Marilyn Manson

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Marilyn Manson
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Background information
Birth name Brian Hugh Warner
Born January 5, 1969 (age 55)
Origin Canton, Ohio
Genre(s) Alternative metal, glam rock, hard rock, industrial metal, industrial rock
Occupation(s) Musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, director, actor, poet, writer, photographer
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums, pan flute
Years active 1989–present
Label(s) Hell, etc., Cooking Vinyl, Nothing, Interscope
Associated acts Marilyn Manson, Satan on Fire, Nine Inch Nails, Mrs. Scabtree, Necropsy
Website MarilynManson.com
Notable instrument(s)
Shure BETA 58A Vocal Microphone
Shure PSM 700 Personal Monitor System
Ultimate Ears UE5 Pro in-ear monitors


Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson, is an American musician, artist and former music journalist known for his controversial stage persona and image as the lead singer of the eponymous band, Marilyn Manson. His stage name was formed from juxtaposing the names of two 1960s American cultural icons, namely, actress Marilyn Monroe and convicted multiple murder mastermind[1] Charles Manson as a critical and, simultaneously, laudatory appraisal of America and its culture.[2][3] He has a long legacy of being depicted in the media as a detrimental influence on young people. The seemingly outrageous styles for which he models and the controversy surrounding his lyrics have led to his very pronounced public appeal.[4]

Biography

Brian Hugh Warner was born on January 5, 1969 in Canton, Ohio, the only child of Barb (née Wyer) and Hugh Warner. He is of German descent on his father's side, and is a 4th cousin twice removed of Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan.[5][6] As a child, he attended his mother's Episcopalian church, though his father was Catholic.[7][8] Manson attended Heritage Christian School from first grade to tenth grade where he experienced traumatic brainwashing at the hands of his Christian pedagogues by way of their apocalyptic biblical narratives. Ultimately, out of fear, this led to his own personal rebellion against Christianity, and religious conformity in general. In a quote from Manson's autobiography The Long Hard Road Out of Hell, he states: "I was thoroughly terrified by the idea of the end of the world and the Antichrist. So I became obsessed with it, watching movies like The Exorcist and the Omen and reading prophetic books like Centuries by Nostradamus, 1984 by George Orwell, and the novelized version of the film a Thief in the Night."

Manson's interest in rock 'n roll music stemmed from a childhood friend who introduced him to bands such as Kiss, Dio, Black Sabbath, and Rainbow and other bands of that genre. Out of these bands, KISS stood out amongst the crowd, Manson was a card-carrying member of the KISS ARMY and attended his first concert with his father in 1979. At the age of ten, a young Brian Warner was photographed in the make-up of KISS drummer, Peter Criss. It has been thought, though never confirmed or denied by Manson that his stage theatrics and make-up partially stem from his influence by KISS as a child.

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According to his autobiography The Long Hard Road Out of Hell, Warner is of German and Polish ancestry on his father's side. Raised in his mother's religion, and attending Heritage Christian School, he later transferred to and graduated from Glen Oak High School in 1987. In 1990, as a college student, Warner attended Broward Community College. As the assistant entertainment editor of BCC's student newspaper, the Observer, his first published article was a review titled "Jane's Addiction returns to shock crowd at Woody's." Warner was working toward a degree in journalism and theater, though never came into fruition. Manson later lied to a local magazine to gain employment and experience in the field by writing music articles for the South Florida lifestyle magazine, 25th Parallel. There, he met several of the musicians to whom his own band would later be compared, including My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult[9] and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. Manson mentions briefly in his autobiography that he became a musician partly because he wanted writers to gain the same amount of fame and respect as musicians.

Relationships

Warner's first serious relationship was with Michele Greenberg aka Rachelle, According to Manson's book "The Long Hard Road Out of Hell", the demise of the relationship with Michele Greenberg and his vow to become famous, and the desire to make Michele regret ending the relationship, The Spooky Kids were born. Manson then began dating Melissa Romero as explained in his autobiography, during the production of "Antichrist Superstar," Missi became pregnant with Warner's child, but had an abortion during her second trimester. He has also been linked to Traci Lords and Jenna Jameson. Jameson wrote about her sexual encounter with Manson in her autobiography, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale in which she noted him as being "massively endowed".

Manson was engaged to actress Rose McGowan, but their relationship ended in December 2000, when she broke up with him, claiming the reason of the breakup was "Manson's lifestyle".

Manson had been a long time fan of Dita Von Teese, and was a member of her website. They first met when he asked her to dance in one of his music videos. Though she was unable to, the two kept in contact. On his thirty-second birthday, she arrived with a bottle of absinthe, and they became a couple. Manson photographed Von Teese for the December 2002 issue of Playboy. He proposed on March 22, 2004 and gave her a 1930s-era, 7-carat, European round-cut diamond engagement ring.

On November 28, 2005, Manson and Von Teese were married in a private, non-denominational ceremony in their home. A larger ceremony was held on December 3 at Gurteen Castle in Kilsheelan, County Tipperary, Ireland, the home of their friend, Gottfried Helnwein. The wedding was officiated by surrealist film director and comic book writer Alejandro Jodorowsky. They reportedly exchanged vows in front of approximately 60 guests, including burlesque performer Catherine D'lish, Lisa Marie Presley, Eric Szmanda, Jessicka and Christian Hejnal. The bride wore a royal purple silk taffeta gown, made by Vivienne Westwood, a tri-corned hat designed by Stephen Jones and a matching Mr. Pearl corset. Moschino designed an additional wardrobe for the rest of the weekend, exclusively for Von Teese. The reception music was provided by the retro German band Palast Orchester mit Max Raabe. Guests were invited to participate in skeet shooting, archery and falconry in the days following the wedding. The wedding pictures appeared in the March 2006 edition of Vogue under the heading "The Bride Wore Purple". Just before his own wedding, Manson criticized Britney Spears' wedding to Kevin Federline, in which they celebrated by wearing personalized tracksuits: "If you're going to do something like getting married, it should have a sense of celebration to it. It should be grand and not in tracksuits!" Vogue magazine featured the wedding in their March 2006 edition[10].

On December 30, 2006, Von Teese filed for divorce due to "irreconcilable differences". ET.com and People claimed that Manson was having an extramarital affair with then 19-year-old actress Evan Rachel Wood, who is to co-star in his upcoming horror film Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll, and features in the video for his 2007 single, "Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand)". The relationship was confirmed by Von Teese in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, "I get the impression he thinks I was unsupportive, but the truth is I wasn't supportive of his lifestyle, and someone else came along who was." Manson's alcohol abuse and distant behavior were also cited as cause for the split. It has also been claimed that Manson was not aware of Von Teese's filing for divorce and moving out of their home at the time that the story was published, conceivably due to his reported stay in Paris, France. Von Teese took their two cats and two dachshunds, Greta and Eva, with her when she left; Manson reportedly fought for custody of the couple's cats, but only received one of them.

In April of 2007, Marilyn Manson's girlfriend, Evan Rachel Wood, admitted that they were actually a couple. By the end of the year, on December 27, 2007 a judgment of divorce between Manson and Von Teese was entered into Los Angeles Superior Court. On November 5, 2008, it was reported that Manson and Wood have since ended their nearly two-year relationship as of October 23. On November 7, it was announced that Evan and Manson did not end their relationship and that they took time off to concentrate on their work. On December 4, 2008, Manson had been seen with a new girlfriend, the fashion model Isani Griffith during the Art Basel art exhibition in Miami Beach, Florida. It was announced that they have been dating since Manson's breakup with Wood. As stated by Marilyn Manson on December 24th 2008,

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to make an announcement. The rumors that I found a 'replacement' for Evan, or that I have a new girlfriend are absolutely not true. I am finishing up my album, and I also have never even met Ne-Yo. I can assure him that he would not want to be associated with something this godless. Get over the holiday so I can happily ruin the new year for anyone that assumed music was going to stay boring and sweet. [11]

Myspace Bulletin 24th December, 2008.

The relationship with Wood ended and Manson then confirmed that he was dating pornographic actress and model Stoya. Following the release of his controversial music video Running to the Edge of the World, Manson reportedly proposed to Evan on stage December 21, 2009, in Paris during his last performance of The High End of Low Tour.[12] However, Manson and Evan Rachel Wood separated again in August, 2010.

After separating from Evan, Manson has been linked to several women, more recently, photographer Lindsay Usich. Manson and Usich were married on May 15, 2020, in a small private ceremony. It took place during the official quarantine period (caused by the spread of the Covid pandemic, and guests included friend and actor, Nicolas Cage, by means of FaceTime. Manson serenaded his bride with a version of Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender.” The news broke via the couple’s Instagram posts and a story in Interview magazine, five months after the wedding took place. 

Music Career

After meeting Stephen Gregory Bier, Jr. (also known as Madonna Wayne Gacy) at the Kitchen Club in South Beach, Miami the two became close friends, going to concerts and poetry readings. After a short period of time the two began compiling poetry that Manson had written and hoped to turn into songs, it was at this time that Manson instructed Pogo to buy a keyboard and they would start a band. Unfortunately, Stephen was not a part of the first incarnation of what would later become known as Marilyn Manson & The Spooky Kids. It was not until Manson met Jeordie White (also known as Twiggy Ramirez), who was working at a local record shop at the time. The two created Satan on Fire, a faux-Christian death metal ensemble that was more of a joke than an actual band. At that time, Twiggy was a member of the band Amboog-a-lard and thus Manson recruited college friend Brian Tutunick (also known as Olivia-Newton Bundy) as a bass player, though Tutunick would only last two nights and was later replaced by Bradley Stewart (also known as Gidget Gein). Scott Putesky (also known as Daisy Berkowitz) would complete the Spooky Kids line up. With Bier, still not with an instrument, appearing as part of the stage show by playing with toy soldiers.

After developing a cult following on Florida's underground music scene, the band drew the attention of Trent Reznor in the summer of 1993. Reznor produced their 1994 debut album, Portrait of an American Family and released it on his Nothing Records label. The band then began to develop a cult following, which grew larger following the release of Smells Like Children in 1995. That EP yielded the band's first big MTV hit "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", a cover of the 1983 Eurythmics song. Antichrist Superstar (co-produced by Trent Reznor) was to be an even greater success. In the United States alone, three of the band's albums have been awarded platinum certification, and another three gold. the band has had six releases debut in the top ten, including two number-one albums.

Manson first worked as a producer with long time friend Jessicka and the band Jack Off Jill. He helped name the band and produce most of the band's early recordings. Manson also played guitar on the song "My Cat" and had the band open for most of his South Florida shows. Manson later wrote the liner notes to the band's album Humid Teenage Mediocrity 1992-1995, a collection of early Jack Off Jill recordings.

Manson has appeared as a guest performer on DMX's album of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood and on gODHEAD's 2000 Years of Human Error album — the only album released on his vanity label Posthuman Records.

Manson has helped or provided full music scores for several major motion pictures, although several of his pieces have been cut, and his name dropped from the credits. Some of his more notable soundtrack score contributions include The Matrix, From Hell and Resident Evil.

After releasing what Manson asserted to be his "farewell album", Lest We Forget – The Best Of, Manson's took up another musical project covering the Danny Elfman song, "This Is Halloween". This was included on The Nightmare Before Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack reissue's bonus disc in October 2006. Shortly after this, he and Tim Skold embarked on recording the sixth Marilyn Manson album Eat Me, Drink Me. Manson has clearly refuted suggestions that the band will collapse, as evidenced by the revitalization of his friendship with Twiggy Ramirez and the recent recording of the album, The High End of Low.

Since late 2009, the band was dropped by Interscope Records after being on the label for close to 15 years. Subsequent recording on a new album, Born Villain had also begun.

Announced in November, 2010, Marilyn Manson signed with independent European label Cooking Vinyl in a joint venture with his own label Hell, etc. to produce his eighth studio album, with the option for another.

Work in film

Manson made his acting debut in 1997, appearing in David Lynch's film Lost Highway as Pornstar #1. Since then he has appeared in a variety of minor roles and cameos, including Party Monster; then-girlfriend Rose McGowan's 1998 film Jawbreaker; Asia Argento's 2004 film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things; Rise: Bloodhunter; and The Hire: Beat the Devil, the sixth installment in the BMW Films series. He was interviewed in Michael Moore's political documentary Bowling for Columbine discussing possible motivations for the Columbine massacre and allegations that his music was somehow a factor. He has appeared in animated form in Clone High and participated in several episodes of the MTV series Celebrity Deathmatch, becoming the show's unofficial champion and mascot; he often performed the voice for his claymated puppet, and contributed the song "Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes" to the soundtrack album.

In July 2005, Manson told Rolling Stone that he was shifting his focus from music to film making - "I just don't think the world is worth putting music into right now. I no longer want to make art that other people – particularly record companies – are turning into a product. I just want to make art."

Manson has made several cameo appearances in music videos for the Murderdolls' Dead in Hollywood, Nine Inch Nails' Gave Up, Starfuckers Inc. and Eminem's The Way I Am. He has also produced 23 music videos, most of which have gone beyond the scope of a normal performance video and been well received by critics for their imagery and direction. Three of Manson's more recently released videos, "Personal Jesus", "(s)AINT" and "Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand)", were voluntarily funded with his own money (to a sum of $1,500,000) and largely not that of the record label. Manson stated in June 2006 that he saw himself "as more a student of film than of music."

Painting and art exhibitions

From the beginning Manson has been a recreational painter, the oldest of his surviving pieces dating back to 1995–1996, but it was after his 1998 Grey period that Manson began his career as a watercolor painter, claiming in a 2004 interview with i-D magazine to have begun his career as such when in 1999, he made five-minute concept pieces and sold them to drug dealers. Gradually Manson became more drawn to watercolors as an art form in itself, and instead of trading them, kept them and continued to paint at a proficient rate. On September 13-14, 2002, his first show, The Golden Age of Grotesque, was held at the Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions Centre. Art in America's Max Henry likened them to the works of a "psychiatric patient given materials to use as therapy" and said his work would never be taken seriously in a fine-art context, writing that the value was "in their celebrity, not the work". On September 14-15, 2004, Manson held a second exhibition on the first night in Paris and the second in Berlin. The show was named Trismegistus which was also the title of the center piece of the exhibit – a large, three-headed Christ painted onto an antique wood panel from a portable embalmer's table.

Manson named his self-proclaimed art movement the Celebritarian Corporation. He has coined a slogan for the movement: "We will sell our shadow to those who stand within it." In 2005 he said that the Celebritarian Corporation has been "incubating for seven years" which if correct would indicate that Celebritarian Corporation, in some form, started in 1998.

The Celebritarian Corporation is also the namesake of an art gallery owned by Manson, called The Celebritarian Corporation Gallery of Fine Art in Los Angeles for which his third exhibition was the inaugural show. From April 2-17, 2007, his recent works were on show at the Space 39 Modern & Contemporary in Florida. 40 pieces from this show traveled to Germany's Gallery Brigitte Schenk in Cologne to be publicly exhibited from June 28-July 28, 2007. Manson was refused admittance to Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral), when he was in the city to attend the opening night. This was, according to Manson, due to his makeup. Other sources gave different reasons, however.

The price of Manson's works has been a somewhat controversial point for fans and critics alike, with most fans realistically unable to afford the paintings save for fine art editions and lithographs. However, some argue that Manson's prices are realistic and reasonable considering the long-term value at a time when prices for contemporary art have never been higher.

In April,2010, Manson held an exhibition titled Hell, etc. in Athens,Greece hosted by Art Modern Gallery.

Entrepreneurship

Limited edition pre-release Mansinthe label

Manson is widely known for his love of absinthe, frequently mentioning this during interviews or seen glass in hand. After collaborating with Oliver Matter and Markus Lion, Manson launched his own brand of Swiss-made absinthe, Mansinthe, in 2007. Manson's painting When I Get Old is used for the bottle label. Mansinthe is distilled in Switzerland from neutral grain alcohol and herbs and contains 10 milligrams of thujone. It is naturally green-colored and has 66.6% alcohol content.[13] Mansinthe was not well-received by its test panel, however. One Epicurious critic complained, "If a smell could speak, this absinthe is saying: 'Do not touch,'" comparing the scent to "sewage water, swamp mud and rubbing alcohol."[14] In spite of this, Mansinthe was awarded a gold medal at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.[13] At launch, a limited number of bottles signed by Manson were sold for an additional price.

Ventures that failed to materialize include a novel based on the concepts of Holy Wood, a coffee table art book published by Flaunt under the name The Death of Art or Quintif, a fragrance and cosmetics line[15] and a feature film entitled Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll. Manson has also made two attempts at starting a record label; Posthuman Records was shut down in 2002 after two years of general inactivity, while Hell, etc. is currently operating from within Cooking Vinyl.

Charitable causes

  • In 2002, Manson worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to make the wish of a boy with a life-threatening disease come true. 16-year-old Andrew Baines from Tennessee had a wish to sing back-up vocals for a "big" band; Manson jumped on the task and took Baines under his wing to make his dream come true. Manson invited Baines to the studio on August 27, 2002, where he let Baines perform backing vocals for the then-upcoming album, The Golden Age of Grotesque. "Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with Andrew, who reminded me the things I create are only made complete by those who enjoy them. I just want to simply say, 'thank you' to Andrew for sharing such an important wish with me," Manson said, according MarilynManson.com.
  • In 2005, Manson donated a signed collector's edition mask to Music for Relief to help victims of the 2004's Boxing Day Tsunami; this auction raised $155.
  • In January 2006, Manson contributed a hand-painted guitar from the Six-String Masterpieces - The Dimebag Darrell Art Tribute to the Little Kids Rock auction. For every $100 raised by the product, Little Kids Rock would provide one low-income child with an instrument and lessons – Manson's guitar raised $6,250.
  • In 2006, Manson became a benefactor of Project Nightlight, an LA area foundation that uses short films, music, and apparel to grab teenagers attention and inspire them to speak out against sexual and physical abuse. Manson afforded Project Nightlight a stand at the opening of his art gallery, and in April 2007 gave the charity a print of his painting The Eve of Destruction and a framed collector's edition mask.
  • In 2007, December, Marilyn Manson played with a Gibson guitar on a Belgium concert at Forest National, signed the guitar and gave it to the charity "Music for Life", It's been put on Ebay, and raised ca. €3000. for the Health care in Africa.

Media battles and legal history

Arrests

Marilyn Manson was first arrested in Florida on December 27, 1994 after a concert at Jacksonville's Club 5 for "violating the adult entertainment code." Manson was detained for 16 hours before been released without charge. Bizarrely police believed Manson had performed oral sex on stage with a man when in fact it was Jack Off Jill vocalist Jessicka wearing a fake penis (Manson claims this may have inspired the 'removed ribs' rumor) and thrown either his or the man's penis into the crowd. On February 5, 2001 in Marino, Italy, Manson suffered what is to date his only other post-concert arrest when he was accused of blasphemy having worn the outfit of a cardinal on stage during the song "Valentine's Day". Soon after the detention it was ascertained that Manson had not committed a crime and it appeared the legal troubles were over until the next day when Manson was arrested in Rome on charges of public indecency relating to a 1999 show where it was alleged Manson had exposed his penis. The day after the people in Bologna (Casalecchio di Reno (BO), Emilia-Romagna region) allowed him (Brian Warner = Marilyn Manson, the singer) to play even if he was arrested (but he did not play Sweet Dreams,even if he played Godeatgod live). Manson was released and the charges dropped, notably the arrests came a week after two teenagers brutally murdered an Italian nun which some less reputable sections of the Italian press blamed on Manson's music.

Condemnation by Trent Reznor

One of Manson's high-profile relationships, the defunct friendship with Trent Reznor, has been marked with mutual bitterness and perhaps vendetta. This started in the mid-90s, when Manson was due to make a track that would appear on the soundtrack to David Lynch's Lost Highway, but instead Reznor was the one who wrote a song, "The Perfect Drug", for the film. In 1999, it seemed the two artists had patched their differences, as Manson made an appearance in the video for the Nine Inch Nails song "Starfuckers, Inc."

In 2004, Reznor was asked whether he had plans to do any covers; he sarcastically replied, "I was really hoping to do something unique and pertinent - like do an exact copy of "Personal Jesus" - but it was already taken." The following year, in a 2005 interview Manson said Reznor's Nothing Records had lost the master recordings of Manson's first three albums. He implied it was Reznor's intention, "Now that Nothing Records doesn't exist, I think there's only one of two people responsible for that. Out of those two people, there's only one that really has an opinion of me that is voiced very often."

Sexual misconduct

In a civil battery suit, David Diaz, a security officer from a concert in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 27, 2000, sued for $75,000 in a Minneapolis federal court. After two days deliberation the jury decided that Manson's alleged molestation had been part of the show and that he had not overstepped his boundaries as an artist, ruling in favor of Manson and against Diaz.

Manson was charged with "sexual misconduct" on August 16, 2001 after Joshua Keasler filed a complaint that as he was providing security for a July 30 concert Manson had allegedly spat on his head, wrapped his legs around him and began to gyrate his penis along his neck. Oakland County prosecutor David Gorcyca said that "It was offensive, crude and rude. This was not something that was orchestrated or choreographed as part of the act. The security guard was an unknowing and unwilling participant and, ironically, while he was there for protection... was sexually assaulted." The charge, punishable with up to two years imprisonment, was accompanied with a charge of disorderly conduct. The complaint came with an arrest warrant but Manson thwarted this by posting a $25,000 personal bond. In a one-day December 28, 2001 trial the presiding Judge dismissed the charge of "sexual misconduct" as Manson had in his view "gained no sexual gratification from the act." Manson pleaded "no contest" to the outstanding lesser charge, which carried only up to three months imprisonment, and was ordered to pay $4,000 in fines. After the trial Keasler pursued a civil lawsuit against Manson that was dropped when the two settled out of court in February 2002.

Twiggy Ramirez's departure

In May 2002 Twiggy Ramirez left the band, citing differences in perspective on the future of the band. He went on to play bass for A Perfect Circle and Nine Inch Nails. During this time, Manson claimed in interviews that he and Ramirez were still close friends, while Ramirez maintained that he rarely spoke to Manson. In an interview in February of 2006 Twiggy stated he was willing to record an album with Marilyn Manson if the right conditions were met. In Autumn 2006, Manson and Ramirez were photographed together at numerous parties in Los Angeles, in amicable poses.

In January 2008 it was announced that Ramirez had reunited with the band as live bassist for the last leg of the Rape of the World tour as well as co-writer of the band's seventh studio album. In an interview with The Heirophant on January 12, 2008, Manson revealed that the reconciliation with Ramirez was not as abrupt as it initially seemed, and that the two had been occasionally communicating with each other since speaking at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California prior to the Winter European leg of the Rape of the World tour.

Confrontation with John 5 and subsequent departure

John 5's reasons for leaving Marilyn Manson were cited as being mutual, despite the mysterious nature of his sudden firing by Manson's manager in 2004.

John was quoted at the time as saying about the incident, "I don't know. . . I was nothing but nice to him," he continued. "I never screwed up onstage — well not really badly — and I did everything I could to get along with him. Maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with the fact that I don't drink or do drugs, and he's not like that at all. Maybe he held that against me. I don't know. He never said." John 5 was notorious among fans as being drug and alcohol free.

Before the incident, Manson had assaulted John on stage, notably, Manson kicked John in the face during a televised performance, leading to a brief confrontation in front of a packed and roaring audience. This was during the intro to "The Beautiful People", when played at the Rock AM Ring 2003.

Also, during the tour John maintains that Manson spoke about matters other than business only once, "It was on my birthday, and he turned to me and said, "Happy birthday, faggot" — then walked away."

Despite this, John maintains he respects Manson, citing his skilled production style and his love for the band's music. John was already a fan of the band before joining in 1998. In response to a question regarding the reason for the split with Manson, John 5 was quoted by Vintage Guitar Magazine as saying, "(laughs) At the end of the last tour, I decided I really wanted to do this solo thing and that I had to devote all my time to it. The split with Manson was totally amicable. It wasn't one of those big breakups. We're friends. I wish there was some good dirt, but there's not (laughs)!"

In an interview prior to the January 19, 2008 performance in Orlando, Florida, Marilyn Manson revealed that John 5 would make a guest appearance during the show, stating: "I'll have [John] come on stage and play songs with us this first show. It would practically be the Holy Wood lineup." This guest appearance ultimately did not take place, however.

Lawsuit from Stephen Bier

Before leaving the band nothing was heard of Madonna Wayne Gacy for over a year. In an exclusive conference conducted by Marilyn Manson in April 2007, he revealed the upcoming album Eat Me, Drink Me was recorded in collaboration between himself and Tim Skold. Essentially this meant Gacy did not partake in the album, but not ruling out the possibility of him performing as live keyboardist on the upcoming tour. Later, Manson revealed that Chris Vrenna (who previously drummed for the band during Ginger Fish's hiatus in 2004) would be performing as live keyboardist on the tour, in Gacy's place.

On August 2, 2007, Gacy filed a lawsuit against Marilyn Manson seeking a back pay of $20 million dollars. Gacy claimed Manson has been using the band's money for personal interests, among which are a child's skeleton, masks made of human skin, stuffed animals such as a grizzly bear and two baboons, a collection of Nazi memorabilia, his drug addictions, his wedding with Dita Von Teese and the production of Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll.

On December 20, 2007, Manson counter sued Gacy. As a reaction to the lawsuit Gacy filed against Manson in August, Manson claimed, "keyboardist Stephen Bier did not carry out obligations to take part in master recordings [of The Golden Age Of Grotesque, Eat Me, Drink Me], concerts [of the Rape of the World tour] and the selling of band merchandise." In September 2008, it was reported that former band member Scott Putesky, who also had legal conflict with Manson in the past, had sided with Bier in the lawsuit. On December 11, 2009, following two years of litigation, it was reported that the lawsuit between Manson and Bier was settled. The result was that Marilyn Manson's insurance paid $175,000 legal fees and Bier received nothing following Grodsky & Oleck's sucessfull bid to have all of Bier's allegation's against them dismissed and legal fees amounting to $72,000, paid from settlement monies. [16]

Condemnation from PETA

After media comments from Manson that he wears his signature black leather pants 24/7, animal rights group PETA added Manson to PETA's 'Worst-Dressed Celebrities of 2008'.

Wes Borland's return to Limp Bizkit

Manson has criticized live guitarist Wes Borland's departure, confessing that "We almost made the mistake of having Wes play guitar but he re-joined Limp Bizkit. That move forever eradicated my feelings on his choices in life as an artist." When asked why he thinks Borland returned to Limp Bizkit, Manson said: "That is what I find myself asking when I urinate sometimes. He said he would never go back. If the reason is money, then I'd rather roll up a 5 note and shove it up my urethra. I'd rather set my dick on fire than join something that I hated."[17]

In his defense, Borland retorted that "I wrote nine songs to be submitted to the Manson record and none of them made it. I was really in hired gun land there, but was sort of being told that I wasn't. So when I figured that whole thing out, I knew I was never going to get an inch into that band [...] but it's the Marilyn Manson show over there — Limp Bizkit is more of a band."[18]

Blowing nose on videographer

On May 25, 2021, Manson was charged with two counts of simple assault in connection with an episode with a videographer during the performance of "The Nobodies" during the 2019/08/18 Gilford, NH concert. He received a sentence of 20 hours community service, which he served at an organization that provides meeting space for Alcoholics Anonymous[19], and was fined $1,400, with $200 suspended[20].

Abuse allegations

In 2021 Evan Rachel Wood accused Manson of being abusive during their past relationship. Following that, a total of sixteen people made several allegations against Manson, leading him to be dropped by Loma Vista Recordings and Tony Ciulla. Several civil lawsuits were open against him, and the allegations were denied. Manson filed a lawsuit against Wood and Gore with several charges, namely defamation. The aftermath of this is still ongoing as on 2024, with several cases dropped, dismissed and appealed.

Other case settlements

  • In September 1996, former bassist Gidget Gein negotiated a settlement with Manson where he would receive $17,500 in cash, 20 percent of any royalties paid for recordings and for any songs he had a hand in writing and his share of any other royalties or fees the group earned while he was a member. Furthermore, the settlement allowed him to market himself as a former member of Marilyn Manson. This settlement was not honored, however.[21]
  • In 1997, former guitarist and songwriter Scott Putesky (also known as Daisy Berkowitz), filed a $15 million suit against Manson seeking unpaid royalties for his contributions to the band's output up to that period, including the recently released Antichrist Superstar. The case was concluded in 1998, although the outcome was confidential.
  • On January 4, 1999, SPIN editor Craig Marks filed an assault and battery lawsuit against Manson in the New York Supreme Court. The lawsuit specifically alleged that Manson, upset at not making the cover of SPIN, had yelled "I can kill you, I can kill your family, I can kill everyone you know!" before two of Manson's bodyguards were said to have charged him and held him against the wall and threw him to the floor after which it was alleged Manson had said, "That's what you get when you disrespect me." The case was dropped when, weeks later, Marks was fired from SPIN over financial irregularities.
  • In a civil battery suit, David Diaz, a security officer from a concert in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 27, 2000, sued for $75,000 in a Minneapolis federal court. The federal court jury found in Manson's favor.
  • In a civil suit presented by Oakland County, Michigan, Manson was charged with sexual misconduct against another security officer, Joshua Keasler, during a concert in Clarkston, Michigan on July 30, 2001. Oakland County originally filed assault and battery and criminal sexual misconduct charges, but the judge reduced the latter charge to misdemeanor disorderly conduct. Manson pleaded no contest to the reduced charges, paid a $4,000 fine, and later settled the lawsuit under undisclosed terms.
  • On April 3, 2002 Maria St. John filed in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing Manson of providing her adult daughter, Jennifer Syme, with cocaine and instructing her to drive while under the influence. The case was settled out of court.

Discography


Filmography

Television

  • Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2010)
  • Californication (2013)
  • Eastbound & Down (2013)
  • Once Upon A Time (2013)
  • Sons of Anarchy (2014)
  • Salem (2016,2017)
  • The New Pope (2020)
  • American Gods (2020)

Bibliography

Trivia

  • From 1997-2004 Manson owned the Mary Astor house in Los Angeles, which housed the infamous 'The White Room'-- Manson's home studio located in the pool house, where the entire album Mechanical Animals was recorded and was once owned by The Rolling Stones.
  • All Manson's tattoos were done at Tattoos By Lou in Miami, Florida over a four-year span starting in 1991, until a new tattoo emerged in early-2007.
  • In the 1990s, an Internet rumor spread stating Josh Saviano (who played Paul Pfeiffer in 1980s drama The Wonder Years) grew up to become Marilyn Manson. As of 2007, Josh Saviano is a licensed attorney in New York. He has, however, commented on the rumor, and thinks it is neat people believe him to be in a "goth band". In the TRL show Mothers Against Manson, Marilyn Manson admitted that out of all the rumors, the Wonder Years one is the one that pisses him off the most.[24]
  • Contrary to popular lore, Manson has not had any ribs removed for the purpose of autofellatio. "If I really got my ribs removed," he said in the The Long Hard Road Out of Hell autobiography, "I would have been busy sucking my own dick on The Wonder Years instead of chasing Winnie Cooper."
  • During his interview with David Letterman in 2003, Manson admitted ownership of at least one Foetus that he keeps in a jar, given to him as a gift.
  • Manson has smoked human bones.
  • In an E! interview, Manson revealed that he owns a Nintendo DS. "My friend got me this little Japanese lawyer game; it's fucking amazing," he said in reference to Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. He also mentioned that he was "pretty good at Mario Kart".
  • In an interview with MTV in 2002 Manson revealed that for most of his paintings he uses a children's Alice in Wonderland tin. He also uses a 1920's mortician paint kit originally used for retouching cadavers.
  • Manson has Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, an erratic, rapid heartbeat.
  • Manson, who cites David Bowie as being his biggest influence, claims his favorite songs by him are "Quicksand", "Ashes to Ashes", and "We Are the Dead".
  • Pets Manson has had in his life include the childhood dog, an Alaskan malamute named Aleusha, an orange tabby named O.J. which he found on the steps of Christian school, four Devon Rex cats named Aleister, Edgar, Herman, and Lily, and two dachshunds named Greta and Eva. After the divorce of Manson and ex-wife Dita Von Teese, Von Teese won the custody of both dachshunds and Aleister. For Manson's 39th birthday on January 5th, 2008, ex-girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood gave him a new cat, Charlie, as a birthday gift.
  • Prior to his rise to fame, Manson posed nude for photos which were published in the March 1999 issue of Honcho.
  • When asked in 2007 by Rolling Stone what his current favorite play list was, Manson chose among Radiohead's "Exit Music (For a Film)", Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" and David Bowie's classic "We Are the Dead".
  • On the August 14, 2009 show at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, Manson revealed that he was conceived in the city of San Antonio.[1]
  • On September 21, 2009, Marilyn Manson was diagnosed with the H1N1 virus (swine flu). On September 25, 2009, he claims to be healthy (physically).
  • Manson is an only child.
  • Often wears a contact lens with a different color in it oppose to his original eye (in an homage to David Bowies' two different sized pupils).
  • He has a collection of medical prosthetics (artificial limbs, glass eyes, etc.) and vintage metal lunch boxes.
  • His favorite film is Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, and expressed interest in playing Willy Wonka in the remake (the role went to Johnny Depp, who based his acting on Manson).
  • Manson guest starred on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim Show Tim and Eric's Awesome Show Great Job! as Darkman on March 29th, 2010.
  • In 2010, Dutch magazine Hitkrant featured Manson as the devil card, 15, a part of their celebrity tarot. [25]
  • In 2010, Spin Magazine announced Manson's February 1999 Magazine cover to be one of the top 25 best Spin covers of all time.[26]

Quotes

  • Music is the strongest form of magic.
  • You know, something as simple as a movie like Paranormal Activity. I've watched that and I felt really condescended or insulted because I've had more scary, frightening and more interesting believable experiences happen that I can't explain and I think they're encouraged by my interest in things that maybe you shouldn't look into.
  • Hopefully, I'll be remembered as the person who brought an end to Christianity.
  • To try to diagnose the mind of an artist is to destroy it.
  • In the end we're all Springer guests, really, we just haven't been on the show.
  • The burden of originality is one that most people don't want to accept. They'd rather sit in front of the TV and let that tell them what they're supposed to like, what they're supposed to buy, and what they're supposed to laugh at. You have Beavis and Butt-head telling you what music you're allowed to like and not like, and you've got sitcoms that have canned laughter that lets you know when to laugh if you're too stupid to know when the joke is--people are too lazy and too stupid to think for themselves because America has raised them like that.
  • Find out what's really out there. I never said to be like me, I say be like you and make a difference.
  • This is the culture you're raising your kids in. Don't be surprised if it blows up in your face.
  • When people say 'I want to be like you', I tell them if you want to be like me, then be yourself.
  • I'm thankful that I have two middle fingers.....I only wish I had more.
  • I view my job as being someone who is supposed to piss people off. I don't want to be just one-of-the-guys. I don't want to be just a smiling face you see on television presenting some vapid kind of easily-digestible garbage. This is rock and roll. I want to be a rock and roll star! Rock and roll is about shaking things up, making people act and react. That's what I do.
  • We've always found that with people being so desensitized, things have to be really shocking and have to punch you in the face to get your attention. Then, once you've got their attention. You can say something they might remember.
  • I picked that (Marilyn Manson) as the fakest stage name of all to say that this is what show business is, fake. Marilyn Monroe wasn't even her real name, Charles Manson isn't his real name, and now, I'm taking that to be my real name. But what's real? You can't find the truth, you just pick the lie you like the best. As long as you know everything's a lie, you can't hurt yourself.
  • Billy Zane is someone that I met and is a fellow artist, and sometimes we work together, painting, however pretentious that might sound. It was really quite simple, though. We would just spend time together, hanging out, listening to music, or painting. We became friends. He was one of the first people I met when I moved to Hollywood. And I think he's a cool actor.
  • Part of me is afraid to get close to people because I'm afraid that they're going to leave.
  • I've always had the same level of excitement about making music, but now it seems so much more important because all of the blame that was put on me for Columbine. The entire incident, the way the media reacted, the people who were involved, the way I was treated, it hurt me personally because my career is my life. It made me feel a lot like how I felt growing up because it was a lot of people beating you down and treating you a certain way for something you're not even responsible for. I just really had to re-evaluate what I was gonna do; How am I gonna respond to this, how am I gonna take this? And I wanted to come out swinging with both fists.
  • It is a great feeling to write a song, but to be able to perform it, it takes on a whole different light.
  • The ability to make small children cry at the store i like better than the fame.
  • I've always watched pop-culture shows, and I found out when I thought about this, Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson were the two most memorable people from the sixties, and I found it interesting that things like pop-culture shows put them on the same kind of celebrity status, and I thought that dichotomy of positive and negative, putting those two names together, represented what I had to say and what I was about. (On where the name, Marilyn Manson, came from.)
  • I hate the record industry because the whole idea of they make choices not based on art. They make choices based on money, and that's why they're destroyed. Because they don't know how to make money. You make money just by doing art. And you do it and it's pure and it succeeds. Because people want something that's real and if you over think it, it becomes something that's contrived.[27]
  • Michael Moore: "If you were to talk directly to the kids at Columbine.... what would you say to them if they were here right now?" Marilyn Manson: "I wouldn't say a single word to them I would listen to what they had to say, and that's what no one did."

References

  1. Charles Manson Trial, 2violent.com.
  2. Manson, Marilyn (1998). The Long Hard Road out of Hell. HarperCollins. pp. 85–87. ISBN 0-06-098746-4. 
  3. "Biography for Marilyn Manson". Internet Movie Database. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001504/bio. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  4. "Fox News Marylin Manson Interview". YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkxomNoPN-Q. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  5. According to his autobiography The Long Hard Road Out of Hell; "Marilyn Manson". PopularIssues.org. https://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/marilyn-manson.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-14. 
  6. "Ancestry of Marilyn Manson". Wargs.com. https://www.wargs.com/other/warnerbh.html. Retrieved 2010-09-08. 
  7. Anthony DeCurtis. "Marilyn Manson: The Beliefnet Interview". Beliefnet.com. https://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Music/2001/05/Manson-Interview.aspx?p=2. Retrieved 2010-09-08. 
  8. "Marilyn Manson". Montrealmirror.com. 1997-07-24. https://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/1997/072497/cover.html. Retrieved 2010-09-08. 
  9. "...but I do recall sitting by the pool one afternoon being interviewed for a college music-zine by a kid who later would become known as Mr. Marilyn Manson. - DJ Buzz McCoy, speaking of an interview he was present at between then Brian Warner and The Thrill Kill Cult
  10. https://www.nachtkabarett.com/Vogue
  11. Marilyn Manson's Christmas Message, 24th Dec. 2008, Myspace (providermodule.com)
  12. https://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/01/08/2010-01-08__marilyn_manson_engaged_to_evan_rachel_wood_report.html
  13. 13.0 13.1 [www.mansinthe.com Mansinthe Awarded The Gold Medal.], 2007, Mansinthe.com.
  14. Mansinthe Smells Like Sewage?., 2007, Mansinthe Review.
  15. Scent Of A Manson? Marilyn Considering Launching Unisex Fragrance, Cosmetics Lines. Chris Harris. MTV. November 8, 2005.
  16. https://www.undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=9891
  17. Marilyn Manson slams Limp Bizkit!. Dan. Kerrang!. May 12, 2009.
  18. MARILYN MANSON Vs. LIMP BIZKIT's WES BORLAND. Blabbermouth.net. May 13, 2009.
  19. https://apnews.com/article/marilyn-manson-blowing-nose-spit-community-service-e1303c83325ba93376beb6faaf6ab42a
  20. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66850232
  21. Pushing Up Daisy Berkowitz. City Link. Jane Musgrave. 1999.
  22. "Marilyn Manson on the West Memphis Three, Johnny Depp + More". Loudwire. 2012-05-03. https://loudwire.com/marilyn-manson-on-the-west-memphis-three-johnny-depp-more/. Retrieved 2012-05-04. 
  23. "Marilyn Manson Interview on Bowling for Columbine". Bowling for Columbine Official Website. 2002-10-11. https://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/media/clips/windowsmedia.php?Clip=manson1021LG. Retrieved 2010-11-15. 
  24. Mothers Against Manson, Channel TRL, 25.11.2000 on YouTube
  25. https://www.nachtkabarett.com/babalon/topic/7585--Manson-the-Devil
  26. https://www.spin.com/gallery/25-best-spin-covers-all-time?page=13#main
  27. "I hate the record industry..." MTV's talk? Playground Marilyn Manson with Gasper Noe

External links