The Long Hard Road Out of Hell

by Marilyn Manson, Neil Strauss

book data

1,416 ratings, 3.78 average rating, 233 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		29%
4		33%
3		24%
2		9%
1		2%

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published

April 1st 1999 by Regan Books (first published 1998)

details

Paperback, 288 pages

isbn

0060987464 (isbn13: 9780060987466)

description

From the world's most controversial rock star comes his shocking, confessional and revealing life story. In The Long Hard Road Out of Hell, Marilyn M…more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1,942)

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Aug 30, 2007

Kate rated it:

bookshelves: bizarre

Read in September, 2007

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")...more

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Dec 19, 2008

David rated it:

I read this in one sitting -- maybe an hour and a half, between two classes at college. I mention this, not to show how fast I can read, but to illustrate the depth and density of the "ideas" within this "book." This "book" is celebrity self-obsessed public masturbation gone berserk. This guy may have the ego of an intellectual, but he has the intellect and macro-view of a worm. His "thoughts/observations" are based solely on pop-culture writ large as majo...more I read this in one sitting -- maybe an hour and a half, between two classes at college. I mention this, not to show how fast I can read, but to illustrate the depth and density of the "ideas" within this "book." This "book" is celebrity self-obsessed public masturbation gone berserk. This guy may have the ego of an intellectual, but he has the intellect and macro-view of a worm. His "thoughts/observations" are based solely on pop-culture writ large as major statements, serving only to reinforce his pose. Manson radiates all the depth of his lipstick. The reputation Manson's record company promotion department has sold to the media -- one of an opinionated, thoughtful, outsider risen to reluctant fame because of an honest and tireless commitment to art -- really only reveals the stunning sophisticated intellect of Manson's audience.

Manson, or maybe his conceptual ghost-writers, actually refers to himself as a "traditional degenerate artist." WHAT THE FUCK? One need not to have been present in Berlin during the outcry at WW2 and the rise of fascism to be offended by this empty claim. First off, the reader need only a transient glance at his entertainment-concept described herein to see the absurdity of this comparison -- not to mention his non-qualification to make the embarrassingly apocryphal statement that his work is an extension of its legacy. Is he the neo Otto Dix, Max Beckmann, and/or George Grosz with eyeliner? Shock-value has ZERO affiliation with any traditional degenerate artist and/or art.

Music? Irregardless of how you feel about his music, it's never mentioned once. Well, the concept behind it, yes. Musical insight, musical knowledge, the music itself, not a word. One can only suppose it would be more fruitful to ask his producers and/or managers and agents what the music is all about. He doesn't seem to have the first clue -- at least not one that is detectable from his writing. Well, he does mention that his music is an embodiment of the scary feeling one gets from the "monster under the bed." Wow, heavy. Unfortunately this comment is really only Manson stating an obvious fact about his make-up, live act, and the self-promotion of a concept. And a concept I might add, developed and worn out while Manson was still in diapers. Alice Cooper and Kiss exhausted this shtick by the end of the 70's -- with one major difference: Kiss and Alice Cooper knew it was shtick and entertainment. Manson tries so hard to re-sell a worn out idea he ends up being the only investor -- as his quick rise and burn-out career have revealed. What will be his act two? Is there a second act?

The long hard road out of hell? Ultimately, the title of this "book" is apt, in that, first, it's meaningless; second, it's unconscious self-satire (the kind of parody only possible by an entertainer so blinded by his own calculation, he fails to see it as such); and third, it's irony inside a cliche inside a farce.

The prose? It's been written in such basic, uninspired, flat, faceless non-style English I have to wonder why he needed the help of a professional writer . . .

(less)

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

2 comments

Oct 13, 2007

Purple rated it:

bookshelves: 1-star, biography

recommends it for: Hardcore fans only.

Yawn.

I read this merely out of curiosity (a morbid one at that) and was probably most surprised by the fact that I was surprised at how tedious I found it. The Long Dull Road Out of Hell is a more precise title.

I don't know what I really expected to find behind Manson's character, but it turns out that... no, I won't spoil it for you. It's unlikely that you care.

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Jun 16, 2007

Structure rated it:

Read in June, 2007

recommends it for: Gen Xers, post-gen xers, intelligent Manson fans

This book was banned from my home for about ten years...I picked it up mostly to remember a time I held dear and to remember the icon that was before all the bullshit self-indulgency.

It's built like a fan book of sorts, with candid and professional photos, interviews, early writings of Brian Warner sprinkled in and out of his personal narrative. I didn't treat as much of an insight into the man as opposed to the being he created.

His style of writing doesn't flow, but I a...more

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3 comments

Feb 12, 2008

Beth Beth rated it:

Read in November, 2007

recommends it for: open-minded non christians.

this book was epic.
every single part of it.

marilyn manson is definitely the most interesting character that has ever existed on the face of this green planet.
this book was stocked full of the crazy things he's experienced and done throughout his life. it was amazing.

but this book is not for the people who are weak of heart or weak to their stomach. there's plenty of sad and heart sinking moments but also grotesque, wacky parts that could scar the most fragile ...more

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2 comments

Nov 18, 2008

Lady rated it:

This was probably one of the most self-absorbed pieces of crap I have ever read by a musician. And I read this the year it came out, after we met him and my friends swoon over him. I disliked it then, when most would have listened to this BS. I know you're smart MM, but you're stupid with women and sold-out after that first album...which wasn't even that good! This guy is NOT goth and his stupid religion is one of the major reasons Christianity still has power. Shithead.

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

1 comment

Mar 24, 2007

David Ravikoff rated it:

bookshelves: booksiveread

Read in April, 2002

recommends it for: music fans/pop culture enthusiasts

really interesting portrait of a dysfunctional youth growing up to become America's most hated rock n roll star ... not only a fun book if you are fan of Manson or rock n roll in general .. but the book connects the pyschological dots in such a way that even in 2007 .. the man, or more so, the character of Marilyn Manson is less of an idea, but an accumalation of events, traumas, and incredibly evil encounters. My only complaint was this book was written at the end of Marilyn Manson's "Anti...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

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Nov 09, 2007

Mo75 rated it:

Read in October, 2007

recommends it for: music fans, anyone interested in tales of debauchery

Another easy-to-read book with the help of Neil Strauss, it tells the M. Manson story up to the release of his second album. It's fairly standard rock star fair - rock star shocks lots of people, takes loads of drugs, and then fists some groupies, all described with the world weary voice of someone who has been there and done that. Manson comes across as intelligent and quite well grounded, despite what's going on around him. It's in parts funny, disturbing, and plain weird, but mostly it's ente...more

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Jan 05, 2010

Molly Lesnik rated it:

Read in January, 2010

The Long Hard Road Out of Hell an autobiorgraphy on Brian Warner. Many people have never heard of the name Brian Warner and assume they do not know who he is. Truth is many people know him for his psuedonym Marilyn Manson and from that they form oppinions on him. They think he worships the devil, they think he is gay, and they think he is apart of cruelty to animals. These are all oppinions people formed about him with out hearing the whole story.

Brian has very strong belie

...more

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May 29, 2007

Michael rated it:

bookshelves: memoir-biography

Read in December, 2006

recommends it for: anyone interested in the background of a shock rocker

It has always interested me how someone who takes on a persona like Marilyn Manson comes to be. Through this harrowing tale of drugs, sex, and tight clothing, Manson covers his youth and some of his career here, through his dealings with the Church Of Satan, the gay and lesbian community, and with his own troublesome band mates. If only Manson had waited until present day to write his memoirs, as to touch on all the issues that have come up since....

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Jun 13, 2009

liz ditzler rated it:

Read in January, 2009

Manson is an awesome and creative writer - I have always been a fan of his music but not his persona..as I don't understand people that want to be freaks or outcasts. However, I don't understand conformists either..so I was curious.
I was worried that the content would be offensive - mostly with violence against animals, but as predicted, tabloids exaggerated such events..either that or he kept it out of the book.
I was disgusted by some of the things he did, but never disturbed. ...more

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May 13, 2009

Barry rated it:

Read in April, 2009

Manson's account of his life up through the release of Antichrist Superstar, which, coincidentally, is absolutely amazing that they ever released that album and that it sounds as good as it does. The early part of the book about his growing up years is the most insightful, though he doesn't start talking about his life until he is 12 or 13. The middle-end of the book starts to drag down in filthy recollections of atrocities committed on/back stage. After a while I felt like, "Comeon, I get ...more

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Feb 02, 2009

Lauren rated it:

bookshelves: biography-memoir, music

Read in January, 2009

recommends it for: fans of Marilyn Manson, NIN, Trent Reznor, Jeordie White, Courtney Love

Intentionally provocative, and darkly humorous. Pretty quick read. Sometimes he seems to have a huge ego, but at other times he is self-deprecating. Simultaneously builds up the myth of Marilyn Manson and shows some of who Brian Warner was. I got the feeling that there were a lot more stories he could have told if he had wanted to burn bridges.

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Nov 23, 2009

Matthew W rated it:

Entertaining but Brian Warner is still a degenerate con-artist that has yet to do anything original. I guess that is part of the carny trade as Mr. Warner goes into detail in this dubious (in authenticity) autobiography. I also found the title a little misleading. Brian may have had his ass kicked (no doubt deserving it) and may have been arrested(for acting like an overly arrogant grotesque drag queen), but his life certainly resembles nothing remotely similar to that of a personal hell. Bu...more

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Apr 28, 2009

Dani Cree rated it:

Read in September, 2008

I loved this book.
I love Marilyn Manson in general.
He is very intricate and the people who don't understand him are just too obsorbed in thier own perfect lives to consider the scary but amazing expericences he's had.
He's been through more than most people on this planet, and is still an interesting and genuine guy.
Anyways, the book is a detailed description is his early career and how he got to be who he is.
I found, for a man with no previous experience as an autho...more

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Nov 09, 2007

Tessa rated it:

Read in January, 2003

...Sometimes its fun to see how the demented live their lives.... It's kind of like a self-help book in a way, sorted under "what Not to do."

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Jun 22, 2007

Stephen rated it:

(review of isbn 0060392584)

Read in May, 2007

At first glance "The Long Hard Road Out of Hell" looks like a companion book for Marilyn Manson's "Antichrist Superstar" CD. This is of course not the case once you start reading it. What you find out are numerous dirty secrets and childhood moments that ultimately culminate in what Brian Warner has become - Marilyn Manson. Sadly, the mystique of Manson does not wane very well throughout the book. Many of the pages are devoted to pretentious recollections of bad days at schoo...more

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Oct 13, 2009

Denise rated it:

Read in August, 2009

I was hoping for more depth - it was a pretty shallow gloss over the entity that is Marilyn Manson. I have heard Brian speak in interviews when he is lucid and was impressed. My guess is that he was fully loaded while writing the book, which is a shame because I think that he has a lot to say and much to share. I was hoping to see more of that power and drive and less of the droning hypocrisy that he was once standing up against.
I guess it is true - we eventually become that which we h...more

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Mar 16, 2009

Leann_loftin rated it:

i just finished the autobiography of Marilyn Manson. Really, most of what I have heard about him seems to be false.

He is not gay. He is just another rock singer to me. His lyrics have nothing to do with his religion.
His life is surely what caused him to be what he has become.
I read this book because I am doing my NHD project on him.

I would recomend this book to anyone who is curious about the rumors about Manson that go around. I give this book 4.5 stars if I...more

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Oct 01, 2009

Krystle rated it:

Read in September, 2009

This book was amazing. Brian Warner is a complex and intelligent individual. Not to mention humorous as well. People consider Marilyn Manson to be the spawn of the devil, but he is something more than that. He is a well dressed, and well spoken man with a dark side that is not unlike any other human individual. We all have our light, and lightless. He just has no problem with the idea of being hated. The difference scares people into not wanting to know him.

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"I walked away exhilarated by my success, because there's nothing like making a difference in someone's life, even if that difference is a lifetime of nightmares and a fortune in therapy bills." — 11 people liked it

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