10103230*PROFANITY ALERT, TURN BACK NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE*

For the first time, Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor speaks directly to his fans and shares his worldview about life as a sinner. And Taylor knows how to sin.

As a small-town hero in the early ’90s, he threw himself into a fierce-drinking, drug-abusing, hard-loving, live-for-the moment life. Soon Taylor’s music exploded, and he found himself rich, wanted, and on the road. His new and ever-more extreme lifestyle had an unexpected effect, however; for the first time, he began to actively think about what it meant to sin and whether sinning could–or should–be recast in a different light.

Seven Deadly Sins is Taylor’s personal story, but it’s also a larger discussion of what it means to be seen as either a “good” person or a “bad” one. Yes, Corey Taylor has broken the law and hurt people, but, if sin is what makes us human, how wrong can it be?

People who know me, and there aren’t many that really do, are aware that I like my celebrities a bit off the beaten mainstream track! Movie stars and pop singers are not included in my list of favorite people, mostly. I don’t give a rat’s ass about Miley Cyrus, Minaj, Rihanna, Jolie, Pitt, Chery Cole (or whatever her name now is, OMG!), Kardashians (ffs!) etc etc etc… I simply do not care about their lives, who they’re shagging or what their divorce process looks like. Personally, you wouldn’t see me spending money on a magazine that puts those celebrities on some kind of a dresscode/fashion/role model pedestal. Not even if it was a matter of life and death. I’d rather die. 

The celebrities I DO like however, usually happen to be individuals that get sued by the Catholic groups. Not because they’re murderers and criminals, mind. Nobody likes a psychopath. The individuals I look up to have a set of balls as huge as Mt Fuji when it comes to not giving two single fucks about standing out from the mainstream crowd. Some of these people are known for their temper and rigid moral code. Some of these people have Asperger’s. And no matter how doomed they were meant to be in the eyes of fate and destiny, they have all been written into history books! I’m talking about Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy Kilmister, Corey fucking Taylor, Roy Keane (footballer), Guy Martin (total mental biker- talking about TT Road racing here, guys, check it out, it’s wicked-  and World Guinness Record breaker with various ludicrous things). I am constantly in search of an autobio by individuals who have actually lived hell and/or have been misunderstood and yet they have managed to thrive because of it. Not because of their pretty face, not because of their singing voice plastered over a repetitive bass tune, not because of their world famous big ass (talking Kardashians here)… but because of their experiences of total doom and fucked up situations which they managed to survive! Because of their absolute craziness and thirst to live. I’m not saying mainstream celebs don’t have passion. Of course they do, but in my eyes their passion is different to the select few who manage to blow my mind away. I am also not saying I don’t respect someone as a person and as a fan when mainstream shiz is their poison. Whatever rocks your boat, man, I’m just telling you what shakes mine! I believe that whatever books you read and whatever music you listen to does not define you as a person. I respect the person as long as they’re decent and know right from wrong, so as far as I’m concerned you can listen to hardcore trance, by all means. What comes to books, music, art, etc- It’s a matter of taste, you can’t argue over that! 🙂

Marilyn Manson, the AntiChrist. Ozzy Osbourne, the Prince of Darkness. The story of these two fellas are equally mad. Corey Taylor’s story is equally mad with the addition of an exceptionally horrible childhood. When Manson was questioning religion and discovering his grandfather’s porn collection, Corey Taylor was moved across the country of US, from state to state by a mother who couldn’t keep a decent boyfriend and loved to party thus putting Corey and his sister in a really shitty situation. While the adult Ozzy was getting high in a car horn factory (of all places!) on fumes that should kill a person, child Corey was doing speed and coke to escape the reality. In this book, I think Corey only touches the surface of the shit storm that he has endured during his life. Sure, some of it was out of his control, but some of the trouble he went looking for himself. Let’s just say, he has been there and done that which in my eyes gives him the ‘go ahead’ to print what he has to say about the Seven Deadly Sins.

The seven deadly sins are bullshit.

[…]

Nine times out of ten, sin is a matter of opinion, and in my opinion sins are only sins if you are hurting other people. So if you are not hurting anyone else, where is the damn sin?

Sure, the seven deadly sins can induce pain and malevolence in the best of us. They can overwhelm the greatest minds and the most stoic souls. But they can also empower and influence you to do incredible things at pivotal moments in your life.

Slipknot’s #8 has a proper go at the seven sins. He rips them apart and essentially tells the reader to just fucking live and not let some ancient scripture fill you with guilt. Your life is here and now, enjoy it. Corey talks about each sin and overrules the sins being sins at all. He will bring some examples from his own life. So, while the book is rather discussional, it is peppered with real life examples and experiences.

Yeah, Corey comes across a bit preachy by addressing his readers as ‘kids’ and ‘children’ but why the hell not? That is his way of expressing himself, taking offense is the reader’s choice.  One of the reviews I came across said how Corey tries to make himself look like- oh, me, Me, ME!- here’s my question- why shouldn’t he? It’s his book, it’s based around his life and experiences and having succeeded, literally,  from hell to ‘heaven’ he has every right to wag his own tail. A lot of regular people are successful through seriously hard work, sweat and tears. Each and every single of those people have the right to take a stand and make their success heard. Why? Because it’s inspiring to the rest of us aiming to achieve, climb higher, make something out of our lives.

So in my eyes, envy is not a sin because it is the gust of wind in my sails.

The passion with which he wrote this book has come across so heavily that writing this review I’m geared to walk into a moshpit… There is nothing I enjoy more than recognizing and feeling someone’s passion! Whatever it is they feel passionate about… it gives a certain high! A passionate person is alive, their eyes shine and they’re talking with their arms flailing about… it’s fantastic!

My soul was a fucking bomb and my temper became the mercury switch. I wanted the fucking world to burn.

Just when I thought I was doomed to suffer forever, music saved my life.

Anyway, I made proper poop of this great, entertaining paperback by underlining quotes and dog-earing nearly every single page. Yes, gasps all around, I manhandled the paperback! In hindsight… the dog-earing could have been left undone because there is something every 1-2 pages that I highlighted. Either it was just well said, funny or something for myself to remember when I next feel down about life. In a way, in conclusion, Corey’s message is loud and clear- live. your. life! Enjoy! Go mad, be crazy… as long as you do not hurt someone, you are totally entitled to.

We are only what we allow ourselves to be. If there is no permission, there is no pursuit. The only hell I recognize is the one we build with our own two hands, and that is a job even a slothful person can handle.

Each sin has its own chapter… Corey rambling on and on and on… getting more fired up, riled up and more and more passionate about the point he wants to make.

What is greed but the thirst for more? That sounds like discovery. That sounds like progress. That sounds to me like a little bit of everything, right? There is a sliver of greed in every step we have taken from medieval to medical, from superstition to science. The greediest minds wanted more than myth had to offer.

Overall, I am sure Corey will manage to piss off some of the readers quite easily. He is very outspoken and he doesn’t give a crap if you agree with him or not. He thinks he’s right. Maybe he isn’t, but I did find myself agreeing with him most of the time… The other times I could not take a viewpoint because I simply don’t have the facts.

Recommended reading for: people who want a fresh different look on sins, who are open minded, not easily offended and up for some fun. Be ready to read some crazy, wild examples! Also- be ready to have your heart broken as Corey gives you a glimpse of his childhood- bullying, abuse and rape.

My rating? Easy 5 stars. Corey could take up fictional writing and I’m sure he would do pretty well…

By the way… There is also an audiobook available and you can sample it on Goodreads. I personally don’t do audiobooks but I’d listen to him speaking any day of the week. Should you decide to buy the book, make sure you go for the updated version with some extra paragraphs in the end. Corey has added some amusing content as to what happened on the book tour after he published the book the first time around.

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