Simply put, Moonchild is the most comprehensive, insightful book dealing with the genius of Kenneth Anger, avant-garde filmmaker and modern day magus. Dealing with themes throughout Anger's Magick Lantern Cycle such as myth and symbolism as well as the occult, clearly laying out their profound importance within the Anger oeuvre, Moonchild should be purchased by anyone wanting to gain true insight into the mind of Anger - what a frighteningly beautiful place - as well as a deeper understanding of his films and their highly complex, fine-tuned structures. A must have.

This issue features a treasure trove for magicians and Johnny Eck fans. The cover photo of Johnny is the best I've ever seen. Featuring excerpts from a telephone interview with the man himself, along with Johnny's typewritten unfinished autobiography, Pandemonium Vol. 3 is the only place you can find so much Johnny information in his very own words. And Johnny was a consumate story teller: his words are a treat. Lavishly garnished with fabulous photographs -- from a darling shot of Johnny and twin brother Robert as babies in frocks, through a series of photos of rehearsals for the legendary "Miracles of 1937" sawing-in-half routine, to an elderly Johnny grinning on the front stoop of his Baltimore row home -- this issue is a treat for the eyes as well as the brain. If you can get a copy, by all means buy it.

Greetings Everyone. Out of all of Anton Lavey's works (satanic bible, satan speaks, and the satanic witch), this book rght here, "The Devil's Notebook" (in my opinion anyway) is the best of Lavey's works. At the same time that some of the stuff in this is humorous (read chapters "Duck-Billed Platitudes", "Hatha Toilet Seat Meditaion", and "The Whoopi Cushion Shall Rise Again" for instance) most of stuff that Lavey says in this book is so true I'm surprised Lavey himself is not a perfect human being. Chapters like "on the Importance of Being Evil", "The Goodguy badge" and "Two Wrongs Make A Right" I agree with completely. You'll have to buy the book yourself and see why. Of course, I'm not actually a satanist, I'm really an atheist, so the only thing that I do not agree with in this book is all that magic and occult [stuff] that plague all of Lavey's work (I know that satanism doesn't equal to devil worship and Lavey's work doesn't mention anything about virgin sacrifices, animal mutilation or any other sick stuff that christians like to credit satanist with, for those of you that are satanist and are reading this review, so relax). Anyway, I have read other of Lavey's works. The satanic bible was okay, but it was filled with stuff that people should already know by instinct, satanist or not. The Satanic witch is just about the only piece of Lavey's work that I find repugnant and stupid. Again, in my opinion, those of you that are starting into satanism and/or never read one of Lavey's works, satanist or not, I suggest you start with this book first before you read any other material by him.

I feel kind of put off, if only because I have trouble giving this work more credit, simply because I find myself wondering how much was actually LaVey's own work. Run a google search on "LaVey", and you'll come across many websites, and many articles noting the fact that ASL was apparently quite a habitual falsifier. According to testimonies, research, and official documents, much of the life LaVey played up to the public, was built around tall tales. Everything from his name, to his personal holdings, to many of his "infamous" life experiences, were all made up or heavily exaggerated (apparently much of "The Satanic Bible" was just lifted from previous works, with no credit being given to said volumes.) Not to say that he isn't still an interesting individual from a psychological standpoint- it must have taken quite a sense of character for him to build up such a lifestyle, and, maybe he did indeed have a reason for all that carrying-on? Anyways, read this book for a collection of interesting, and sometimes thought provoking essays, whether they were all written by him or not.

As any Satanist can tell you, LaVey was a man full of biting wit, iconoclastic insight and, above all, a most astute and adroit observer of human folly and misinterpretation, himself being subjected to the latter more than anyone in recent memory.

In this book, published after two decades of inactivity (to the world of print), LaVey sheds light on many interesting topics, bringing his usual dose of sardonic humor to the printed page.

A particular essay comes to mind when I think of this book- it's called "Hatha Toilet Seat Meditaion," and if it doesn't solicit laughter from you, nothing will. For those of you who are familiar with it, I'm certain you're grinning right now. For those who aren't, read the book and find out why.

Other essays focus on some pretty forbiding topics, and the level of candor expressed by LaVey never lets us forget that while the media may have portrayed him as several things- none of which were especially flattering- we will continue to respect him for the insight he shared with us, remembering the first time we read the "Satanic Bible," a book that for many of us described the thoughts we'd always thought, but never knew anyone else did.

So, when you read this book, say to yourself with a sigh of gratification, "Hail Satan!"

If you'd like to contact me, you can do so at Justin@radiofreesatan.com

If you're a recently self-discovered Satanist, you have my best wishes for your continued learning and exploration.

HS!

Little of the tackiness and snippy attitude of its predecessor is lost in Holly Baby 2. Still, this sequel suffers a bit by comparison. There is a forced effort to this collection and the material seems to be running a tad thin in places. For example, the catalog of suicides that runs on for about 60 pages plays more to form than to substance. In addition to waxing morbid, it mixes together a wide range of unrelated causes for death. Some of the suicides are Hollywood vanity tragedies; some are merely the tired, the old, and the infirm euthanizing themselves. Some of the dead "stars" are likely unknown outside their inclusion in this list. There are several sections of photos without text that don't quite convey whatever scandal it is they propose to expose. Also, the text dilutes the sting of its rebuke by including such unrelated items as the "scandal" of Elizabeth Taylor getting fat, along with some very unflattering photos to accompany. On the other hand, the expose of Joseph Kennedy (JFK and RFK's dad) is ringing, and Anger's diatribe against Ronnie Reagan is pure carbolic acid. There is enough cheese-and-sleaze here that even with its faults, Holly Baby 2 delivers the kind of kiss-and-tell voyeurism that one goes looking between its covers for in the first place.

As captivated as I was by the first Hollywood Babylon ,part 2 is even better! Packed with more photos and Angers cunning (and cutting)campy wit it brings "old hollywood" to its knees (no pun intended!).A wonderful look at the behind the scenes Hollywood of the past its a great read .I cant wait for 20+ years from now somebody,somewhere does a part 3 and brings us up to date about whats STILL must going on behind the scenes.This book works for truecrime fans,hollywood/movie buffs or anybody who reads tabloids in the checkout line when they think no ones looking!!!! A fun,campy thrill ride of fun!!!!!

I recommend this book to anyone interested in underground film, whether you're a maker or purveyor. Despite personal conflicts with the subject, Mr. Landis manages to provide us with an even-handed account of the life of Kenneth Anger, and subsequently, the history of underground film-making.

Personally, the most interesting chapters were those that dealt with the celebrities that crossed paths with Anger and the pretenses by which they did.

Some of this book is interesting about early Hollywood, however a lot of it simply isn't true. The part about Clara Bow is especially mean-spirited and cruel. It is a rather well known fact that the story about Clara Bow "entertaining" the USC football team isn't true, yet, here the story is in print. I also found it uncalled for to show a photo of Judy Garland at about age 15 and then show "old Judy" and describe her as a pill popping queen... it's well known she took pills because of the studio and was given them as "medication." These are screen ledgends being trashed by some yellow journalist who writes at the quality level of The National Enquirer. Also, I don't care to read about supposed sexual escapades of male stars as great conquests and rumors about the sexuality of female stars as actions of a cheap, street corner hooker. This rag essentially says that Errol Flynn could have banged (yes, slang) anyone he wanted to, but Lillian Gish has a incestous lesbian relationship with her sister. Umm, trash, lies, and male boasting.

This book is wonderful -- I hadn't had this much fun since reading the roughie "Tales From the Crypt" comics of my childhood. Kenneth Anger was truly so far ahead of his time, not only inventing the independent film (MTV rips him off all of the time), and being a really angry child star, but also exploiting the mass-culture of fandom with high-end blood-and-guts effect. Anger takes the proletarian sensibility most people have about Hollywood and uses it not only to construct a cathartic masterpiece of dark humor, letting you in on all the sexual deviancy and glitter-fueled glamour-junkies, but also expressing a very obvious (and very humorous) resentment. If you can't enjoy the fun of reading about Golden Age Hollywood stars behaving badly (and who can't?), you can indulge in Anger's bitterness, and if not that, there are plenty of photos to scan in and print out and tack to the wall as conversation pieces. And if you can't enjoy any of that, I imagine you're probably the sort of person who also says such obviously absurd and mutually-contradictory statements as "I don't need drugs or alcohol to have a good party!"

Get the book if you have a creepy death fascination that makes you the life of the party but completely irritated your parents when you were younger. F'ing Brilliant!

Like any newspaper article, events are turned into "stories." These "stories", like any silver screen biography, tells the dramatic tale of a life in turmoil. Kenneth Anger's book, "Hollywood Babylon" takes the angle of a tabloid and digs up some old dirt of famous celebrity lives and puts it into a full collection of grime, grease and oil. This collection takes a chronological look at Hollywood's finest at the time beginning in the early twenties with such big names as Fatty Arbuckle whose drinking problem got out of hand at one of his big parties after signing a lucrative deal. Moving through time to the 30's, 40's, right up to the Sharon Tate murder, which Anger recognized it was no longer "Old Hollywood."

The book reads like a gossip column mixed with sleazy tabloid journalism, yet with the wit and humor of a prankster. It's an exploitation of exploited lives. To mimic tabloids further, the pages appear with large and sometimes disturbing photos of stars at their most inopportune moments.

While much of the material has already had its heyday in newspapers of the times, it has a new life today where many of these actors and actresses are virtually unheard of by the general public and rekindled new interest in their films. Just as watching and old O. J. Simpson football game may have the same appeal as watching Lana Turner in her debut "They Won't Forget."

The title to me is entirely fitting, as Hollywood is the "Babylon" of our society, one in which everyone has all their wants at their disposal. A place where hedonism is the religion and tragedy is only the end of a scene, for we know by the end of the movie everything will be all right. My only disappointment in the book is its cursory glance at such stars as Marylyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and many other stars that became almost a tally only to be put under a heading of how they died. "Hollywood Babylon" still fits the bill, however, as an enticing and racy read of the darker seedy side of that strange and secret society.