, man by nature gravitates towards his evil side, which may be one of the reasons people always ask me about the darker half of my name but never about Marilyn Monroe. Although she remains a symbol of beauty and glamour, she had a dark side just as Charles Manson had a good, intelligent side. The balance between good and evil, and the choices we make between them, are probably the single most important aspects shaping our personalities and humanity.'Warning: Read this one when the kiddies are in bed.
—Sean de la Rosa
Simply one of the best autobiographies I've read, purely for its brutal honesty. Could almost be classified as philosophy in the way Manson puts forward his ideas. Ideas that challenge the average reader to think outside the square. To quote the book;"The devil doesn't exist. Satanism is about worshipping yourself, because you are responsible for your own good and evil. Christianity's war against the devil has always been a fight against man's most natural instincts - for sex, for violence, for self-gratification - and a denial of man's membership in the animal kingdom."Although not entirely about religion, the book does cover a lot of ground in that area. Seeing it from Manson's perspective, on top of what we see in the media, even today, it's not hard to work out who the real evil doers are. Freedom of speech is a birthright and religion and politics should never mix. In a world where there is a lot of talk, and while I don't condone the drug use or sexual conduct of the man, Manson is one of very few with something to say that is worth listening to. Required reading.
—Christian
I have a fascination with Marilyn Manson which has been stirred up by recent news about his deformed skeleton collection and nazi tiles in his library. Although I couldn't put the book down, it was actually much more disturbing than I could have imagined. He is a total misogynist and all-around creep who gets his kicks abusing vulnerable people. His philosophy of satanism/elitism makes him think he is much more intelligent than everyone else, but his writing (even with a "co-author") suggests otherwise. The lyrics, poems, and stories remind me of the crap I wrote in 8th grade. Essentially, his auto-biography is about what happens when you never mature past 15 but suddenly get rich and famous.
—Kate
