If you're interested in some collectible material on this strange and unusual character please contact me directly at:
MAGE928@AOL.COM

Best thoughts,
John Smetana

I have and read a couple of his books, The Satanic Witch, Satan Speaks and The Devil's Notebook. It's weird stuff at times, and funny, I find his point of view on things kind of interesting, sometimes I agree and sometimes I don't.

Anabelle

Do I look like someone we all know?

Who would that be?

Have you ever seen his daughter? Pretty but some seriously demonic eyes!

You MUST be joking. I took my "look" directly from LeVey.

Actually dpe666 your resemblence to LaVey is on the money brother. With the exception of deep dark eye cirlces, which LeVey wears so well, you look just like him.

Now all we need to do is issue dpe666 a calliope and he's set!

(note: Check out Andrew Mayne's "The Magic Radio Show" for an episode in which Docc Hilford spins a VERY amusing tale about Anton and the founding of the Church of Satan if you're now lost)

Actually, LaVey has two daughters... and they're both hot!

LEGEND: ASL wrote the Satanic Bible, his principal work, to fulfill his congregation's need for a scriptural guide.

REALITY: The Satanic Bible was conceived as a commercial vehicle by paperback publisher Avon Books. Avon approached ASL for some kind of Satanic work to cash in on the Satanism & witchcraft fad of the late 1960s. Pressed for material to meet Avon's deadline, ASL resorted to plagiarism, assembling extracts from an obscure 1896 tract - Might is Right by Ragnar Redbeard into a "Book of Satan" for the SB, and claiming its authorship by himself. [Ironically these MiR passages are the ones most frequently quoted by ASL disciples.] Another third of the SB consists of John Dee's "Enochian Keys", taken directly but again without attribution from Aleister Crowley's Equinox. The SB's "Nine Satanic Statements", one of the Church of Satan's central doctrines, is a paraphrase, again unacknowledged, of passages from Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. The last words in the SB - "Yankee Rose" - have been puzzled over for years by readers. "YR" is actually the name of an old popular tune in ASL's nightclub repertoire.

SOURCES: ASL, The Satanic Bible; Ragnar Redbeard, Might is Right, Port Townsend: Loompanics (reprint), 1896; Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged (Galt's speech, ca. pages #936-993); "Yankee Rose" by Sidney Holden & Abe Frankl (Irving Berlin Music, 1926).

One of my favorite posessions is a bright yellow shirt with an over sized red image of 'ole Anton in full regalia in front of a pentagram. One day I was visiting my brother's family while wearing it. My neice and her friends wanted to go down to the lake for a swim, and I agreed to watch over them. On the way back, we heard the familiar bells of the ice cream truck, and I offered to treat to reward their good behavior at the lake. This cause a group of 10 year old girls to run in the direction of the bells, and I, being responsible for them had to try and follow. After about a block, I relized that this is the kind of neighborhood where everybody know everyone else, and I'm a stranger, in a loud "Satanic" shirt. with a beer in my hand, chasing a group of young girls!
Somehow I avoided being tarred and feathered. That's MY bit of Anton Levy Material,
Nando

Ok! you do look like LeVey,nice makeover.

I made a short film about Anton Lavey summoning an incubus for Jayne Mansfield in my Film II class.

It was errrmm.. delightfully trashy.

I agree, Lavey is a strange, unusual, and funny character.

Anto is Anton and is VERY funny and full of the 'devil' in more way's than 20.

He used to be an almost regular at the club I worked at in SF years ago...I wound up selling him all my escape stuff for his 'House Masochist' (of all people) when I was getting into radio. His big BLACK house on California Street in the 60's was a trip and a half. You slid down a carved Sailors 'organ' to the 'Orgy' Cerimonial room...the basement. This was the house where The Tiger and The Lion had a knock down dragged out battle and went through the front window into the street!

As a former Carny and magician etc. Anton knew where his bread could be buttered and went for it.

His striking good looks and world class eyeballs could have vaulted him to stardom in Hollywood...but they were too weird for him...

I wish I had spent more time talking to him about 'stuff'...a brilliant guy and like has been said VERY funny.

Did he/does he believe all that hoodoo...???

hmmmm...I know, at the time, he believed in himself...an amazing man.

Where ever you are Anton...'Hey bro'...


Doug

I share the memory of a thrilling eve with you.

I had the good fortune. several years ago, of being invited to visit Dr. LaVey. We had mutual aquaintances, and he admired an obscure booklet I put out. He was also excited about a book I edited called CAD: A Handbook For Heels (Out of Print, alas: see link below for more info)

http://www.javabachelor.100megs4.com/cad.html

It was a night to remember.

I drove to SF the day before - showed up at his black manse at Midnight, sharp. I was ushered in by his secretary, Blanche. We spent some time sipping exotic liquors in his library. The shelves were filled with everything from old magic tomes, occultism ( natch) - carny lore to Ben Hecht novels. The walls were lined with his own, excellent and bizarre oil paintings. There was a fireplace. I felt other, unseen eyes upon me. Was it my imagination?

Hours passed. He suggested we watch a film, which he felt contained hidden arcana if you could "read between the lines." It was "I Bury The Living," a B-horror film starring Richard Boone. It involves what you might term "sympathetic magic." A fascinating plot with frightening implications. A lesson in magic. Internet Movie Database listing follows:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051755/combined

The conversation flitted about wildly and swiftly like a hungry hummingbird, rarely dwelling on the strictly diabolical. We spoke of our mutual love of the more charming past, certain old films and books and poems, magic and magicians in many forms, the quest for style, lost traditions, Polanski, Crowley, Nietzsche, odd and strange music and the power therein, The Pulps, Lovecraft, half-forgotten comic books and on and on.

In the wee hours, we went to his music room. He began a haunting, hypnotic organ concert which lasted until the sun rose. At last I had to depart, my head swimming and giddy - having met one of the great raconteurs and true eccentrics of our time. There was no pretension to the man. He was an enthusiast, a wit, a powerful gent with infinite curiosity. He had intense charisma - as well as a powerful streak of inspiring generosity toward a fellow seeker.

He was a very interesting man, indeed. He seemed to me to have a sense of humor about his Church of Satan; perhaps, in a way, too much of one. One of his followers, who was considerably more serious about the doctrinal aspects of it spun off the Church of Set. There was an article or two about it in some old issues of Fate magazine.

I can say this, as far as the original days in SF...it was not so much about a serious religion...it was about sex...in all its silly forms and trapings...it was about freedom of thought and control of ones body and existance during a time when that was just emerging from the tight 50's-early 60's.
It was about the orgy room downstairs...and for that, Anton had a great sence of humor and purpose.

I considered Anton a friend. He was a great guy. I miss him.

And Charles, I have a copy of CAD. It is hilarious. I guess I know who the "mutual acquaintances" are.

Jim

Wish I had a chance to meet him. m/

So did Max Maven, but at least Max weighs about the same. Then again, your picture looks more akin to Crowley in his more "insane ridden" days. Or Uncle Fester. I can't pin point which.

[NOTE: all expressed in good humor, not intended as a slam...]