5. All seem a bit theatrical? That’s because LaVey used to be a carnie
Despite his love of reading, LaVey dropped out of high school to join a carnival. He worked variously as a musician, big cat-keeper and performer, and even ‘assisted with the machinations of the spook shows’. It was a formative experience for the young Howard: his musical stage name was ‘the Great Szandor’, he developed a lifelong love of animals and lions specifically, and honed his deep-seated talent for the theatrical. His gifts for self-publicity, moneymaking, and entertainment were all earned from his time as a carnie, and would be vital to the Church’s methodology and success.
