April 22, 2022   |   0 comments

Carl Abrahamsson discusses his book Anton LaVey and The Church Of Satan – Infernal Wisdom From the Devil’s Den.

(Stream / download audio at bottom of page)

During a long, colourful, and controversial career, Anton Szandor LaVey became best known as the founder of The Church of Satan, which he led until his death in 1997. Although misperceptions regarding Satanism abounded during LaVey’s lifetime, and continue to do so to this day, he was determined to invoke a Satanic archetype in his work, including the name of his organisation. LaVey’s philosophy and that of The Church of Satan railed against mediocrity, conformity, and passivity in a society increasingly pandering to victim mentality, political correctness, and dumbed down culture. A society in which excellence is scorned as elitist, self-reliance as selfish, and in which everyone gets a medal just for showing up.

Instead, LaVey expounded a philosophy of personal freedom, rugged individualism, and responsibility to the responsible. A world in which beauty is celebrated, passions are indulged, and creativity runs riot. LaVey’s influence continues to ripple through the outer reaches of popular culture, and not simply in music, at which LaVey excelled. In our postmodern hell-scape of corporate control, cancel culture, and identity politics, LaVey’s outlook has more resonance and relevance than ever.

Previous interviews with Carl Abrahamsson

Bumper music: Cliff Martinez ‘Traffic OST’
Anton LaVey ‘Satanis Theme’