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Marilyn Manson

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Marilyn Manson in full hypersurrealist regalia for "The Beautiful People" video

Marilyn Manson (real name Brian Hugh Warner; born January 5, 1969 in Canton, Ohio) is an American musician and the leader of the band Marilyn Manson. Known for profane, provocative lyrics and behaviour, he has been the subject of much controversy, particularly during the late 1990s.

Early life

Brian Warner is a Canton, Ohio native and the son of Hugh and Barbara Warner. Hugh (Brian's father), a former carpet salesman, had fought in the Vietnam War and while there was exposed to so much Agent Orange that military doctors and psychologists were amazed that young Brian turned out "normal". Brian Warner attended Heritage Christian School, but was alienated by what he saw as hypocrisy, and a religion that seemed to teach fear more than it taught virtues—sermons prophesying the Apocalypse had a lasting effect upon his outlook. Brian graduated from GlenOak High School, where he joined a band, in which he started out playing percussion instruments like bass drum and snare drum, but ended up playing triangle. After his graduation, the Warner family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

An untrue rumor circulated in the 1990s that the actor Josh Saviano who played a nerdy sidekick in the 1960s themed TV show The Wonder Years grew up to be Marilyn Manson. A similar story about Rob Stone, who played Kevin Owens in the ABC sit-com Mr. Belvedere, was also spread.

Music career

Early years

While in Broward Community College (BCC), Warner became Assistant Entertainment Editor of the college newspaper The Observer as well as working for local magazines such as 25th Parallel and Tonight, Today. During his time as an interviewer he decided he wanted to be on the other side of the microphone, and subsequently resolved to form a rock band. Warner originally formed the band Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids with college friend Brian Tutunick (bass guitar), Scott Putesky (guitar), and Perry Pandrea (keyboard). The original band had no live drummer, and used a drum machine instead. Warner took light and dark aspects of American pop culture, a culture in which movie stars and serial killers (Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson) have equal notoriety, and merged them with his own personality, creating the persona of Marilyn Manson. He drew all the band's concert flyers himself, and oversaw every aspect of the band as a true perfectionist would.

To gain more notoriety Manson single-handedly orchestrated an open mic poetry night at a South Florida club called Squeeze, which ended up being in his words, "The Goth Gong Show". Squeeze would later become his headquarters and home away from home, and where he would meet long time friend and confidant Jessicka. He became the great Wizard of Oz to her Dorothy Gale by convincing her to start a riot grrl band, which he later dubbed Jack Off Jill. The two at the time were said to be inseparable. Jack Off Jill went to open most of his shows, along with producing many of the band's early recordings. Little did he know this is exactly what a man named Trent Reznor would do for him on a grander scale years later.

Rise to national fame

After months of gigging, Manson decided to drop "and the Spooky Kids" from the band's title. The band was signed to Nothing Records, the label formed by Trent Reznor and John Malm, Jr., in 1992 shortly after it was formed. Their debut album, Portrait of an American Family was released in 1994, and Marilyn Manson toured with Nine Inch Nails, Pantera, and others to promote it. Although they received large amounts of press and interest in the underground scene, it was not until 1995 and the release of the EP Smells Like Children, which included a cover of the Eurythmics hit "Sweet Dreams", that the band became nationally famous.

After the 1996 release of Antichrist Superstar (#3 Billboard Charts), the band's second LP, Manson severed ties with Reznor and looked to make his own decisions upon the band's change of style and sound. In 1998, Manson released his autobiography, The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell (with help from Neil Strauss of Rolling Stone). It had sold 1.4 million copies by mid-year.

Columbine and Holy Wood

The fallout of the Columbine High School shootings of April 1999 would lead to accusations, death threats, and finger-pointing from lawmakers, including Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman. Manson, in turn, cancelled the remainder of his "Rock Is Dead" tour and underwent a media blackout, communicating almost solely through his website, Marilynmanson.com.

Almost two years later, the album Holy Wood was released, a kind of response to the criticism he received after Columbine. It was also a theme album, covering issues such as gun violence, teen angst, and the role of television in American society. In it, Manson draws a parallel between the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the crucifixion of Jesus, and cites Mark David Chapman's murder of John Lennon--illustrating that television makes martyrs of the victims and stars of the killers. Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) entered the Billboard charts at #15 and was not as commercially successful as previous albums. The band toured for an entire year to promote Holy Wood, including the summer of 2001 on Ozzy Osbourne's Ozzfest tour.

The Golden Age

After the tour, Manson began work on the fifth LP, The Golden Age of Grotesque. The album wasn't released until May 2003, and it entered the charts at #1—albeit, during a commercially slow sales period. While its sales, like Holy Wood, were short of those generated by Mechanical Animals, it was nevertheless a commercial and critical success.

Recent

In September 28, 2004 Lest We Forget was released a best of compilation album was released with a newly recorded song Personal Jesus, a cover of the song by Depeche Mode. The album was packaged with a DVD as a Deluxe Edition, which included all the Marilyn Manson videos except (s)AINT, Tainted Love, Personal Jesus and Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes. Copies of the CD/DVD ordered though the Official Website included both the (s)AINT and Personal Jesus videos.

In November 2005 the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies.

Manson is currently working on the 6th Marilyn Manson LP as well as focusing on his art movement, Celebritarian Corporation.

Personality

Those close to Manson give a mixed impression of his personality. While longtime lover Dita Von Teese (whom he married on December 3, 2005) speaks of him as a genuine and passionate individual, and parents Barbara and Hugh often express great pride in their son's career, Manson has a history of strained and destructive relationships.

It is notable that, of the original band members, only Madonna Wayne Gacy remains. The departure of some former members has resulted in lawsuits.

One example is former guitarist John5's reaction to being fired:

"I don't know. . . I was nothing but nice to him," he continued. "I never screwed up onstage — well not really badly — and I did everything I could to get along with him. Maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with the fact that I don't drink or do drugs, and he's not like that at all. Maybe he held that against me. I don't know. He never said."

Manson has been quoted as saying, "I always feel like other people are interchangeable."

Unofficial tour footage reveals Manson treating fans, interviewers, and tour staff in a condescending, demanding, or curt manner.

Film career

Manson has helped or provided full scores for several major motion pictures, although several of his pieces have been cut, and his name dropped from the credits. Some of his more notable soundtrack score contributions include From Hell, The Matrix and Resident Evil. Manson's first appearance in a film was in the role of a pornographic actor in David Lynch's Lost Highway, in 1997. He also had a minor role in former love interest Rose McGowan's 1998 flick Jawbreaker and a supporting role in 2003's Party Monster. His most talked-about film cameo would be for the Michael Moore political documentary Bowling for Columbine.

Manson was rumored to be an early candidate for the role of Willy Wonka in 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; though while the character is one to whom Manson has made many references in his own work, the role eventually went to his erstwhile friend Johnny Depp. He played Jackson in the 2004 film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, and is set to appear in Abelcain, directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Living Neon Dreams in 2005 as well as voicing Edgar the Gray Alien in the game Area 51.

He is currently working on PHANTASMAGORIA: The Visions Of Lewis Carroll, which will appear on his website in Winter (USA).

He will also be seen as a bartender in an upcoming vampire movie Rise.

Art career

Manson is also a watercolor painter. An exhibit for his art was held at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions on September 13 – September 14, 2002 and he contributed a piece to the west memphis three benefit exhibition at sixspace. Many of his paintings have sold for large amounts. His most famous buyers include Jack Osbourne, Nicolas Cage, Dave Navarro, and Andy Dick. He has also stated that a new book containing all his pieces of art work will be released in the near future, possibly 2006. As of late 2005 Manson has been talking much of his art movement, Celebritarian Corporation.

Video games

In the 2005 first-person shooter Area 51, Manson provides voice talents (an alien named Edgar), alongside David Duchovny and Powers Boothe. Marilyn Manson is also featured as a playable character in the video game MTV Celebrity Deathmatch. He has also said that he is a fan of the Nintendo DS, that it is "pretty neat". He says he is "pretty good at Mario Kart" and that one of his friends bought him "this little Japanese lawyer game. It's fucking amazing." The "Japanese lawyer game" is Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

Romance

On December 32005, Manson married burlesque performer Dita Von Teese in a non-denominational ceremony proceeded by cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky in County Tipperary, Ireland. Prior to his five-year relationship to von Teese, he was engaged to actress Rose McGowan. He has also been linked or involved with Traci Lords, Jenna Jameson, Melissa "Missi" Romero and Danny Lohner of Nine Inch Nails who he admits to having given a blowjob [1]. He believes that he "transcends sexuality".

Bibliography

Major label discography

Filmography

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