Marilyn Manson
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History of the band
As a band, Marilyn Manson got their start in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1989 as Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids. Marilyn Manson's early presentation had a more comic-bookish, Scooby Doo-style than the dark, brooding style of their later image.
The band received little attention outside Florida until they were noticed by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor. Marilyn Manson's first CD, Portrait of an American Family was released on Reznor's Nothing Records label.
The only remaining founding members of the band are Marilyn Manson himself (vocals) and Madonna Wayne Gacy (keyboards). Until 1996, the name of each band member was created by combining the first name of a female pop culture icon and the last name of a serial killer; Manson's name a combination of the names of Marilyn Monroe and cult leader Charles Manson.
The members of the band dress in often bizarre costumes, and have developed a devoted fan base both for their music and their sometimes shocking behavior (see also KISS and Alice Cooper).
Manson's lyrics have frequently been called offensive and obscene, and protests and petitions have successfully had the group banned from performing. In 1997, the owner of Calgary's Max Bell Centre had Manson's July 25 show cancelled, citing "immorality" and the band's "use of animals on stage." Another concert in Portland was cancelled a few days later due to Manson's reputation, and the venue's inability to get insurance for the gig. 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 kids. Manson supporters claim it was merely another salvo in Joseph Lieberman's declared war on the band. The hearing featured the testimony 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."
Manson is often described as a follower and ordained minister of the Church of Satan. This, however, is not strictly true; he was appointed as honorary Reverend by late founder Anton LaVey. Unlike being an ordained minister, a Reverend of the Church of Satan is one who is revered by the Church for some reason – regardless of their connections to it — while a priest or minister is one who dedicates their life to preaching the religion to others. Nevertheless, some fans refer to him as the Rev. Marilyn Manson.
On May 16 2001, it was announced on the ReligionToday website that Manson 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." Christians have reportedly tried on occasion to let Manson know that they are praying for his salvation.
Manson has released Lest We Forget, a greatest hits album including a cover of "Personal Jesus", a Depeche Mode hit. It also contains a bonus DVD with most of the band's music videos, excluding "Tainted Love". Manson has called this album his "farewell" album, but it is not his last album. At present (April 2005) Manson is performing on his worldwide Against All Gods tour.
Media portrayal and confusion regarding Manson
Following the Columbine High School massacre, there were accusations that killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were influenced by Manson's music, despite statements by both Harris and Klebold that they were not fans of Manson, leading many to criticize the media as using Manson as a scapegoat instead of analyzing the underlying societal problems surrounding the incident. Nevertheless, out of respect for the victims, Manson canceled appearances in Denver until the 2001 Ozzfest. In the critically acclaimed documentary Bowling for Columbine, Michael Moore interviewed Manson about the tragedy. When asked what he would say to the two if he had a chance to talk to them before the killings, 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."
It was following the Columbine incident that the media began routinely tagging Marilyn Manson as "goth rock" despite the fact that Manson's music had little relation to gothic music or sub-culture. In 2005, the media once again cited Manson and the unrelated goth-rock in articles relating to a school shooting that occurred in Red Lake, Minnesota. While, there is no evidence to refute that Jeff Weise, the gunman in the shooting, listened to Marilyn Manson, information known about him through his blog and internet writings suggest that his like for Manson was hardly more relevant than his apparent love for '60s stoner rock. Yet, several media accounts, including that of nationally circulated columnist Ryan Bakkan (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002215413_kid22.html) stressed the relation of Marilyn Manson, with the connection to gothic sub-culture.
Manson on the Internet
Manson frequently broadcasted messages and interacted with his listeners on his official website from the release of Mechanical Animals until some time after Holy Wood was released. Fans could expect a short film to be available for download every few weeks. Often these films were monologues by Manson responding to fan questions or media announcements, and other films were obscure recordings from his studio. His participation gradually dropped off and since The Golden Age of Grotesque, almost no new content has appeared there.
Manson also released companion websites spawned from his concept albums. Mechanical Animals was companioned by Comawhite.com, an interactive online maze which led users to various drug and rose themed graphics, and links to hidden sections of his main website.
Holy Wood was companioned with the website Celebritarian.com, which featured a provoking questionnaire and a diagram showing that a human does not have a soul until age 10. An additional website, [ThisAsValentinesDay.com], featured a headline announcing JFK's death.
The Manson BBS was opened up after Mechanical Animals and was a very active forum in subjects other than the band. Discussion of art, politics, news and current events raged on in classic message board style. There was much debate on the meanings and interpretations of various lyrics, diagrams, or pictures featured in his album cover art--especially that of Holy Wood. Manson would occasionally interject on discussions along these lines.
For reasons unknown, the BBS was removed, then reintroduced a few months later, and removed again. The user base sharply declined and its uniqueness vanished as many classic members never returned.
Current members
- Marilyn Manson (Brian Warner) - Vocals
- Chris Vrenna - Drums (Temporary)
- Madonna Wayne (M.W.) Gacy a.k.a Pogo (Stephen Bier, Jr.) - Keyboards & Alt. Drums
- Tim Skold - Bass Guitar
- Mark Chaussee - Guitar (Temporary)
- Ginger Fish (Kenny Wilson) - Drums (temporarily out of band due to recovering from injury)
Chris Vrenna of Tweaker, (formerly of Nine Inch Nails), played drums on the Against All Gods US tour dates filling in for Ginger Fish. The substitution came as a result of Ginger sustaining several injuries while performing at the VIVA Comet Awards in Germany including a fractured arm and a broken nose. It has not yet been decided whether Ginger Fish will rejoin Marilyn Manson; since his recovery from this accident he has been recording and performing with a new band, Martyr Plot.
Mark Chaussee has taken over from John 5 and played lead guitar for the tour. To date, there has been no official statement regarding the position of guitar player and Chaussee is regarded as temporary. Current speculation points to bass player Tim Skold taking over lead guitar duties for recording and having a hired guitarist play live.
Past members
- Zsa Zsa Speck (Perry Pandrea) - keyboard 1990-1991
- Olivia Newton Bundy (Brian Tutunick) - bass 1991
- Gidget Gein (Brad Stewart) - bass 1990-1993
- Sara Lee Lucas (Freddy Streithorst) - drums 1990-1995
- Daisy Berkowitz (Scott Putesky) - guitar, bass, programming 1990-1996
- Zim Zum (Michael Linton) - guitar 1996-1998
- Twiggy Ramirez (Jeordie White) - bass/guitar 1993-2002
- John 5 (John Lowery) - guitar 1998-2004
Discography
Studio Albums
- Portrait of an American Family (1994)
- Antichrist Superstar (1996)
- Mechanical Animals (1998)
- Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) (2000)
- The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003)
Compilations and remixes
- Smells Like Children (1995)
- Remix and Repent (1997)
- Lest We Forget (2004)
EPs and demos
- The Raw Boned Psalms (early 1990)
- Beaver Meat Cleaver Beat (early 1990)
- Big Black Bus (summer 1990)
- Grist-O-Line (fall/winter 1990)
- After School Special (January 1991)
- Lunchbox (1991)
- The Family Jams (mid 1992)
- Untitled ("Refrigerator") (early 1993)
Concerts and Lives
- Live As Hell - Radio Show '92 (1993)
- The Last Tour On Earth (1999)
Music videos
From Portrait of an American Family
- Get Your Gunn
- Lunchbox
- Dope Hat
From Smells Like Children
- Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
From Antichrist Superstar
- The Beautiful People
- Tourniquet
- Cryptorchid
- Man That You Fear
From the Spawn Soundtrack
- Long Hard Road Out Of Hell
From Mechanical Animals
- The Dope Show
- Rock Is Dead
- I Don't Like the Drugs, But The Drugs Like Me
- Coma White
From Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
- The Fight Song
- Disposable Teens
- The Nobodies
From the Not Another Teen Movie Soundtrack
- Tainted Love
From The Golden Age of Grotesque
- mOBSCENE
- This Is the New Shit
- (s)AINT
From Lest We Forget
- Personal Jesus
Tour history
- Against All Gods (2004-2005)
- Grotesk Burlesk (2003-2004)
- Ozzfest 2003
- Ozzfest 2001
- Guns, God and Government (2000-2001)
- Mechanical Animals Promo (1998-1999)
- Rock Is Dead (1997-1998)
- Dead to the World (1996-1997)
- Smells Like Children (1995-1996)
- Portrait of an American Family (1994-1995)
Biographies
- Official: The Long Hard Road Out of Hell, 1998 Regan Paperback ISBN 0060987464
- Unauthorized: Dissecting Marilyn Manson, 2002 Plexus Paperback ISBN 0859653293
Video releases
- Lest We Forget (2004) (The deluxe edition comes with a bonus DVD featuring all Marilyn Manson's music videos excluding Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes and Tainted Love, as well as (s)AINT and Personal Jesus, on some versions).
- Doppelherz (2003) (DVD, comes only with the limited edition of The Golden Age of Grotesque).
- Guns, God and Government (DVD & VHS) (2002) - a documentary of the Guns, God and Government tour.
- God Is in the T.V. (VHS) (1999) - a collection of all band's music videos (from Get Your Gunn to Coma White) plus an hour of live footage of the Rock Is Dead tour.
- Dead to the World (VHS) (1998) - a documentary of the Dead to the World tour.
External links
- Official website (http://www.marilynmanson.com/)
- His weblog (http://www.marilynmanson.com/journal.php)
- The Heirophant (http://www.mansonusa.com/)
- Manson-World.Net (http://www.manson-world.net/us/)
- The Nachtkabarett (http://www.nachtkabarett.com/)
- Marilyn Manson.net (http://www.marilyn-manson.net)
- ArchDandy.com (http://www.archdandy.com)
- Mansonology (http://m-ology.hk.st) A Traditional Chinese Marilyn Manson site
- Manson Legion (http://www.mansonlegion.com/) A French site, has all of Marilyn Manson's videos as well as rare songs and video clipsda:Marilyn Manson
de:Marilyn Manson es:Marilyn Manson fr:Marilyn Manson it:Marilyn Manson ja:マリリン・マンソン nl:Marilyn Manson (band) fi:Marilyn Manson ru:Мэрилин Мэнсон