Born with a Tail

The Devilish Life and Wicked Times of Anton Szandor LaVey, Founder of the Church of Satan

By: Doug Brod

Narrated by: Jonathan Yen

A provocative, irreverent biography of Anton Szandor LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, BORN WITH A TAIL chronicles a time when Americans could welcome a macabre showman into their living rooms via TheTonight Show, before a ginned-up hysteria known as the Satanic Panic would put a target on his shiny, shaven head.

When Anton LaVey burst onto the San Francisco scene right before the Summer of Love, he parlayed his eerie obsessions into a philosophy and lifestyle that capitalized on a New Age rage. With his signature cape, horn-studded hood, and Ming the Merciless beard, LaVey was a media-savvy provocateur who took what he did seriously, but was always in on the joke.

From a spooky old Victorian house, he founded the Church of Satan, where young women squirmed nude on the mantel of his ritual chamber as he delivered a doctrine of self-deification and indulgence that combined the writings of Ayn Rand, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Aleister Crowley with the pulpy fictions of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard.

Later, his book The Satanic Bible (still in print since 1969) struck an ominous chord with the alienated—the fringe dwellers who were goth before there were goths. But LaVey’s influence could be felt far beyond his flock, namely in the paranormal and metaphysical entertainment that dominated pop culture in the 1970s and continues to make an impact today.

He was a musical prodigy who attracted a cluster of celebrities into his orbit, including Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and Sammy Davis Jr. But living like a real-life Gomez Addams, complete with a full-grown pet lion, came at an awful price.

Deeply researched and featuring dozens of interviews, as well as recently unearthed personal correspondence, BORN WITH A TAIL: The Devilish Life and Wicked Times of Anton Szandor LaVey, Founder of the Church of Satan separates the facts from the fabrications of this uniquely American character’s extraordinary life.

BORN WITH A TAIL, is the story of a man who I would’ve loved to have known!

Anton LaVey in my view is probably the most interesting man of the late 20th century! In this book I found myself totally amazed at how much of Dr. LaVey’s life I could relate to, and yet our paths never actually crossed.
I for one, wish they had been able to keep the Black House and restore it, so that people like myself could pay our respects, and actually go see it. To me this was an opportunity lost in shortsightedness & greed (quick money) by the people who demolished it.
This book whether it was intended to or not has in my mind reinforced the legend of Anton LaVey! Hail Satan 🤘

A fascinating look at a larger than life personality.

I truly appreciate the narrative of this biography. It neither glorifies nor vilifies Anton LaVey, but instead provides an extremely detailed account of his life, and circle of friends. I have a better understanding of his work now.

Another POV, and interesting at that

This is a different perspective on LaVey and his circle of players that I found engaging and intriguing. There was a lot I had not heard before, and it captures a unique period in history that is not terribly well chronicled.

The narrator was great - unwavering, enthusiastic and didn't miss a beat.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙎 - 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙢

𝙄 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 , 𝙄 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙀𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 , 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄𝙣𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 . . . 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙇𝙖𝙑𝙚𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙎𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙩 *. . . .