Talk:Anton LaVey

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Practised Cannibalism

This is of public interest, therefore I recommend including it into the article: In LeVay's last wife's book ('The Secret Life of a Satanis, authorized Biografphy') , it's stated that: 'One seminar on "Cannibalism and Human Sacrifice" covered the subject in more than just words. Students were invited to partake of a cooked thigh of a young white woman.The leg had been biopsied and provided by a Berkeley physician who attended Anton's lectures regularly. Diane basted the main course of puaka balava, "long pig", in Triple Sec, fruit juices and Grenadine. She served it with fried bananas and yams, just as the Fiji Islanders did, adding Tonka bean wine and caterpillars to round out the meal. The meat was described as tasting somewhere between pork and lamb, with a consistency rather fibrous like pork chops, but sweeter, and not quite as tender or salty as lamb. The diners exhibited little squeamishness except when it came to eating the caterpillars. But the LaVey's three-year old daughter, Zeena, finished them with enthusiasm'.

Source: https://books.google.de/books?id=sEIxCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=lavey+cannibalism+human+sacrifice+seminar&source=bl&ots=8CxzfwRCpi&sig=i79XEBChyIADKUvQ5WI_OmgOeMs&hl=de&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiQ6ZbO-pzVAhXBCMAKHanrBqIQ6AEIKzAB#v=onepage&q=lavey%20cannibalism%20human%20sacrifice%20seminar&f=false — Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.177.83.238 (talk) 13:23, 22 July 2017 (UTC)

It would be helpful if you could provide a page number instead of just expecting people to read an entire book to find one single quote. It's also worth noting that "Diane" was Laveys first wife and the author wouldn't have been present during the incident. It cannot be verified and could have been inserted for the sake of sensationalization. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Czarnibog (talk • contribs) 07:57, 26 August 2018 (UTC)

Actually … as the body of the main article notes, “Diane” was his second “wife” - they never legally married, and would have been around from 1960 - 1984. So, she quite likely was present, but, whether it’s truth or sensationalism , we may never fully know. 75.106.32.81 (talk) 18:31, 1 July 2024 (UTC)

Marilyn Manson

In this trivia section it states that marilyn Manson was offered the post of reverand many times but always refused, in the Marilyn Manson page it states that he IS a reverand. Which is correct? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.202.125.146 (talk) 22:19, 3 December 2007 (UTC)

He was given an honorary title, and since then neither he nor the Church of Satan has taken it away. As for his current activity, I know nothing. TomCatJoe (talk) 23:34, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Tonight Show appearance

I was wondering if Anton LaVey ever appeared on the Tonight Show, or any other talk show. If so, is their footage of that interview? I also thought that a list of guests on the Tonight Show would be a good idea for a Wikipedia article.

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.181.107.90 (talk) 00:18, 16 January 2007 (UTC).

The short answer is no. The long answer is yes. He appeared on a variety of local talk shows (primarily when the Church of Satan was "The Satanic Church") before the Satanic Panic. Good luck finding the footage, though; I don't even think it's on the CoS Archive, although I might be mistaken. There was a clip of him appearing on one that was on YouTube, back when the CoS allowed Theistic Satanists. Darkahn (talk) 22:08, 7 November 2010 (UTC)

Notice

Some of you may notice that the article on LaVeyan Satanism now redirects to Satanism. This is as it should be, and is a long time coming. A serious effort is finally underway to clean up the disorder and subpar editing that has for too long characterized this series of articles. I welcome everyone interested to continue their valued contributions, and to join in the effort to restore sensibility to the representation of Satanism on Wikipedia. Thank you! -Lvthn13 06:06, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Unorganized comments

The picture caption says 'Dr.,' yet I can't find any academic credentials in his bio. Can anyone explain?

• Anton is referred to as Dr. or Doktor by his close friends and associates. He does not have a degree that would give him the title, but the same goes with the title 'Black Pope'. KevinISlaughter

I remember reading somewhere that he was involved with Marilyn Monroe. Can anyone confirm?

Photos exist to at least prove that Anton LaVey met both Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, and pretty good documentation exists to confirm his involvement with Mansfield. His relationship with Marilyn Monroe is impossible to prove either way except to say that they met (though the fact that she was photographed with him at all should provide pretty strong evidence of the veracity of his claims; I can think of few other circumstances that would permit him to be photographed with her). The fact that this is always denied or ignored by biographers of either lady only proves that admiring biographers are disturbed that their favorite starlet may have been involved with him, just as most biographers of Benjamin Franklin gloss over his involvement with English Hellfire Clubs. --Lvthn13 23:00, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

There's a longstanding rumour --- don't know if it's more than that --- that he had some kind of relationship with Jayne Mansfield, and that Mansfield was a member of the Church of Satan. Never heard about Monroe. Wasn't he in Rosemary's Baby as well?

Anton LaVey appeared in Rosemary's baby very briefly as Satan in the rape scene. He was also an uncredited technical advisor on the film. The Secret Life of a Satanist details his relationship with Monroe.

---

There is currently a great deal of controversy surrounding the life of Anton LaVey. Many of the stories that have been circulating about his life have been challenged since his death in 1997. These stem primarily from an article written by his estranged daughter Zeena and her husband Nikolas Schreck, both former members of the Church of Satan. It is attached to this article and is called Anton LaVey: Legend and Reality. Few, if any, of the claims put forth in the Schreck's article have been officially refuted to my knowledge by the Church of Satan. They include:

• He never knew either Marilyn Monroe or Jayne Mansfield intimately
• He had no involvement with Rosemary's Baby and was only asked to appear at a screening of the film by a San Francisco theatre.
• He didn't ritualistally shave his head on Walpurgisnacht, 1966 in order to usher in Anno Satanas of the Satanic Empire. He shaved it later that year, on a dare made by his wife.
• He essentially lied about every aspect of his past in order to create a legend or Myth about himself. These range from his claim that the Black House was originally equipped with secret passageways and trap doors. The Schrecks claim that this is pure fabrication and that the house belonged to his parents.

It must be kept firmly in mind that the authors of these claims both have personal animus towards Anton LaVey and may have been motivated by personal grudges. The allegations are quite harsh in places and accuse LaVey of beating his second wife Diana repeatedly and trying to strangle her, beating his pets, abetting a friend by idly watching him molest LaVey's grandson, as well as fabricating his fabled job histories as a lion tamer, crime photographer, etc.

In my opinion, the Schreck document appears to be a combination of fact and hysterical hyperbole based on a pronounced feeling of loss. Dr. LaVey had not been gone for three months when this report was compiled. Zeena Schreck left the Church in 1990 in order to join The Temple of Set, which was founded in 1975 by ex members of the COS. Prior to that, she denounced her Father and remained estranged from him until his death. All these factors make it difficult to determine what precisely is factual and therefore ought to be included in the Wikipedia biography.

The main problem is that claims have been made to challenge the validity of numerous occurances that are contained within both of LaVey's biographies. Also, loyal followers are loathe to contradict what has long been accepted as the official word on his personal life. Should we just create a disclaimer that states, something to the effect, that "the events proclaimed in this article as fact have been challenged on several fronts by individuals who had unresolved grievances with LaVey"?

I'm going to leave a note about the Schreck's article on the page. I just want to draw people's attention to the relationship between the author(s) and LaVey. _________________________________________________________ I agree completely with your final statement. It's almost amazing how people jump at the chance to denounce somebody after they have passed on and can no longer defend themselves... almost. But you have to keep in mind the dispicable nature of mankind. Everyone was too cowardly to make these accusations while he was alive. Zeena was sore about the divorce between Anton and Diana, and of course Diana would feel the same way. And when you get two women together who want to cause trouble, this sort of thing is bound to occur.

As opposed to when you get two similarly minded men together, right? --Haruki 10:03, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

                         *               *              *

Actually, many of the claims made in Legend and Reality, (minus the personal family business), were also made in the Sept. 1991 Rolling Stone article, "Sympathy for the Devil". The original letter from Zeena to Dr Aquino, (Dec. 1990), was written around the same time as the Lawrence Wright article. Hence his inclusion, "Later I learned that, earlier in the evening, LaVey's younger daughter had chosen this special day to renounce her father.......in a letter to LaVey's archenemy, Michael Aquino." It may also be noted that Dr LaVey did respond to Mr Wright, when he said, "I don't want the legend to disappear. There is a danger you will disenchant a lot of young people who use me as a role model.".

---

Concerning Anton LaVey's estranged daughter Zeena Schreck, the article listed her as High Priestess of the Church of Satan from 1985 to 1990. This is denied on the Official Church of Satan website in a letter to the Village Voice written by Magistra Blanche Barton. As such, I have removed this listing. --Xiaogui17 (talk) 06:05, 27 July 2009 (UTC)

jane mansfield

mentioned in a disscussion with lavey in marilyn manson's long hard road out of hell (book)

The Secret Life of a Satanist details the relationship between the two, and also provides photogrphic evidence.

Hotel California

No mention yet of his supposed "appearance" on the cover art of Hotel California - Eagles. --User:62.252.224.14, 04:26, 23 June 2005

Urban myth explored here. —Morning star 06:52, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Is the myth notable enough that it should be addressed? There appear to be so many myths (intentional or natural) about LaVey that they could be organized into a section, or at least a paragraph. -Willmcw 10:23, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

looked at the inside of my Dad's original LP last night...there is defenitely "someone" in the balcony window and whoever it is, it's defenitely a dead ringer for LaVey...no question about that. I personally find it hard to believe that the songs lyrical content and this supposed appearence is coincedental. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.36.35.40 (talk) 01:26, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Really? A dead ringer for LaVey, huh? You know, it's a WOMAN on the balcony, right? It's a female model hired for that shoot. As for the lyrics: there is nothing "mystical" or "satanistic" about the song. In fact, its meaning is exactly the same as the more prosaic lyrics of their song, "Life in the Fast Lane." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.69.152.178 (talk) 01:42, 6 September 2010 (UTC)

Jewish heritage?

How come nothing is mentioned of his jewish heritage? --User:211.30.234.114, 19:27, 23 June 2005

Because he wasn't. --D.J.B. (User:172.195.68.61), 04:13, 15 July 2005

You're all crazy. --User:172.196.108.46, 00:40, 18 August 2005

Lavey mentions in several of his works that he is a "Jew-Gypsy."

Do you have a source to show this? I only ask so that the rest of us may verify same.150.208.140.13 19:29, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

Here is some references, one book that even the CoS authorises:

• Rolling Stone Magazine interview with LaVey by Lawrence Wright’ - "It’s Not Easy Being Evil in a World That’s Gone to Hell", Rolling Stone, September 5, 1991 - LaVey reveals his own Jewish heritage and rela name, as does Blanche Barton. LaVey also stated in this interview: "There is a danger you will disenchant a lot of young people who use me as a role model." and "I don't want the legend to disappear"
• Lucifer Rising: A Book of Sin, Devil Worship and Rock 'n' Roll by Gavin Baddeley, Paul Woods (Plexus Publishing (UK), 2000, ISBN 0-85965-280-7) page 214. Referring to the influence that Sir Basil Zaharoff had on LaVey, as opposed to “Stanton” being LaVey’s middle birth name, Barton writes, “LaVey’s grandson, born in 1978, was named “Stanton Zaharoff” in his honor.” Barton, The Secret Life of a Satanist, 24. When referring to LaVey’s grandson’s first name, Barton says that he was named after a character in William Lindsay Gresham’s novel Nightmare Alley. Ibid., 42. What Barton fails to mention in both instances is that “Stanton” was Anton LaVey’s middle birth name. Because Barton was LaVey’s live in lover and here the author of his “authorized biography”, the failure to do so is significant because it further goes to prove a deliberate repression of pertinent information for the purposes of advancing LaVey’s self-created “autobiographical” details.
• A Critical Biography of LaVey: Hypocrisy, Plagiarism and LaVey by John Smulo
• In a well-documented article by one of LaVey’s daughters, Zeena LaVey, and Nikolas Schreck, entitled Anton LaVey: Legend and Reality, virtually all of the oft-repeated details about LaVey were shown to be fictitious. Zeena LaVey and Nikolas Schreck, Anton LaVey: Legend and Reality, and (February 2, 1998). Accessed March 1, 2001. For further confirmation of this cf. Lawrence Wright, “It’s Not Easy Being Evil in a World That’s Gone to Hell” in Rolling Stone. September 5, 1991: 63-68, 105-16. Cf. also Joe Abrams, The Church of Satan, https://web.archive.org/web/20070702123849/http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/satanism/churchof.html. Accessed 17/11/01.
• Other references , ,
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Anton_LaVey#Birth_name
• Saints and Sinners by Lawrence Wright, ISBN: 0679761632

FK0071a 10:54, 14 October 2006 (UTC)