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:
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