The Dichotomy of Marilyn Manson

With “The only major performer who can justifiably call himself an artist” and the “Antichrist” as some of the titles given to him, Marilyn Manson has certainly been called many things. Yet, with the many controversies surrounding his stage name (including the tragic Columbine school shootings), he continues to up-root the MTV generation from its monotonous hinges and slither his way back time after time. His music questions society, religion, politics, and everything deemed moral. He has down right raped the genre of “shock rock” to where it can never return to the more innocent times of Alice Cooper and KISS. His music videos (at least from my experience) leave us queasy and unsure. “Unsure of what”, you may ask? Well, I’m still trying to figure it out myself. Despite these numerous things and the questioning feed back from my peers, I’ve decide to write on this artist who has shaken the music world for the last decade.

To say Marilyn Manson’s childhood had no effect on his present life would be beyond false. Born into a middle-class family (Don’t they all start out that way?) in Canton, Ohio, Brian Werner was influenced by Ozzy Osbourne, David Bowie, comic books, the occult, and surprisingly, the King James Bible. He and his father were subjected to physical and psychiatric testing for his father was part of the group assigned to drop Agent Orange over Vietnam; a highly toxic bomb feared to have many side effects on those who were in contact with it. His grandfather was a cross dresser with a basement reminiscent to that of Buffalo Bill’s in The Silence of the Lambs. Only after various attempts, Werner was expelled from the Christian school he attended. One such antic was selling bootleg albums, and then stealing them back. It was not until he moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where he organized Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids in 1989. At that time he was studying journalism and writing music reviews which led him to meet future band mates such as Daisy Berkowitz, Olivia Newton Bundy, Madonna Wayne Gacy, Gidget Gein, Sara Lee Lucas, and Twiggy Ramirez. Their stage names were formed by combining the names of women sex symbols and infamous murderers; emphasizing the dichotomy of good and evil. Manson is quoted as saying “Marilyn Monroe had a dark side just as Charles Manson had a good, intelligent side.” Manson is continually shape-shifting like his idol David Bowie. His latest album, Eat Me Drink Me, contains allusions from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

Such bands (new and old) to draw comparisons to Manson are: My Chemical Romance, Slipknot, Dresden Dolls, KISS, Alice Cooper, The Who, and Jimi Hendrix. Theatrics in their performances are used to shock and prove a point. The majority use heavy imagery to portray mainly death and evil. Marilyn Manson has used piñatas filled with animal parts, alluded to sexual acts, and exposed himself in many of his concerts. Needless to say, he defies everything. In response to the many protesters from parent and Christian advocate groups he says, “We merely present the audience with a mirror so they can see themselves. People need to connect with something that represents how they feel. I'm not on some moral crusade to do that in particular, but ... everything is coming apart at the seams, and I'm just here to record for posterity.”
I also leave you an interview with Bill O'Reilly:

Putting Holes in Happiness by Marilyn Manson (Explication)

Note: Due to content, the actual music video could not be posted.

Lyrics:

The sky was blonde like her/It was a day to take the child/Out back and shoot it./I could have buried all my dead/Up in her cemetery head/She had dirty word witchcraft/I was in the deep end of her skin./Then, it seemed like a one car car wreck/But I knew it was a horrid tragedy./Ways to make the tiny satisfaction disappear.

Blow out the candles/On all my frankensteins./At least my death wish will come true./You taste like Valentine's and/We cry,You're like a birthday./I should have picked the photograph/It lasted longer than you.

Putting holes in happiness./We'll paint the future black/If it needs any color./My death sentence is a story/Who'll be digging when you finally let me die?/The romance of our assassination/If you're Bonnie, I'll be your Clyde./But the grass is greener here andI can see all of your snakes./You wear your ruins well/Please run away with me to hell.

Blow out the candles/On all my frankensteins./At least my death wish will come true./You taste like Valentine's and/We cry,You're like a birthday./I should have picked the photograph/It lasted longer than you.

Taking a turn from his usual, Marilyn Manson digs deeper (no pun intended) into his feelings and thoughts on his divorce and the pain of moving on. Allusions to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is apparent in " The sky was blonde like her". Like Carroll, Manson was involved in a relationship with a much younger woman after his divorce. The younger woman symbolizes the innocent child. Knowing that society would not except such a relationship and "take the child/out back and shoot it." He is then left with "buried dead" he wishes he could of buried with his ex-wife. With "the dirty word witchcraft", she brought him down with words and put him in a depressed state.

"Blow out the candles/On all my frankensteins. " refers to the cycle of relationships that seem to have been blown out and re-lighted only to be blown out again. The frankenstines allude to his failed hopes and means of procreating. As the years pass by, the photographs remain, but the cycle continues. In other words, love is hopeless.

In the third stanza, he refers to love as a drama filled with assassinations, criminals, and demons. His love life has been thrown out and documented for everyone to to see like that of the infamous Bonnie and Clyde. In doing so, a part of him dies. He asks, "Who'll be digging when you finally let me die?" There is a part of him that wants to be with her, but he knows her manipulation and "can see all of her snakes".

LAUGH IT UP!

The benefits of laughter...

So, you set your alarm at a ridiculously early time to study for an AP Spanish test the next day. You wake up to sunshine through your window and the birds chirping. Five mintues to get ready starting....NOW! It gets better. You forgot to fill up the tank yesterday. In other words, your wallet is as barren as the Yukon. If only there was a way to get the daily recommendation of caffeine in one cup....

With all the stresses of the world encroaching upon you, this video offers a short and simple suggestion. LAUGH IT UP! They say laughter has many benefits including helping to lower blood pressure, relaxing muscles, and relieving pain. What's holding you back? Afraid your friends might think you cracked? JUST LAUGHT IT UP! "Red Alert" by Basement Jaxx emphasizes this message with the repetitive line "And the music keeps on playin' on and on." The upbeat tempo may prompt your feet to move on and on. Subliminally, do not contemplate on the hardships of your daily routine and instead enjoy it. Images of comedians and people laughing also portray a lighter and less serious side of life. Short. Simple. To the point. LAUGHT IT UP!