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Marilyn Manson (band)
Encyclopedia
Marilyn Manson is an American metal
band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
. Formed in 1989 by Brian Warner
and Scott Putesky
, the group was originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids with their uniquely theatrical performances gathering a local cult following in the early '90s. This attention subsequently developed into a worldwide fanbase. The band's lineup has changed between many of their album releases. The current members of Marilyn Manson are the eponymous lead singer
, guitarist Twiggy Ramirez (who previously played bass) and bassist Fred Sablan
.
The name of each band member was originally created by combining the first name of an iconic
female sex symbol
and the last name of an iconic serial killer (Marilyn Monroe
and Charles Manson
), doing so to demonstrate the odd dichotomy of American society as a critical and, simultaneously, laudatory appraisal of the US and its peculiar culture. The members of the band dress in outlandish makeup and costumes, and have engaged in intentionally shocking
behavior both onstage and off. Their lyrics often receive criticism for their anti-religious sentiment and their references to sex, violence and drugs. Marilyn Manson's music and performances have frequently been called offensive and obscene
, and, on several occasions, protests and petitions have led to the group being banned from performing.
As this controversy began to wane, so did the band's mainstream popularity. Despite this, the band has a fairly massive underground fanbase. Marilyn Manson has garnered much success: four of the band's albums have been multi-platinum, and 2 more have been gold, and the band has seen five of its releases debut in the top ten, including two number-one albums. VH1
has ranked Marilyn Manson as the seventy-eighth best rock band on their 100 Great Artists of Hard Rock. Aggregate site AcclaimedMusic.net lists Marilyn Manson number 723 in their artist rank for greatest of all time.
Marilyn Manson has sold over 50 million albums worldwide as of May 2009.
In 1989, Brian Warner was a college student working toward a journalism
degree, and gaining experience in the field by writing music articles for a South Florida lifestyle magazine, 25th Parallel
. It was in this capacity that he was able to meet several of the musicians to whom his own band would later be compared, including My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult
and Trent Reznor
of Nine Inch Nails
. He met Scott Putesky
shortly afterward and, after showing him some lyrics and poems he had written, proposed that they form a band together. 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
, Daisy Berkowitz and Olivia Newton Bundy
, respectively. They were soon joined by Stephen Bier, who called himself Madonna Wayne Gacy
; Bundy was replaced by Gidget Gein
, born Brad Stewart. In 1991, drummer Fred Streithorst joined the band, with the stage name Sara Lee Lucas
.
The stage names used by each member were representative of a concept the band considered central: the dichotomy
of good and evil, and the existence of both, together, in every whole. "Marilyn Monroe
had a dark side", explained Manson in his autobiography, "just as Charles Manson
has a good, intelligent side". Images of both Monroe and Manson, as well as of others equally famous and notorious, were common in the band's early promotional materials.
The Spooky Kids' popularity in the area grew quickly, largely because of radio DJ Scott David of WYNX-FM, an early fan who eagerly played songs from the band's demo tapes on the air; and because of the band's highly visual concerts
, which drew from performance art
and used many shock
techniques. It was not uncommon to see onstage "naked women nailed to a cross, a child in a cage, or bloody animal body parts"; Manson, Berkowitz, and Gein variously performed in women's clothing
or bizarre costumes; and, for lack of a professional pyrotechnician
, they would occasionally set their own stage props on fire. The band would dramatically contrast these grotesque theatrics with elements drawn from the culture of the members' youth in the 1970s and 1980s: characters from that era's children's television made regular, often somewhat altered, appearances on Marilyn Manson flyers and newsletters, and were frequently sampled
in the music. They continued to perform and release cassettes—shortening their name to Marilyn Manson in 1992—until the summer of 1993, when the band drew the attention of Trent Reznor
, who at the time had just founded his own record label, Nothing Records
.
on their upcoming headlining tour. The band accepted both offers, and recording sessions for its national debut, Portrait of an American Family
, began in July 1993. Working with producer Roli Mosimann
at Criteria Studios
in Miami, Florida
, the band recorded a selection of new songs along with material from their Spooky Kids repertoire and, by the end of Autumn 1993, had completed the first version of their debut, titled The Manson Family Album. However, it was not well-received. The abrasive sonic "rawness" that Mosimann's production had brought to such groups as Swans
had failed to materialize on The Manson Family Album; Reznor and all the band's members found it flat and lifeless, and poorly representative of Marilyn Manson's dynamic performances. "I thought, 'This really sucks', Manson explained, "so I played it for Trent, and he thought it sucked". At the same time, the band was having difficulties with bassist Gidget Gein
, who had begun to lose control of his addiction to heroin. While reworking the album the band played two shows in South Florida under the name Mrs. Scabtree. Not much is known about the complete lineup, except that Manson performed on the drums, Gacy on keyboard, Berkowitz on guitar, and Jeordie White
of Miami thrash
band Amboog-a-Lard
and Jessicka
of Jack Off Jill
sharing vocal duties. 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.
In October 1993, Reznor agreed to rework the production on Marilyn Manson's album, taking them and their tapes to The Record Plant in Los Angeles. Gein, who had been hospitalized after an overdose, was not invited. After seven weeks of mixing, remixing, and rerecording, the album — now titled Portrait of an American Family — was ready to be presented to Interscope Records
. Even as the first single "Get Your Gunn
" was beginning to receive radio airplay, Gein received a letter declaring his services "no longer needed" by the band after he overdosed on heroin for the fourth time; he was replaced by White, of Amboog-a-Lard, and undertook the alias Twiggy Ramirez. In December 1993, Ramirez first performed as the band's new bass player on a week's worth of headline dates through Florida with Jack Off Jill opening. While playing Club 5 in Jacksonville, Florida
Manson was accused by the town's Christian Coalition of violating the town's adult entertainment codes. Jack Off Jill singer Jessicka was accused of solicitation and offering to engage in lewdness. Both singers were arrested and charged with misdemeanors. On the first date of a fourteen-week national tour opening for Nine Inch Nails, Ramirez made his national touring debut. It was during this tour that Manson had occasion to meet with Church of Satan
founder Dr. Anton LaVey
. After a cordial meeting, LaVey honored Manson with the title of "Reverend" — meaning, in the Church of Satan, a person who is revered by the church, and not necessarily one who dedicates his life to preaching the religion to others, as with a priest
or minister
. Manson would use this title in album liner notes, citing himself as "Reverend Marilyn Manson."
In March 1995, the band began its first national headlining tour, a two-month outing with Monster Voodoo Machine
as support; this would be drummer Sara Lee Lucas' last tour with the band. Tension between Lucas and Manson had apparently grown as the tour wore on and, on the next-to-last night of the tour, Manson secretly decided to end the show with a flourish: during a performance of the then-current single, "Lunchbox
", he doused Lucas' drum kit in lighter fluid and set it ablaze — with Lucas still attempting to play on behind it. (Manson apparently forgot that the band had one more date to play.) Lucas quit the band after the final gig the next night. Less than two weeks later his replacement, Kenneth Wilson
, better known by his stage name Ginger Fish, joined the group. Marilyn Manson was touring again, this time on a bill with Danzig
and Korn
.
That tour ended in summer 1995, after which the band relocated to the new home of Nothing Studios in New Orleans, Louisiana
to begin work on the third single from Portrait of an American Family, "Dope Hat
". Accompanied by a music video
which featured Manson in the role of Willy Wonka
in a shock-horror version of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
, the proposed single for "Dope Hat" eventually developed into an hour-long remix EP, Smells Like Children
. The album's fifteen tracks of covers, remixes, and bizarre sonic experiments also included the band's version of the Eurythmics
' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", which would prove to be Marilyn Manson's first legitimate hit: the video was placed in heavy rotation on MTV (in stark contrast with the "Dope Hat" video, which MTV had banished to late-night airplay only a few months before) and the mainstream music press was suddenly clamoring to cover the group. It was also around this time that the group began to experiment with goth makeup
, and more bizarre outfits.
A five-month headlining tour followed, from September through February, during which the band began to debut new material like "Irresponsible Hate Anthem", "Minute of Decay", and "Smells Like Children". Rumors of a new album circulated widely during this time, and were confirmed when the band returned to Nothing's New Orleans studio in early 1996 to perform what Manson termed "a musical ritual designed to bring about the Apocalypse".
Marilyn Manson's second full-length studio album, Antichrist Superstar
, was released on October 8, 1996. The rock opera
concept album
was recorded at Nothing Studios with Trent Reznor himself acting as executive producer; the process of making the album was reportedly a long and difficult one, highlighted by experiments allegedly involving sleep deprivation
and near-constant drug use in an effort to create an environment suited to the album's moody and occasionally violent content. During this time, antagonism between band members was high, which caused the departure of guitarist and founding member Daisy Berkowitz. With Berkowitz out of the band, Twiggy Ramirez performed lead guitar for much of the recording of Antichrist Superstar, and the group placed an ad seeking a new guitarist for its upcoming tour; Timothy Linton, auditioned for and was given the position. Breaking with the six-year tradition of icon / killer naming structures, the newest member was dubbed Zim Zum
– a name derived from Kabbalah
, one of the major sources of inspiration for the album.
The album's first single, "The Beautiful People", made a fairly major impact on the alternative rock charts, and created enough anticipation for Antichrist Superstar that the album debuted at number three on the album charts. The band's frontman
was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone
magazine who also awarded the band their Best New Artist accolade for 1996
. The year-and-a-half long "Dead to the World Tour" in support of the album followed; it was the band's longest and widest yet, and included Marilyn Manson's live debut in Alaska
, Hawaii
, the United Kingdom
, continental Europe
, South America
, Asia
and Australia
as their fame spread to all corners of the world. In the United States, 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 congressional hearings, led by Senator Joseph Lieberman, to determine the effects, if any, of violent lyrics on young listeners. Lieberman would later go on to refer to Marilyn Manson as "perhaps the sickest group ever promoted by a mainstream record company". In addition, nearly every performance on the tour was picketed by religious organizations, pleading with fans to not see the musician who once said "I think every time people listen to this new album maybe God will be destroyed in their brainwashed minds."
On November 10, 1997, the band released a remix/live EP, Remix & Repent, featuring new versions of Antichrist Superstars four singles, "The Beautiful People", "Tourniquet", "Antichrist Superstar", and "Man that You Fear", alongside songs recorded live on the U.S. leg of the Dead to the World Tour. Two unreleased songs from the Antichrist Superstar recording sessions were contributed to film soundtracks: "Apple of Sodom" to David Lynch
's Lost Highway, and "The Suck for Your Solution" to the Howard Stern
biopic Private Parts
. As the year ended, Manson made the announcement of the upcoming publication of his first book, the autobiographical The Long Hard Road out of Hell
; the book was released in February 1998, along with another live document of the world tour, a home video entitled Dead to the World
. It also came to light around this time that Antichrist Superstar would be the first installment in a concept album
trilogy and that the release of the follow-up was, according to the band, also imminent, accompanied by early rumors of the involvement of Billy Corgan
and The Dust Brothers with the as-yet-untitled album.
On September 15, 1998, Marilyn Manson released the second part of that triptych, Mechanical Animals
, an album strongly influenced by David Bowie
. Interscope's promotion of the album was massive, including an enormous billboard of singer Manson as an androgynous extraterrestrial
over Times Square
, and repeated appearances on MTV and other networks to promote the album and the single "The Dope Show
"; propelled by the success of Antichrist Superstar and by this press push, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. The band had recast itself in a new image for this album; setting aside the bleak darkness of the previous record for a more concealed morbidity.
Marilyn Manson was now a glam rock
band, borrowing its visual presentation largely from Bowie, and from Roxy Music
and its contemporaries. By this time, the band had permanently relocated to Los Angeles, and Zim Zum had been replaced by glam-influenced guitarist John Lowery
, who joined the band as John 5. After a brief promotional tour, the band set out on the "Beautiful Monsters Tour
" with Hole
and Monster Magnet
as support. The tour, however, would be a problematic one: on March 1, 1999, the three bands played the first show in Spokane, Washington
; by March 14, Hole had left the tour and Manson had broken his ankle, forcing postponements of some shows. The tour was then renamed the "Rock Is Dead Tour" and both Jack Off Jill
and Nashville Pussy
were asked to take select remaining opening slots on tour.
in Littleton, Colorado
killed thirteen people, and then took their own lives; early media reports declared them fans of "violent" music and video games. Substantial attention was directed at Manson, however it was later confirmed that Harris and Klebold were not fans of the group. On April 28, out of respect for the victims, Marilyn Manson canceled the remaining dates of the Rock Is Dead tour, and would not reappear in Denver until the 2001 Ozzfest
. Manson's song The Nobodies
was directly inspired by the shootings.
, with only the single Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes
— an outtake from Antichrist Superstar — appearing during that time. On November 14, 2000, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
was released. Returning to the darker, more abrasive sound of Antichrist Superstar, much of the album's content was written in response to the Columbine massacre.
Described by the band as the third part of the trilogy begun 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
and Lee Harvey Oswald
, John Lennon
and Mark David Chapman
, and even Abraham Lincoln
and John Wilkes Booth
. The international "Guns, God and Government Tour
" expanded upon the exploration of America's fascination with violence, and with the tour's 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 Marilyn Manson's massive 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 of the three albums contain its own storyline distinct from one other but also linked together abstractly in a fourth larger over-arching storyline encompassing all three. Manson has offered this much in the way of an interpretation,
On May 16, 2001, Manson announced on the band website that he planned to quote the Bible
at his next concert, to "balance out" his violent lyrics, "so we can examine the virtues of wonderful Christian stories of disease, murder, adultery, suicide and child sacrifice. Now that seems like entertainment to me". On June 21, 2001, Manson did indeed read from the Bible onstage in Denver, Colorado
, presenting such passages as Leviticus
20:9 ("For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death") and Psalm
137:9 ("Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones").
This tour was documented in a DVD release of the same name, released October 29, 2002 and described by Manson as "This will help you see what it's like to be nailed to this wrecking ball" on the DVD packaging. In addition to a compilation style concert from the tour [songs from multiple individual shows edited to appear as single performance], the DVD includes a short thirty minute film titled "Death Parade" in the style of an All Access Pass for the tour.
Seven years later it was followed by Guns, God and Government – Live in L.A. Released in Blu-ray on November 17, 2009, it depicts the sixteen song set of the Los Angeles
performance in its entirety.
" of the previous three albums now complete, Marilyn Manson was free to begin a fresh project. In 2002, Jonathan Davis
of Korn
invited Marilyn Manson into a studio to record vocals on a track he wrote entitled "Redeemer". The song, produced by both Jon and Richard Gibbs, was then released on the Queen of the Damned
soundtrack. After finding inspiration in the decadent Swing
era of the 1920s, the band recorded The Golden Age of Grotesque
that year and the album was released on May 13, 2003.
Eschewing the lyrical depth and volume of symbolism and hidden meaning of Holy Wood, the new album was relatively straightforward; in an extended metaphor, Manson compares his own often-criticized music to the entartete Kunst
banned by the Nazi
regime. New member Tim Skold
, replacing Twiggy Ramirez, added a new dimension to the band's sound; he brought with him from KMFDM
that band's use of heavy industrial
beats—The Golden Age of Grotesque was frequently impugned as derivative of KMFDM and lacking the originality that Marilyn Manson had become known for. The album debuted at #1 on the album charts, selling over 118,000 copies in the US its first week of release.
Another world tour, the "Grotesk Burlesk Tour", followed, which furthered the album's Weimar Republic
-inspired theme by adding elements of German Kabarett
to the group's performances. Elaborate artwork by Gottfried Helnwein
appeared in the band's stage dressing, and the members began appearing both on-stage and off- in designer suits and with fashion superstars.
". After the release of the single "Personal Jesus", the band made a number of promotional appearances including a performance on MADtv
; at one of these, the Comet awards show in Germany
, drummer Ginger Fish
fell from his drum riser, fracturing his skull
and wrist. Former Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna replaced him; after recovering from the accident Fish had been recording and performing with a new band, Martyr Plot
, before rejoining Marilyn Manson.
John 5
had also been replaced; Mark Chaussee
of Fight
took over lead guitar on the "Against All Gods Tour", and was subsequently replaced in the studio by Tim Skold. Though John 5 denied any hostility towards Marilyn Manson following the announcement of his departure, at the band's appearance on the Rock am Ring
music festival in 2003 an incident took place between John 5 and Marilyn Manson where Manson kicked and then shoved the guitarist. John 5 responded with anger, throwing off his guitar mid-song and raising his fists to Manson as if to fight with him, before resuming the song without any further incident. Lest We Forget was certified Gold in 2005.
), as well as the slogans "we will sell our shadow to those who stand within it" and "do not seek death; seek destruction".
Marilyn Manson's sixth studio album, Eat Me, Drink Me
, was released on June 5, 2007, debuting at number 8 in the United States with more than 88,000 copies sold. Released more than four years after The Golden Age of Grotesque
, Eat Me, Drink Me marked another change in musical styles that the band has become famous for. One remarkable note of the album is that it was written entirely by Manson and Skold in a rented home studio. The album is also the first major label Manson album without Madonna Wayne Gacy
(Pogo) as a listed member, making lead singer Marilyn Manson
the only original member since Portrait of an American Family
. Chris Vrenna, who temporarily replaced Ginger Fish
on drums during the Against All Gods Tour, replaced Pogo to become the band's full-time keyboardist. Marilyn Manson co-headlined a tour with Slayer
in order to promote the album with Bleeding Through
as the opening act and Deadly Apples
on select dates.
Rumors also circulated for some time that Marilyn Manson wrote the song "Mutilation Is the Most Sincere Form of Flattery" as an attack on the band My Chemical Romance
. He later denied this, stating that it was aimed at people in general who sought to imitate him. In another interview Manson stated that "I'm embarrassed to be me because these people are doing a really sad, pitiful, shallow version of what I've done". In response to this, Gerard Way
, the lead singer of My Chemical Romance
claimed nothing Manson could say would bring the band down. On January 9, 2008 Marilyn Manson posted a bulletin on MySpace
confirming that former bassist Twiggy Ramirez
had rejoined the band, resulting in the exit of Tim Skold
. Skold and Manson had apparently began writing new material before the personnel change. Future collaborations with Skold were not ruled out.
" on March 2, 2008. On November 29, 2007, Marilyn Manson fansite "The Hierophant" reported that the frontman planned to start writing songs for the new record on January or February (2008). The actual recording took place at Manson's Hollywood Hills
home between November 2008 and January 5, 2009. The last song, called "15", was completed on the evening of Manson's Jan 5 birthday—hence the name.
Manson said, "after my greatest hits album (Lest We Forget: The Best Of) came out I took a long break from music because it was a period where I was not sure who I wanted to be. I left music for a while but that's not an error I want to repeat in the future." He mentioned Kerry King
, James Iha
former guitarist of The Smashing Pumpkins
, and Nick Zinner
of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
as likely contributors. During an exclusive interview titled Everyone Will Suffer Now at the now-defunct fansite MansonUSA on January 11, 2008, Manson shared, "I just feel like there is a big change happening now. It's going to be the one. Eat Me, Drink Me is opening the window and this is going to be the Hurricane Katrina." Since parting company with Skold and reuniting with Ramirez, the band had occupied themselves with work on the album to achieve their target of a February 2009 release. It was soon followed by the announcement of new tour dates. In an interview with Steppin' Out, Manson described the then-nascent record as, "very ruthless, very heavy, and very violent".
On August 14, 2008, Manson announced at a public interview in Seoul, Korea that former Limp Bizkit
guitarist and current Black Light Burns
frontman Wes Borland
had joined the lineup, replacing Rob Holliday on guitars. The band attended the ETP Festival and were wrapping up production on the new album. However, Borland left a few months later to reunite with Limp Bizkit for the third time. Borland told UK's Kerrang Magazine that he quit after seeing none of the nine songs he wrote for the record make the final cut, and was extremely dissatisfied at the thought of being just a hired gun.
On October 5, the band played a special show at the annual Hot Topic managers meeting. The show took place at the Los Angeles International Airport
's Marriott Hotel
. During an after party for the 2008 Scream Awards
, Manson was overheard comparing the new album to Antichrist Superstar and stating the album was "pretty much finished." He expected a new song to be released before the end of the year and expressed desire to release the record by Valentine's Day. In an interview on the February 2009 issue of Revolver Magazine, he revealed the title of two songs, namely, "I Wanna Kill You Like They Do in the Movies" and "Armagoddamnmotherfuckinggeddon". The album's producer Sean Beavan
, later posted a Myspace blog revealing two more song titles, "15" and "Four Rusted Horses". Manson told Revolver "I've got my fire back," and the record "really wipes the floor with everything we've done before."
A statement was released by Manson on Christmas Eve in order to dispel rumors that had been circulating regarding his relationship with Evan Rachel Wood and a speculated collaboration with rapper Ne-Yo
. On January 12, a new song title was divulged by Rudy Coby
, a collaborator and friend of the frontman. The song is called "Devour" and was said to be the album's first track.
Marilyn Manson joined Slayer as headliners for the Rockstar Energy
Mayhem Festival
tour in 2009. The press release for the tour stated that "Manson is currently in the studio working on his seventh studio album scheduled for release May 18th on Interscope Records." On February 2, Rolling Stone confirmed the album had been officially titled The High End of Low
.
On March 18, 2009, Kerrang! reported that the album contained a total of 15 tracks and that the final song is called "15". They also revealed another new song entitled "We're from America". Manson opined on the latter song, "I think a lot of people will hear the track and initially think it's just political, but it's not just that, it's also me describing a lot of fucked-up scenarios that I'm going through in my personal life. Someone asked me, 'Why are you so fucked up?', 'Well, I am from America.' I hate the fact that so many people have fucked the country up, and so many people fucked up my personal life and I allowed it to happen. So in a way, I feel like America as a whole feels, but in no way does that make me a tree-hugging patriotic freedom rocker." The track was released exclusively on the band's official website as a free download on March 27, 2009. On April 7, it became available for purchase as a digital single.
The album's official first single, "Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon
," arrived in radio stations on April 21. It peaked at number 37 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart. On April 16, 2009, marilynmanson.com was updated with a new splash page featuring the projected album artwork as well as the track listing for The High End of Low. The record was released on May 26, 2009. It debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200
with 49,000 copies sold. Despite reaching a higher charting position than Manson's prior studio effort Eat Me, Drink Me, which debuted at number 8, it arrived with the lowest opening week sum of any of Manson's albums since The Last Tour on Earth opened with sales of 26,000 units in 1999.
After much fan speculation and no official announcement, Andy Gerold
joined Marilyn Manson in the capacity of live bassist for "The High End of Low Tour
" after former bassist Twiggy Ramirez switched to lead guitar duties. Gerold played his first show with the band on June 3, 2009, in Brno, Czech Republic. As of 2011, Gerold is still the youngest musician to play in the band, preceding former drummer Sara Lee Lucas by nearly seven years. During the summer of 2009, the band co-headlined the 2009 Mayhem Festival
with Slayer
. Later in October 2009, the band headlined the internationally advertised visual kei
event, V-Rock Music festival.
and Marilyn Manson's own label Hell, etc. It is the band's first album since allowing their contract with Interscope Records to expire back in late 2009. Marilyn Manson attested that the lyrical content of the album will be "more romantic" yet "self-abusive," and described the sonic elements of the record as "suicide death metal."
The prospect of an eighth studio album by the band was first confirmed by the frontman himself during an interview with Metal Hammer on December 3, 2009. He elaborated, "We've just been released from our record contract with Interscope so I think a lot of the creative control on which my hands were tied on a lot of choices—the music videos—things like that. And the first example is the newest video, they clearly wouldn't have allowed me to make that video. So we started writing new songs on the road—a bit like[ David Bowie
's album] Aladdin Sane
—I think people can expect a new record a lot sooner than we [expected]." According to Chris Vrenna, by January 2010, the band was already "talking and coming up with concepts" for the album. On January 24, 2010, Manson confirmed on the band's official MySpace profile that "the new album is officially in motion."
In April 2010, during his appearance at the Revolver
Golden Gods Awards, Manson divulged that the band had recorded 13 songs, one of which failed to appear in a television series about vampires. He referred to the album as "very death metal" and voiced interest in releasing the album differently than previous Marilyn Manson records. He also indicated his friendship with Slayer
as a vague influence on the record. During an interview with Full Metal Jackie
, he stated that the album was halfway finished.
On May 7, 2010, both entertainer Rudy Coby and The Nachtkabarett's Nick Kushner were previewed material from the album, the latter described it on Facebook as "fuckin' hardcore." Elaborating on the band's musical direction, Manson commented on Twiggy being influenced by his touring experiences in 2009, particularly during the Rockstar
Mayhem Festival
. Manson's father, Hugh Warner, described the album,
During an interview with Eric Blair on November 3, 2010, bassist Twiggy Ramirez indicated that the new album was "almost done. It'll probably be out next year. [...] It's our best record yet, I think. 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."
For much of the early half of 2011, Marilyn Manson removed himself from the public spotlight and ceased almost all communication with his fans or the outside world. On February 24, 2011, the band's longtime drummer Ginger Fish
announced his resignation from the group, prompting a search for a replacement. Meanwhile, on March 18, 2011, Marilyn Manson took a short break from his self-imposed sequestration by appearing in the music video for the song "Tempat Ku" by Brunei pop outfit D'Hask
. On March 23, 2011, he uploaded new pictures onto the band's Facebook
page, in a different style of previous photos. The new style suggested the 'new era' of Marilyn Manson had begun, further generating anticipation for the upcoming release.
On May 22, 2011, the band's website underwent a complete overhaul. A short 26 second snippet of a new song, tentatively titled, "I am among no one (excerpt from an undisclosed song with an unreleased title)" was uploaded to the redesigned main page along with a new logo to signify their eight studio album and the new era. The logo consisted of the letter M repeated four times in a spiral pattern, each with one long tail. At the end of the long tail is the Chinese trigram ☲ (離 lí) of the I Ching
. Read lengthwise or up-and-down, it formed Hexagram 30, "Radiance," also called "the clinging" and "the net". The origin of the character is rooted in symbols of long-tailed birds such as the peacock or the legendary phoenix
. The CMYK coloring
was also notable with regard to an acrostic
formed by Manson, in a journal entry that accompanied the site changes, which spelled out the words "Christianity Manufactures Yesterdays Killers".
On June 3, 2011 the Brazilian edition of the Portuguese broadsheet
newspaper Destak
confirmed that agents for the band had finalized negotiations for the group to tour in Brazil and other South American countries as part of the SWU Music & Arts Festival
beginning on the second week of November 2011. The Brazilian music festival also saw a change in venue for 2011. While organizers have yet to finalize details, it was speculated that the event may be held at the São Paulo
municipality of Paulínia
. Manson appeared live via the Ustream broadcast of Fleischer's Universe
on June 21, 2011, where he announced that the new album title will be revealed within a week. He also divulged the following lyrics, "The center of the universe cannot exist if there are no edges", of a yet to be released song. The album title was not, in fact, revealed within a week, but was announced on September 1 as Born Villain via Twitter.
After being impressed by his directorial work on one of Kid Cudi
's music videos, Marilyn Manson employed the actor Shia LaBeouf
to work on the album artwork as well as create a "making-of" video documenting the album's recording and production.
On November 22, 2011, it was announced that Chris Vrenna had officially left the band after contributing to the writing and production of Born Villain.
and convicted murderer Charles Manson
. His long legacy as being depicted in the media as a bad influence on children and society, along with his seemingly outrageous styles for which he models, and the controversy surrounding his lyrics all have led to his more pronounced public appeal. Manson's frequent clashes with political and religious figures, along with his actions and performances make him iconic to the band.
, aimed at MCA
, the owner of Interscope Records. Calling several albums released by the label — including Antichrist Superstar
— "profane", "violent", "filth", and "crap" the group questioned MCA president Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
's ability to head the label competently while profiting from such material. That November 6, U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management and Restructuring held a public hearing on the effect of violent rock and rap lyrics on youths. Supporters of the band claim it was merely another salvo in Senator Lieberman's declared war on the band. The hearing, chaired by Representative Sam Brownback
, featured the testimony of Lieberman and Tucker, and of Raymond Kuntz, of Burlington, North Dakota
, who blamed his son's suicide
on Antichrist Superstar, which Lieberman denounced as "vile, hateful, nihilistic
and damaging."
In addition, the band's performances have come under fire — the Dead to the World Tour, in particular, was followed by protesters at nearly every North American venue it visited. The band's March 10, 1997 performance in Columbia, South Carolina
was canceled "in response to growing public pressure by religious, civic and political leaders who criticized the group's image". The owner of Calgary
's Max Bell Centre had Marilyn Manson's July 25 show canceled, citing "immorality" and the band's "use of animals on stage." Another concert in Portland
was canceled a few days later due to Manson's reputation, and the venue's inability to get insurance for the show.
The New Jersey date of Ozzfest '97, to be held at Giants Stadium
, was canceled by the New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority, who cited Marilyn Manson's performance as its reason; the event was only held after Ozzy Osbourne
himself successfully sued the state, which compelled the authorities to allow the concert. Legislation was introduced and passed in South Carolina and Utah allowing state-operated venues to ban groups like Marilyn Manson from performing and, in at least one instance, in Florida, local schools have gone so far as to threaten expulsion
for students in attendance of Marilyn Manson concerts.
, there were accusations that killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold
were influenced by Marilyn Manson's music. When later evidence was presented that neither Harris nor Klebold were fans of the band, many were led to criticize the media for using the band as a scapegoat instead of analyzing the underlying societal problems surrounding the incident. In the controversial documentary Bowling for Columbine
, Michael Moore
interviewed Manson about the tragedy. When asked what he would say to the victims, Manson 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". Manson also submitted an op-ed piece to Rolling Stone
magazine [June 24, 1999] titled "Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?". which detailed his opinion on violence as an inherent cultural presence as well as discussing the shootings and his status as an easy target for blame in incidents of this kind. He also said that he expresses condolences to the victim's families. Rapper Eminem
criticized the controversy in his song "The Way I Am
", which contains the line, "When a dude's gettin' bullied and shoots up his school/And they blame it on Marilyn, and the heroin/Where were the parents at?". Marilyn Manson made a cameo in the video for the song, and even contributed vocals to a guitar-heavy remix.
The controversy connecting Marilyn Manson and American school shootings continued on October 10, 2007 when 14-year-old Asa Coon opened gunfire on his high school in Cleveland, Ohio. SuccessTech Academy
went to lock-down status around 1:15pm, when Coon shot four people; including two students, and two teachers, before turning the gun on himself. Police reports, and student interviews claim that Coon was wearing a Marilyn Manson t-shirt during the rampage. On several occasions, Coon told students and teachers that he did not believe in, nor respect God; instead worshipped the band's vocalist, Brian Warner. Coon was known for violent behavior, and stood out among the student body for his appearance—which included black boots, a black trench coat, black nail polish, and rock t-shirts.
and burlesque
. Genres ascribed to the band over its career include alternative metal
, alternative rock
, hard rock
, heavy metal
, industrial metal
, industrial rock
and shock rock
. Lead singer Manson was fond of Alice Cooper
, David Bowie
, The Doors
, Black Sabbath
and Kiss
as a young music fan. Then later fond of The Cure
and Bauhaus
(Eat Me, Drink Me
period).
's album Songs About Fucking
by a fellow Miami clubgoer, who would become his keyboard player, Madonna Wayne Gacy
, Manson had the desire to form a rock band that used a drum machine
— an uncommon technique outside of dance music at the time. The earliest incarnations of Marilyn Manson used this setup, and produced experimental, drum-heavy compositions similar to Steve Albini
's work with Big Black; later, with the addition of a live drummer, the band's composing process, recording techniques, and live performances were by necessity altered. Guitarist Daisy Berkowitz and bassist Gidget Gein
, who came from punk rock
backgrounds, brought the musicianship and songwriting style of the Jim Carroll
Band (whose "People Who Died" was an early favorite cover for Marilyn Manson) and the showmanship of The New York Dolls to the mixture. The result was something that Nothing Records
would initially compare to Jane's Addiction
, but which, after the band spent some time at Nothing, would also gather sonic elements from other bands on that label's roster, like Nine Inch Nails
and Prick.
Marilyn Manson was also influenced by his mentor who raised his notoriety in the industrial scene, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. Reznor started Manson on his record label, Nothing Records, as well as allowing him a spot in his touring entourage.
Evidently, Manson is heavily influenced by the shock rock
stylings of such artists as Arthur Brown
, Mötley Crüe
, Alice Cooper
, Kiss
and some of Iggy Pop
; however, late influences have come from the glam rock of David Bowie
(who Manson claims is his biggest influence), whose chameleon
-like ability to shift from one style to another, replete with a new look and musical philosophy, was a characteristic which would also be frequently ascribed to Marilyn Manson by the music press. Such an influence is exemplified in the similarities between the music videos of Bowie's "The Heart's Filthy Lesson" and many of Manson's videos, such as "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
". (Floria Sigismondi has directed music videos for both Bowie (Little Wonder) and Manson (The Beautiful People and Tourniquet)) The hard rock
background of John 5 amplified this aspect of the band's sound in live performance; Tim Skold, a former guitarist, bassist, and vocalist in Shotgun Messiah
, later blended in that band's mixture of industrial drums and guitars. Both Manson and Twiggy Ramirez have mentioned the influence of Queen
on their more melodic work, particularly on Mechanical Animals
and Eat Me, Drink Me
, the latter of which Twiggy did not work on.
, whose songwriting style varies between the band's albums. He uses sharp and inventive word play
often making use of pun
s and double entendre
s in his writing — for instance, a song on the Holy Wood
album, which references the shootings at Columbine High School
, is titled "Target Audience"; the album also makes frequent allusions to assassination
, and the song "The Fall of Adam" refers to "Abraham Lincoln
Town Cars
". These witticisms often take the form of neologisms, delivered several at a time in rapid-fire fashion. Concerning Manson's vocal melodies, the lyrics are usually delivered in a spoken, shouting, or melody driven fashion, the latter usually being reserved for the chorus sections.
The instrumental component is primarily composed by the other permanent band members, who at present are Twiggy Ramirez on studio & live bass and occasional studio guitars; and Ginger Fish, on live drums. Until his departure from the band, Twiggy Ramirez was a chief contributor to the compositions, with receiving "music by" credits on every Marilyn Manson album prior to The Golden Age of Grotesque
, with the exception of Portrait of an American Family
, with Daisy Berkowitz and Gidget Gein
sharing songwriting credits. According to the albums' credits, every permanent member of the band has had input, at some point, in its songwriting process.
During the first part of their major label career (1994–2004), Marilyn Manson often recorded cover version
s of songs by other artists.
All of the officially-released covers the band have recorded are:
, theremin
and calliope
, Manson has played pan flute
, harpsichord
, keyboards
, and guitar
, and Berkowitz has been credited with bass guitar and drum machine
s. Chris Vrenna filled in on drums for Ginger Fish when he was injured, and later replaced Pogo on keyboards, however, following the departure of Ginger Fish, Vrenna may become the permanent drummer.
Current
Former
Touring
s.
On August 29, 2000, the band was inducted by Kerrang!
into their Hall of Fame at the 2000 Kerrang! Awards. The band's frontman was on hand to receive the award from Swedish-born actress Britt Ekland
. As a result of a food fight
that erupted between guests like Iron Maiden
, Foo Fighters
, and Motorhead, the presenter slipped on piece of watermelon and broke her ankle and wrist. Still, she presented the award to Marilyn Manson
while sitting in a chair.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
. Formed in 1989 by Brian Warner
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
and Scott Putesky
Scott Putesky
Scott Mitchell Putesky , more famously known as Daisy Berkowitz, is an American musician, and was the lead guitarist and co-founder of the heavy metal group Marilyn Manson...
, the group was originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids with their uniquely theatrical performances gathering a local cult following in the early '90s. This attention subsequently developed into a worldwide fanbase. The band's lineup has changed between many of their album releases. The current members of Marilyn Manson are the eponymous lead singer
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
, guitarist Twiggy Ramirez (who previously played bass) and bassist Fred Sablan
Fred Sablan
Fred Sablan , is an American musician originally from Cupertino, California. He is currently the bassist for Marilyn Manson....
.
The name of each band member was originally created by combining the first name of an iconic
Secular icon
A secular icon is an image or pictograph of a person or thing used for other than religious purpose. -Icons versus symbols:...
female sex symbol
Sex symbol
A sex symbol is a celebrity of either gender, typically an actor, musician, supermodel, teen idol, or sports star, noted for their sex appeal. The term was first used in the mid 1950s in relation to the popularity of certain Hollywood stars, especially Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte...
and the last name of an iconic serial killer (Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
and Charles Manson
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
), doing so to demonstrate the odd dichotomy of American society as a critical and, simultaneously, laudatory appraisal of the US and its peculiar culture. The members of the band dress in outlandish makeup and costumes, and have engaged in intentionally shocking
Shock value
Shock value is the potential of an action , image, text, or other form of communication to provoke a reaction of disgust, shock, anger, fear, or similar negative emotions.-Shock value as humor:...
behavior both onstage and off. Their lyrics often receive criticism for their anti-religious sentiment and their references to sex, violence and drugs. Marilyn Manson's music and performances have frequently been called offensive and obscene
Obscenity
An obscenity is any statement or act which strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time, is a profanity, or is otherwise taboo, indecent, abhorrent, or disgusting, or is especially inauspicious...
, and, on several occasions, protests and petitions have led to the group being banned from performing.
As this controversy began to wane, so did the band's mainstream popularity. Despite this, the band has a fairly massive underground fanbase. Marilyn Manson has garnered much success: four of the band's albums have been multi-platinum, and 2 more have been gold, and the band has seen five of its releases debut in the top ten, including two number-one albums. VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
has ranked Marilyn Manson as the seventy-eighth best rock band on their 100 Great Artists of Hard Rock. Aggregate site AcclaimedMusic.net lists Marilyn Manson number 723 in their artist rank for greatest of all time.
Marilyn Manson has sold over 50 million albums worldwide as of May 2009.
The Spooky Kids (1989–1992)
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
degree, and gaining experience in the field by writing music articles for a South Florida lifestyle magazine, 25th Parallel
25th Parallel (magazine)
25th Parallel is a South Florida lifestyle magazine. The magazine is named after the 25th parallel north, a circle of latitude that passes through Florida.-Notable alumni:...
. It was in this capacity that he was able to meet 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
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult is an American electronic industrial rock band originally based out of Chicago, Illinois.-History:...
and Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
of Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
. He met Scott Putesky
Scott Putesky
Scott Mitchell Putesky , more famously known as Daisy Berkowitz, is an American musician, and was the lead guitarist and co-founder of the heavy metal group Marilyn Manson...
shortly afterward and, after showing him some lyrics and poems he had written, proposed that they form a band together. 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
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
, Daisy Berkowitz and Olivia Newton Bundy
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...
, respectively. They were soon joined by Stephen Bier, who called himself Madonna Wayne Gacy
Madonna Wayne Gacy
Stephen Gregory Bier Jr., formerly known by his stage name Madonna Wayne Gacy is the former keyboard player for Marilyn Manson, 1989-2007. His stage name came from the names of the singer Madonna and the serial killer John Wayne Gacy...
; Bundy was replaced by Gidget Gein
Gidget Gein
Gidget Gein was an American musician and artist. He was the second bassist and co-founder of the alternative metal band Marilyn Manson. His stage name references and dichotomises serial killer Ed Gein and the novel Gidget.-Early life:Bradley Stewart was born in Hollywood, Florida...
, born Brad Stewart. In 1991, drummer Fred Streithorst joined the band, with the stage name Sara Lee Lucas
Sara Lee Lucas
Frederick Streithorst, Jr., is the original drummer for Marilyn Manson. Formerly known by his performing name, “Sara Lee Lucas”, , his alias is derived from American serial killer Henry Lee Lucas and the baked goods company, Sara Lee...
.
The stage names used by each member were representative of a concept the band considered central: the dichotomy
Dichotomy
A dichotomy is any splitting of a whole into exactly two non-overlapping parts, meaning it is a procedure in which a whole is divided into two parts...
of good and evil, and the existence of both, together, in every whole. "Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
had a dark side", explained Manson in his autobiography, "just as Charles Manson
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
has a good, intelligent side". Images of both Monroe and Manson, as well as of others equally famous and notorious, were common in the band's early promotional materials.
The Spooky Kids' popularity in the area grew quickly, largely because of radio DJ Scott David of WYNX-FM, an early fan who eagerly played songs from the band's demo tapes on the air; and because of the band's highly visual concerts
Marilyn Manson independent touring
Prior to embarking on any official tour under the wing of a major label, Marilyn Manson spent several years touring independently at various locations in Florida such as Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Miami Beach, South Hallandale and Davie, among various other one-night venues. During this time, the...
, which drew from performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
and used many shock
Shock value
Shock value is the potential of an action , image, text, or other form of communication to provoke a reaction of disgust, shock, anger, fear, or similar negative emotions.-Shock value as humor:...
techniques. It was not uncommon to see onstage "naked women nailed to a cross, a child in a cage, or bloody animal body parts"; Manson, Berkowitz, and Gein variously performed in women's clothing
Cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
or bizarre costumes; and, for lack of a professional pyrotechnician
Pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics is the science of using materials capable of undergoing self-contained and self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions for the production of heat, light, gas, smoke and/or sound...
, they would occasionally set their own stage props on fire. The band would dramatically contrast these grotesque theatrics with elements drawn from the culture of the members' youth in the 1970s and 1980s: characters from that era's children's television made regular, often somewhat altered, appearances on Marilyn Manson flyers and newsletters, and were frequently sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
in the music. They continued to perform and release cassettes—shortening their name to Marilyn Manson in 1992—until the summer of 1993, when the band drew the attention of Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
, who at the time had just founded his own record label, Nothing Records
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...
.
Nothing Records and Portrait of an American Family (1993–1995)
Reznor offered Marilyn Manson a contract with his new label and the opportunity to support Nine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
on their upcoming headlining tour. The band accepted both offers, and recording sessions for its national debut, Portrait of an American Family
Portrait of an American Family
Portrait of an American Family is the debut full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on July 19, 1994 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. It was produced by the band's frontman and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails...
, began in July 1993. Working with producer Roli Mosimann
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 collaborated with Foetus leader J. G...
at Criteria Studios
Criteria Studios
Criteria Studios is a music-recording studio in Miami, Florida, started in 1958 by Mack Emerman.In 1999, The Hit Factory purchased Criteria Studios, revamping and reopening the studios under the new name The Hit Factory Criteria Miami.-Notable artists:...
in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, the band recorded a selection of new songs along with material from their Spooky Kids repertoire and, by the end of Autumn 1993, had completed the first version of their debut, titled The Manson Family Album. However, it was not well-received. The abrasive sonic "rawness" that Mosimann's production had brought to such groups as Swans
Swans (band)
Swans are an influential American post-punk band initially active from 1982 to 1997, led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. The band was one of the few groups to emerge from the early 1980s New York No Wave scene and stay intact into the next decade. Formed by Gira in...
had failed to materialize on The Manson Family Album; Reznor and all the band's members found it flat and lifeless, and poorly representative of Marilyn Manson's dynamic performances. "I thought, 'This really sucks', Manson explained, "so I played it for Trent, and he thought it sucked". At the same time, the band was having difficulties with bassist Gidget Gein
Gidget Gein
Gidget Gein was an American musician and artist. He was the second bassist and co-founder of the alternative metal band Marilyn Manson. His stage name references and dichotomises serial killer Ed Gein and the novel Gidget.-Early life:Bradley Stewart was born in Hollywood, Florida...
, who had begun to lose control of his addiction to heroin. While reworking the album the band played two shows in South Florida under the name Mrs. Scabtree. Not much is known about the complete lineup, except that Manson performed on the drums, Gacy on keyboard, Berkowitz on guitar, and Jeordie White
Jeordie White
Jeordie Osbourne White , better known by his pseudonym Twiggy Ramirez , is an American musician, who is best known for being the bassist and guitarist for Marilyn Manson. He was also the bassist for A Perfect Circle, and Nine Inch Nails...
of Miami thrash
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band Amboog-a-Lard
Amboog-a-Lard
Amboog-a-Lard was a thrash metal band from Florida. Formed in 1987, the band was notable for its membership of Jeordie White who went on to join Marilyn Manson....
and Jessicka
Jessicka
Jessicka Addams is an American singer and artist. Best known by her stage name Jessicka, she was the front woman of Florida based band Jack Off Jill and current front for the Los Angeles based band Scarling.-Early life:Jessicka grew up in the town of Sunrise, Florida...
of Jack Off Jill
Jack Off Jill
Jack Off Jill was an American alternative rock band from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, founded in 1992 by Jessica Fodera, Tenni Arslanyan, Robin Moulder, and Michelle Oliver. Though these four young women were the initial founders, twelve members rotated through the group in its lifespan, including...
sharing vocal duties. 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.
In October 1993, Reznor agreed to rework the production on Marilyn Manson's album, taking them and their tapes to The Record Plant in Los Angeles. Gein, who had been hospitalized after an overdose, was not invited. After seven weeks of mixing, remixing, and rerecording, the album — now titled Portrait of an American Family — was ready to be presented to Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
. Even as the first single "Get Your Gunn
Get Your Gunn
Released in 1994, "Get Your Gunn" is the first official single by alternative metal band Marilyn Manson. "Snake Eyes and Sissies" was originally planned as the lead single but never released; "Get Your Gunn" was released instead. The track was released to support the album Portrait of an American...
" was beginning to receive radio airplay, Gein received a letter declaring his services "no longer needed" by the band after he overdosed on heroin for the fourth time; he was replaced by White, of Amboog-a-Lard, and undertook the alias Twiggy Ramirez. In December 1993, Ramirez first performed as the band's new bass player on a week's worth of headline dates through Florida with Jack Off Jill opening. While playing Club 5 in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
Manson was accused by the town's Christian Coalition of violating the town's adult entertainment codes. Jack Off Jill singer Jessicka was accused of solicitation and offering to engage in lewdness. Both singers were arrested and charged with misdemeanors. On the first date of a fourteen-week national tour opening for Nine Inch Nails, Ramirez made his national touring debut. It was during this tour that Manson had occasion to meet with Church of Satan
Church of Satan
The Church of Satan is an organization dedicated to the acceptance of the carnal self, as articulated in The Satanic Bible, written in 1969 by Anton Szandor LaVey.- History :...
founder Dr. Anton LaVey
Anton LaVey
Anton Szandor LaVey , born Howard Stanton Levey, was the founder of the Church of Satan as well as a writer, occultist, and musician...
. After a cordial meeting, LaVey honored Manson with the title of "Reverend" — meaning, in the Church of Satan, a person who is revered by the church, and not necessarily one who dedicates his life to preaching the religion to others, as with a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
or minister
Minister of religion
In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...
. Manson would use this title in album liner notes, citing himself as "Reverend Marilyn Manson."
In March 1995, the band began its first national headlining tour, a two-month outing with Monster Voodoo Machine
Monster Voodoo Machine
Monster Voodoo Machine a Canadian Industrial metal band, originally active from 1991 to 1998, has recently begun working on a new album.- History :...
as support; this would be drummer Sara Lee Lucas' last tour with the band. Tension between Lucas and Manson had apparently grown as the tour wore on and, on the next-to-last night of the tour, Manson secretly decided to end the show with a flourish: during a performance of the then-current single, "Lunchbox
Lunchbox (single)
"Lunchbox" is the second single from Marilyn Manson's debut album, Portrait of an American Family.In the credits of CD booklet from the Portrait of an American Family album, Lunchbox contains elements from the song "Fire" by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.Inspired by a piece of legislation dating...
", he doused Lucas' drum kit in lighter fluid and set it ablaze — with Lucas still attempting to play on behind it. (Manson apparently forgot that the band had one more date to play.) Lucas quit the band after the final gig the next night. Less than two weeks later his replacement, Kenneth Wilson
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 1995-2011...
, better known by his stage name Ginger Fish, joined the group. Marilyn Manson was touring again, this time on a bill with Danzig
Danzig (band)
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
and Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
.
Smells Like Children
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
to begin work on the third single from Portrait of an American Family, "Dope Hat
Dope Hat
"Dope Hat" is a promotional single from Marilyn Manson's debut album, Portrait of an American Family. It was first recorded for a demo tape that they released in 1993, entitled The Family Jams....
". Accompanied by a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
which featured Manson in the role of Willy Wonka
Willy Wonka
This article is about the fictional character. For the candy company, see, The Willy Wonka Candy Company.Willy Wonka is a fictional character in the 1964 Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the film adaptations that followed. The book and the 1971 film adaption both vividly...
in a shock-horror version of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 musical film adaptation of the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, directed by Mel Stuart, and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. The film tells the story of Charlie Bucket as he receives a golden ticket and visits Willy...
, the proposed single for "Dope Hat" eventually developed into an hour-long remix EP, Smells Like Children
Smells Like Children
Smells Like Children is a EP by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 24, 1995 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. It was produced by the band's frontman and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails...
. The album's fifteen tracks of covers, remixes, and bizarre sonic experiments also included the band's version of the Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", which would prove to be Marilyn Manson's first legitimate hit: the video was placed in heavy rotation on MTV (in stark contrast with the "Dope Hat" video, which MTV had banished to late-night airplay only a few months before) and the mainstream music press was suddenly clamoring to cover the group. It was also around this time that the group began to experiment with goth makeup
Gothic fashion
Gothic fashion is a clothing style worn by members of the Goth subculture; a dark, sometimes morbid, eroticized fashion and style of dress. Typical Gothic fashion includes dyed black hair, black lips and black clothes. Both male and female goths wear dark eyeliner and dark fingernails. Styles are...
, and more bizarre outfits.
A five-month headlining tour followed, from September through February, during which the band began to debut new material like "Irresponsible Hate Anthem", "Minute of Decay", and "Smells Like Children". Rumors of a new album circulated widely during this time, and were confirmed when the band returned to Nothing's New Orleans studio in early 1996 to perform what Manson termed "a musical ritual designed to bring about the Apocalypse".
Antichrist Superstar (1996–1997)
Antichrist Superstar
Antichrist Superstar is the second full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 8, 1996 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. The record's success in mainstream charts propelled the band into a household name and turned its frontman overnight...
, was released on October 8, 1996. The rock opera
Rock opera
A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...
concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
was recorded at Nothing Studios with Trent Reznor himself acting as executive producer; the process of making the album was reportedly a long and difficult one, highlighted by experiments allegedly involving sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation is the condition of not having enough sleep; it can be either chronic or acute. A chronic sleep-restricted state can cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness and weight loss or weight gain. It adversely affects the brain and cognitive function. Few studies have compared the...
and near-constant drug use in an effort to create an environment suited to the album's moody and occasionally violent content. During this time, antagonism between band members was high, which caused the departure of guitarist and founding member Daisy Berkowitz. With Berkowitz out of the band, Twiggy Ramirez performed lead guitar for much of the recording of Antichrist Superstar, and the group placed an ad seeking a new guitarist for its upcoming tour; Timothy Linton, auditioned for and was given the position. Breaking with the six-year tradition of icon / killer naming structures, the newest member was dubbed Zim Zum
Zim Zum
Timothy Michael Linton more commonly known as Zim Zum, is an American rock musician/songwriter and former guitarist for Life, Sex & Death and Marilyn Manson...
– a name derived from Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
, one of the major sources of inspiration for the album.
The album's first single, "The Beautiful People", made a fairly major impact on the alternative rock charts, and created enough anticipation for Antichrist Superstar that the album debuted at number three on the album charts. The band's frontman
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine who also awarded the band their Best New Artist accolade for 1996
1996 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...
. The year-and-a-half long "Dead to the World Tour" in support of the album followed; it was the band's longest and widest yet, and included Marilyn Manson's live debut in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, continental Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
as their fame spread to all corners of the world. In the United States, 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 congressional hearings, led by Senator Joseph Lieberman, to determine the effects, if any, of violent lyrics on young listeners. Lieberman would later go on to refer to Marilyn Manson as "perhaps the sickest group ever promoted by a mainstream record company". In addition, nearly every performance on the tour was picketed by religious organizations, pleading with fans to not see the musician who once said "I think every time people listen to this new album maybe God will be destroyed in their brainwashed minds."
On November 10, 1997, the band released a remix/live EP, Remix & Repent, featuring new versions of Antichrist Superstars four singles, "The Beautiful People", "Tourniquet", "Antichrist Superstar", and "Man that You Fear", alongside songs recorded live on the U.S. leg of the Dead to the World Tour. Two unreleased songs from the Antichrist Superstar recording sessions were contributed to film soundtracks: "Apple of Sodom" to David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
's Lost Highway, and "The Suck for Your Solution" to the Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
biopic Private Parts
Private Parts (1997 film)
Private Parts is a 1997 American biographical comedy film produced by Ivan Reitman and released by Paramount Pictures. Written by Len Blum and Michael Kalesniko, the film is an adaptation of the 1993 best-selling book of the same name by radio personality Howard Stern, who stars as himself. It...
. As the year ended, Manson made the announcement of the upcoming publication of his first book, the autobiographical The Long Hard Road out of Hell
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 Marilyn Manson. The book was released on February 14, 1998 and written with the help of Neil Strauss as a ghost writer....
; the book was released in February 1998, along with another live document of the world tour, a home video entitled Dead to the World
Dead to the World
Dead to the World was released on February 10, 1998 on VHS, documenting the infamous tour of the same name by Marilyn Manson. It contains primarily live performances but delves into backstage and archival footage of the band....
. It also came to light around this time that Antichrist Superstar would be the first installment in a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
trilogy and that the release of the follow-up was, according to the band, also imminent, accompanied by early rumors of the involvement of Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan
William Patrick "Billy" Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet best known as the frontman and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois in 1987, the band quickly gained steam with the...
and The Dust Brothers with the as-yet-untitled album.
Mechanical Animals (1998–1999)
Mechanical Animals
Mechanical Animals is the third full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on September 14, 1998, in Australia and on September 15, 1998, in the US, Germany and France through Nothing and Interscope Records and marked the beginning of the band's brief foray into...
, an album strongly influenced by David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
. Interscope's promotion of the album was massive, including an enormous billboard of singer Manson as an androgynous extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
over Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
, and repeated appearances on MTV and other networks to promote the album and the single "The Dope Show
The Dope Show
"The Dope Show" is a song from Marilyn Manson's 1998 album Mechanical Animals, released in September of that year as the album's lead single...
"; propelled by the success of Antichrist Superstar and by this press push, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. The band had recast itself in a new image for this album; setting aside the bleak darkness of the previous record for a more concealed morbidity.
Marilyn Manson was now a glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
band, borrowing its visual presentation largely from Bowie, and from Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
and its contemporaries. By this time, the band had permanently relocated to Los Angeles, and Zim Zum had been replaced by glam-influenced guitarist John Lowery
John Lowery
John William Lowery , best known by the stage name John 5, is an American guitarist. His stage name was bestowed on him in 1998 when he left David Lee Roth and joined the industrial metal group Marilyn Manson as their guitarist, taking over from Zim Zum...
, who joined the band as John 5. After a brief promotional tour, the band set out on the "Beautiful Monsters Tour
Beautiful Monsters Tour
Beautiful Monsters was the ill-fated North American arena tour co-headlined by American modern rock legends and cultural icons Hole and Marilyn Manson in 1999...
" with Hole
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
and Monster Magnet
Monster Magnet
Monster Magnet is an American stoner rock band. Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, the group was founded by Dave Wyndorf , John McBain and Tim Cronin...
as support. The tour, however, would be a problematic one: on March 1, 1999, the three bands played the first show in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
; by March 14, Hole had left the tour and Manson had broken his ankle, forcing postponements of some shows. The tour was then renamed the "Rock Is Dead Tour" and both Jack Off Jill
Jack Off Jill
Jack Off Jill was an American alternative rock band from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, founded in 1992 by Jessica Fodera, Tenni Arslanyan, Robin Moulder, and Michelle Oliver. Though these four young women were the initial founders, twelve members rotated through the group in its lifespan, including...
and Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy is an American hard rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Their musical style mixes boogie rock, Southern metal and psychobilly. Much of the band's lyrical themes mostly revolve around sex, drugs, drinking, fighting, and rock 'n' roll...
were asked to take select remaining opening slots on tour.
Columbine shootings
Less than three weeks after the tour resumed, two students (Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold) at Columbine High SchoolColumbine High School
Columbine High School or CHS is a high school in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado, United States.- History :Columbine High School opened in the fall of 1973. There was no senior class in its first year. The school's first graduating class was the class of 1975...
in Littleton, Colorado
Littleton, Colorado
Littleton is a Home Rule Municipality contained in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Littleton is a suburb of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and the 20th most populous city in the state of...
killed thirteen people, and then took their own lives; early media reports declared them fans of "violent" music and video games. Substantial attention was directed at Manson, however it was later confirmed that Harris and Klebold were not fans of the group. On April 28, out of respect for the victims, Marilyn Manson canceled the remaining dates of the Rock Is Dead tour, and would not reappear in Denver until the 2001 Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
. Manson's song The Nobodies
The Nobodies (song)
"The Nobodies" is a song by American industrial rock band Marilyn Manson. It is the third and final single from their fourth studio album, Holy Wood , released in 2001....
was directly inspired by the shootings.
Holy Wood (2000–2002)
The rest of 1999 and much of 2000 was a period of relative silence for Marilyn Manson. The band spent over a year quietly writing and recording in a studio in Death ValleyDeath Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...
, with only the single Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes
Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes
"Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes" is a song by Marilyn Manson. It was the only single on the Celebrity Deathmatch soundtrack. It was nominated for the Best Metal Performance Grammy in 2001, but lost to "Elite" by Deftones.-Track listing:...
— an outtake from Antichrist Superstar — appearing during that time. On November 14, 2000, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
Holy Wood is the fourth studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson, released in November 2000 through Nothing and Interscope Records. The album marked a return to the industrial and alternative metal style of the band's earlier efforts, after the modernized glam rock sound of Mechanical...
was released. Returning to the darker, more abrasive sound of Antichrist Superstar, much of the album's content was written in response to the Columbine massacre.
Described by the band as the third part of the trilogy begun 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 F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
, John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Mark David Chapman
Mark David Chapman
Mark David Chapman is an American prison inmate who murdered former Beatles member John Lennon on December 8, 1980. He committed the crime as Lennon and Yoko Ono were outside of The Dakota apartment building in New York City. Chapman aimed five shots at Lennon, hitting him four times in his back...
, and even Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
. The international "Guns, God and Government Tour
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-length studio LP, Holy Wood , which was released on...
" expanded upon the exploration of America's fascination with violence, and with the tour's logo — a rifle and handguns arranged to resemble the Christian cross
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
— Manson made no attempt to conceal what he saw as the source of that fascination.
The band also revealed that within Marilyn Manson's massive concept album trilogy, Holy Wood serves as prequel to Mechanical Animals
Mechanical Animals
Mechanical Animals is the third full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on September 14, 1998, in Australia and on September 15, 1998, in the US, Germany and France through Nothing and Interscope Records and marked the beginning of the band's brief foray into...
and Antichrist Superstar
Antichrist Superstar
Antichrist Superstar is the second full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 8, 1996 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. The record's success in mainstream charts propelled the band into a household name and turned its frontman overnight...
despite the latter two preceding Holy Wood in release date. Each of the three albums contain its own storyline distinct from one other but also linked together abstractly in a fourth larger over-arching storyline encompassing all three. Manson has offered this much in the way of an interpretation,
On May 16, 2001, Manson announced on the band website that he planned to quote the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
at his next concert, to "balance out" his violent lyrics, "so we can examine the virtues of wonderful Christian stories of disease, murder, adultery, suicide and child sacrifice. Now that seems like entertainment to me". On June 21, 2001, Manson did indeed read from the Bible onstage in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, presenting such passages as Leviticus
Leviticus
The Book of Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, and the third of five books of the Torah ....
20:9 ("For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death") and Psalm
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
137:9 ("Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones").
This tour was documented in a DVD release of the same name, released October 29, 2002 and described by Manson as "This will help you see what it's like to be nailed to this wrecking ball" on the DVD packaging. In addition to a compilation style concert from the tour [songs from multiple individual shows edited to appear as single performance], the DVD includes a short thirty minute film titled "Death Parade" in the style of an All Access Pass for the tour.
Seven years later it was followed by Guns, God and Government – Live in L.A. Released in Blu-ray on November 17, 2009, it depicts the sixteen song set of the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
performance in its entirety.
The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003–2005)
With the "triptychTriptych
A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...
" of the previous three albums now complete, Marilyn Manson was free to begin a fresh project. In 2002, Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Houseman Davis is the lead vocalist and frontman for the nu metal band Korn. Davis was ranked 16th on Hit Parader 's list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists".-Early life:...
of Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
invited Marilyn Manson into a studio to record vocals on a track he wrote entitled "Redeemer". The song, produced by both Jon and Richard Gibbs, was then released on the Queen of the Damned
Queen of the Damned (film)
Queen of the Damned is a 2002 film adaptation of the third novel of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series, The Queen of the Damned, although the film contains many plot elements from the latter novel's predecessor, The Vampire Lestat. It stars Aaliyah as the vampire queen Akasha, and Stuart...
soundtrack. After finding inspiration in the decadent Swing
Swing (genre)
Swing music, also known as swing jazz or simply swing, is a form of jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and became a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States...
era of the 1920s, the band recorded The Golden Age of Grotesque
The Golden Age of Grotesque
Initial critical response to The Golden Age of Grotesque was mixed. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 60, indicating mixed or average reviews, based on 12 publications...
that year and the album was released on May 13, 2003.
Eschewing the lyrical depth and volume of symbolism and hidden meaning of Holy Wood, the new album was relatively straightforward; in an extended metaphor, Manson compares his own often-criticized music to the entartete Kunst
Degenerate art
Degenerate art is the English translation of the German entartete Kunst, a term adopted by the Nazi regime in Germany to describe virtually all modern art. Such art was banned on the grounds that it was un-German or Jewish Bolshevist in nature, and those identified as degenerate artists were...
banned by the Nazi
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
regime. New member Tim Skold
Tim Skold
Tim Sköld is a multi-instrumentalist who, in addition to producing solo work, has also collaborated with multiple musical groups including Shotgun Messiah, KMFDM and Marilyn Manson.-Early life:...
, replacing Twiggy Ramirez, added a new dimension to the band's sound; he brought with him from KMFDM
KMFDM
KMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
that band's use of heavy industrial
Industrial rock
Industrial rock is a musical genre that fuses industrial music and specific rock subgenres. Industrial rock spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused...
beats—The Golden Age of Grotesque was frequently impugned as derivative of KMFDM and lacking the originality that Marilyn Manson had become known for. The album debuted at #1 on the album charts, selling over 118,000 copies in the US its first week of release.
Another world tour, the "Grotesk Burlesk Tour", followed, which furthered the album's Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
-inspired theme by adding elements of German Kabarett
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
to the group's performances. Elaborate artwork by Gottfried Helnwein
Gottfried Helnwein
Gottfried Helnwein is an Austrian-Irish fine artist, painter, photographer, installation and performance artist.-Work:Helnwein studied at the University of Visual Art in Vienna...
appeared in the band's stage dressing, and the members began appearing both on-stage and off- in designer suits and with fashion superstars.
Lest We Forget: The Best Of
Lest We Forget: The Best Of was released on September 28, 2004. It was referred to by the singer as his "farewell" album. It was supported by a series of "greatest hits" performances, the "Against All Gods TourAgainst All Gods Tour
Against All Gods was a worldwide arena tour by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was the ninth tour the band embarked upon and the sixth to span over multiple legs. It was launched one month after in support of their compilation album, Lest We Forget: The Best Of, which was released on...
". After the release of the single "Personal Jesus", the band made a number of promotional appearances including a performance on MADtv
Mad TV
Mad TV may refer to:*MADtv, an American sketch comedy television series based on Mad magazine*Mad TV , a 1991 German television station management simulation game*MAD TV , a Greek music channel-See also:...
; at one of these, the Comet awards show in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, drummer Ginger Fish
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 1995-2011...
fell from his drum riser, fracturing his skull
Human skull
The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...
and wrist. Former Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna replaced him; after recovering from the accident Fish had been recording and performing with a new band, Martyr Plot
Martyr Plot
Martyr Plot is an alternative rock band formed by Marilyn Manson drummer Kenny Wilson . Dave Scott plays guitar and vocals, and James Marino plays bass. They wrote the songs "Let it Go" and "Conviction."-External links:*...
, before rejoining Marilyn Manson.
John 5
John Lowery
John William Lowery , best known by the stage name John 5, is an American guitarist. His stage name was bestowed on him in 1998 when he left David Lee Roth and joined the industrial metal group Marilyn Manson as their guitarist, taking over from Zim Zum...
had also been replaced; Mark Chaussee
Mark Chaussee
Mark Chaussee is an American guitarist born inMinneapolis, Minnesota and an adherent of heavy metal and hard rock. Played guitar in The Coup De Grace, Fight, Danzig, Jimmy Coup, and Marilyn Manson.-World of Hurt:...
of Fight
Fight (band)
Fight was an American heavy metal band assembled by Judas Priest frontman, Rob Halford, after his departure from that band in 1992. He took with him from Judas Priest and Racer X drummer Scott Travis, though Travis also continued to drum for Judas Priest...
took over lead guitar on the "Against All Gods Tour", and was subsequently replaced in the studio by Tim Skold. Though John 5 denied any hostility towards Marilyn Manson following the announcement of his departure, at the band's appearance on the Rock am Ring
Rock am Ring
The Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually in Germany....
music festival in 2003 an incident took place between John 5 and Marilyn Manson where Manson kicked and then shoved the guitarist. John 5 responded with anger, throwing off his guitar mid-song and raising his fists to Manson as if to fight with him, before resuming the song without any further incident. Lest We Forget was certified Gold in 2005.
Eat Me, Drink Me (2006–2008)
Beginning in January 2006, and continuing for some months, Marilyn Manson's official website was updated several times, adding new artwork and music, and making obtuse references to The Celebritarian Corporation, an art movement led by the frontman. Merchandise has since become available featuring logos such as the "double cross" (a variation on the Cross of LorraineCross of Lorraine
The Cross of Lorraine is originally a heraldic cross. The two-barred cross consists of a vertical line crossed by two smaller horizontal bars. In the ancient version, both bars were of the same length. In 20th century use it is "graded" with the upper bar being the shortest...
), as well as the slogans "we will sell our shadow to those who stand within it" and "do not seek death; seek destruction".
Marilyn Manson's sixth studio album, Eat Me, Drink Me
Eat Me, Drink Me
Eat Me, Drink Me is the sixth full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on June 5, 2007, debuting at number 8 in the United States with more than 80,000 copies sold in the first week. It was recorded in a rented home-recording studio in Hollywood, California by...
, was released on June 5, 2007, debuting at number 8 in the United States with more than 88,000 copies sold. Released more than four years after The Golden Age of Grotesque
The Golden Age of Grotesque
Initial critical response to The Golden Age of Grotesque was mixed. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 60, indicating mixed or average reviews, based on 12 publications...
, Eat Me, Drink Me marked another change in musical styles that the band has become famous for. One remarkable note of the album is that it was written entirely by Manson and Skold in a rented home studio. The album is also the first major label Manson album without Madonna Wayne Gacy
Madonna Wayne Gacy
Stephen Gregory Bier Jr., formerly known by his stage name Madonna Wayne Gacy is the former keyboard player for Marilyn Manson, 1989-2007. His stage name came from the names of the singer Madonna and the serial killer John Wayne Gacy...
(Pogo) as a listed member, making lead singer Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
the only original member since Portrait of an American Family
Portrait of an American Family
Portrait of an American Family is the debut full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on July 19, 1994 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. It was produced by the band's frontman and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails...
. Chris Vrenna, who temporarily replaced Ginger Fish
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 1995-2011...
on drums during the Against All Gods Tour, replaced Pogo to become the band's full-time keyboardist. Marilyn Manson co-headlined a tour with Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
in order to promote the album with Bleeding Through
Bleeding Through
Bleeding Through is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California. Formed in 1999, the band blends influences stemming from modern hardcore punk, symphonic black metal, and melodic death metal...
as the opening act and Deadly Apples
Deadly Apples
Deadly Apples is a Canadian post-industrial and industrial rock act, founded in 2002 by Alex Martel in Montreal, Quebec. Martel is the only original member of Deadly Apples and serves as its frontman, producer, art director, songwriter and instrumentalist along with bandmates Antoine Lamothe and...
on select dates.
Rumors also circulated for some time that Marilyn Manson wrote the song "Mutilation Is the Most Sincere Form of Flattery" as an attack on the band My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...
. He later denied this, stating that it was aimed at people in general who sought to imitate him. In another interview Manson stated that "I'm embarrassed to be me because these people are doing a really sad, pitiful, shallow version of what I've done". In response to this, Gerard Way
Gerard Way
Gerard Arthur Way is an American musician and comic book writer who has served as lead vocalist and co-founder of the band My Chemical Romance since its formation in 2001...
, the lead singer of My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...
claimed nothing Manson could say would bring the band down. On January 9, 2008 Marilyn Manson posted a bulletin on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
confirming that former bassist Twiggy Ramirez
Jeordie White
Jeordie Osbourne White , better known by his pseudonym Twiggy Ramirez , is an American musician, who is best known for being the bassist and guitarist for Marilyn Manson. He was also the bassist for A Perfect Circle, and Nine Inch Nails...
had rejoined the band, resulting in the exit of Tim Skold
Tim Skold
Tim Sköld is a multi-instrumentalist who, in addition to producing solo work, has also collaborated with multiple musical groups including Shotgun Messiah, KMFDM and Marilyn Manson.-Early life:...
. Skold and Manson had apparently began writing new material before the personnel change. Future collaborations with Skold were not ruled out.
The return of Twiggy Ramirez and The High End of Low (2008–2009)
The band's seventh full-length studio album began recording sessions following the conclusion of their "Rape of the World TourRape of the World Tour
Rape of the World was a worldwide arena tour by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was the tenth tour the band embarked upon and the seventh to span over multiple legs. It was launched 10 days ahead in support of their sixth full-length studio LP, Eat Me, Drink Me, which was released on June 5,...
" on March 2, 2008. On November 29, 2007, Marilyn Manson fansite "The Hierophant" reported that the frontman planned to start writing songs for the new record on January or February (2008). The actual recording took place at Manson's Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
home between November 2008 and January 5, 2009. The last song, called "15", was completed on the evening of Manson's Jan 5 birthday—hence the name.
Manson said, "after my greatest hits album (Lest We Forget: The Best Of) came out I took a long break from music because it was a period where I was not sure who I wanted to be. I left music for a while but that's not an error I want to repeat in the future." He mentioned Kerry King
Kerry King
Kerry King is an American lead and rhythm guitarist. He is best known as the lead guitarist and cofounder of American thrash metal band Slayer. He co-founded the band with Jeff Hanneman in 1981 and has been a member ever since...
, James Iha
James Iha
James Yoshinobu Iha b. March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Japanese American rock musician. He is best known as having been a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and for his eclectic musical projects of recent years, most notably being a permanent...
former guitarist of The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
, and Nick Zinner
Nick Zinner
Nicholas Joseph Zinner is the guitarist for the New York rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He is known for his "unmistakable" wild hair, skinny physique, and pale appearance...
of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo, who joined as a touring...
as likely contributors. During an exclusive interview titled Everyone Will Suffer Now at the now-defunct fansite MansonUSA on January 11, 2008, Manson shared, "I just feel like there is a big change happening now. It's going to be the one. Eat Me, Drink Me is opening the window and this is going to be the Hurricane Katrina." Since parting company with Skold and reuniting with Ramirez, the band had occupied themselves with work on the album to achieve their target of a February 2009 release. It was soon followed by the announcement of new tour dates. In an interview with Steppin' Out, Manson described the then-nascent record as, "very ruthless, very heavy, and very violent".
On August 14, 2008, Manson announced at a public interview in Seoul, Korea that former Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
guitarist and current Black Light Burns
Black Light Burns
Black Light Burns are a rock band fronted by Wes Borland, of Limp Bizkit. The band's original studio lineup consisted of Borland, Danny Lohner, Josh Eustis and Josh Freese. Their debut album Cruel Melody, was released on June 5, 2007. The band released a covers and b-sides CD/DVD combo package in...
frontman Wes Borland
Wes Borland
Wesley Louden Borland is an American musician and artist, best known as the guitarist for the band Limp Bizkit. He has been in several other bands as well including: Black Light Burns, The Damning Well, Goatslayer, Big Dumb Face, and Combichrist...
had joined the lineup, replacing Rob Holliday on guitars. The band attended the ETP Festival and were wrapping up production on the new album. However, Borland left a few months later to reunite with Limp Bizkit for the third time. Borland told UK's Kerrang Magazine that he quit after seeing none of the nine songs he wrote for the record make the final cut, and was extremely dissatisfied at the thought of being just a hired gun.
On October 5, the band played a special show at the annual Hot Topic managers meeting. The show took place at the Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
's Marriott Hotel
Marriott Hotels & Resorts
Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott International's flagship brand of full service hotels and resorts. The company, based in Washington D.C., is repeatedly included on the Forbes Best Companies to Work for list, and was voted the 4th best company to work for in the UK by The Times in 2009.As of...
. During an after party for the 2008 Scream Awards
Scream Awards
The Scream Awards is an award show dedicated to the horror, sci-fi, and fantasy genres of feature films. Originally only having Scream Queen and Heroic Performance awards for actors, the personnel awards have expanded to include actors and actresses of all three recognized genres. In addition,...
, Manson was overheard comparing the new album to Antichrist Superstar and stating the album was "pretty much finished." He expected a new song to be released before the end of the year and expressed desire to release the record by Valentine's Day. In an interview on the February 2009 issue of Revolver Magazine, he revealed the title of two songs, namely, "I Wanna Kill You Like They Do in the Movies" and "Armagoddamnmotherfuckinggeddon". The album's producer Sean Beavan
Sean Beavan
Sean Beavan is a musician, record producer, and audio engineer best known for his work with Guns N Roses, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, God Lives Underwater, and Slayer...
, later posted a Myspace blog revealing two more song titles, "15" and "Four Rusted Horses". Manson told Revolver "I've got my fire back," and the record "really wipes the floor with everything we've done before."
A statement was released by Manson on Christmas Eve in order to dispel rumors that had been circulating regarding his relationship with Evan Rachel Wood and a speculated collaboration with rapper Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
. On January 12, a new song title was divulged by Rudy Coby
Rudy Coby
Rudy Coby, also known as "Labman", is an American comedic magician. He is a member of the Magic Castle in Los Angeles. In the early 1990s, Coby appeared in several small theatrical live shows, and on broadcast television. He is known for delivering eclectic and original comedic performances, of...
, a collaborator and friend of the frontman. The song is called "Devour" and was said to be the album's first track.
Marilyn Manson joined Slayer as headliners for the Rockstar Energy
Rockstar (drink)
Rockstar is an energy drink created in 2001. With 14% of the US market in 2008, Rockstar is a leading energy drink brand. Rockstar is based in Las Vegas...
Mayhem Festival
Mayhem festival
The Mayhem Festival is a touring metal festival that takes place during the summer. The inaugural iteration took place in 2008; the festival has since become an annual event across the United States and Quebec, Canada. The tour has been sponsored by the Rockstar Energy Company since the time of its...
tour in 2009. The press release for the tour stated that "Manson is currently in the studio working on his seventh studio album scheduled for release May 18th on Interscope Records." On February 2, Rolling Stone confirmed the album had been officially titled The High End of Low
The High End of Low
The High End of Low is the seventh full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. Sean Beavan, who mixed Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals, and Eat Me, Drink Me, is co-producer of the album along with Chris Vrenna...
.
On March 18, 2009, Kerrang! reported that the album contained a total of 15 tracks and that the final song is called "15". They also revealed another new song entitled "We're from America". Manson opined on the latter song, "I think a lot of people will hear the track and initially think it's just political, but it's not just that, it's also me describing a lot of fucked-up scenarios that I'm going through in my personal life. Someone asked me, 'Why are you so fucked up?', 'Well, I am from America.' I hate the fact that so many people have fucked the country up, and so many people fucked up my personal life and I allowed it to happen. So in a way, I feel like America as a whole feels, but in no way does that make me a tree-hugging patriotic freedom rocker." The track was released exclusively on the band's official website as a free download on March 27, 2009. On April 7, it became available for purchase as a digital single.
The album's official first single, "Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon
Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon
"Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon" was the first official single released by Marilyn Manson from their May 29, 2009 album The High End of Low. It has been remixed by the Teddybears...
," arrived in radio stations on April 21. It peaked at number 37 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart. On April 16, 2009, marilynmanson.com was updated with a new splash page featuring the projected album artwork as well as the track listing for The High End of Low. The record was released on May 26, 2009. It debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
with 49,000 copies sold. Despite reaching a higher charting position than Manson's prior studio effort Eat Me, Drink Me, which debuted at number 8, it arrived with the lowest opening week sum of any of Manson's albums since The Last Tour on Earth opened with sales of 26,000 units in 1999.
After much fan speculation and no official announcement, Andy Gerold
Andy Gerold
Andy Gerold is a professional multi-instrumentalist and is best known as a former bassist of Marilyn Manson.-Early life:...
joined Marilyn Manson in the capacity of live bassist for "The High End of Low Tour
The High End of Low Tour
The High End of Low Tour was a worldwide arena tour by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was the twelfth tour the band embarked upon and the eighth to span over multiple legs. The tour spanned from June 3, 2009 until December 21, 2009. The only known tour date of the tour's seventh leg in 2010...
" after former bassist Twiggy Ramirez switched to lead guitar duties. Gerold played his first show with the band on June 3, 2009, in Brno, Czech Republic. As of 2011, Gerold is still the youngest musician to play in the band, preceding former drummer Sara Lee Lucas by nearly seven years. During the summer of 2009, the band co-headlined the 2009 Mayhem Festival
Mayhem Festival 2009
Mayhem Festival 2009 was the second annual North American Mayhem Festival founded by Kevin Lyman.-Rockstar Mayhem Festival 2009 line up:Band lineup as released by the press release from the Mayhem Festival website and bands page of the Mayhem Festival website.-Main Stage:* Marilyn...
with Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
. Later in October 2009, the band headlined the internationally advertised visual kei
Visual Kei
is a movement among Japanese musicians, that is characterized by the use of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics. Some sources state that visual kei refers to a music genre, or to a sub-genre of Japanese rock, with its...
event, V-Rock Music festival.
Cooking Vinyl and Born Villain (2009–present)
The eighth studio album by Marilyn Manson entered the writing phase during "The High End of Low Tour" in 2009. Bassist Twiggy projected a release date of 2011 through Cooking Vinyl RecordsCooking Vinyl
Cooking Vinyl is a UK-based independent record company, founded in 1986. Its original orientation was toward contemporary folk music—notably Billy Bragg, and Michelle Shocked's Texas Campfire Tapes, recorded on a Sony Walkman, one of its first releases...
and Marilyn Manson's own label Hell, etc. It is the band's first album since allowing their contract with Interscope Records to expire back in late 2009. Marilyn Manson attested that the lyrical content of the album will be "more romantic" yet "self-abusive," and described the sonic elements of the record as "suicide death metal."
The prospect of an eighth studio album by the band was first confirmed by the frontman himself during an interview with Metal Hammer on December 3, 2009. He elaborated, "We've just been released from our record contract with Interscope so I think a lot of the creative control on which my hands were tied on a lot of choices—the music videos—things like that. And the first example is the newest video, they clearly wouldn't have allowed me to make that video. So we started writing new songs on the road—a bit like
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's album] Aladdin Sane
Aladdin Sane
Aladdin Sane is the sixth album by David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1973 . The follow-up to his breakthrough The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, it was the first album Bowie wrote and released as a bona fide rock star...
—I think people can expect a new record a lot sooner than we [expected]." According to Chris Vrenna, by January 2010, the band was already "talking and coming up with concepts" for the album. On January 24, 2010, Manson confirmed on the band's official MySpace profile that "the new album is officially in motion."
In April 2010, during his appearance at the Revolver
Revolver (magazine)
Revolver is a bi-monthly rock and heavy metal magazine published by Future US. Before covering heavy metal, rock & hard rock solely, it was a more mainstream oriented magazine. The magazine is structured in a manner similar to publications such as Spin while covering many avenues within the heavy...
Golden Gods Awards, Manson divulged that the band had recorded 13 songs, one of which failed to appear in a television series about vampires. He referred to the album as "very death metal" and voiced interest in releasing the album differently than previous Marilyn Manson records. He also indicated his friendship with Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
as a vague influence on the record. During an interview with Full Metal Jackie
Full Metal Jackie
Full Metal Jackie, Jackie Kajzer, is the host and creator of the nationally accredited and syndicated radio metal show, Full Metal Jackie. She is known for her unique playlists and detailed interviews with legendary rock artists, including Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Zakk Wylde and Children of Bodom....
, he stated that the album was halfway finished.
On May 7, 2010, both entertainer Rudy Coby and The Nachtkabarett's Nick Kushner were previewed material from the album, the latter described it on Facebook as "fuckin' hardcore." Elaborating on the band's musical direction, Manson commented on Twiggy being influenced by his touring experiences in 2009, particularly during the Rockstar
Rockstar (drink)
Rockstar is an energy drink created in 2001. With 14% of the US market in 2008, Rockstar is a leading energy drink brand. Rockstar is based in Las Vegas...
Mayhem Festival
Mayhem festival
The Mayhem Festival is a touring metal festival that takes place during the summer. The inaugural iteration took place in 2008; the festival has since become an annual event across the United States and Quebec, Canada. The tour has been sponsored by the Rockstar Energy Company since the time of its...
. Manson's father, Hugh Warner, described the album,
During an interview with Eric Blair on November 3, 2010, bassist Twiggy Ramirez indicated that the new album was "almost done. It'll probably be out next year. [...] It's our best record yet, I think. 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
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
Mechanical Animals
Mechanical Animals
Mechanical Animals is the third full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on September 14, 1998, in Australia and on September 15, 1998, in the US, Germany and France through Nothing and Interscope Records and marked the beginning of the band's brief foray into...
without sounding too pretentious."
For much of the early half of 2011, Marilyn Manson removed himself from the public spotlight and ceased almost all communication with his fans or the outside world. On February 24, 2011, the band's longtime drummer Ginger Fish
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 1995-2011...
announced his resignation from the group, prompting a search for a replacement. Meanwhile, on March 18, 2011, Marilyn Manson took a short break from his self-imposed sequestration by appearing in the music video for the song "Tempat Ku" by Brunei pop outfit D'Hask
D'Hask
D'Hask is a rock band from Brunei Darussalam. Formed in 1999, the band consists of main vocalist/rhythm guitarist K-Roll, lead guitarist Daus, bassist Reme, vocalist/keyboardist Syarif and drummer Luffy....
. On March 23, 2011, he uploaded new pictures onto the band's Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page, in a different style of previous photos. The new style suggested the 'new era' of Marilyn Manson had begun, further generating anticipation for the upcoming release.
On May 22, 2011, the band's website underwent a complete overhaul. A short 26 second snippet of a new song, tentatively titled, "I am among no one (excerpt from an undisclosed song with an unreleased title)" was uploaded to the redesigned main page along with a new logo to signify their eight studio album and the new era. The logo consisted of the letter M repeated four times in a spiral pattern, each with one long tail. At the end of the long tail is the Chinese trigram ☲ (離 lí) of the I Ching
I Ching
The I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
. Read lengthwise or up-and-down, it formed Hexagram 30, "Radiance," also called "the clinging" and "the net". The origin of the character is rooted in symbols of long-tailed birds such as the peacock or the legendary phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
. The CMYK coloring
CMYK color model
The CMYK color model is a subtractive color model, used in color printing, and is also used to describe the printing process itself. CMYK refers to the four inks used in some color printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key...
was also notable with regard to an acrostic
Acrostic
An acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message. As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous...
formed by Manson, in a journal entry that accompanied the site changes, which spelled out the words "Christianity Manufactures Yesterdays Killers".
On June 3, 2011 the Brazilian edition of the Portuguese broadsheet
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
newspaper Destak
Destak
Destak is a Portuguese free daily newspaper, which is distributed in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra, and also other Portuguese cities. It is chiefly offered at rail and subway stations, but also at cafeterias, universities, offices and hospitals...
confirmed that agents for the band had finalized negotiations for the group to tour in Brazil and other South American countries as part of the SWU Music & Arts Festival
SWU Music & Arts
SWU is originally a Brazilian sustainability movement, which organised the rock music festival SWU Music & Arts Festival. The festival had its first edition in October 2010...
beginning on the second week of November 2011. The Brazilian music festival also saw a change in venue for 2011. While organizers have yet to finalize details, it was speculated that the event may be held at the São Paulo
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
municipality of Paulínia
Paulínia
Paulínia is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. As of 2009, its population was 84.577 inhabitants in an area of 145.27 km². The elevation is 590 m...
. Manson appeared live via the Ustream broadcast of Fleischer's Universe
Charles Fleischer
Charles Fleischer is an American actor, stand-up comedian and voice artist.-Life and career:Fleischer was born in Washington, D.C. As a child, he is reported to have spent several summers at Kamp Kewanee in La Plume, Pennsylvania, where he started practicing his stand-up routine at age nine...
on June 21, 2011, where he announced that the new album title will be revealed within a week. He also divulged the following lyrics, "The center of the universe cannot exist if there are no edges", of a yet to be released song. The album title was not, in fact, revealed within a week, but was announced on September 1 as Born Villain via Twitter.
After being impressed by his directorial work on one of Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi , better known by his stage name Kid Cudi , sometimes stylized KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the...
's music videos, Marilyn Manson employed the actor Shia LaBeouf
Shia LaBeouf
Shia Saide LaBeouf is an American actor who became known among younger audiences for his part in the Disney Channel series Even Stevens and made his film debut in Holes . In 2007, he starred as the leads in Disturbia and Transformers...
to work on the album artwork as well as create a "making-of" video documenting the album's recording and production.
On November 22, 2011, it was announced that Chris Vrenna had officially left the band after contributing to the writing and production of Born Villain.
Marilyn Manson (Brian Warner)
Marilyn Manson (born Brian Hugh Warner; January 5, 1969) is an American musician and artist known for his controversial stage persona and image as the frontman of the band. His stage name was formed from the names of actress Marilyn MonroeMarilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
and convicted murderer Charles Manson
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
. His long legacy as being depicted in the media as a bad influence on children and society, along with his seemingly outrageous styles for which he models, and the controversy surrounding his lyrics all have led to his more pronounced public appeal. Manson's frequent clashes with political and religious figures, along with his actions and performances make him iconic to the band.
Controversy
In December 1996, a press conference was called by William J. Bennett, Senator Joseph Lieberman, and activist C. DeLores TuckerC. Delores Tucker
C. DeLores Tucker was a U.S. politician and civil rights activist best known for her participation in the Civil Rights Movement and stance against gangsta rap music.-Early life:...
, aimed at MCA
Music Corporation of America
MCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...
, the owner of Interscope Records. Calling several albums released by the label — including Antichrist Superstar
Antichrist Superstar
Antichrist Superstar is the second full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 8, 1996 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. The record's success in mainstream charts propelled the band into a household name and turned its frontman overnight...
— "profane", "violent", "filth", and "crap" the group questioned MCA president Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
Edgar Miles Bronfman, Jr. , is the Chairman of Warner Music Group. He previously served as CEO of the company from 2004 to 2011. In May, 2011, the sale of WMG was announced; Bronfman would continued as CEO in the transaction. In August 2011, he became Chairman of the company as Stephen Cooper...
's ability to head the label competently while profiting from such material. That November 6, U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management and Restructuring held a public hearing on the effect of violent rock and rap lyrics on youths. Supporters of the band claim it was merely another salvo in Senator Lieberman's declared war on the band. The hearing, chaired by Representative Sam Brownback
Sam Brownback
Samuel Dale "Sam" Brownback is the 46th and current Governor of Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Kansas from 1996 to 2011, and as a U.S. Representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 1996...
, featured the testimony of Lieberman and Tucker, and of Raymond Kuntz, of Burlington, North Dakota
Burlington, North Dakota
Burlington is a city in Ward County, North Dakota in the United States. Burlington was founded in 1883, having been third in a series that included two earlier settlements. Despite this, Burlington is still the oldest city in Ward County, as well as north-western and north central North Dakota...
, who blamed his son's suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
on Antichrist Superstar, which Lieberman denounced as "vile, hateful, nihilistic
Nihilism
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
and damaging."
In addition, the band's performances have come under fire — the Dead to the World Tour, in particular, was followed by protesters at nearly every North American venue it visited. The band's March 10, 1997 performance in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
was canceled "in response to growing public pressure by religious, civic and political leaders who criticized the group's image". The owner of Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
's Max Bell Centre had Marilyn Manson's July 25 show canceled, citing "immorality" and the band's "use of animals on stage." Another concert in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
was canceled a few days later due to Manson's reputation, and the venue's inability to get insurance for the show.
The New Jersey date of Ozzfest '97, to be held at Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
, was canceled by the New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority, who cited Marilyn Manson's performance as its reason; the event was only held after Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
himself successfully sued the state, which compelled the authorities to allow the concert. Legislation was introduced and passed in South Carolina and Utah allowing state-operated venues to ban groups like Marilyn Manson from performing and, in at least one instance, in Florida, local schools have gone so far as to threaten expulsion
Expulsion (academia)
Expulsion or exclusion refers to the permanent removal of a student from a school system or university for violating that institution's rules. Laws and procedures regarding expulsion vary between countries and states.-State sector:...
for students in attendance of Marilyn Manson concerts.
School shootings
Following the Columbine High School massacreColumbine High School massacre
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
, there were accusations that killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold
Eric David Harris and Dylan Bennet Klebold were American high school seniors who committed the Columbine High School massacre. They killed 13 people—including teacher Dave Sanders—and injured 24 others, three of whom were injured as they escaped the attack...
were influenced by Marilyn Manson's music. When later evidence was presented that neither Harris nor Klebold were fans of the band, many were led to criticize the media for using the band as a scapegoat instead of analyzing the underlying societal problems surrounding the incident. In the controversial documentary Bowling for Columbine
Bowling for Columbine
Bowling for Columbine is a 2002 documentary film written, directed, produced, and narrated by Michael Moore. The film explores what Michael Moore suggests are the causes for the Columbine High School massacre and other acts of violence with guns...
, Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
interviewed Manson about the tragedy. When asked what he would say to the victims, Manson 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". Manson also submitted an op-ed piece to Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine [June 24, 1999] titled "Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?". which detailed his opinion on violence as an inherent cultural presence as well as discussing the shootings and his status as an easy target for blame in incidents of this kind. He also said that he expresses condolences to the victim's families. Rapper Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
criticized the controversy in his song "The Way I Am
The Way I Am (Eminem song)
- Charts :...
", which contains the line, "When a dude's gettin' bullied and shoots up his school/And they blame it on Marilyn, and the heroin/Where were the parents at?". Marilyn Manson made a cameo in the video for the song, and even contributed vocals to a guitar-heavy remix.
The controversy connecting Marilyn Manson and American school shootings continued on October 10, 2007 when 14-year-old Asa Coon opened gunfire on his high school in Cleveland, Ohio. SuccessTech Academy
SuccessTech Academy
SuccessTech Academy is an alternative public high school in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District...
went to lock-down status around 1:15pm, when Coon shot four people; including two students, and two teachers, before turning the gun on himself. Police reports, and student interviews claim that Coon was wearing a Marilyn Manson t-shirt during the rampage. On several occasions, Coon told students and teachers that he did not believe in, nor respect God; instead worshipped the band's vocalist, Brian Warner. Coon was known for violent behavior, and stood out among the student body for his appearance—which included black boots, a black trench coat, black nail polish, and rock t-shirts.
Musical style
Marilyn Manson has come to be known for altering both its image and its musical trappings frequently; the group's sound incorporating, at various stages, elements of spoken-word poetry, glam rock, and — more recently — vaudevilleVaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and burlesque
American burlesque
American Burlesque is a genre of variety show. Derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall and minstrel shows, burlesque shows in America became popular in the 1860s and evolved to feature ribald comedy and female striptease...
. Genres ascribed to the band over its career include alternative metal
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
, alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, industrial metal
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
, industrial rock
Industrial rock
Industrial rock is a musical genre that fuses industrial music and specific rock subgenres. Industrial rock spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused...
and shock rock
Shock rock
Shock rock is an umbrella term for artists who combine rock music with elements of theatrical shock value in live performances.-History:Screamin' Jay Hawkins was arguably the first shock rocker...
. Lead singer Manson was fond of Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
and Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
as a young music fan. Then later fond of The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
and Bauhaus
Bauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
(Eat Me, Drink Me
Eat Me, Drink Me
Eat Me, Drink Me is the sixth full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on June 5, 2007, debuting at number 8 in the United States with more than 80,000 copies sold in the first week. It was recorded in a rented home-recording studio in Hollywood, California by...
period).
Influences
Initially, after being introduced to Big BlackBig Black
Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Naked Raygun...
's album Songs About Fucking
Songs About Fucking
Songs About Fucking is the second and final album by the noise rock band Big Black. It placed 54th on Pitchfork Media's 'Top 100 Albums of the 1980s'. Included are covers of Kraftwerk's "The Model" and Cheap Trick's "He's a Whore".-Production:...
by a fellow Miami clubgoer, who would become his keyboard player, Madonna Wayne Gacy
Madonna Wayne Gacy
Stephen Gregory Bier Jr., formerly known by his stage name Madonna Wayne Gacy is the former keyboard player for Marilyn Manson, 1989-2007. His stage name came from the names of the singer Madonna and the serial killer John Wayne Gacy...
, Manson had the desire to form a rock band that used a drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
— an uncommon technique outside of dance music at the time. The earliest incarnations of Marilyn Manson used this setup, and produced experimental, drum-heavy compositions similar to Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
's work with Big Black; later, with the addition of a live drummer, the band's composing process, recording techniques, and live performances were by necessity altered. Guitarist Daisy Berkowitz and bassist Gidget Gein
Gidget Gein
Gidget Gein was an American musician and artist. He was the second bassist and co-founder of the alternative metal band Marilyn Manson. His stage name references and dichotomises serial killer Ed Gein and the novel Gidget.-Early life:Bradley Stewart was born in Hollywood, Florida...
, who came from punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
backgrounds, brought the musicianship and songwriting style of the Jim Carroll
Jim Carroll
James Dennis "Jim" Carroll was an author, poet, autobiographer, and punk musician. Carroll was best known for his 1978 autobiographical work The Basketball Diaries, which was made into the 1995 film of the same name, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Carroll.-Biography:Carroll was born to a...
Band (whose "People Who Died" was an early favorite cover for Marilyn Manson) and the showmanship of The New York Dolls to the mixture. The result was something that Nothing Records
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...
would initially compare to Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...
, but which, after the band spent some time at Nothing, would also gather sonic elements from other bands on that label's roster, like Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
and Prick.
Marilyn Manson was also influenced by his mentor who raised his notoriety in the industrial scene, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. Reznor started Manson on his record label, Nothing Records, as well as allowing him a spot in his touring entourage.
Evidently, Manson is heavily influenced by the shock rock
Shock rock
Shock rock is an umbrella term for artists who combine rock music with elements of theatrical shock value in live performances.-History:Screamin' Jay Hawkins was arguably the first shock rocker...
stylings of such artists as Arthur Brown
Arthur Brown (musician)
Arthur Brown is an English rock and roll musician best known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, George Clinton, Kiss, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickinson, among others, and for his number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and...
, Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
and some of Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
; however, late influences have come from the glam rock of David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
(who Manson claims is his biggest influence), whose chameleon
Chameleon
Chameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extrudable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a...
-like ability to shift from one style to another, replete with a new look and musical philosophy, was a characteristic which would also be frequently ascribed to Marilyn Manson by the music press. Such an influence is exemplified in the similarities between the music videos of Bowie's "The Heart's Filthy Lesson" and many of Manson's videos, such as "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
-Personnel:*Annie Lennox – vocals, keyboards, synthesisers, flute*David A. Stewart – guitar, keyboards, synthesisers, programming, backing vocals-Additional personnel:*Robert Crash - Guitar/ E-Drums/ Synth/ Robotic vocals...
". (Floria Sigismondi has directed music videos for both Bowie (Little Wonder) and Manson (The Beautiful People and Tourniquet)) The hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
background of John 5 amplified this aspect of the band's sound in live performance; Tim Skold, a former guitarist, bassist, and vocalist in Shotgun Messiah
Shotgun Messiah
Shotgun Messiah were a glam metal band originally from Sweden; they crossed over to industrial rock music during the early 1990s.-First Era, 1985-1991:...
, later blended in that band's mixture of industrial drums and guitars. Both Manson and Twiggy Ramirez have mentioned the influence of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
on their more melodic work, particularly on Mechanical Animals
Mechanical Animals
Mechanical Animals is the third full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on September 14, 1998, in Australia and on September 15, 1998, in the US, Germany and France through Nothing and Interscope Records and marked the beginning of the band's brief foray into...
and Eat Me, Drink Me
Eat Me, Drink Me
Eat Me, Drink Me is the sixth full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on June 5, 2007, debuting at number 8 in the United States with more than 80,000 copies sold in the first week. It was recorded in a rented home-recording studio in Hollywood, California by...
, the latter of which Twiggy did not work on.
Composition and songwriting
All of the band's lyrics are written by the lead singer, Marilyn MansonMarilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
, whose songwriting style varies between the band's albums. He uses sharp and inventive word play
Word play
Word play or wordplay is a literary technique in which the words that are used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement...
often making use of pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s and double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
s in his writing — for instance, a song on the Holy Wood
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
Holy Wood is the fourth studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson, released in November 2000 through Nothing and Interscope Records. The album marked a return to the industrial and alternative metal style of the band's earlier efforts, after the modernized glam rock sound of Mechanical...
album, which references the shootings at Columbine High School
Columbine High School
Columbine High School or CHS is a high school in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado, United States.- History :Columbine High School opened in the fall of 1973. There was no senior class in its first year. The school's first graduating class was the class of 1975...
, is titled "Target Audience"; the album also makes frequent allusions to assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
, and the song "The Fall of Adam" refers to "Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
Town Cars
Lincoln Town Car
The Lincoln Town Car is a full-size luxury sedan that was sold by the upscale Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company; it was produced from 1981 to the 2011 model years...
". These witticisms often take the form of neologisms, delivered several at a time in rapid-fire fashion. Concerning Manson's vocal melodies, the lyrics are usually delivered in a spoken, shouting, or melody driven fashion, the latter usually being reserved for the chorus sections.
The instrumental component is primarily composed by the other permanent band members, who at present are Twiggy Ramirez on studio & live bass and occasional studio guitars; and Ginger Fish, on live drums. Until his departure from the band, Twiggy Ramirez was a chief contributor to the compositions, with receiving "music by" credits on every Marilyn Manson album prior to The Golden Age of Grotesque
The Golden Age of Grotesque
Initial critical response to The Golden Age of Grotesque was mixed. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 60, indicating mixed or average reviews, based on 12 publications...
, with the exception of Portrait of an American Family
Portrait of an American Family
Portrait of an American Family is the debut full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on July 19, 1994 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. It was produced by the band's frontman and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails...
, with Daisy Berkowitz and Gidget Gein
Gidget Gein
Gidget Gein was an American musician and artist. He was the second bassist and co-founder of the alternative metal band Marilyn Manson. His stage name references and dichotomises serial killer Ed Gein and the novel Gidget.-Early life:Bradley Stewart was born in Hollywood, Florida...
sharing songwriting credits. According to the albums' credits, every permanent member of the band has had input, at some point, in its songwriting process.
During the first part of their major label career (1994–2004), Marilyn Manson often recorded cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of songs by other artists.
All of the officially-released covers the band have recorded are:
| Year | Title | Released on | Original artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | "Down in the Park Down in the Park "Down in the Park" is a 1979 single written and recorded by Gary Numan with his band Tubeway Army. The first cut from the album Replicas, it was not a hit when released but has long been a critical and fan favourite and for many years was described by Numan as his best composition.-Style:Like the... " |
Lunchbox (EP) | Gary Numan Gary Numan Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music... |
| "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" | Smells Like Children Smells Like Children Smells Like Children is a EP by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 24, 1995 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. It was produced by the band's frontman and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails... (EP) |
Eurythmics Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A... |
|
| "I Put a Spell on You I Put a Spell on You "I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, whose recording was selected as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was also ranked #320 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.Although Hawkins'... " |
Smells Like Children | Screamin' Jay Hawkins Screamin' Jay Hawkins Jalacy Hawkins , best known as Screamin' Jay Hawkins was an American musician, singer, and actor... |
|
| "Rock 'n' Roll Nigger Rock N Roll Nigger "Rock N Roll Nigger" is a rock song written by Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye, and released on the Patti Smith Group's 1978 album Easter. The song has since been covered by several artists, and was included on the soundtrack of the 1994 film Natural Born Killers.- Liner notes :The following is quoted... " |
Smells Like Children | Patti Smith Patti Smith Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses.... |
|
| 1998 | "Golden Years Golden Years (song) An updated single for "Golden Years" was released in 2011 to coincide with the re-release of Station to Station. 4 new remixes were provided by DJs from radio station KCRW in California.-Track listing:# "Golden Years " - 3:27... " |
Dead Man on Campus Dead Man on Campus (film) Dead Man on Campus is a 1998 comedy film starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tom Everett Scott. It centers on the urban legend that a student gets straight A's if his or her roommate commits suicide... (OST Soundtrack A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the... ) |
David Bowie David Bowie David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s... |
| 1999 | "Highway to Hell Highway to Hell (song) "Highway to Hell" is the opening track of AC/DC's 1979 album Highway to Hell and the twelfth track on AC/DC Live. It was initially released as a single in 1979.... " |
Detroit Rock City (OST) | AC/DC AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"... |
| "Get My Rocks Off" | The Last Tour on Earth The Last Tour on Earth The Last Tour on Earth is a live album comprising recordings from Marilyn Manson's Mechanical Animals and Rock is Dead tours. On the studio version of "The Dope Show", Manson says that drugs "are made in California", but in the live version, he says that "drugs, they say, are made right here in... |
Doctor Hook Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show was an American pop, country and soft rock band, formed around Union City, New Jersey in 1967 as The Chocolate Papers. They enjoyed considerable commercial success in the 1970s with hit singles including "Sylvia's Mother", "The Cover of the Rolling Stone", "A Little Bit... |
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| "A Rose and a Baby Ruth A Rose and a Baby Ruth "A Rose and a Baby Ruth" is the title of a song written by John D. Loudermilk. The song was published in 1956. The best-known version was recorded by George Hamilton IV... " |
The Last Tour on Earth | George Hamilton IV George Hamilton IV George Hege Hamilton IV is an American country musician. He began performing in the late 1950s as a teen idol, later switching to country music in the early 1960s.-Biography:Hamilton was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina... |
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| 2000 | "Working Class Hero Working Class Hero "Working Class Hero" is a song from John Lennon's first post-Beatles solo album, 1970's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.-Theme:The song is a take on the class split of the 1940s and 1950s, and of the 1960s in which he was famous. The song appears to tell the story of someone growing up in the working... " |
Disposable Teens Disposable Teens "Disposable Teens" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It is the first single from their fourth full-length studio album, Holy Wood , released in 2001.... (single) |
John Lennon John Lennon John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music... |
| "Five to One Five To One "Five to One" is a song by The Doors, from their 1968 album Waiting for the Sun.-Origin:"Five to one" is rumored to be the approximate ratio of whites to blacks, old to young, or non-pot smokers to pot smokers in the US in 1967, depending on whom you ask. A further urban legend has it as the ratio... " |
Disposable Teens | The Doors The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger... |
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| "Suicide Is Painless Suicide Is Painless "Suicide Is Painless" is a song written by Johnny Mandel and Mike Altman , which is best known for being featured as the theme song for both the movie and TV series M*A*S*H. The actual title is "Song from M*A*S*H" ". Mike Altman is the son of the original film's director, Robert Altman, and was 14... " |
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (OST) | Theme From M*A*S*H | |
| 2001 | "Tainted Love" | Not Another Teen Movie (OST) | Gloria Jones Gloria Jones Gloria Richetta Jones is an American singer and songwriter from Los Angeles, California. She recorded the 1964 northern soul song, "Tainted Love", later a hit for the British synth-pop duo, Soft Cell. She was the girlfriend of glam rock artist Marc Bolan of the band T... |
| 2003 | "The KKK Took My Baby Away The KKK Took My Baby Away "The KKK Took My Baby Away" is a song written by Joey Ramone. It appears on the Ramones' 1981 album Pleasant Dreams.It has been speculated that Joey wrote the song as a reference to Johnny Ramone "stealing" away his girlfriend Linda, though Joey's brother Mickey Leigh has said that the song was... " |
We're A Happy Family: A Tribute to | The Ramones |
| "Mind of a Lunatic" | This Is the New Shit This Is the New Shit "This Is the New Shit" is the second single of Marilyn Manson's album The Golden Age of Grotesque. It has several new industrial beats that Tim Sköld added when he joined the band as the bassist in 2002. It was the most successful song from The Golden Age of Grotesque following mOBSCENE... (single) |
The Geto Boys Geto Boys Geto Boys is a rap group from Houston, Texas, consisting of Scarface, Willie D and Bushwick Bill. The Geto Boys earned notoriety for its lyrics which included misogyny, gore, psychotic experiences, and necrophilia... |
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| 2004 | "Personal Jesus" | Lest We Forget: The Best Of | Depeche Mode Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke... |
| 2006 | "This Is Halloween This is Halloween "This Is Halloween" is a song by composer Danny Elfman from the 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas, performed by the residents of the fictional "Halloween Town", which is the film's main setting. The song is featured in both HalloWishes at the Magic Kingdom and at Disneyland's Halloween... " |
The Nightmare Before Christmas The Nightmare Before Christmas (soundtrack) The Nightmare Before Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the 1993 soundtrack to the film of the same name. Composed by Danny Elfman, the soundtrack was nominated for the 1993 Golden Globe for best original score. The album peaked at #98 on the Billboard 200... (OST) |
Danny Elfman Danny Elfman Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an American composer, best known for scoring music for television and film. Up until 1995, he was the lead singer and songwriter in the rock band Oingo Boingo, a group he formed in 1976... |
Band members
Many members have contributed performances (either live or in-studio) on instruments other than their primary ones. For instance, Ramirez has played guitar on several records while his live instrument is bass (though has recently switched to live guitar), Madonna Wayne Gacy ("Pogo") has played KeyboardsKeyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, theremin
Theremin
The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
and calliope
Calliope (music)
A calliope is a musical instrument that produces sound by sending a gas, originally steam or more recently compressed air, through large whistles, originally locomotive whistles....
, Manson has played pan flute
Pan flute
The pan flute or pan pipe is an ancient musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting usually of five or more pipes of gradually increasing length...
, harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
, keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, and Berkowitz has been credited with bass guitar and drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s. Chris Vrenna filled in on drums for Ginger Fish when he was injured, and later replaced Pogo on keyboards, however, following the departure of Ginger Fish, Vrenna may become the permanent drummer.
Current
- Marilyn MansonMarilyn MansonMarilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
– lead vocals (since 1989) - Twiggy Ramirez – guitars (since 2009), bass guitar (1993–2002, 2008)
- Fred SablanFred SablanFred Sablan , is an American musician originally from Cupertino, California. He is currently the bassist for Marilyn Manson....
– bass guitar (since 2010)
Former
- Zsa Zsa SpeckZsa Zsa SpeckZsa Zsa Speck was the keyboardist for Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids in 1989. His stage name came from the combination Zsa Zsa Gabor and Richard Speck, following the band's naming style of combining the names of a fashion icon and mass murderer...
– keyboards (1989) - Olivia Newton BundyOlivia Newton BundyBrian 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...
– bass (1989) - Gidget GeinGidget GeinGidget Gein was an American musician and artist. He was the second bassist and co-founder of the alternative metal band Marilyn Manson. His stage name references and dichotomises serial killer Ed Gein and the novel Gidget.-Early life:Bradley Stewart was born in Hollywood, Florida...
– bass (1989/1990–1994) - Sara Lee LucasSara Lee LucasFrederick Streithorst, Jr., is the original drummer for Marilyn Manson. Formerly known by his performing name, “Sara Lee Lucas”, , his alias is derived from American serial killer Henry Lee Lucas and the baked goods company, Sara Lee...
– drums, percussion (1991–1995) - Daisy BerkowitzScott PuteskyScott Mitchell Putesky , more famously known as Daisy Berkowitz, is an American musician, and was the lead guitarist and co-founder of the heavy metal group Marilyn Manson...
– guitars (1989–1996) - Zim ZumZim ZumTimothy Michael Linton more commonly known as Zim Zum, is an American rock musician/songwriter and former guitarist for Life, Sex & Death and Marilyn Manson...
– guitars (1996–1998) - John 5 – guitars (1998–2004)
- Madonna Wayne GacyMadonna Wayne GacyStephen Gregory Bier Jr., formerly known by his stage name Madonna Wayne Gacy is the former keyboard player for Marilyn Manson, 1989-2007. His stage name came from the names of the singer Madonna and the serial killer John Wayne Gacy...
– keyboards, percussion (1989–2007) - Tim SköldTim SkoldTim Sköld is a multi-instrumentalist who, in addition to producing solo work, has also collaborated with multiple musical groups including Shotgun Messiah, KMFDM and Marilyn Manson.-Early life:...
– guitars (2006–2008), bass (2002–2005) - Ginger FishGinger FishKenneth Robert Wilson , better known by his stage name Ginger Fish, is an American drummer primarily known for playing drums for Marilyn Manson 1995-2011...
– drums, percussion (1995–2011) - Chris Vrenna – drums, percussion (2004-2005), keyboards, percussion (2007–2011)
Touring
- Mark ChausseeMark ChausseeMark Chaussee is an American guitarist born inMinneapolis, Minnesota and an adherent of heavy metal and hard rock. Played guitar in The Coup De Grace, Fight, Danzig, Jimmy Coup, and Marilyn Manson.-World of Hurt:...
– guitars (2004–2005) - Chris Vrenna – drums (2004–2005)
- Rob HollidayRob HollidayRob Holliday is a professional musician. He was the live guitarist of industrial metal band Marilyn Manson as well as for Gary Numan, The Prodigy, and Sulpher...
– bass (2007), guitars (2008) - Wes BorlandWes BorlandWesley Louden Borland is an American musician and artist, best known as the guitarist for the band Limp Bizkit. He has been in several other bands as well including: Black Light Burns, The Damning Well, Goatslayer, Big Dumb Face, and Combichrist...
– guitars (2008) - Andy GeroldAndy GeroldAndy Gerold is a professional multi-instrumentalist and is best known as a former bassist of Marilyn Manson.-Early life:...
– bass (2009)
Discography
- Portrait of an American FamilyPortrait of an American FamilyPortrait of an American Family is the debut full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on July 19, 1994 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. It was produced by the band's frontman and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails...
(1994) - Antichrist SuperstarAntichrist SuperstarAntichrist Superstar is the second full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 8, 1996 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. The record's success in mainstream charts propelled the band into a household name and turned its frontman overnight...
(1996) - Mechanical AnimalsMechanical AnimalsMechanical Animals is the third full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on September 14, 1998, in Australia and on September 15, 1998, in the US, Germany and France through Nothing and Interscope Records and marked the beginning of the band's brief foray into...
(1998) - Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)Holy Wood is the fourth studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson, released in November 2000 through Nothing and Interscope Records. The album marked a return to the industrial and alternative metal style of the band's earlier efforts, after the modernized glam rock sound of Mechanical...
(2000) - The Golden Age of GrotesqueThe Golden Age of GrotesqueInitial critical response to The Golden Age of Grotesque was mixed. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 60, indicating mixed or average reviews, based on 12 publications...
(2003) - Eat Me, Drink MeEat Me, Drink MeEat Me, Drink Me is the sixth full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on June 5, 2007, debuting at number 8 in the United States with more than 80,000 copies sold in the first week. It was recorded in a rented home-recording studio in Hollywood, California by...
(2007) - The High End of LowThe High End of LowThe High End of Low is the seventh full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. Sean Beavan, who mixed Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals, and Eat Me, Drink Me, is co-producer of the album along with Chris Vrenna...
(2009) - Born VillainBorn VillainBorn Villain is the upcoming eighth full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It is set to be jointly released in February 2012 by Cooking Vinyl Records and Manson's own vanity label Hell, etc...
(2012)
Awards
Marilyn Manson has been nominated for three Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s.
- "The Dope ShowThe Dope Show"The Dope Show" is a song from Marilyn Manson's 1998 album Mechanical Animals, released in September of that year as the album's lead single...
" – Best Hard Rock PerformanceGrammy Award for Best Hard Rock PerformanceThe Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, for works containing quality performances in the hard rock music genre...
, 1999 - "Astonishing Panorama of the EndtimesAstonishing Panorama of the Endtimes"Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes" is a song by Marilyn Manson. It was the only single on the Celebrity Deathmatch soundtrack. It was nominated for the Best Metal Performance Grammy in 2001, but lost to "Elite" by Deftones.-Track listing:...
" – Best Metal PerformanceGrammy Award for Best Metal PerformanceThe Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre...
, 2001 - "mOBSCENEMOBSCENE"Mobscene", stylized as "mOBSCENE", is the inaugural single taken from the 2003 Marilyn Manson album The Golden Age of Grotesque. Lines in the song chanted by female vocalists, "Be obscene, be, be obscene..." are inspired by a quote by Oscar Wilde that has been commonly used as a chant among...
" – Best Metal PerformanceGrammy Award for Best Metal PerformanceThe Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre...
, 2004
On August 29, 2000, the band was inducted by Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
into their Hall of Fame at the 2000 Kerrang! Awards. The band's frontman was on hand to receive the award from Swedish-born actress Britt Ekland
Britt Ekland
Britt-Marie Ekland is a Swedish actress and singer, and a long time resident of the United Kingdom. She is best known for her roles as a Bond girl in The Man with the Golden Gun, and in the British cult horror film The Wicker Man, as well as her marriage to actor Peter Sellers, and her...
. As a result of a food fight
Food fight
A food fight is a form of chaotic collective behavior, in which food is thrown at others in the manner of projectiles. These projectiles are not made to harm or damage others, but to simply ignite a fight filled with spontaneous food throwing. Food fights may be impromptu examples of rebellion or...
that erupted between guests like Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
, and Motorhead, the presenter slipped on piece of watermelon and broke her ankle and wrist. Still, she presented the award to Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
while sitting in a chair.