I thought it would be fun to do a post on a book I've read which I would normally not talk about. You know, kind of the equivalent of how you love certain sappy pop songs but you'd never, ever admit it?Okay, here goes ... confession time. I just read Marilyn Manson's The Long, Hard Road out of Hell.
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| In a literary mood |
Except that I was unexpectedly impressed with his acting in Sons of Anarchy (sans makeup). He plays a white power gang leader, and he is suitably evil, yet suprisingly deep and relatable. Then, I somehow stumbled upon the memoir. And devoured it. He's a darn good writer and he's hilarious in a gallows humor way.
He had a horrible childhood. No, I mean, really. He was traumatized by his grandfather of all people. He used to sneak down into his grandfather's workroom, and find disgusting stuff there no kid should ever, ever find. And of course the memoir gets really hard-rock-ish over-the-top. But then, Marilyn has realizations, and transformations, and, when it comes down to it, he's a serious, devoted performance artist who takes big risks.
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| Marilyn as a white gang leader in Sons of Anarchy |
In terms of spec fiction, you could read him as a prince of Darkness, a quick study of a twisted, tortured antagonist. My husband, was absolutely appalled that I was reading the book, and even entertaining the thought of attending his upcoming concert.
Okay, that was an embarrassing confession, yet cathartic. Because normally I read books about witches and magicians and ... Well, hey, is Marilyn Manson really that different?
Now, it's your turn! Which book have you read this year that you absolutely cringe to admit?!
Nice write up. I can see how once we lift our prejudices that we can be surprised. Several books that I have read this year might surprise people who know me: dino-erotica. This is quite a craze right now and I wanted to find out why readers flocked to it. And yes... cringe... it is people having sex with dinosaurs.
ReplyDeleteLoved him in SOA; can't believe what a space-head he was on Talking Dead. I'm a fan of his music, but haven't listened to him except on the radio. This sounds like an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteMy guilty pleasure - sometimes I watch RomComs - who can resist anything Matthew McConnaghy or Sandra Bullock - and read a little category romance. Gotta learn to write romantic characters somewhere, right?
I can't say I have any guilty pleasures, at least none that I would consider guilty. Would reading middle grade stories a guilty pleasure?
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am not turned on by Marilyn Manson's rock persona, I was always told he was a talented songwriter so I'm glad that was able to translate into a wonderfully written memoir.
I'm going to have to mark that down to read. I don't usually read memoirs, but sometimes real life is more shocking than fiction. There's nothing this year that I've been embarrassed to share. There's been quite a few books this year that I didn't like and stopped reading, but I think I'm getting more discerning because of my limited time.
ReplyDeleteI've read so many books this year since I moved out of the country and joined Kindle Unlimited. I discovered quite a few new authors and have enjoyed many of them. I'm not sure what's the weirdest thing I've read though. I'll definitely check this one out, because it sounds just like the kind of book I'd like. If it's an option on Kindle Unlimited, it's going on my Kindle.
ReplyDeleteI... I can't think of any books that I'd cringed to tell people I read. Maybe I need to branch out more. LOL!
ReplyDeleteI have no shame about my eclectic (greedy) reading. A book for every occasion, every mood (including some I didn't know I had).
ReplyDeleteI am a devourer of memoirs but usually avoid celebrity ones. I might have to shift and try this one. Thank you.
Real stories can be so much crazier than fiction. He has always seemed like an interesting guy to me.
ReplyDeleteHey, sometimes you just gotta read outside the box. I read just about anything. Paranormal, dystopian, mystery and inspirational, mostly. Nothing to confess that I can remember, LOL.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read anything strange but a friend of mine read a book called The Haunted Vagina. LOL
ReplyDeleteI would never go to one of his concerts but he is quite intelligent. I saw him in an interview and there is a "Battle of the Bands" held on the 1st and 15th of each month. I connected through Tossing it out on blogland. One of the people had Marilyn Manson doing a rendition of a song that really was harkening back to Bertold Brecht and Germany of the 1920's. It was quite dark but very interesting. The worst I have read is People magazine this year:)
ReplyDeleteOh, Mary K, that is hilarious... and a dino sex trend. Oh--kaaaaay. Elephant's Child, I agree, I'm a greedy reader too. Give it all to me and I'll devour it. Mary, yes, real stories inform fiction so yeah, weirder than fiction even. Dolorah, wow, now I have to watch the Talking Dead. And RomComs definitely fit the hard-to-admit factor.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've read any weird for me books yet this year. I'm not a super huge Manson fan, but I enjoy some songs and I from some interviews I've seen where he's talked about creating music, I think he's a great musician.
ReplyDeleteSons of Anarchy is an intense show. Childhood trauma is sad, especially when it carries so violently into the future. Creative expression is a good way to sort out the past and work through one's demons, I suppose. Nice that you can share what you learned by reading this book though.
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