Marilyn Manson

[alan nagsworth]

Come on, now. Show Brian some love. This bloke completely changed my life at age 14, struggling to find an identity and shitting angst all over my mother's kitchen floor. It's a shame he has to be tarred with all the trite observations of being "that guy," responsible for corrupting the youth like no one ever before, looking like a million different nutters throughout the years and being some goth-lite poster boy for misery. He has almost become that personification now, egotistical and knocking out any old kooky shit. I feel much the same way about Tim Burton, who was once a beautiful visionary who truly hit the core of a niche demographic absolutely perfectly. Manson should be rightfully acknowledged as an absolute behemoth of provocative pop music, alongside David Bowie, Bjork, and so on. The man is (was, in some cases) relentlessly insightful, patient and well-composed.

I've been revisiting a lot of his work recently, for the first time in about eight years, and the albums Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals in particular are absolutely outstanding bodies of work, much to my surprise. I had forgotten just how unpretentiously provocative and creative he was. He definitely got a very good break to have Trent Reznor's unparalleled production on those early records, but that's not to say that he was ever a polished turd. It was a perfect merging of two artistic minds. Manson created his own legacy much like Bowie and Kevin Barnes, a beautiful timeline of evolution, totally flawlessly. Even the less impressive Holywood and The Golden Age of Grotesque were extremely well presented and put together. He kind of lost focus after that, taking a four year hiatus and returning with a very introspective and personal album, but everything prior to that, despite me not liking all of it, was artistically excellent.

Furthermore, I've been watching a bunch of interviews on the old 'tube, and the dude is so fucking intelligent. I mean, not just because his messages are important, but because of how effortlessly eloquent he is in confrontational situations. He never really rises to any critics, no matter how unapologetically cuntish they are towards his appearance and his music. He is always calm and composed, he never becomes angry, he always defies the expectations of those out to condemn him for being aggressive and hostile. The speed at which he can produce a profound little snippet and just dumbfound a chat show host or even an entire audience is fantastic. A truly masterful artist at every turn, almost completely untouchable. I watched Michael Moore's little interview with him regarding the Columbine murders, and Moore asks, 'If you were to talk directly to the kids at Columbine or the people in that community, what would you say to them if they were here right now?' to which Manson quickly but calmly replies, '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 gave me chills up my spine. One of the simplest and most beautiful things I've heard an artist say, especially since it was such a controversial issue at the time. I find it hard to believe how cynics and critics of his work could not instantly change their perception of him in that fleeting few seconds of speech.

Marilyn Manson also has a fantastic singing voice, a very sexy talking voice, an exhuberant natural charm and a bloody great knack for watercolours, too. What a guy! Don'tcha think?

Interviews:
Michael Moore (Bowling For Columbine)
The O'Reilly Factor
David Letterman (circa around 1998)
David Letterman (2003)
and on Phil Donahue's talk show, discussing concert violence/moshing with several other people. That one's in three parts, I'm sure you can figure that shit out.

[MadcapLass]

Mechanical Animals is class and I like a handful off the other albums each up to Holy Wood.
Love shown.

[AsparagusTrevor]

I agree, I think Antichrist Superstar especially is just an outstandingly composed album.

[wosl]

This bloke completely changed my life at age 14, struggling to find an identity and shitting angst all over my mother's kitchen floor.

If we say significantly rather than completely, it was Bob Mould who did that for me!  Re. MM; it's too late in the day to start listening to a load of bellicose, transgressive goth-metal (for one thing, the top-end in me ears has gone; can no longer get the same rush from dense, rawk textures that I used to).  He comes across very well in his interview bit in 'Bowling,' though; very savvy and self-aware, and nicely laconic.

[Kane Jones]

Mechanical Animals is a brilliant album.  I love the mix of Bowie-esque glam rock and 80s synth pop.  The choruses are bloody enormous on that record.  I really enjoyed Antichrist, Holy Wood and Golden Age - but Eat Me, Drink Me was the start of a decline of epic proportions.  He's actually rubbish now.  Unless I've just grown out of that kind of music.  It just sounds so fucking contrived.

[Nuclear Optimism]

In other news, that other Manson has written a lovely letter to his semi-namesake.

To Marilyn Manson –

    It's taken me a long time to get there from where I could touch M. Manson. Now I got a card to play – you may look into my non-profit, ATWA, and give Manson what you think he's got coming for Air, Trees, Water, and you. Or I will pay Manson what you think Manson got coming – the music has make Manson into Abraxas Devil, and I'm SURE you would want some of what I got from what I got. It's a far out balance. Beyond good and bad, right, wrong. What you don't do is what I will do – what you did a sing-along, and let it roll and said how you saved me a lot of steps – I don't need, it's not a need or a want. Couped – coup. Ghost dancers slay together and you're just in my grave Sunstroker Corona-coronas-coronae – you seen me from under with it all standing on me. That's 2 dump trucks – doing the same as CMF 000007

    Charles Manson

http://loudwire.com/charles-manson-writes-open-letter-to-marilyn-manson-from-prison/

[MadcapLass]

Mechanical Animals is a brilliant album.  I love the mix of Bowie-esque glam rock

He's always reminded me of Bowie, as in his actual sound and in the way he changed his look and sound with each album. 'Mechanical Animals' reminds me of 'Earthling' so much, love both those albums and the Reznor-Esque sound running through them.

[AsparagusTrevor]

To Marilyn Manson –

It's taken me a long time to get there from where I could touch M. Manson. Now I got a card to play – you may look into my non-profit, ATWA, and give Manson what you think he's got coming for Air, Trees, Water, and you. Or I will pay Manson what you think Manson got coming – the music has make Manson into Abraxas Devil, and I'm SURE you would want some of what I got from what I got. It's a far out balance. Beyond good and bad, right, wrong. What you don't do is what I will do – what you did a sing-along, and let it roll and said how you saved me a lot of steps – I don't need, it's not a need or a want. Couped – coup. Ghost dancers slay together and you're just in my grave Sunstroker Corona-coronas-coronae – you seen me from under with it all standing on me. That's 2 dump trucks – doing the same as CMF 000007

Charles Manson

Well that's that cleared up then.

[Gradual Decline]

Yep, another vote here for Mechanical Animals. Great album. Don't care for the other, more metallic efforts any more (stopped listening at Holy Wood). The first album still sounds kind of fun, I suppose.

Right, I'm offf to bed. Night loves.

[Treguard of Dunshelm]

Interesting to see Mechanical Animals getting so much love here, as I remember it being considered as something of a misstep when I was getting into MM.[nb]Having said that, it's my favourite too.[/nb] Holy Wood was seen as a return to form (it drags a bit though). For me, although it's got some great songs on it, the rot started to set in with The Golden Age of Grotesque - it's when he stopped scaring the parents and started to lapse into self-parody.

MM fans who haven't read The Long Hard Road Out of Hell should definitely give it a go - I suspect at least 50% of it is bulllshit, but it's very funny in places, has some great anecdotes and offers some interesting insight into Brian's early years and motivations.

[Kane Jones]

Interesting to see Mechanical Animals getting so much love here, as I remember it being considered as something of a misstep when I was getting into MM.[nb]Having said that, it's my favourite too.[/nb] Holy Wood was seen as a return to form (it drags a bit though). For me, although it's got some great songs on it, the rot started to set in with The Golden Age of Grotesque - it's when he stopped scaring the parents and started to lapse into self-parody.

MM fans who haven't read The Long Hard Road Out of Hell should definitely give it a go - I suspect at least 50% of it is bulllshit, but it's very funny in places, has some great anecdotes and offers some interesting insight into Brian's early years and motivations.

I like Mechanical Animals because it's not just straight-forward industrial/metal like his other stuff.  Funnily enough, despite the keyboards and glittery production, I'd say it's the least dated of his albums too.  And those choruses!  They're big, dumb anthems like all the best 70s glam rock. I'd love to get the 180g vinyl version - I bet it sounds incredible.

Long Hard Road Out Of Hell is a cracking read indeed.  Along with Motley Crue's The Dirt, it's one of my favourite music biographies. It's just solid entertainment.

[Nobody Soup]

I think portrait of an american family stands the test of time the best. just because it has the best tunes.

I am torn on mechanical animal, it's ok but I think it was a good album to introduce to a lot of gothy, black clad teens. I know, despite it not being that original or anything, it was a bit of help in introducing me to other types of music.

[thugler]

Yeah he's surprisingly good actually. I saw him at a festival once with some people who had no interest in him or that kind of music whatsoever and they were impressed by both the performance and the quality of the tunes.

I too thought eat me drink me was terrible. But 'The High end of low' was a slight return to form I thought, nice bluesy sound.

[Gradual Decline]

Nice piece on early Manson here - http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2012/10/marilyn-manson-the-spooky-kids.html

[SteveDave]

Did he ever release that version of The Dope Show that he did on some MTV Awards show? It had female backing singers wailing in the chorus. When I bought the CD single & they weren't on it I was quite disappointed. Other than that he & I have never crossed paths. Too shouty.

[Flouncer]

Yeah he's surprisingly good actually. I saw him at a festival once with some people who had no interest in him or that kind of music whatsoever and they were impressed by both the performance and the quality of the tunes.

I too thought eat me drink me was terrible. But 'The High end of low' was a slight return to form I thought, nice bluesy sound.

Same here really, his music isn't my thing at all but I happened to see him at Download 2003 and he was very good live. I seem to remember that he had some scantily clad ladies dancing on the stage wearing fake rubber tits over their, er, tits.

[ThisIsHardcore]

He was one of the people I looked up to as a kid, alongside Eminem, Kid Rock, Fred Durst and the guys out of Slipknot and KoRn.

Still, Disposable Teens is a bit of a tune.

[madhair60]

Eat Me, Drink Me is great.  As is most of the earlier stuff.  Really like Manson.

[Hangthebuggers]

Mechanical animals is superb. I didn't mind Hollywood either but it was quite a change from his 'smells like children' / 'antichrist superstar' days.

Watched him live three times. The first two times were pretty enjoyable and I even embarked on my first and only crowd surf   at the second gig (and then got told off). My larger, heavier, slighty more northern Irish friend attempted to replicate my style and landed face first onto the ground. Great days.

The third time he was utterly wank though and was obviously off his trolley on something and kept missing his lines and generally being a bit of a boor.

Nontheless as the OP says, M Manson was one of my earlier guilty pleasures in my youth (before anyone else had heard of him)[nb]probably[/nb]

[Retinend]

I finding this all a bit hard to swallow... MM - good? Can I have a few of his best tracks to judge?

[Noodle Lizard]

I don't really like him, but I did like the look of his Lewis Carroll-inspired film 'Phantasmagoria' which now looks like it'll never be finished/released:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g00D8owV8us

[alan nagsworth]

I finding this all a bit hard to swallow... MM - good?

[DukeDeMondo]

Mechanical Animals is my favourite also. The first three records are fantastic. Holy Wood sounded like someone had taped the best bits off MM and AS with the aid of two cassette players and a sheet of film designed to render everything that passed through it really lifeless and bloated and dull.

I bought Golden Age, listened to it a few times, forgot about it. I barely made it through either of the last two.

Mechanical Animals, though. That be's some stomp's on that. I Don't Like The Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me)... that's a quare bit of electro-gospel glam-scuzz wonder-bop. 

[DukeDeMondo]

Did he ever release that version of The Dope Show that he did on some MTV Awards show? It had female backing singers wailing in the chorus. When I bought the CD single & they weren't on it I was quite disappointed.

Are you sure it wasn't this? (same album): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EefPcht54c

[Kane Jones]

I Don't Like The Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me)... that's a quare bit of electro-gospel glam-scuzz wonder-bop.

Fantastic song.  Great title too.  I think a lot of 'regular folk' don't quite get how funny MM is and how deliberately preposterous and overblown his work is.  Mechanical Animals (and the song you mention in particular) illustrates this wonderfully. 

[Melodichaze]

I think Mechanical Animals was where I started to lose interest reall ...I listened to 'Portrait...' again fairly recently and it stands up very well, still a lot of hip-shaking to be had.
In fairness to old Brian, he's done well to keep going since the 80's...the redevelopment thing has worked well for him over the years (and bagged him some hotties!).

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I find all his music boring and tedious, bar one or two moments and I think he is extraordinarily cynical too. I was never much into that sort of music but the main-turnoff was how conceited he was.

But I quite like him as a person and he is useful. Indeed if you watch the Bill O Reilly interview you get the sense that they both grudgingly admire each other. They're both sort of trolls exploiting a particular audience, while extracting the right amount of attention from those who find them abhorrent, which is the unspoken dynamic in that interview. Neither of them could really expose the other as they would be hypocrites to do so, which is why the interview is so unerringly comfy and measured. They discover they have a fundamental common ground in their career.

[Noodle Lizard]

Agreed on his Bill O'Reilly interview.

And yeah, he's quite good at rehashing old points to a more mainstream audience (not a bad thing).  I like to think he's part of the reason why the gothy kids tend be a little more switched on than other cliques.