Journalist and author Doug Brod joins AP in this episode to discuss his recent biography Born With a Tail: The Devilish Life and Wicked Times of Anton Szandor LaVey. Doug is currently an editor at the Toronto Star, and was formerly editor in chief for SPIN and TV Guide. He has also written for The New York Times, Billboard, Hollywood Reporter, and Fangoria.

Doug's entertaining narrative of LaVey's life and works fills in a lot of gaps left by previous writings on the man, and gets to questions about the nature of truth with larger-than-life figures such as the founder of the Church of Satan. He and AP talk in this episode about the Church, personalities around it, and LaVey's complicated and sometimes problematic philosophy. Also discussed are his aspirations toward celebrity, such as his insistent claims of involvement in the making of Rosemary's Baby, his friendship with Jayne Mansfield, and his appearance in the truly odd horror film The Devil's Rain... not to mention Sammy Davis Jr., who almost had a TV show in which he played a minion of Hell!

In addition Brod was able to interview and gain new insights from people who knew LaVey, such as Jaques Vallee, Don Frew, Nikolas Schreck, and others- resulting in an array of opinions about the controversial and impactful figure.

There's also a brief discussion of Doug's first book, They Just Seem a Little Weird: How KISS, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, and Starz Remade Rock and Roll. Be sure to check out his books, available on Amazon (although it's preferred if you can order it through your local bookseller!). You can order the book directly from the publisher here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/doug-brod/born-with-a-tail/9780306833311/?lens=grand-central-publishing