A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven: (Or, How I Made Peace with the Paranormal and Stigmatized Zealots and Cynics in the Process)

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
A copy of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven was provided to me by Da Capo Press for review purposes.

'Thinking back now, it was really just a creepy house that creaked and shuddered, but to impressionable nine-year-olds, it was the vacation spot of the devil itself.'

To give you all a proper introduction for those who are unaware, Corey Taylor is the lead singer of Slipknot and Stone Sour and the author of Seven Deadly Sins. 'A Funny Thing Happened' is a worthy follow-up novel and another tantalizing look into the mind of an incredibly interesting man.

At face value I was expecting 'A Funny Thing Happened' to be a random smattering of ghostly encounters he has had over the years, and it is, yet it's a fascinating exploration into the reasoning behind ghosts. His scientific details will definitely get you wondering because his hypotheses generated some genuinely possible answers. Surprisingly intellectual and educational, 'A Funny Thing Happened' is definitely a conduit that spurs some serious debates regarding the existence of the paranormal.

'Cynics will claims that my "eyewitness accounts" can easily be described as "flights of fancy," or "the trappings of an overactive imagination." [...] the one I hate even worse than those others: "You saw what you wanted to see and nothing more."
Let me f***ing telling you something: I did not want to see this s***, and I still do not want to see this s***.'

A Funny Thing Happened is written with a humor that is harsh and biting yet oh so entertaining. This is a man that isn't afraid to speak his mind yet is graciously considerate of others beliefs. He's mindful and respectful of others beliefs regardless of whether or not he shares them. Simply put, he is a man of many opinions and isn't afraid to share... such as it should be.

'Belief is a gift you should cherish; knowledge is a gift you should never squander.'

This book is like one big discussion, all topics are left open to interpretation, without concrete facts, just mindful musings and hypotheses. It will definitely generate antithetical opinions, however, approach this with an open mind and you may find yourself actually considering the possibilities of an alternate opinion. Or maybe you'll remain a skeptic. Either way, this book will definitely leave you something to ponder.

To start with, I am huge fan of Corey Taylor as a musician and performer. I was excited to read the book, and I have not read his first book. Some of the stories are OK. The prose, if that's what we want to call it, is sloppy, rambling, and gives the impression that the writer (Corey) is something of an ego maniac. None of this changes my opinion of the music, however, I wont be reading anything else from him, as I cant get past his 'voice' in the writing. It is grating and condescending to the reader. I can cut it up with the best of them about ideas on religion, energy, or anything else one could think of, but the tone he takes is caustic. If anyone is curious I am not religious in the least. I have to wonder how many people who read this and gave it good reviews are just simpering super fans.

Why would you buy this book? If you love ghost stories told to you by the front man of your favorite metal band, then this is the book for you. If you like wandering monologues on existential angst, that might mirror your own inner struggle, then again this is the book for you. If you want to pretend you are Corey Taylor's best friend, this is a lovely read for those who like to be spooked. If you want a first hand account of experiencing the unexplainable, or a front row seat to someone who is awakening to their psychic gifts of becoming a medium and has no clue, then this fills the bill. If you want answers, then this is not the book you are searching for. Nor does it pretend to be. If you want the worst advice on dealing with a hostile energy, then yes, this is it!

Chapter by chapter, Corey Taylor takes you on a cross time, cross country, road trip of the ghosts he has encountered. He takes us into public and private places that not everyone has full access to. Corey collects ghost encounters like some folk collect expensive wine. He savors these stories like exotic treasures, laying them out for us all to vicariously sup at his table. He even has his own pet ghosts which reside in his humble abode (that is after leaving the dangerous ghosts from the last place he lived behind for the next owner to deal with). If you are open to the energies of the paranormal, then Corey's bumbling into ghosts, some of them just plain dark, will make you shake your head and ask, `what was he thinking?'

Sometimes he's been scared, really scared, but he keeps coming back for more. Granted not everyone sees ghosts... yet. He has been exposed to things he cannot explain, and has been working on a theory to explain his experiences. Unfortunately he is working on a one-size-fits-all theory which never accommodates diversity. He is chasing after an explanation of `why are there ghosts' and the real question, the question he never asks is; how come I can see then and no one else can? How come they keep on being drawn to me?

This is how you can tell you are opening to psychic gifts, hearing or seeing disincarnates, experiencing their energy first hand. They reside in the level of energy which is closest to our own dimension. Corey never makes that leap, because he never actually asks anyone who has professional experience with ghosts, however he does call for a national dialog. He even expects people to challenge him and welcomes that, perhaps he just likes a good fight, but nowhere does he create a forum for that dialogue to take place.

His pet theory is `intelligent energy', he mentions it a great deal, but if he studied Carl Jung he might find that Jung's theory of the collective unconscious shares many traits with Corey's thoughts. (The interesting thing for me is that I channel professionally. The being I channel is The Sophia. She describes herself as `intelligent energy,' the energy we use to manifest our desires, this could be something that Corey picked up from the `collective unconscious' when he was formulating his hypothesis.)

The advice he gives on how to handle a hostile energy is to go into raging, meltdown mode. Never do this. Corey believes that it is keeping `them' in line. The first thing is, he is mistaking a possession, for a haunting. Dark energies feed on anger, fear, sorrow, hate, jealousy and any other lower vibrational emotion. Dark energies aren't ghosts, they are their own individual category. They are often drawn to where ghosts hang out and then feed on the human emotions they find there. Drinking alcohol or doing drugs in these places allows dark energies a doorway into a human host. Entity Possession by Samuel Sagan M.D. is a really good tutorial on this with chapter after chapter of patient sessions, and an overall view of how dark entities come into being. (Also if you ever do pick up a dark entity, it is best to have your angels 'bind' it, ask them to do so, and they will. This way you can work through whatever issue has been brought to you and you won`t have a dark entity holding undue influence over you.)

NEVER go into a haunted space with anything but joy and love. Those are the highest vibrations that exist. If you do not know what you are dealing with, then you should find out first, before you get into a situation where you take home a permanent souvenir of your ghost hunt. Corey has a haunted big toe which he picked up while staying in a haunted mansion. It get's angry and turns red. (your big toe is your `destiny' the left is personal life, right is public life. Corey's anger gets in the way of his own destiny. Simple, but that is how energy healing works.) This is also why malevolent energies seek him out, they know they can manipulate him into exploding emotionally, then they get stronger.

Basically Corey Taylor is actively psychic. He has no idea what that means, or what to do with it. So he gathers a few of his friends every now and then, to hang out in abandoned buildings, hoping for a new unearthly experience to add to his collection of anecdotes. A good follow up book by someone who helps earth bound souls to move on is Wayward Spirits & Earthbound Souls by Anson V. Gogh, unlike Corey she knows what she's doing and gives practical advice which will help everyone involved. If you are having experiences like Corey is having, then look around and avail yourself to a good psychic teacher, who will guide you through the pitfalls of mastering your gifts. These are gifts, they will help you in your life's journey, on that I wish you well. If Corey ever does open up his public forum on ghosts and hauntings, let me know. Namaste.

I'm a HUUGGGEEE slipknot and stone sour fan so naturally I love corey Taylor. I read his first book seven deadly sins and was unsure of the book. I agree with him on the topic but it was a little difficult to Follow. But this book is very different. It is so awesome and just fun to read and gives you a little different side to how and why in his mind ghosts or "spirits" are existing to him with him not believing in god. He tells some HILARIOUS stories and it's just a blast. Totally recommend it to anyone! 5 stars everyday.

I'm reading this for the second time. Even gave one to my niece as a Christmas '19 gift. I think she was finished before New Years. Her and I agree this book is written as though he was talking it in person. He doesn't care if you dislike his cursing – it's just himself, uncut. He actually made me laugh so many times, basically because of how he kicks establishment in the ass, but does it in such an unsophisticated, sometimes arrogant, but always honest intelligence that upends his pompous blow hard, stage angst. I literally applauded his insight and experiences as it's so consistent to my own awareness, but man does he put it into words I've been unable to exploit. Highly recommend this book.

As an author, Corey Taylor makes a great musician. This is a rag-tag collection of ramblings and humble-brags that might have been readable with a decent editor. The subtitle is very misleading; stigmatizing zealots and cynics is what Taylor may *want* to do, but I can't imagine anyone other than a passionate fan of his music taking this collection of really kinda lame ghost stories and wikipedia quotes too seriously. My takeaway from all this is that anyone who claims to be 'smarter than the average' usually isn't, and the writing here certainly doesn't back up his claim. Disappointing, because it starts off well and then just fades into rambling.

ok this book and corey deservered a better review than other one on here which makes 0 sence by the way this was an amazing read ive read it twice actually some creepy stuff some funny some very thought provoking i loved it his 1st book was great too cant wait for 3rd

If you're going to insult Mr taylor at least say slipknot not anthrax

Excellent book! I'll be looking forward to the new slipknot album and hopefully another book in the future! Corey Taylor seems to be a really honestly opinionated person with vast observations.

-Travis-

Great once you get over his ADD ramblings. Ready for another book to pass the time in the air. Uno Mas Corey!