Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson (real name Brian Hugh Warner; born January 5, 1969) is an American musician and the leader of the band Marilyn Manson. Known for anti-religious, profane, and provocative lyrics and behavior, he has been the subject of much controversy, particularly during the late 1990s.
Early life
A Canton, Ohio native and the son of Hugh and Barbara Warner. Hugh 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 a Christian school, but was alienated by what he saw as hypocrisy, and a religion that seemed to teach fear more than it taught virtues. Brian graduated from Glen Oak High School, where he joined a band, in which he started out playing percussion instruments like bass and snare drum, but ended up playing triangle. After his graduation, the Warner family moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Career Musician
Early Years
While in college, he became a music journalist 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, as the one being interviewed, and that is when he decided to form a band. Warner originally formed the band Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids with college friend Brian Tutunick (bass), Scott Putesky (guitar), and Perry (keyboardist). 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 serial killers and movie stars 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.
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, Korn, and others to promote it. Although they received large amounts of press and interest in the underground scene, it wasn't 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 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 the third album, 1998's Mechanical Animals. The album was #1 in sales nationwide in its first week on the Billboard charts. Also 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.
Recent
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.
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 as a porn star 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 also has a role in a film called 'The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things.'
Art Career
Manson is also a watercolor painter. An exhibit for his art was held at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions on September 13-14, 2002. Many of his paintings have sold for large amounts. His most famous buyers include Jack Osbourne, Dave Navarro, and Andy Dick.
Video Game career
In the 2005 First-Person Shooter Area 51, Manson does the voice of the alien "Edgar".
Romance
Marilyn Manson is currently engaged to and living with burlesque performer Dita Von Teese. He was previously engaged to actress Rose McGowan. He has also been linked or involved with Traci Lords, Jenna Jameson, and Melissa "Missi" Romero.
Bibliography
- Manson, Marilyn (1999). The Long Hard Road Out of Hell. Regan Books. ISBN 0-06-098746-4.
Major Label Discography
- Portrait of an American Family (1994)
- Smells Like Children (1995)
- Antichrist Superstar (1996)
- Mechanical Animals (1998)
- The Last Tour On Earth (Live) (1999)
- Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) (2000)
- The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003)
- Lest We Forget (The Best Of) (2004)
Filmography
- Lost Highway (acting, 1997)
- Jawbreaker (acting, 1999)
- From Hell (Score, 2001)
- Resident Evil (Score, 2002)
- Bowling for Columbine (Guest Appearance, 2002)
- Beat The Devil (acting, 2003)
- Party Monster (acting, 2003)
- The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (acting, 2004)