Marilyn Manson is an American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band formed by namesake lead singer
Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...
and guitarist
Daisy Berkowitz
Scott Mitchell Putesky (April 28, 1968 – October 22, 2017), also known as Daisy Berkowitz, was an American musician, songwriter, composer, visual artist, and record producer. He was the co-founder of the rock band Marilyn Manson & the Spooky K ...
in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...
, in 1989. Originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids, they gained a local
cult following
A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
in
South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...
in the early 1990s with their theatrical live performances. In 1993, they were the first act signed to
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, wh ...
's
Nothing Records
Nothing Records was an American record label specializing in industrial rock and electronic music, founded by John Malm Jr. and Trent Reznor in 1992. It is considered an example of a vanity label, where an artist is able to run a label with some ...
label. Until 1996, the name of each member was created by combining the first name of a female
sex symbol
A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive.Pam Cook, "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), ''British Stars and Stardom: From Alma Taylor to ...
and the last name of a serial killer, for example
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
and
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four loca ...
. Their lineup has changed between many of their album releases; the eponymous lead singer is the only remaining original member.
In the past, band members dressed in outlandish makeup and costumes, and engaged in intentionally
shocking behavior both onstage and off. Their lyrics often received criticism for their anti-religious sentiment and references to sex, violence and drugs, while their live performances were frequently called offensive and
obscene
An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be use ...
. On several occasions, protests and petitions led to the group being blocked from performing, with at least three US states passing legislation banning the group from performing at
state-owned
State ownership, also called government ownership and public ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, or enterprise by the state or a public body representing a community, as opposed to an individual or private party. Public ownersh ...
venues. They released a number of
platinum-selling albums, including ''
Antichrist Superstar
''Antichrist Superstar'' is the second studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 8, 1996, by Nothing and Interscope Records. It was recorded at Nothing Studios in New Orleans and produced by the band's epon ...
'' (1996) and ''
Mechanical Animals
''Mechanical Animals'' is the third studio album by American Rock music, rock band Marilyn Manson (band), Marilyn Manson. It was released on September 15, 1998, by Interscope Records. The album marked a major shift from the industrial metal an ...
'' (1998). These albums, along with their highly stylized music videos and worldwide touring, brought public recognition to Marilyn Manson. In 1999, news media, infamously, falsely
blamed the band for influencing the perpetrators of the
Columbine High School massacre
On April 20, 1999, a school shooting and attempted bombing occurred at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, 12th grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. ...
.
As this controversy began to wane throughout the 2000s, so did the band's mainstream popularity. Despite this, Jon Wiederhorn of
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
, in June 2003, referred to Marilyn Manson as "the only true artist today".
Marilyn Manson is widely regarded as being one of the most iconic and controversial figures in
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
, with the band and its lead singer influencing numerous other groups and musicians, both in metal-associated acts and also in wider popular culture.
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
ranked Marilyn Manson as the seventy-eighth best rock band on their ''100 Great Artists of Hard Rock''. They were inducted into the ''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' Hall of Fame in 2000, and have been nominated for four
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
s. In the U.S., the band has seen ten of its releases debut in the top ten, including two number-one albums. Marilyn Manson have sold in excess of 50 million records worldwide.
History
Formation and The Spooky Kids (1989–1992)
In 1989, Brian Warner was a college student working towards a degree in journalism at
Broward College
Broward College is a public college in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. It was established in 1959 as part of a move to broaden Florida's two-year colleges. In 2008 it adopted its current name, reflecting that ...
, gaining experience by writing music articles for the
South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...
lifestyle magazine ''
25th Parallel''. It was in this capacity that he met several of the musicians to whom his own band would later be compared, including
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult (often shortened to Thrill Kill Kult or TKK) is an American electronic industrial rock band originally based in Chicago and founded by Groovie Mann (born Frankie Nardiello) and Buzz McCoy (born Marston Daley). ...
and
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, wh ...
of
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
. That December, he met
Scott Putesky
Scott Mitchell Putesky (April 28, 1968 – October 22, 2017), also known as Daisy Berkowitz, was an American musician, songwriter, composer, visual artist, and record producer. He was the co-founder of the rock band Marilyn Manson & the Spooky K ...
, who proposed the two form a band, after reading some lyrics and poems written by Warner.
Warner, guitarist Putesky and bassist Brian Tutunick recorded their first demo tape as Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids in 1990, taking on the stage names of
Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...
,
Daisy Berkowitz
Scott Mitchell Putesky (April 28, 1968 – October 22, 2017), also known as Daisy Berkowitz, was an American musician, songwriter, composer, visual artist, and record producer. He was the co-founder of the rock band Marilyn Manson & the Spooky K ...
and
Olivia Newton Bundy
Brian Tutunick is an American musician, more famously known as Olivia Newton Bundy, and was the bassist and co-founder of the rock group Marilyn Manson until 1990, when he was replaced by Gidget Gein. His stage name was created by mixing the names ...
, respectively. Bundy left the band soon after, and was replaced by
Gidget Gein
Bradley Mark Stewart (September 11, 1969 – October 8, 2008), known by his stage name Gidget Gein, was an American musician and artist. He was the second bassist and co-founder of the rock band Marilyn Manson. His stage name is a combination of ...
, born Brad Stewart.
They were later joined on keyboard by Stephen Bier, who called himself
Madonna Wayne Gacy
Stephen Bier, formerly known by his stage name Madonna Wayne Gacy and by the nickname Pogo, is an American musician who was the keyboard player for Marilyn Manson from 1989 to 2007. His stage name came from the names of the singer Madonna and th ...
.
In 1991, drummer Fred Streithorst joined the band under the name
Sara Lee Lucas
Frederick Streithorst Jr., better known by his stage name Sara Lee Lucas, is an American musician and the original drummer for Marilyn Manson. He has also performed as "S.L. Lucas" or simply "Lucas". His stage name is derived from serial killer ...
.
The stage names adopted by each member were representative of a concept the band considered central: the
dichotomy
A dichotomy is a partition of a whole (or a set) into two parts (subsets). In other words, this couple of parts must be
* jointly exhaustive: everything must belong to one part or the other, and
* mutually exclusive: nothing can belong simulta ...
of
good and evil
In religion, ethics, philosophy, and psychology "good and evil" is a very common dichotomy. In cultures with Manichaean and Abrahamic religious influence, evil is perceived as the dualistic antagonistic opposite of good, in which good shoul ...
, and the existence of both, together, in every whole. "
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
had a dark side", explained Manson in his autobiography, "just as
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four loca ...
has a good, intelligent side." Over the next six years, all of the band's members would adopt names that combined the first name of a female
sex symbol
A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive.Pam Cook, "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), ''British Stars and Stardom: From Alma Taylor to ...
and the surname of a serial killer.
Images of both Monroe and Manson, as well as of other famous and infamous figures, were common in the band's early promotional materials.
The Spooky Kids' popularity in the area grew quickly
and because of the band's highly visual concerts, which drew from
performance art
Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
and used many
shock
Shock may refer to:
Common uses Collective noun
*Shock, a historic commercial term for a group of 60, see English numerals#Special names
* Stook, or shock of grain, stacked sheaves
Healthcare
* Shock (circulatory), circulatory medical emerge ...
techniques such as "naked women nailed to a cross, a child in a cage, or bloody animal body parts."
Band members variously performed in women's clothing or bizarre costumes; and, for lack of a professional
pyrotechnician
Pyrotechnicians are people who are responsible for the safe storage, handling, and functioning of pyrotechnics and pyrotechnic devices. Although the term is generally used in reference to individuals who operate pyrotechnics in the entertainment i ...
, would set their own stage props on fire.
The band would contrast these theatrics with elements drawn from their youth: characters from 1970s and '80s children's television made regular, often grotesquely altered, appearances on band flyers and newsletters, and were frequently
sampled
Sample or samples may refer to:
Base meaning
* Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set
* Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal
* Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...
in their music. They continued to perform and release cassettes – shortening their name to Marilyn Manson in 1992 – until the summer of 1993, when they drew the attention of Reznor, who had just founded his own label,
Nothing Records
Nothing Records was an American record label specializing in industrial rock and electronic music, founded by John Malm Jr. and Trent Reznor in 1992. It is considered an example of a vanity label, where an artist is able to run a label with some ...
.
''Portrait of an American Family'' and ''Smells Like Children'' (1993–1995)
![Nights of Nothing MM](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Nights_of_Nothing_MM.jpg)
Reznor offered the band a contract with the label, as well as an opening slot supporting Nine Inch Nails on their upcoming "
Self Destruct Tour
The Self Destruct Tour was a concert tour in support of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails' album ''The Downward Spiral'', which took place in early 1994, running until mid-1996, and was broken into eight legs.
Overview
The tour was filmed fo ...
".
After accepting both offers, recording sessions for their debut studio album began in July 1993 with
Swans
Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometim ...
producer
Roli Mosimann
Roli Mosimann is a drummer, electronic musician and record producer who has worked in genres ranging from industrial to pop. Originally from Switzerland, Mosimann first came to attention with the New York City no wave band Swans and later colla ...
at
Criteria Studios
Criteria Studios is a recording studio in North Miami, Florida, founded in 1958 by musician Mack Emerman. Hundreds of gold, platinum, and diamond singles and albums have been recorded, mixed or mastered at Criteria, for many notable artists and ...
in Miami, Florida. Recording a selection of new songs along with material from their Spooky Kids repertoire, the first version of their debut, titled ''
The Manson Family Album'', was completed by the end of the month. However, it was not well received.
The band's members, along with Reznor, criticized Mosimann's production as being flat, lifeless and poorly representative of the band's live performances. At the same time, Gidget Gein had begun to lose control of his addiction to heroin.
Before reworking the album, the band played two shows in Florida under the name Mrs. Scabtree. This band featured Manson on drums, Gacy on keyboard, Berkowitz on guitar, and
Jessicka
Jessicka Addams (born Jessica Fodera on October 23, 1975) is an American visual artist and retired musician. Best known by her stage name Jessicka, she was the frontwoman for the alternative rock band Jack Off Jill, and later for the noise-po ...
from
Jack Off Jill
Jack Off Jill was an American gothic rock band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, founded in 1992 by vocalist Jessicka, drummer Tenni Ah-Cha-Cha, bassist/keyboardist Agent Moulder, and guitarist Michelle Inhell. Though these four women were the init ...
sharing vocal duties with
Jeordie White
Jeordie Osbourne White (born June 20, 1971), better known Twiggy Ramirez or simply Twiggy, is an American musician, mostly known as the former bassist and guitarist of the rock band Marilyn Manson. Previously, he was the bassist for A Perfect C ...
of Coral Springs
thrash
Thrash may refer to:
*Thrashing (computer science), where increasing resources are used to do a decreasing amount of work
*Thrash (surname)
*Thrash, mascot of the Atlanta Thrashers
*''Thrash Rally'', a top-down perspective rally racing video game ...
band Amboog-a-Lard. Four other local musicians, bassists Mark Dubin of Sister Venus and Patrick Joyce from The Itch, guitarist Miles Hie and violinist Mary Karlzen were also involved.
Reznor agreed to rework production of ''The Manson Family Album'' in October 1993 at
Record Plant Studios
The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...
in Los Angeles. Gein, who had been hospitalized after his fourth heroin overdose, was not invited to participate, and was fired from the band soon after, replaced by White, of Amboog-a-Lard, who undertook the alias Twiggy Ramirez.
After seven weeks of mixing, re-recording and remixing, the album – now titled ''
Portrait of an American Family
''Portrait of an American Family'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on July 19, 1994 by Nothing and Interscope Records. The group was formed in 1989 by vocalist Marilyn Manson and guitarist Dais ...
'' – was presented to Nothing's parent label
Interscope
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Musi ...
.
The album was released on July 19, 1994 and peaked at number thirty-five on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''s
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...
album chart. The band began its first
national headlining tour in December 1994, with Jack Off Jill opening. During the band's stint as opening act on the Nine Inch Nails tour, Manson met
Church of Satan
The Church of Satan is a religious organization dedicated to the religion of LaVeyan Satanism as codified in ''The Satanic Bible''. The Church of Satan was established at the Black House (Church of Satan), Black House in San Francisco, Cali ...
founder
Anton LaVey. LaVey bestowed the title of "
Reverend
The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...
" on Manson– meaning a person who is revered by the church, and not necessarily one who dedicates their life to preaching the religion to others, as with a priest or
minister. Manson would use this title in the liner notes of the band's following album, citing himself as "Reverend Marilyn Manson".
In March 1995, the band began a two-month tour, this time with
Monster Voodoo Machine
Monster Voodoo Machine is a Canadian metal band formed in Ontario in 1991. Some critics compared the band's sound to White Zombie.
History
Monster Voodoo Machine was formed in Canada in 1991 by Toronto musician and vocalist Adam Sewell, i ...
as support. This would be drummer Sara Lee Lucas's last tour with the band.
Kenneth Wilson, better known by his stage name
Ginger Fish
Kenneth Robert Wilson, better known by his stage name Ginger Fish, is an American drummer primarily known for playing drums for Marilyn Manson from 1995–2011. Like Marilyn Manson, which combines the names of an iconic beauty with a serial ki ...
, then joined the group before they embarked on a tour with rock band
Danzig and metal band
Korn
Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream.
Originally formed in 1993 ...
. The band then relocated to the new home of Nothing Studios in
to begin work on remixes and b-sides for ''Portrait''s third single, "
Dope Hat
"Dope Hat" is a song by American Rock music, rock band Marilyn Manson (band), Marilyn Manson. It was released as the promotional single from their debut album, ''Portrait of an American Family''. It was first recorded for a demo tape released in 1 ...
", releasing a music video inspired by the boat ride scene from the 1971 movie ''
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1971 American musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. It is an adaptation of the 1964 novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' by Roald Dahl. The film ...
''. The proposed single eventually developed into ''
Smells Like Children
''Smells Like Children'' is the first EP by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 24, 1995, by Nothing and Interscope Records. Produced by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, it represents an era of the band full of dru ...
'', which included the band's version of the
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop duo consisting of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. They were both previously in The Tourists, a band which broke up in 1980. The duo released their first studio album, '' In the Garden'', in 1981 to little succ ...
' "
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" is a song by British new wave music duo Eurythmics. It is the title track of their album of the same name (1983) and was released as the fourth and final single from the album in early 1983. The song became t ...
", their first hit; the song's music video was placed in heavy rotation on
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
, in stark contrast with the "Dope Hat" video, which the same channel had banished to late-night airplay only a few months prior.
''Antichrist Superstar'' (1996–1997)
The band's second studio album, ''
Antichrist Superstar
''Antichrist Superstar'' is the second studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 8, 1996, by Nothing and Interscope Records. It was recorded at Nothing Studios in New Orleans and produced by the band's epon ...
'', was released on October 8, 1996. It was recorded at
Nothing Studios
Nothing Records was an American record label specializing in industrial rock and electronic music, founded by John Malm Jr. and Trent Reznor in 1992. It is considered an example of a vanity label, where an artist is able to run a label with some ...
with Reznor, Manson,
Sean Beavan
Sean Beavan is a musician, record producer, and audio engineer best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Guns N' Roses, God Lives Underwater, and Slayer. His production style is typically heavy, with heavily saturated guitar ...
and former
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial music group formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group is among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crompton ...
member and longtime producer
Dave Ogilvie
Dave "Rave" Ogilvie is a Canadian record producer, mixer, songwriter and musician. The former member of bands Skinny Puppy and Jakalope started his recording career in Vancouver working as an engineer at Mushroom Studios. He has been described by ...
sharing co-production duties; members of both Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails took part in its recording.
The process of making the album was a long and difficult one, highlighted by experiments involving
sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation, also known as sleep insufficiency or sleeplessness, is the condition of not having adequate duration and/or quality of sleep to support decent alertness, performance, and health. It can be either chronic or acute and may vary ...
and near-constant drug use, in an effort to create a violent and hostile environment suited to the album's content. During this time, antagonism between band members was high. Daisy Berkowitz, the band's founding guitarist, departed the band partway through the album's recording process, with Twiggy performing much of the album's guitar work.
Timothy Linton responded to an advert seeking Berkowitz's replacement. He would form a close relationship with Madonna Wayne Gacy, who was responsible for the inclusion of one of the major sources of inspiration for the album:
Kabbalah
Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...
. Breaking with the six-year tradition of naming band members after female icons and serial killers,
Zim Zum
Timothy Linton, more commonly known as Zim Zum, is an American rock musician-songwriter and former guitarist for Life, Sex & Death and rock band Marilyn Manson (1996–1998). His current projects are Pleistoscene, a solo project, and The Pop C ...
was chosen as Linton's stage name. It was derived from the
Lurianic Kabbalah
Lurianic Kabbalah is a school of kabbalah named after Isaac Luria (1534–1572), the Jewish rabbi who developed it. Lurianic Kabbalah gave a seminal new account of Kabbalistic thought that its followers synthesised with, and read into, the earlie ...
concept of
Tzimtzum
The ''tzimtzum'' or ''tsimtsum'' (Hebrew ' "contraction/constriction/condensation") is a term used in the Lurianic Kabbalah to explain Isaac Luria's doctrine that God began the process of creation by "contracting" his ''Ohr Ein Sof'' (infinite ...
. "
The Beautiful People" was released as the album's lead single. It created enough anticipation for ''Antichrist Superstar'' that the album debuted at number three on the
''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 132,000 copies.
Manson also appeared on the cover of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', who awarded the band their 'Best New Artist' accolade in 1997.
The year-long "
Dead to the World Tour
The Dead to the World Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the American rock band Marilyn Manson (band), Marilyn Manson. Staged in support of their 1996 album ''Antichrist Superstar'', the tour visited theaters, nightclubs, arenas and stadiums fr ...
" followed, which was the band's longest and widest-ranging tour yet. In the US, however, the band was receiving more attention than ever before, and not all of it was positive. As the tour was getting underway, the band found itself the target of
bipartisan
Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing political parties find co ...
congressional hearings
A United States congressional hearing is the principal formal method by which United States congressional committees collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policymaking. Whether confirmation hearings (a procedure unique ...
, led by
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
violent entertainment watchdog group Empower America (now known as
FreedomWorks
FreedomWorks is a conservative and libertarian advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. FreedomWorks trains volunteers, assists in campaigns, and encourages them to mobilize, interacting with both fellow citizens and their political representat ...
) co-directors
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Secretary of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
William Bennett
William John Bennett (born July 31, 1943) is an American conservative politician and political commentator who served as secretary of education from 1985 to 1988 under President Ronald Reagan. He also held the post of director of the Office of ...
and
Democratic U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
Joseph Lieberman
Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; born February 24, 1942) is an American politician, lobbyist, and attorney who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee for Vi ...
, to determine the effects, if any, of violent lyrics on young listeners.
In addition, nearly every performance of the tour was picketed by religious organizations.
In July 1997, Manson collaborated with British
trip hop
Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop ...
group
Sneaker Pimps
Sneaker Pimps are an English electronic music band, formed in Hartlepool in 1994. They are best known for their debut album, ''Becoming X'' (1996), and its singles " 6 Underground" and "Spin Spin Sugar". The band takes its name from an article ...
for the single "
Long Hard Road Out of Hell
"Long Hard Road Out of Hell" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson and British trip hop band Sneaker Pimps. It was released as a single from the soundtrack to the 1997 motion picture ''Spawn''. An arena rock and gothic rock song, "Long ...
" from the soundtrack to the 1997 film ''
Spawn
Spawn or spawning may refer to:
* Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise
** '' Spawn: Ar ...
''. The band released their second EP, ''
Remix & Repent
''Remix & Repent'' is the second EP by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on November 25, 1997, during their ''Antichrist Superstar'' period. It features remixes of songs from ''Antichrist Superstar'', live tracks recorded duri ...
'', on November 25, 1997. It featured new versions of ''Antichrist Superstars four singles: "The Beautiful People", "
Tourniquet
A tourniquet is a device that is used to apply pressure to a limb or extremity in order to stop the flow of blood. It may be used in emergencies, in surgery, or in post-operative rehabilitation.
A simple tourniquet can be made from a stick and ...
", "
Antichrist Superstar
''Antichrist Superstar'' is the second studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 8, 1996, by Nothing and Interscope Records. It was recorded at Nothing Studios in New Orleans and produced by the band's epon ...
" and "
Man That You Fear
"Man That You Fear" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released as the second promotional single from their second studio album, ''Antichrist Superstar'', and is the final song on the album.
The line, "Sticking to my pointy ri ...
". In February 1998, Manson released his autobiography, ''
The Long Hard Road Out of Hell
''The Long Hard Road Out of Hell'' is the autobiography of Marilyn Manson, leader of the American rock band of the same name. The book was released on February 14, 1998 and co-authored by Neil Strauss.
Summary
The book follows Manson's lif ...
'',
as well as a live video entitled ''
Dead to the World
''Dead to the World'' is the first live video album by American rock band Marilyn Manson, released on February 10, 1998, on VHS, documenting the infamous tour of the same name. It contains primarily live performances but delves into backstage ...
''. It was also confirmed that ''Antichrist Superstar'' would be the first installment in a
concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
trilogy which the band called their
triptych
A triptych ( ; from the Greek language, Greek adjective ''τρίπτυχον'' "''triptukhon''" ("three-fold"), from ''tri'', i.e., "three" and ''ptysso'', i.e., "to fold" or ''ptyx'', i.e., "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) t ...
.
''Mechanical Animals'' (1998–1999)
![Marilyn Manson - Omega](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Marilyn_Manson_-_Omega.jpg)
The band released the second part of their triptych, ''
Mechanical Animals
''Mechanical Animals'' is the third studio album by American Rock music, rock band Marilyn Manson (band), Marilyn Manson. It was released on September 15, 1998, by Interscope Records. The album marked a major shift from the industrial metal an ...
'', on September 15, 1998.
Co-produced by the band's lead singer with
Sean Beavan
Sean Beavan is a musician, record producer, and audio engineer best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Guns N' Roses, God Lives Underwater, and Slayer. His production style is typically heavy, with heavily saturated guitar ...
and
Michael Beinhorn
Michael Beinhorn is a North American record producer, composer, author and musician. He has produced albums for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, Hole, Violent Femmes and Marilyn Manson.
Career 1977-1983: Early Years, Material, Herbie Hancock
...
,
the album moved away from the
industrial rock
Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten a ...
production of its predecessor and was strongly influenced by 1970s
glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...
, particularly
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
's 1974 album ''
Diamond Dogs
''Diamond Dogs'' is the eighth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 24 May 1974 through RCA Records. Bowie produced the album and recorded it in early 1974 at Olympic and Island Studios in London and Ludolph Studios i ...
''.
Billy Corgan
William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the lead singer, primary songwriter, guitarist, and only permanent member of the rock band the ...
served as an unofficial consultant to the band during the early development of the album. After playing a few songs for him, Corgan advised them that "This is definitely the right direction" but to "go all the way with it. Don't just hint at it", referring to its inclusion of glam influences.
To suit their new musical style, the band also recast itself as a glam rock outfit, setting aside the "rotting-corpse chic" of the previous era
in favor of attire more suited to the genre, incorporating leather,
platform boots
Platform shoes are shoes, boots, or sandals with an obvious thick sole, usually in the range of . Platform shoes may also be high heels, in which case the heel is raised significantly higher than the ball of the foot. Extreme heights, of both ...
and brightly dyed hair.
The band also relocated from New Orleans to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
while Zim Zum was replaced by guitarist John Lowery of
2wo, whose stage name, John 5, was given to him by Manson during their first lunch meeting.
Interscope's promotion of the album was massive,
with the label erecting enormous billboards of the lead singer as an
androgynous
Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression.
When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics i ...
extraterrestrial in both
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
and
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly H ...
. Repeated appearances on MTV and other networks helped propel the album's lead single, "
The Dope Show
"The Dope Show" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released in September 1998 as the lead single from their third studio album ''Mechanical Animals''. The lyrics were written by Marilyn Manson and the music composed by Twiggy ...
", to number twelve on Billboard's
Mainstream Rock
Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.
Format background
Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
chart,
becoming the band's highest-charting single yet.
The song's music video was critically acclaimed, winning two awards at the 1998
''Billboard'' Music Video Awards as well as the
Best Cinematography
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
award at the
1999 MTV VMA's;
while the song was also nominated for
Best Hard Rock Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards until 2011.
The academy recognized hard rock music artists for the first time at the 31st Grammy Awards (1989). The category was ori ...
at the
41st Annual Grammy Awards
The 41st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill received the most nominations with 10, setting a record for the most no ...
.
The album would go on to debut at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, with first week sales of over 223,000.
After a brief promotional campaign, the band set out on the "
Beautiful Monsters Tour
The Beautiful Monsters Tour was a North American concert tour co-headlined by American rock bands Hole and Marilyn Manson. Launched in support of each band's respective third full-length studio LPs, 1998's ''Celebrity Skin'' and ''Mechanical A ...
" with
Hole
A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in many fields of en ...
.
The tour would be a problematic one, and was marred by frequent on–and–off stage exchanges between Manson and Hole vocalist
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, her career has spanned four decades. She rose to prominence as t ...
.
Private disputes also arose over the tour's financial arrangements, with Hole unwittingly financing most of Manson's production costs, which were disproportionately high relative to Hole's. The tour was to include thirty-seven shows spanning over a two-month period,
although Hole left after taking part in just nine of the scheduled dates. A broken ankle from Manson also forced the postponement of the next two shows,
with the remainder of the tour being renamed "
Rock Is Dead" and Jack Off Jill and
Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Initially called Hell's Half-Acre, the band's name comes from Ted Nugent's introduction to "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang" on the ''Double Live Gonzo'' album.
Following the initial 1 ...
taking over select opening slots.
The final four dates of the tour were canceled out of respect for the victims of the
Columbine High School massacre
On April 20, 1999, a school shooting and attempted bombing occurred at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, 12th grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. ...
.
The latter half of 1999 and much of 2000 was a period of relative silence for the band, who refused to take part in interviews and retreated from public life.
They shelved plans for a proposed single and music video for their cover of
AC/DC
AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...
's "
Highway to Hell
''Highway to Hell'' is the sixth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 27 July 1979. It was the last album featuring lead singer Bon Scott, who would die early the following year on 19 February 1980.
Background
By 1978 ...
", which appeared on the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
to ''
Detroit Rock City
"Detroit Rock City" is a song by the American hard rock group Kiss, released on their 1976 album ''Destroyer''. The song was written by Paul Stanley and producer Bob Ezrin.
The song is one of the band's most popular and is a classic rock staple ...
''. They spent this period writing and recording in a secluded studio in
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth.
Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...
,
with only the live album ''
The Last Tour on Earth
''The Last Tour on Earth'' is a live album comprising recordings from Marilyn Manson's Mechanical Animals Tour, Beautiful Monsters Tour and Rock is Dead Tour, released on November 12, 1999. On the studio version of "The Dope Show", Manson says th ...
'' appearing during this time. A studio outtake from ''Antichrist Superstar'', titled "
Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes
"Astonishing Panorama of the End Times" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was the only single on the ''Celebrity Deathmatch'' soundtrack. A studio recording of the song was included on the band's live album ''The Last Tour on Ear ...
", served as its only single.
''Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)'' (2000–2001)
''
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
''Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on November 11, 2000, by Nothing and Interscope Records. A rock opera concept album, it is the final install ...
'' was released on November 11, 2000. Produced by the band's lead singer with
Dave Sardy
David Stuart Sardy (born 1967), more commonly known as D. Sardy, is an American composer, musician, songwriter, and multiple Grammy winning record producer. He came to prominence as the leader of 1990s noise rock band Barkmarket before turning mo ...
, the album also features programming and pre-production editing by
Bon Harris
Bon Harris (born Vaughan David Harris; 12 August 1965 in Chelmsford, Essex, England) is an English composer, producer, singer and songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is a founding member of the British EBM group Nitzer Ebb, programming Ni ...
of
Nitzer Ebb
Nitzer Ebb () are a British EBM group formed in 1982 by Essex school friends Vaughan "Bon" Harris (programming, synthesizers, drums, vocals), Douglas McCarthy (vocals), and David Gooday (drums).
History
Initial releases (1983–1987)
The g ...
.
The band wrote over 100 songs for the album,
which was a return to the darker, more abrasive sound of ''Antichrist Superstar''. Much of its content was written in response to the Columbine massacre, with the album's third single, "
The Nobodies", directly referring to the shootings.
Described by the band's frontman as the third part of a trilogy which began with ''Antichrist Superstar'' and continued in ''Mechanical Animals'', its overarching theme is an exploration of the relationship between death and fame in American culture, and its lyrics and artwork contain many references to
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
and
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963.
Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at the age of 12 fo ...
,
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
and
Mark David Chapman
Mark David Chapman (born May 10, 1955) is an American man who murdered former Beatles member John Lennon in New York City on December 8, 1980. As Lennon walked into the archway of his apartment building at The Dakota, Chapman shot Lennon from a ...
, and
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
and
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the prominent 19th-century Booth th ...
. The "
Guns, God and Government Tour
Guns, God and Government was a worldwide arena tour by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was the eighth tour the band embarked upon and the fourth to span over multiple legs. It was launched 17 days ahead in support of their fourth full-leng ...
" elaborated on ''Holy Woods central theme, and with its logo – a rifle and handguns arranged to resemble the
Christian cross – Manson made no attempt to conceal what he saw as the source of that fascination.
The band also revealed that within their concept album trilogy,
''Holy Wood'' serves as prequel to ''Mechanical Animals'' and ''Antichrist Superstar'' despite the latter two preceding ''Holy Wood'' in release date.
Each album contains its own distinct storyline, which can be linked together to create a larger overarching storyline encompassing all three.
Manson has offered this much in the way of an interpretation: "
'Holy Wood'' is aboutwanting to fit into a world that didn't want me, and fighting really hard to get there.
he album's deepest elementsare idealism and the desire to start a revolution. If you begin with ''Holy Wood'', then ''Mechanical Animals'' really talks about how that revolution gets taken away from you and turned into a product, and then ''Antichrist Superstar'' is where you're given a choice to decide if you're going to be controlled by the power that you created or if you want to destroy yourself and then start over. It just becomes a cycle."
The band initially declined to join the
2001 lineup of
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
's
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual music festival tour of the United States and sometimes Europe and later Japan, featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Sharon Osbourne and her husband Ozzy Osbourne, both ...
, as its June 21 date in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
would mark their first appearance in
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
since the Columbine massacre. After the band announced on their website that they would perform in Denver, they were protested by religious groups. The band planned to "balance out" their "violent lyrics" by quoting biblical texts, "so we can examine the virtues of wonderful Christian stories of disease, murder, adultery, suicide and child sacrifice."
The tour was documented by a DVD-Video, DVD of Guns, God and Government, the same name, which was released on October 29, 2002. In addition to a compilation style concert [songs from multiple individual shows edited together to appear as a single performance], it includes a thirty-minute short film titled "The Death Parade". This was followed by ''Guns, God and Government – Live in LA'' in 2009, which depicts their performance of January 13, 2001 at Los Angeles's Grand Olympic Auditorium in its entirety.
Earlier in 2001, the band released a cover of Gloria Jones's "Tainted Love#Marilyn Manson version (2001), Tainted Love" on the Not Another Teen Movie#Music, soundtrack to ''Not Another Teen Movie''. The song became the band's biggest international hit yet, peaking at number one in numerous European territories. In 2002, Jonathan Davis of Korn invited Marilyn Manson to record vocals on a track titled "Redeemer", which was released on his Queen of the Damned: Music from the Motion Picture, soundtrack to ''Queen of the Damned (film), Queen of the Damned''. Manson also appeared in Michael Moore's 2002 documentary, ''Bowling for Columbine''; his appearance was filmed on the same day as their Denver Ozzfest performance. When Moore asked what Manson would have said to the students at Columbine, he replied, "I wouldn't say a single word to them. I would listen to what they have to say, and that's what no one did."
''The Golden Age of Grotesque'' and ''Lest We Forget'' (2002–2006)
With the "triptych" of previous albums complete, the band was free to begin a fresh project. In 2002, Manson created an Discography of the Resident Evil film series#Resident Evil: Music from and Inspired by the Original Motion Picture, original score for the ''Resident Evil (film), Resident Evil'' film with former KMFDM multi-instrumentalist Tim Skold. Soon after, Skold became an official band member when Twiggy Ramirez amicably left the group, citing creative differences. After finding inspiration through Manson's girlfriend Dita Von Teese in the Swing music, swing and burlesque movements of 1920s Berlin, the band recorded ''The Golden Age of Grotesque'', which was released on May 7, 2003 and debuted atop the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart, selling over 118,000 copies on its first week.
It was also an international success, particularly in Europe, where it sold over 400,000 copies on its first week, and topping various national record charts, as well as ''Billboards European Top 100 Albums, European Albums Chart. The album also appeared on several critics' year-end lists,
and won a 2003 Metal Edge Readers' Choice Award for "Album of the Year".
![Mm ozzfest 2003](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Mm_ozzfest_2003.jpg)
Eschewing the lyrical depth and symbolism found on ''Holy Wood'', the album was relatively straightforward: in an extended metaphor, Manson compares his own often-criticized work to the ''Degenerate art, Entartete Kunst'' banned by the Nazi Germany, Nazi regime. Lyrically, Manson utilizes the Stream of consciousness (narrative mode), narrative mode of stream of consciousness throughout the album to examine the human Psyche (psychology), psyche in times of crisis, specifically focusing on the mindset of lunatics and children, as, according to Manson, "they don't follow the rules [of society]."
Several songs incorporate elements commonly found in Playground song, playground chants and nursery rhymes, which Manson would "pervert into something ugly and lurid."
The work of Kurt Weill was also noted as an influence, along with the lucid dreams the singer was having during its production, with Manson explaining that he would "wake up and say, 'I want to write a song that sounds like a stampeding elephant,' or 'I want to write a song that sounds like a burning piano.'"
Manson began his long-term collaboration with Austrian-Irish artist Gottfried Helnwein, working together on several multi-media projects associated with the album, including the exhibitions and installation art projects featured at the album's launch party at The Key Club in Los Angeles, the album artwork, the music video to lead single "Mobscene, mOBSCENE", as well as the artwork which accompanied Manson's essay for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
Limited edition copies of the album included a DVD titled ''Doppelherz'' (Double-heart), a 25-minute surrealism, surrealist short film directed by Manson which featured art direction by Helnwein. Another world tour followed, "Grotesk Burlesk Tour, Grotesk Burlesk", which furthered the album's Weimar Republic-inspired theme by adding Helnwein-created stage dressing and elements of German ''cabaret, Kabarett'' to the group's performances.
Manson and the band members began appearing both on-and off-stage in designer suits created by Jean-Paul Gaultier.
''Lest We Forget: The Best Of'' was released on September 28, 2004 and was referred to by Manson as a "farewell" compilation. It was the last album released under Nothing Records, as the label was dissolved following a lawsuit filed by Reznor against his former manager and business partner, John Malm Jr., John Malm. The compilation was supported by the "Against All Gods Tour", as well as a single–a cover of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus#Marilyn Manson cover, Personal Jesus". It was the first and only tour to feature Mark Chaussee of Rob Halford's Fight (band), Fight on lead guitar, replacing John 5, whose relationship with Manson had soured over the previous year. Former Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna also replaced Ginger Fish, who fractured his wrist, skull and cheekbone after falling several feet off his drum riser during a performance at a German awards ceremony.
''Eat Me, Drink Me'' (2007–2008)
![Marilyn Manson f9214071](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Marilyn_Manson_f9214071.jpg)
By late 2005, the band had composed 18 new songs, but work on their sixth studio album was halted when Manson focused his attention on various film and art projects, including the development of his screenplay, ''Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll'', as well as a minor role in the Lucy Liu movie ''Rise: Blood Hunter''.
He also launched a self-proclaimed art movement, the Celebritarian Corporation, which included artist Gottfried Helnwein, fashion designer Steven Klein (photographer), Steven Klein and director Anthony Silva, as well as announcing plans to open an art gallery and publish a book of his paintings. It was after opening the Celebritarian Corporation Gallery Of Fine Art on Melrose Avenue in 2006 that work started on new material, with Manson writing lyrics over Skold's already existing compositions.
The resulting material was Musical composition, composed and recorded entirely by Skold, and does not feature writing or performance contributions from any other member of the band.
Its content is largely inspired by personal troubles relating to Manson's failed marriage to Von Teese, and his burgeoning relationship with then-19-year old actress Evan Rachel Wood.
The band made their debut appearance on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' on October 31, 2006, performing their cover of "This Is Halloween" from a deluxe edition re-release of ''The Nightmare Before Christmas (soundtrack), The Nightmare Before Christmas'' soundtrack. This would be their last performance featuring longtime keyboardist Madonna Wayne Gacy, who would go on to file a $20m lawsuit against the band the following year for unpaid "partnership proceeds".
The album was preceded by the release of a single, "Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand)", whose music video was shot using director James Cameron's Stereoscopy, 3D Fusion Camera System technology.
The video caused controversy upon release, with several sources claiming that it featured genuine footage of Manson and Wood engaged in sexual intercourse.
Wood was reportedly paid "the highest [music] video salary in history" to appear in the video. ''Eat Me, Drink Me'' was released on June 5, 2007, and entered the ''Billboard'' 200 at number eight with first week sales of 88,000 copies.
It also peaked in the top ten of most major international album charts, as well as at number two on ''Billboards European Albums Chart.
"Putting Holes in Happiness" was released as the album's second single.
To promote the album, the band embarked on the nine-month "Rape of the World Tour", which featured Skold on lead guitar, former The Prodigy bassist Rob Holliday and longtime drummer Ginger Fish; while Vrenna rejoined the band as their live keyboardist. The first leg of the tour was a co-headlining set with American thrash metal band Slayer, with support coming from Bleeding Through. In November 2007, Manson confirmed that he and Skold had begun work on the band's next studio album, with Slayer's Kerry King, former The Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha and Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs set to feature. By the beginning of 2008, however, Twiggy Ramirez had rejoined the band as bassist, resulting in the exit of Skold, with Holliday moving from bass to lead guitar for the remaining duration of the tour. Future collaborations with Skold were not ruled out.
''The High End of Low'' (2009–2010)
In 2008, former Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland joined the band for their headlining show at the 2008 ETPFEST, ETP Fest in South Korea. However, Borland left the group to reunite with Limp Bizkit, later saying that he was reluctant to be a "hired gun", citing the band's refusal to record any of the nine songs he submitted for their upcoming album. Contemporary R&B, R&B singer Ne-Yo claimed in early December that he would hold writing sessions with the band's frontman on new material, although Manson denied it, saying that he had "never even met Ne-Yo. I can assure him that he would not want to be associated with something this godless."
''The High End of Low'' was recorded throughout 2008, with Manson recording vocals at his Hollywood Hills home studio
between November and January 5, 2009.
Produced by Manson, Twiggy and Vrenna with ''Antichrist Superstar'' and ''Mechanical Animals'' co-producer Sean Beavan,
Manson described the album as containing "extreme" autobiographical content relating to the dissolution of his engagement to Wood,
and as being "very ruthless, heavy and violent". Its fifteen songs appear on the album in the order they were written.
The penultimate track, "Into the Fire", portrays the vocalist's mental state on Christmas Day, wherein he attempted to contact Wood 158 times, cutting himself with a razorblade on the face or hands for each corresponding attempt. The album's final song, "15", was completed on Manson's January 5 birthday – hence the name.
Manson utilized his entire home as a canvas to document the disintegration of the relationship, writing its lyrics on walls and coupling them with paintings and drawings relating to Wood, as well as used condoms, bags of cocaine and other drug paraphernalia.
"We're from America" was released as a free download on the band's website on March 27, 2009,
while a Hot Topic-exclusive CD single followed two weeks later. After playing an instrumental version of "Arma-goddamn-motherfuckin-geddon" to Interscope's Artists and repertoire, A&R department, it was chosen as the album's official lead single, with an employee telling Manson, "This is gonna be a hit!". Manson then quipped to the employee, "Well, I'm glad that you have no consideration for what I [might] put on top of it." A heavily censored version of the profanity-laced track – re-titled to "Arma ... geddon" – was serviced to radio from April 13,
and peaked at number thirty-seven on ''Billboards Mainstream Rock chart, becoming their lowest-peaking single in the process.
The album was released on May 20, 2009 and debuted at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200 with sales of over 49,000 copies, their lowest opening week figure since ''The Last Tour on Earth'' debuted with 26,000 copies in 1999.
Prior to ''The High End of Lows release, Manson made a series of disparaging comments regarding Interscope and its artistic censorship; as well as its then-Chief creative officer, CEO Jimmy Iovine, who Manson said "wasn't smart enough to understand what [we] do", and publicly claiming that the label "cares more about Vitamin Water [the private equity venture of Interscope-signed 50 Cent] than music." Reznor – who, as of 2015, remains friends with Iovine – responded by calling Manson a "dopey clown" and claiming that "He is a malicious guy and will step on anybody's face to succeed and cross any line of decency." While promoting the album in the UK, Manson appeared inebriated in a series of interviews. An interview for ''Alan Carr: Chatty Man'' recorded during this time remains unaired, due to graphic language and content. A music video for "Running to the Edge of the World" – in which Manson beats a Wood lookalike to death – was released on November 4 and was condemned as a perceived glorification of violence against women. The band parted ways with Interscope on December 3. They settled the lawsuit filed by former keyboardist Stephen Bier (aka M.W. Gacy), with Manson's insurance company paying Bier's attorney's fees and Bier receiving no Value (economics), monetary value.
''Born Villain'' (2011–2013)
Upon parting with Interscope, Manson said "a lot of the creative control on which my hands were tied [has been regained]", while stating that the band had been writing new material while touring their previous album.
Manson attested that its lyrical content would be "more romantic" yet "self-abusive",
and described its sonic elements as being "suicide death metal". Fred Sablan joined the band in July 2010. By October, Twiggy described the album as being "almost done", and opined that "It's our best record yet. I mean, everyone always says that, but I think this is our best work so far. It's kind of like a little more of a punk rock ''Mechanical Animals'', without sounding too pretentious."
The following month, it was announced that the band had signed a joint-venture deal with London-based Independent record label, indie label Cooking Vinyl.
As part of the deal, the band would retain creative control over their artistic direction, with the band and label sharing profits equally after the label recoups costs associated with marketing, promotion and distribution.
For much of 2011, Manson removed himself from the public spotlight and ceased almost all communication with fans, only taking a break from his self-imposed sequestration to appear in the music video for "Tempat Ku" by Brunei rock band D'Hask. On February 24, longtime drummer Ginger Fish announced his resignation from the group. On May 22, their website underwent a complete overhaul. A 26-second clip of an unreleased song, tentatively titled "I am among no one", was uploaded to their Vimeo account, along with a new logo.
After being impressed by his directorial work on one of Kid Cudi's music videos,
Manson employed actor Shia LaBeouf to direct a short film entitled ''Born Villain (film), Born Villain''. Contrary to media reports that the project would be a "making-of" video documenting the album's recording, ''Born Villain'' was a surrealist short featuring a previously unreleased track, "Overneath the Path of Misery". Containing numerous references to ''Macbeth'',
it was inspired by Jodorowsky's ''The Holy Mountain (1973 film), The Holy Mountain''
and Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí's 1929 silent film ''Un Chien Andalou''.
To promote the project, LaBeouf and his girlfriend, photographer Karolyn Pho, graffitied areas of LA with its artwork. LaBeouf and Pho later photographed their work, and released it as a limited edition book titled ''Campaign (book), Campaign'', which was bundled with a DVD of the film.
In November, Vrenna departed the band to focus on other production work, whilst indicating that production of their eighth studio album was "largely completed".
The album was preceded by the release of "No Reflection", which Manson leaked to KROQ-FM on March 7, 2012.
Cooking Vinyl CEO Martin Goldschmidt called the leak a "masterstroke", saying "we had all these exclusives lined up around the world, and then Manson blew them all. We're already getting more radio play than the whole of the last record." The song went on to peak at number twenty-six on the Mainstream Rock chart, spending fourteen weeks on the chart, and was their best-performing single there since "Personal Jesus" in 2004.
''Born Villain'' was released worldwide from April 25,
debuting at number ten on the ''Billboard'' 200 and atop both the Independent Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums charts. The album spent two weeks at number one on the UK Rock & Metal Singles and Albums Charts, UK Rock Albums Chart. A remix EP for "Slo-Mo-Tion" followed on November 5. The band embarked on the seventeen-month "Hey Cruel World... Tour" from the end of April, which was interspersed by co-headlining tours with Rob Zombie ("Twins of Evil Tour, Twins of Evil") and Alice Cooper ("Masters of Madness Tour, Masters of Madness").
''The Pale Emperor'' (2014–2016)
In August 2012, it was announced that Manson would play a fictionalized version of himself in a four-episode Story arc, arc of the sixth season of TV series ''Californication (TV series), Californication''. While filming its season finale at the Greek Theatre (Los Angeles), Greek Theatre in LA, Manson met the series' composer, Tyler Bates, and the two discussed a potential collaboration. Manson confirmed that production started on new material by May 2013. Four months later, Sablan announced that he had left the group.
One track from the album, "Cupid Carries a Gun" was used as the opening theme to ''Salem (TV series), Salem'' from its second episode onwards, which premiered on US television on April 27. In October, a large portion of the album track "Killing Strangers" was predominantly featured in the Keanu Reeves movie ''John Wick (film), John Wick''. "Third Day of a Seven Day Binge" was released for free download on the band's website on October 26, and served as the album's first official single. The band performed several new songs live for the first time as they played a handful of concerts around southern California in October and early November. "Deep Six (song), Deep Six" was released on December 16, with a music video following three days later. It went on to peak at number eight on ''Billboards Mainstream Rock chart, making it the band's highest-ever peaking single on ''Billboard''.
"Cupid Carries a Gun" was released as the album's third official single on January 8, 2015.
''The Pale Emperor'' was released on January 15 in the US.
It is dedicated to Manson's mother, who died in May 2014 after an eight-year battle with Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
It was both a critical and commercial success, debuting at number eight on the ''Billboard'' 200 with sales of over 51,000 copies,
their largest opening-week figure since ''Eat Me, Drink Me'' in 2007.
Numerous publications referred to it as the band's best album in over a decade.
It would go on to appear on several The Pale Emperor#Year-end lists, 'best of 2015' lists, with ''Rolling Stone'' dubbing it the 'best metal album' of 2015. Music videos for both "The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles" and "Third Day of a Seven Day Binge" were released in May and July, respectively.
The band embarked on the nearly-two year-long The Hell Not Hallelujah Tour in support of the album, which was interspersed by a co-headlining tour with The Smashing Pumpkins titled The End Times Tour, The End Times. In February 2016, Manson contributed vocals to a version of
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
's "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" on ''Countach (For Giorgio)'', a tribute album to Giorgio Moroder curated by Shooter Jennings. A 16-bit computing, 16-bit music video for the song was released five months later. Also in February, details were announced of another co-headlining tour, this time with Slipknot (band), Slipknot. The tour was scheduled to begin on June 9 in Salt Lake City and consist of thirty-four dates in Amphitheatres throughout North America, with support from Of Mice & Men (band), Of Mice & Men. However, the first twelve dates of the tour were postponed after an examination revealed that Corey Taylor had broken two vertebrae in his neck. The tour began on June 28 in Nashville, Tennessee, with the postponed shows rescheduled for August.
''Heaven Upside Down'' (2017–2018)
While touring with The Smashing Pumpkins, Manson indicated a "strong possibility" of working with Corgan on new material, and also revealed plans to collaborate with Korn frontman Jonathan Davis on a "Southern United States, Southern-sounding, acoustic" project. Manson announced in an interview with KEGL in November that work had begun on the band's tenth studio album, while also confirming that Twiggy, Bates and Sharone would all be involved in its recording. ''Antichrist Superstar'' was reissued on Compact Cassette, cassette exclusively in Europe as part of Record Store Day 2016. To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the album's release, Manson indicated that a special edition of ''Antichrist Superstar'' would be issued on October 20, although this failed to materialize. Among its bonus content would have been a previously unreleased film, created during the "Dead to the World Tour".
On July 19, Manson announced that the band's tenth studio album had the working title ''SAY10'', and predicted a release date of Valentine's Day 2017.
In September, Manson confirmed that the band were "putting the finishing touches" on the album, and said: "It's not very much in any way like ''The Pale Emperor''. It's pretty violent in its nature for some reason, and it's not emotional in the same way. It's got a chip on its shoulder. I can't wait for people to hear it. I think they're going to be quite surprised." On November 8 – the day of the 2016 United States presidential election, 2016 US presidential election – Manson released a teaser clip of a new music video created alongside ''Final Girl (film), Final Girl'' director Tyler Shields. It featured scenes of Manson brandishing a knife while standing over a decapitated corpse. According to ''The Daily Beast''s Marlow Stern, the decapitated figure is dressed to resemble Donald Trump. Manson would later say that the figure in the video "wasn't anyone except if you wanted it to be them."
The album was not released in February 2017, and instead a long series of cryptic videos were posted to Marilyn Manson's personal Instagram account over the course of just under 2 months, before Manson revealed on May 9 that the album had been named ''Heaven Upside Down''. The band began their Heaven Upside Down Tour on July 20, 2017 in Budapest. The first single from the album, "We Know Where You Fucking Live", was released on September 11, with the album due to follow on October 6. A second single, "Kill4Me", was released on September 20. The band's founding guitarist, Daisy Berkowitz, died on October 22, 2017 at the age of 49; he had been diagnosed with Colon cancer staging, Stage IV colorectal cancer in 2013. Two days later, Manson announced he had "decided to part ways" with bassist Twiggy, after a rape allegation was made against Twiggy by his former girlfriend,
Jack Off Jill
Jack Off Jill was an American gothic rock band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, founded in 1992 by vocalist Jessicka, drummer Tenni Ah-Cha-Cha, bassist/keyboardist Agent Moulder, and guitarist Michelle Inhell. Though these four women were the init ...
vocalist
Jessicka
Jessicka Addams (born Jessica Fodera on October 23, 1975) is an American visual artist and retired musician. Best known by her stage name Jessicka, she was the frontwoman for the alternative rock band Jack Off Jill, and later for the noise-po ...
;
for the rest of the tour, Juan Alderete (formerly of Racer X (band), Racer X and The Mars Volta) joined. In July 2018, Manson embarked on the Twins of Evil: The Second Coming Tour in the US with co-headliner Rob Zombie and special guest Deadly Apples.
''We Are Chaos'' (2019–present)
In March 2019, Manson announced that he was nearly finished recording his next studio album and that country musician Shooter Jennings was involved. Later that year, drummer Gil Sharone announced he was leaving the band to pursue "other current and future projects", with former Black Flag (band), Black Flag drummer Brandon Pertzborn hired as his replacement. Manson also revealed that Bates is no longer involved with the group, and that the album would be produced by Jennings and feature contributions from his drummer Jamie Douglass. In July, Manson embarked on the Twins of Evil: Hell Never Dies Tour in the US and Canada with co-headliner Rob Zombie, followed by festivals and headline dates with support from Deadly Apples. The band released their cover of The Doors' "The End (The Doors song), The End" on Streaming media, streaming music services in November, with a limited edition vinyl scheduled to be issued on March 6, 2020. The song was recorded for the soundtrack to the upcoming miniseries ''The Stand (2020 miniseries), The Stand'', based on Stephen King's The Stand, novel of the same name. Manson is set to appear in the miniseries. The band are set to appear as the opening act for Ozzy Osbourne during his No More Tours II series, a North American tour beginning in May 2020. However the tour was eventually cancelled along with Manson's performances after
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
On January 13, 2020, live bassist Juan Alderete was involved in a bicycle accident which left him with a diffuse axonal injury, a type of traumatic brain injury. A GoFundMe page has been created to help cover the cost of his medical expenses. On April 29, Manson and Jennings confirmed they had finished work on the band's eleventh studio album, with both calling it a "masterpiece". On July 28, Manson announced that a new single titled "We Are Chaos (song), We Are Chaos" would be released the following day. The next day, the track was released alongside the announcement of the band's upcoming eleventh studio album titled ''We Are Chaos'' set for release on September 11, 2020. At the same time, the band revealed the album cover and the track list.
The album debuted at number eight on the ''Billboard'' 200, making it their tenth top ten release on the chart.
In February 2021, Loma Vista Recordings announced they would not promote or participate in the distribution of any future recordings released by the band, following former girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood and various other accusations that the band's vocalist Marilyn_Manson#Abuse_allegations, sexually and psychologically abused them. In November 2021, former band member Tim Skold announced he was again working on new material with Marilyn Manson.
Musical style
Although the band's music has often been labeled as shock rock by mainstream media,
Manson disputes the use of the label, preferring instead to identify his band's music as rock and roll. Marilyn Manson's music has been classified under many genres, including industrial metal,
industrial rock
Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten a ...
,
Industrial dance music, industrial dance, post-industrial music, post-industrial, alternative metal, progressive metal,
hard rock,
nu metal,
electronic music,
glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...
,
gothic metal,
death metal,
blues rock and pop music, pop.
Although Marilyn Manson's music has often been labelled gothic rock, AllMusic contends that the band merely borrows from gothic rock's imagery.
From 1996 to his departure in 2002,
Twiggy was their chief musical contributor, co-writing many of the band's biggest hits with Manson during this period. Despite never receiving a writing credit, drummer Ginger Fish provided substantial pre-production assistance to both Manson and Twiggy while composing demos for ''Antichrist Superstar''. His drums loops and sound effects would go on to be predominantly featured on several tracks, most notably "The Beautiful People". John 5 and Tim Skold were also prevalent composers,
while ''The Pale Emperor'' and ''Heaven Upside Down'' were composed entirely by Tyler Bates.
All of the band's lyrics are written by Manson, whose songwriting style varies between albums. Utilizing aesthetics often found within Performance poetry, spoken-word poetry,
his writing features comedy,
puns, and double entendres, and he makes frequent use of alliteration. The band's witticisms often take the form of neologisms, delivered several at a time in rapid-fire succession. Lyrical content has emerged from a wide range of subjects, including love,
Sexual intercourse, sex and Human sexuality, sexuality,
sexual abuse, consumerism, politics,
revenge,
suicide, capitalism,
violence and mortality, as well as the Bible and Greek mythology.
Manson predominantly delivers lyrics in a melodic fashion, although he invariably enhances his vocal register by utilizing several extended vocal techniques, such as vocal fry, Screaming (music), screaming, Death growl, growling and crooner, crooning. His voice can emit five different Tonality, tones simultaneously, which mixing engineer Robert Carranza discovered can form a pentagram when imported into a Audio analyzer, phrasal analyzer. He possesses a baritone vocal type. His lowest bass note of A1 can be heard in "Arma-goddamn-motherfuckin-geddon", while his highest note, an E6 – the first note of the whistle register – can be heard on the ''Born Villain'' song "Hey, Cruel World ...".
Influences
Manson's earliest musical memory was listening to Kiss (band), Kiss during a family road trip;
he has since cited the band as a major influence. As a child, he would imitate Kiss's ''kabuki''-like makeup and draw pictures of Gene Simmons and Peter Criss.
[ The earliest incarnation of the band was conceived by Manson at a Fort Lauderdale nightclub called The Reunion Room in December 1989,] where he was introduced to Big Black's ''Songs About Fucking'' by his future keyboardist, Stephen Bier. Daisy Berkowitz played in several punk rock outfits before co-founding the Spooky Kids, and was influenced by acts such as the New York Dolls and the Jim Carroll, Jim Carroll Band, whose "People Who Died" was covered regularly at live shows.
As its only permanent member, Manson heads the direction of the band's sound; he has been influenced by the shock rock of artists such as Arthur Brown (musician), Arthur Brown, Alice Cooper, The Doors, Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
and Iggy Pop. His biggest influence, however, was David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
, whom he credited with "changing [his] life forever". The two have often been compared by mainstream media, particularly in relation to their ability to shift genre and style – replete with a new look and musical philosophy – with each studio release. Manson's two favorite songs are Bowie's "Quicksand (David Bowie song), Quicksand" and "Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie song), Ashes to Ashes".[ For several years, Manson sang Bowie's "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" as a vocal warm up exercise before live performances; he later covered the song with outlaw country musician Shooter Jennings.
During their period at Nothing Records, the band's sound gathered sonic elements from other outfits on that label's roster, particularly Nine Inch Nails, with Reznor co-producing their first two studio albums.] Manson has cited Queen (band), Queen as an influence on the band's more melodic work, while New wave music, new wave and synthpop acts such as Depeche Mode and Gary Numan have been noted as influencing their electronic material. Manson said of the latter, "I was always into his Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, apocalyptic fiction lyrics. He pioneered electronic dance music." The work of gothic rock acts such as The Cure and Bauhaus (band), Bauhaus has also been cited, with Twiggy saying that "as far as guitar and bass combinations go", Bauhaus's Daniel Ash and David J were "a really big influence". Manson's other influences include The Beatles, Rihanna,[ Madonna, Prince (musician), Prince, White Zombie (band), White Zombie,] Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, N.W.A, The Smashing Pumpkins, Justin Timberlake, Led Zeppelin, the occult, horror comics, and the King James Version, King James Bible.[
]
Impact and legacy
Marilyn Manson have been credited with creating some of the most recognizable and visually defining music videos of the MTV Generation, with some commentators suggesting that their music videos played a significant role in the band's commercial success. Their work frequently incorporates surrealist iconography and purposefully grotesque imagery, and their style has been emulated by other performers. Joseph Schafer of ''Stereogum'' said in 2015 that "perhaps no single artist has mastered the music video as a medium so well [as Marilyn Manson]." They have received numerous awards and accolades for their work. Three of their videos – "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", "The Beautiful People" and "The Dope Show" – received a total of five MTV Video Music Award nominations, with the latter winning the MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography, Award for Best Cinematography at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, 1999 ceremony. The clip for "The Dope Show" also won two awards at the 1998 ''Billboard'' Music Video Awards. "The Beautiful People" appeared at number fifty-four on MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
's list of the '100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made'. as well as at number one-hundred on Much (TV channel), MuchMusic's 100 Greatest Videos Ever. Their 2003 video for "The Golden Age of Grotesque, (s)AINT" was referred to by ''NME'' as "one of the most explicit music videos ever made", and was included in lists of the 'Most Controversial Music Videos' by both ''Time (magazine), Time'' and ''SF Weekly''.
The band have received several Kerrang! Awards throughout their career, and were inducted into the ''Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' Hall of Fame in 2000. Manson also received their Icon Award in 2005, as well as their Lifetime Achievement Award ten years later. The publication has ranked ''Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)'' as the eleventh greatest rock album of the 2000s, and in 2015 they listed Manson as the twenty-eighth greatest rockstar in the world. VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
included Marilyn Manson at seventy-eight on their list of the '100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock', and also included "The Beautiful People" at number eighty-six on their list of the ''100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs''. Similarly, Gigwise included Manson at number thirty-six in their list of the '60 Greatest Solo Artists of All Time'. In 2016, Manson was presented with an Icon Award at the Alternative Press Music Awards. The band has also received four Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
nominations, including two for Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance, Best Metal Performance, along with nominations for Best Hard Rock Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards until 2011.
The academy recognized hard rock music artists for the first time at the 31st Grammy Awards (1989). The category was ori ...
and Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. Marilyn Manson have sold over 50 million records worldwide.
Several commentators have referred to the band's lead singer as being one of the most iconic and controversial figures in heavy metal music, with some going so far as to call him a "Popular culture, pop culture Cultural icon, icon". ''Paste (magazine), Paste'' magazine said there were "few artists in the 90s as shocking as Marilyn Manson, the most famous of the shock-rockers." ''Rolling Stone'' editor Lorraine Ali credited ''Antichrist Superstar'' with marking the end of the reign of grunge within popular music, writing that Marilyn Manson "[offered] total escapism as a true alternative", elaborating that the album was "a volatile reaction to five years of earnest, post-Nirvana (band), Nirvana rock." In 2003, Jon Wiederhorn of MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
called Manson "the only major performer today who can justifiably call himself an artist." Graham Hartmann of ''Loudwire'' said that the band's best songs document "a career that is unlike any other that came before", highlighting their mix of a "rock 'n' roll mentality with profound lyrics narrating the progression of society in real time, Manson has developed a polarizing identity as both a beloved hero and a reviled villain." Hannah Ewers of ''The Guardian'' wrote in 2016 that the band's music has "never been more relevant [than] at this time of cultural and political turbulence. Whether [his lyrics are addressing] Gun violence in the United States, America's gun crime problem, sexual abuse, religious hypocrisy or consumerism, Manson remains a relevant cultural figure rather than a 90s one, because he continues to address the times without lapsing into a parody", and opined: "As long as young people are angry (which they are), he will have listeners."
The band has been noted as influencing numerous groups within metal-associated genres, such as American Head Charge, Babymetal, Black Veil Brides, Combichrist, Kittie, Korn
Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream.
Originally formed in 1993 ...
, Motionless in White, Murderdolls, Mushroomhead, New Years Day (band), New Years Day, September Mourning, Slipknot (band), Slipknot, and Vanna (band), Vanna. Outside of heavy metal, both the band and its lead singer have inspired a diverse group of acts, including the Astroid Boys, Avril Lavigne, Charli XCX, Creeper (band), Creeper, Die Antwoord, Eminem, Grimes (musician), Grimes, Halsey (singer), Halsey, Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, Lil Uzi Vert, Lisa Marie Presley, Muse (band), Muse, My Chemical Romance, Mykki Blanco, Teddy Sinclair, Natalia Kills, Porcelain Black, Salem (Michigan band), Salem, Skrillex, Skylar Grey and Years & Years. Garbage (band), Garbage vocalist Shirley Manson has called Manson an "amazing figure and provocateur and agitator" and said that he was "always challenging you to think about the church, to think about sexuality and to think about society in different ways. We just don't have singers like that anymore." Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins has commended Manson's manipulation of the Celebrity culture, culture of celebrity, saying: "He's very savvy, in that he lets people think things about him or plays into things to see what will happen, almost like a performance artist. He's a visionary in a way, because he identified a culture that was coming and now that culture is everywhere."
Controversies
In December 1996, Secretary of Education William Bennett, along with U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman and former Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Secretary of State C. Delores Tucker, C. DeLores Tucker, held a press conference wherein they questioned MCA Inc., MCA – the owner of Interscope – president Edgar Bronfman Jr.'s ability to head the label competently whilst profiting from "profanity-laced" albums by artists such as Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Marilyn Manson. The following November, United States House of Representatives, Representative Sam Brownback chaired a hearing of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Committee on Government Affairs. At this subcommittee, Lieberman once again criticized the band's music, calling it "vile, hateful, Nihilism, nihilistic and damaging", and repeated his request that Seagram – then-owner of MCA – "start ... disassociating itself from Marilyn Manson." The subcommittee also heard from Raymond Kuntz, of Burlington, North Dakota, who blamed his son Richard's suicide on ''Antichrist Superstar—''specifically the song "The Reflecting God".
The band's live performances have also come under fire—the Dead to the World Tour
The Dead to the World Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the American rock band Marilyn Manson (band), Marilyn Manson. Staged in support of their 1996 album ''Antichrist Superstar'', the tour visited theaters, nightclubs, arenas and stadiums fr ...
, in particular, was followed by protesters at nearly every North American venue it visited. Several State legislature (United States), state legislatures, including the Utah State Legislature, South Carolina Legislature and the Virginia General Assembly, enacted legislation specifically targeting the group, which banned them from performing in State ownership, state-operated venues. These laws would later be repealed, following separate lawsuits from fans, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
, who sued the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority after they forced the cancellation of the New Jersey date of the Ozzfest (1997), 1997 Ozzfest at Giants Stadium.
On June 30, 2003, the mutilated body of fourteen-year old schoolgirl Murder of Jodi Jones, Jodi Jones was discovered in woodland near her home in Easthouses, Scotland. The injuries sustained by Jones closely resembled those of actress Elizabeth Short, who was murdered in 1947 and was popularly referred to by media as the Black Dahlia. Jones's boyfriend, then-fifteen year old Luke Mitchell, was arrested on suspicion of her murder ten months later. During a search of his home, detectives confiscated a copy of ''The Golden Age of Grotesque'' containing the short film ''Doppelherz''. It was purchased two days after Jones's death. A ten-minute excerpt from the film, as well as several paintings by Manson depicting the Black Dahlia's mutilated body, were presented as evidence during the trial. Mitchell was found guilty of murder and sentenced to serve a minimum of twenty years in prison.
The band's scheduled appearance at the Park Live Festival in Moscow on June 27, 2014 was canceled moments before they were due to arrive on stage, after authorities received numerous bomb threats, while hundreds of activists affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church protested outside the venue. The incident culminated in the assault of several members of the band and crew near their hotel. Two days later, a performance in Novosibirsk was also canceled when authorities refused to grant permission for the show to go ahead, accusing Manson of insulting the beliefs of the Orthodox church and of "promoting sadomasochism". Later that year, Manson garnered significant media attention when a video depicting the simulated rape of Lana Del Rey was posted onto YouTube by production company Sturmgruppe. The video, titled "Sturmgruppe 2013 Reel", showed simulated footage of film director Eli Roth attacking Del Rey, which was interspersed by unrelated images from two of the band's previous music videos—"No Reflection" and "Slo-Mo-Tion". Manson's representatives released a statement to ''Billboard'' denying any involvement in the production of the rape scenes.
In October 2017, Twiggy Ramirez was accused of sexual assault by ex-girlfriend Jessicka, Jessicka Addams during their relationship in the mid-90s. Soon after, Manson announced that he had "decided to part ways" with his longterm bassist. Several days later, Ramirez released a statement which said: "I have only recently been made aware of these allegations from over 20 years ago. I do not condone non-consensual sex of any kind. I will be taking some time to spend with my family and focus on maintaining my several years of sobriety. If I have caused anyone pain, I apologize and truly regret it."
School shootings
Columbine massacre
On April 20, 1999, Columbine High School students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed twelve students and a teacher, and wounded twenty-one others before committing suicide. In the days following the massacre, media reports surfaced alleging that they were influenced by violence in entertainment, specifically movies, video games and music. The pair were widely reported as being fans of German bands KMFDM and Rammstein, but the majority of Marilyn Manson–Columbine High School massacre controversy, blame was directed at Marilyn Manson.
Five days after the incident, longtime music industry critics Republican former Secretary of Education William Bennett and Democratic U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman cited the band as a contributing factor to the massacre during an appearance on ''Meet the Press''. Soon after, Sensationalism, sensationalist headlines such as "Killers Worshipped Rock Freak Manson" and "Devil-Worshipping Maniac Told Kids To Kill" began appearing in media coverage of the tragedy (such as Fox News). The List of mayors of Denver, Mayor of Denver, Wellington Webb, successfully petitioned promoters to cancel KBPI, KBPI-FM's annual 'Birthday Bash', at which the band was scheduled to appear. Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
an politicians such as Governor of Colorado, Governor Bill Owens (Colorado politician), Bill Owens and Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
United States House of Representatives, Representative Tom Tancredo accused Manson of promoting "hate, violence, death, suicide, drug use and the attitudes and actions of the Columbine High School killers." Later reports stated that neither Harris nor Klebold was a fan of Marilyn Manson. The band canceled the remaining four dates of the Rock Is Dead Tour out of respect for the victims, while maintaining that music, movies, books or video games were not to blame.
Eleven days after the massacre, Manson wrote an op-ed piece for ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', titled "Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?", where he rebuked the ensuing hysteria and "witch hunt", and castigated Gun culture in the United States, America's gun culture, the political influence of the National Rifle Association, and the media's culpability in similarly violent events in the future – through their irresponsible coverage – in facilitating the placement of blame on a scapegoat, instead of informing the populace of genuine societal issues.
Other shootings
The controversy connecting the band and school shootings continued on October 10, 2007, when 14-year-old SuccessTech Academy student SuccessTech Academy shooting, Asa Coon shot four people before committing suicide. After being punched in the face by another student while exiting a bathroom, he shot his attacker – Michael Peek – in the abdomen. Armed with two revolvers, he then proceeded down a hallway, where he wounded another student and two teachers by firing into two occupied classrooms, before entering a nearby bathroom and committing suicide. Coon was wearing a black Marilyn Manson T-shirt during the incident.
On May 18, 2009, 15-year-old Justin Doucet, a student at Lafourche Parish Public Schools, Larose Middle School in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, entered the school armed with a .25 ACP, .25-caliber Automatic Colt Pistol. When seventh-grade teacher Jessica Plaisance refused to comply with Doucet's demand to say "Hail Marilyn Manson", he fired two shots, narrowly missing her head, before turning the gun on himself. He died from his injuries a week later.
Band members
Current members
* Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...
– lead vocals, guitars, keyboards, programming, drums, percussion, tambourine, saxophone, pan flute (1989–present)
* Paul Wiley – guitars, programming, backing vocals (2018–present; touring 2014–2018)
* Juan Alderete – bass, backing vocals (2018–present; touring 2017–2018)
* Brandon Pertzborn – drums (2019–present)
Former members
* Zsa Zsa Speck – keyboards (1990)
* Olivia Newton Bundy
Brian Tutunick is an American musician, more famously known as Olivia Newton Bundy, and was the bassist and co-founder of the rock group Marilyn Manson until 1990, when he was replaced by Gidget Gein. His stage name was created by mixing the names ...
– bass (1989–1990)
* Gidget Gein
Bradley Mark Stewart (September 11, 1969 – October 8, 2008), known by his stage name Gidget Gein, was an American musician and artist. He was the second bassist and co-founder of the rock band Marilyn Manson. His stage name is a combination of ...
– bass (1990–1993; died 2008)
* Sara Lee Lucas
Frederick Streithorst Jr., better known by his stage name Sara Lee Lucas, is an American musician and the original drummer for Marilyn Manson. He has also performed as "S.L. Lucas" or simply "Lucas". His stage name is derived from serial killer ...
– drums, programming (1991–1995)
* Daisy Berkowitz
Scott Mitchell Putesky (April 28, 1968 – October 22, 2017), also known as Daisy Berkowitz, was an American musician, songwriter, composer, visual artist, and record producer. He was the co-founder of the rock band Marilyn Manson & the Spooky K ...
– guitars, programming, percussion, harmonica (1989–1996; died 2017)
* Zim Zum
Timothy Linton, more commonly known as Zim Zum, is an American rock musician-songwriter and former guitarist for Life, Sex & Death and rock band Marilyn Manson (1996–1998). His current projects are Pleistoscene, a solo project, and The Pop C ...
– guitars, keyboards (1996–1998)
* John 5 (guitarist), John 5 – guitars, keyboards (1998–2004)
* Madonna Wayne Gacy
Stephen Bier, formerly known by his stage name Madonna Wayne Gacy and by the nickname Pogo, is an American musician who was the keyboard player for Marilyn Manson from 1989 to 2007. His stage name came from the names of the singer Madonna and th ...
– keyboards, synthesizers, programming, samples, percussion, brass instruments (1990–2007)
* Tim Skold – guitars, bass, keyboards, backing vocals (2002–2008)
* Ginger Fish
Kenneth Robert Wilson, better known by his stage name Ginger Fish, is an American drummer primarily known for playing drums for Marilyn Manson from 1995–2011. Like Marilyn Manson, which combines the names of an iconic beauty with a serial ki ...
– drums, programming (1995–2011)
* Chris Vrenna – keyboards, synthesizers, programming, samples (2007–2011); drums (2011; touring 2004–2005)
* Fred Sablan – bass, guitars (2010–2014)
* Twiggy Ramirez – bass, guitars, keyboards, backing vocals (1993–2002, 2008–2014; touring 2014–2017)
* Tyler Bates – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals (2014–2015, 2015–2018)
* Gil Sharone – drums (2014–2019)
;Former touring members
* Mark Chaussee – guitars (2004–2005)
* Rob Holliday – guitars (2008); bass, backing vocals (2007–2008)
* Wes Borland – guitars (2008–2009)
* Andy Gerold – bass (2009)
* Jason Sutter – drums (2012–2013)
* Spencer Rollins – keyboards, guitars (2013)
* Daniel Fox – keyboards, percussion (2015–2017)
Discography
* ''Portrait of an American Family
''Portrait of an American Family'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on July 19, 1994 by Nothing and Interscope Records. The group was formed in 1989 by vocalist Marilyn Manson and guitarist Dais ...
'' (1994)
* ''Antichrist Superstar
''Antichrist Superstar'' is the second studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 8, 1996, by Nothing and Interscope Records. It was recorded at Nothing Studios in New Orleans and produced by the band's epon ...
'' (1996)
* ''Mechanical Animals
''Mechanical Animals'' is the third studio album by American Rock music, rock band Marilyn Manson (band), Marilyn Manson. It was released on September 15, 1998, by Interscope Records. The album marked a major shift from the industrial metal an ...
'' (1998)
* ''Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
''Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on November 11, 2000, by Nothing and Interscope Records. A rock opera concept album, it is the final install ...
'' (2000)
* ''The Golden Age of Grotesque'' (2003)
* ''Eat Me, Drink Me'' (2007)
* ''The High End of Low'' (2009)
* ''Born Villain'' (2012)
* ''The Pale Emperor'' (2015)
* ''Heaven Upside Down'' (2017)
* ''We Are Chaos'' (2020)
Tours
* Independent Touring (The Spooky Kids) (1990–93)
* Portrait of an American Family (tour), Portrait of an American Family (1994–95)
* Smells Like Children Tour (1995–1996)
* Dead to the World Tour
The Dead to the World Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the American rock band Marilyn Manson (band), Marilyn Manson. Staged in support of their 1996 album ''Antichrist Superstar'', the tour visited theaters, nightclubs, arenas and stadiums fr ...
(1996–97)
* Mechanical Animals Tour (1998–99)
* Beautiful Monsters Tour
The Beautiful Monsters Tour was a North American concert tour co-headlined by American rock bands Hole and Marilyn Manson. Launched in support of each band's respective third full-length studio LPs, 1998's ''Celebrity Skin'' and ''Mechanical A ...
(1999)
* Rock Is Dead Tour (1999)
* Guns, God and Government Tour
Guns, God and Government was a worldwide arena tour by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was the eighth tour the band embarked upon and the fourth to span over multiple legs. It was launched 17 days ahead in support of their fourth full-leng ...
(2000–01)
* Grotesk Burlesk Tour (2003–04)
* Against All Gods Tour (2004–05)
* Rape of the World Tour (2007–08)
* The High End of Low Tour (2009)
* Hey Cruel World... Tour/Twins of Evil Tour/Masters of Madness Tour (2012–13)
* The Hell Not Hallelujah Tour/The End Times Tour (2015)
* Heaven Upside Down Tour/Twins of Evil: The Second Coming Tour/Twins of Evil: Hell Never Dies Tour (2017–19)
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
!
, -
!scope="row", 41st Annual Grammy Awards, 1999
, "The Dope Show
"The Dope Show" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released in September 1998 as the lead single from their third studio album ''Mechanical Animals''. The lyrics were written by Marilyn Manson and the music composed by Twiggy ...
"
, Best Hard Rock Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards until 2011.
The academy recognized hard rock music artists for the first time at the 31st Grammy Awards (1989). The category was ori ...
,
, rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;",
, -
!scope="row", 43rd Annual Grammy Awards, 2001
, "Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes
"Astonishing Panorama of the End Times" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was the only single on the ''Celebrity Deathmatch'' soundtrack. A studio recording of the song was included on the band's live album ''The Last Tour on Ear ...
"
, rowspan="2", Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance, Best Metal Performance
,
, -
!scope="row", 46th Annual Grammy Awards, 2004
, "Mobscene, mOBSCENE"
,
, -
!scope="row", 55th Annual Grammy Awards, 2013
, "No Reflection"
, Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance
,
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
*
The Official Marilyn Manson Encyclopedia
*
{{Authority control
Marilyn Manson (band),
1989 establishments in Florida
2000s controversies in the United States
American alternative metal musical groups
American industrial metal musical groups
Cooking Vinyl artists
Hard rock musical groups from Florida
Heavy metal musical groups from Florida
Interscope Records artists
Kerrang! Awards winners
Musical groups established in 1989
Musical groups from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
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Nothing Records artists
Obscenity controversies in music
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