Hideous has managed to keep a daily diary for well over a decade. We’re all envious of this, aren’t we? To be able to give specific times and dates to significant events in our lives is a foggy dream for most of us. It is a creative feat for Myke Hideous to keep writing these entries, let alone to make them public record. If you are a New York Goth, Hideous’ book will be a fun trip down memory lane. Together you will remember clubbing experiences you thought you’d long forgotten. Having personally attended many of the shows he writes about, I now have an accurate picture of my own previously fuzzy timeline!

What is so appealing about “King of an Empire” is that the story is written to the audience rather than in the first person. As the story progresses being a part of the words is so satisfying. A reflection on his diary entries, for most of the book, rather than a straightforward stream of consciousness, the story allows for Hideous to create an almost objective review of the events of his own life. Myke Hideous has given birth to a fresh perspective on the life of a struggling artist.

Towards the end of the book, when Mr. Hideous began telling the tortured story of his time fronting the new Misfits, I immediately felt as though I shouldn’t be reading such personal thoughts. How deliciously lovely to continue on and discover that this portion of the book highlighted the improved vocal and artistic output of the author, rather than “tell-all” bitch fest. Finding out that our childhood hero’s are fallible, and pathetic at best, is devastating to most people. But Hideous managed to single handedly keep the power and energy of the original Misfits alive, both on tour and in his stories.

Recommending this book will not nearly make the desired impression; demanding that all your friends read it is necessary. “King of an Empire to the shoes of a Misfit” is a must read book for Goths and independent musicians alike. So who is going to write the next Gothic Autobiography? I can’t wait.