c. 2006 Religion News Service
CLEVELAND _ For Eric Freeman, 6-6-6 is not the number of the beast; it’s the ticket to stardom.
The Cleveland artist and designer was commissioned to create the wedding gown for the most unholy of matrimonies. On Tuesday (June 6) _ sixth month, sixth day, sixth year _ in Los Angeles, Szandora, a model and self-proclaimed “devil girl,” will marry Stanton LaVey, grandson of the late Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan.
The assignment is perfect for Freeman, a fan of the writings and teachings of Anton LaVey and the creator of gruesome artwork involving dolls and religious symbols.
Freeman also calls himself Dark Lord 10000000 (if you don’t want to count the zeros, that’s 10 million _ approximating the 3 percent of the U.S. population Freeman says is needed to stand up and change the hypocrisy of the world).
The public wedding, billed as “A Tribute to Evil,” will feature the satanic nuptials followed by a concert. Tickets are $30 through Ticketmaster. No word on where the couple is registered.
The gown Freeman created is a stunning black-and-brown Victorian ensemble fit for a corpse.
Before leaving for Los Angeles, Freeman answered a few questions.
Q: What’s the statement of the gown?
A: My thought process was: dead Victorian bride. That’s what I was going for. You know, straight out of the grave.
Q: What would the dress retail for?
A: For the entire ensemble? It would probably go for three to five grand.
Q: Are they paying you for it?
A: I’m making it for them. It’s a gift.
Q: The bride’s opinion of it?
A: She loves it. … They’ve been amazing. They’ve been incredibly friendly. I’m staying at their house for the whole time. He wants to open up an evil Disneyland in Georgia. The world’s most evil place. And I’m helping him design that. I think it’s going to be a long partnership.
Q: An evil Disneyland? How much are they going to charge for parking?
A: I don’t know.
Q: What does this sixth month, sixth day, sixth year, 666, mean to you?
A: It means it’s two days after my birthday. That’s all it means to me. But for Satanists all over the world, it’s an amazing event. It happens once every 1,000 years. Supposedly it’s real magical, but I don’t believe in any of that.
Q: Why do you call yourself Dark Lord?
A: The Dark Lord aspect is the fact that unfortunately most of the time, all I see is the darkest that is within things. … I’m just very dark as a human being. I like the night. I like dark clothes. I like dark things. All my interests are dark-oriented. Nothing is happy or shiny.
Q: What does a guy like Lucifer wear around the house?
A: I always see him dressed as a dark gentleman.
Q: People are going to see the photograph of this gown, and they are going to read what you say, and they are going to pray for you. Your reaction?
A: They should probably not be thinking about me and thinking about bettering themselves and not wasting their time in church.
Q: That image we all know of the devil, the guy in the red suit popping up on a shoulder, the horns, the pitchfork _ what do you think of that image?
A: I think it’s great.
(John Campanelli writes for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland.)
KRE/PH END CAMPANELLI
Editors: To obtain photos of Freeman and the wedding dress, go to the RNS Web site at https://religionnews.com. On the lower right, click on “photos,” then search by subject or slug.
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