BIRMINGHAM'S BEST RETAILER FOR METAL AND HARDCORE
MARILYN MANSON
Love him or hate
him, the self-proclaimed "Antichrist Superstar" Marilyn
Manson was indisputably among the most notorious and
controversial entertainers of the 1990s. Celebrated by supporters
as a crusader for free speech and denounced by detractors as
little more than a poor man's Alice Cooper, Manson was the latest
in a long line of shock rockers, rising to the top of the charts
on a platform of sex, drugs and Satanism. Though widely dismissed
by critics, his brand of metal nevertheless struck a major chord
with the youth market -- on the strength of a masterfully
orchestrated marketing campaign, he became a mainstream anti-hero,
much to the chagrin of conservative politicians and concerned
parents. Manson was born Brian Warner in Canton, Ohio; at the age
of 18, he relocated to Tampa Bay, Florida, working there as a
music journalist. In 1989, he became friends with guitarist and
fellow outsider Scott Mitchell; they decided to form a band, with
Mitchell rechristening himself Daisy Berkowitz and Warner
adopting the name Marilyn Manson.
With the addition of bassist Gidget Gein and keyboardist Madonna
Wayne-Gacy, the group -- originally dubbed Marilyn Manson and the
Spooky Kids -- begin self-releasing cassettes and playing gigs,
their Gothic stage show notable for Manson's elaborate make-up
and homemade special effects. Jettisioning their drum machine in
favor of one Sara Lee Lucas, the band's sound began taking on a
harder edge, and by 1992 they were among the most popular acts in
the South Florida area. In 1993, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor
came calling, offering both a contract with his Nothing Records
label as well as the chance to open for NIN the following spring;
Manson accepted both offers, and the group's debut LP, Portrait
of an American Family, appeared during the summer of 1994. With
new bassist Twiggy Ramirez replacing Gein, the group's notoriety
began to soar -- most infamously, during an appearance in Salt
Lake City, Manson ripped apart a copy of the Book of Mormon while
onstage. The Church of Satan's founder Anton LaVey also bestowed
upon him the title of "Reverend."
While some onlookers dismissed Manson's behavior as crass
audience manipulation, his cult following -- comprised almost
entirely of disaffected white suburban teens -- continued to
swell, and with the release of the 1995's Smells Like Children EP
the band broke into the mainstream, propelled by their hit cover
of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)."
Berkowitz quit a short time later, and was replaced by guitarist
Zim Zum; their next LP, 1996's Antichrist Superstar, debuted at
the number three spot on the pop album charts. As Manson's
popularity grew, so did the furor surrounding him -- his concerts
were regularly picketed by civic groups, and his music was the
subject of widespread attacks from the right-wing and religious
fronts. Again, however, his quick embrace of the media spotlight
called into question the true sincerity of his revolutionary aims
-- with a cover story in Rolling Stone and a best-selling
autobiography, The Long Hard Road Out of Hell, some onlookers
doubted whether Manson had sold his soul to Satan, or just sold
his soul, period. The glam-inspired Mechanical Animals followed
in 1998, with the resulting tour yielding the live Last Tour on
Earth a year later.
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©2001 Digbeth Promotions (a subholder of Badger Promotions).
