History Music / MarilynManson

Marilyn Manson (initially Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids) are an [[UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates American]] rock band founded in 1989. Most of their early music technically falls under industrial rock with some [[HeavyMetal metal]] elements (a metal style commonly referred to as IndustrialMetal), but they've since decided to step foot in every rock subgenre from straight-up rock to GlamRock.

The band are without a doubt [[NeverLiveItDown best known from the image of them conjured by the public at the height of their fame/infamy]], namely deeming them "shock rockers" (a label they resent, as they felt they never were trying to be shocking, but just doing what they wanted). Their graphic imagery and conceptual basis in critiquing and satirizing mainstream American media won them a reputation of a kind seldom seen before in music. In fact, the [[YouCanPanicNow moral panic]] against them was so great that they were blamed for the UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} massacre by sections of the media, under the belief that the killers had been inspired by their music. (Ironically, the killers hated them and saw them as sell-outs, but were fans of Music/{{KMFDM}} and Music/{{Rammstein}} instead.)

On the surface, this seems like an easy mistake to make. Throughout their career, Marilyn Manson have made good use of explicit live shows, controversial lyrics and outright bizarre music videos. The songs are cynical, with many lampooning topics such as conformism and social hierarchy. Nothing was off limits, including certain members of the band's own fanbase. Despite this, in true metal fashion, several of the songs and most of the videos don't give their meaning up easily, and are open to multiple interpretations.

The number of them doesn't help -- Marilyn Manson's line up changes almost constantly, and [[RevolvingDoorBand they have gone through 17 guitarists, bassists, drummers and keyboardists in just 20 years.]] This has often been attributed by those who have worked with him to (among other things) Manson thinking, well, that [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin he is the band]] and the others are just there to provide background scenery for him.

With the two latest albums however, it was [[DefiedTrope defied]], with Tyler Bates actually having quite a lot of power in the band alongside Manson, taking Twiggy's role as co-creator while Twiggy was busy marrying Laney Chantal and working on his own projects. In October 2017, Ramirez was fired after Music/JackOffJill vocalist and Ramirez's ex-girlfriend Jessicka Addams publicly accused him of pervasive physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in their relationship. Manson himself would be accused of similar acts in 2021 leading to accusations of hypocrisy and him being dropped by his label, manager and talent agency and losing multiple television roles.

The band are without a doubt [[NeverLiveItDown best known from the image of them conjured by the public at the height of their infamy]], namely deeming them "shock rockers" (a label they resent, as they felt they never were trying to be shocking, but just doing what they wanted), with their graphic imagery and ruthless attacks on the mainstream media winning them a reputation of the kind seldom seen before in music. In fact, the [[YouCanPanicNow moral panic]] against them was so great that they were blamed for the UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} massacre by sections of the media, under the belief that the killers had been inspired by their music (ironically, the killers hated them and saw them as sell-outs, but were Music/{{KMFDM}} and Music/{{Rammstein}} fans instead).

On the surface, this seems like an easy mistake to make. Throughout their career, Marilyn Manson have made good use of explicit live shows, controversial lyrics and outright bizarre music videos. The songs are cynical, with many lampooning conformism, social hierarchy and the media, amongst other things. Nothing was off limits, including certain members of the band's own fanbase. Despite this, in true industrial metal fashion, several of the songs and most of the videos don't give their meaning up easily, and are open to multiple interpretations.

* [[AbsenteeActor Absentee Musician]]: Twiggy Ramirez has not contributed as a songwriter or performer on neither ''The Pale Emperor'' nor ''Heaven Upside Down''. His firing from the band in 2017 after domestic abuse allegations means he's unlikely to ever get another credit.

* OlderThanTheyLook: Until [=2009ish=], looking like [[http://www.thesparklingwiggles.com/images/manson.jpg this]] at age 37. And then he managed to beat decades of anorexia and proceeded [[http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/29564887/Marilyn+Manson++2009.jpg to gain an extra chin]]. Thankfully, he's starting to regress in age again, playing '''[[http://twitchfilm.com/assets_c/2013/01/wrong_cops_Marilyn_Manson_01-thumb-630xauto-36439.jpeg a teenager]]''' at the age of 43, and looking like he's in his [=mid-20s=] while doing so.

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Most of their songs are around a 7 or 8, with their softer songs going down to a 5 or 6 or even lower. "Pistol Whipped" is... somewhere.

* NotSoDifferent: An argument he occasionally uses in debates with religious fundamentalists and those who condemn him.

->"''I am the God of Fuck!''"
-->--"'''Cake and Sodomy'''"


Marilyn Manson (initially Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids) are an [[UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates American]] rock band founded in 1989. Most of their early music technically falls under industrial rock with some [[HeavyMetal metal]] elements (a metal style commonly referred to as IndustrialMetal), but they've since decided to step foot in every genre from straight-up rock to GlamRock.

The band are without a doubt [[NeverLiveItDown best known from the image of them conjured by the public at the height of their infamy,]] namely deeming them "shock rockers" (a label they resent, as they felt they never were trying to be shocking, but just doing what they wanted), with their graphic imagery and ruthless attacks on the mainstream media winning them a reputation of the kind seldom seen before in music. In fact, the [[YouCanPanicNow moral panic]] against them was so great that they were blamed for the UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} massacre by sections of the media, under the belief that the killers had been inspired by their music (ironically, the killers hated them and saw them as sell-outs, but were Music/{{KMFDM}} and Music/{{Rammstein}} fans instead).

Oh, he's friends with Creator/AntonLaVey too.

** The latest album, ''The Pale Emperor'' is as well, with Manson as, well, the fandom's not quite figured out everything yet. We need more literary critics. It is, however, based on the Myth/{{Faust}} myth, according to Manson.

* AlbumTitleDrop

With the two latest albums however, it was [[DefiedTrope defied]], with Tyler Bates actually having quite a lot of power in the band alongside Manson, taking Twiggy's role as co-creator while Twiggy was busy marrying Laney Chantal and working on his own projects. As of October 2017, Ramirez has been fired after Music/JackOffJill vocalist and Ramirez's ex-girlfriend Jessicka Addams publicly accused him of pervasive physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in their relationship. Manson himself would be accused of similar acts in 2021 leading to accusations of hypocrisy and him being dropped by his label, manager and talent agency and losing multiple upcoming television roles.

Oh. He's friends with Creator/AntonLaVey too.

'''Current Members''':

'''[[RevolvingDoorBand Former Members]]''':

'''Studio Albums''':

With the two latest albums however, it was [[DefiedTrope defied]], with Tyler Bates actually having quite a lot of power in the band alongside Manson, taking Twiggy's role as co-creator while Twiggy was busy marrying Laney Chantal and working on his own projects. As of October 2017, Ramirez has been fired after Music/JackOffJill vocalist and Ramirez's ex-girlfriend Jessicka Addams publicly accused him of pervasive physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in their relationship.

** "Misery Machine", the last song on ''Portrait Of An American Family'' is an 11 minute track, but the actual song is only five minutes long - there's a sample of dialogue from the Creator/JohnWaters film ''Desperate Living'' a few seconds after the song ends, followed by [[LeaveTheCameraRunning over seven minutes of telephone ringing sound effects]], after which the track finally ends with an answering machine message from the offended parent of a young fan.

* YourCheatingHeart: Manson cheated on Dita with Evan.

Marilyn Manson (initially Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids) are an [[UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates American]] rock band founded in 1989. Most of their early music technically falls under industrial rock with some [[HeavyMetal metal]] elements (a metal style commonly referred to as IndustrialMetal) before deciding to step foot in every genre from straight-up rock to GlamRock, but the band are best known as shock rockers (a label they resent, as they felt they never were trying to be shocking, but just doing what they wanted), with their graphic imagery and ruthless attacks on the mainstream media winning them a reputation of the kind seldom seen before in music. In fact, the [[YouCanPanicNow moral panic]] against them was so great that they were blamed for the UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} massacre by sections of the media, under the belief that the killers had been inspired by their music (ironically, the killers hated them and saw them as sell-outs, but were Music/{{KMFDM}} and Music/{{Rammstein}} fans, instead).

Due to the fact that the band name is also the lead singer's stage name, Marilyn Manson is one of the most notorious examples of IAmTheBand in existence. Many people are not, in fact, aware that they are a band and credit all the group's music to the singer alone. This has become more prominent over time, to the point where Marilyn Manson the person has become a household name, yet the other band members are known only by fans, ex-fans and (some) music critics. The number of them doesn't help -- Marilyn Manson's line up changes almost constantly, and [[RevolvingDoorBand they have gone through 17 guitarists, bassists, drummers and keyboardists in just 20 years.]] This has often been attributed by those who have worked with him to (among other things) Manson thinking, well, that [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin he is the band]] and the others are just there to provide background scenery for him. With the two latest albums however, it was [[DefiedTrope defied]], with Tyler Bates actually having quite a lot of power in the band alongside Manson, taking Twiggy's role as co-creator while Twiggy was busy marrying Laney Chantal and working on his own projects. As of October 2017, Ramirez has been fired after Music/JackOffJill vocalist and Ramirez's ex-girlfriend Jessicka Addams publicly accused him of pervasive physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in their relationship.

Marilyn Manson (initially Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids) are an [[UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates American]] rock band founded in 1989. Most of their early music technically falls under industrial rock with some [[HeavyMetal metal]] elements (a metal style commonly referred to as IndustrialMetal) before deciding to step foot in every genre from straight-up rock to GlamRock, but the band are best known as shock rockers (a label they resent, as they felt they never were trying to be shocking, but just doing what they wanted,) with their graphic imagery and ruthless attacks on the mainstream media winning them a reputation of the kind seldom seen before in music. In fact, the [[YouCanPanicNow moral panic]] against them was so great that they were blamed for the UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} massacre by sections of the media, under the belief that the killers had been inspired by their music (ironically, the killers hated them and saw them as sell-outs, but were Music/{{KMFDM}} and Music/{{Rammstein}} fans, instead).

* Bishōnen: Marilyn was this in his early days, having long straight hair, being really skinny, and wearing makeup quite often. Twiggy was this to another level in the 90s when he wore dresses and wigs, and apparently even women’s underwear in some cases. Zim-Zum and Gidget Gein were also pretty feminine-looking in their own right, though wearing goth makeup can do this to anyone.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: Many of his songs fall at the cynical end of the scale.

[[quoteright:292:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a5265a1a2d_56807731_o2_7044.gif]]
[[caption-width-right:292: This is [[MindScrew '90s industrial metal]]. Don't ask questions, just go with it.]]

->"''Someone had to go this far''."
-->--"'''Man That You Fear'''"

* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: The band has {{Grimmifi|cation}}ed several songs, including Music/SoftCell's "Tainted Love" and the Music/{{Eurythmics}}' "Sweet Dreams."

* DomesticAbuse: This is what got Jeordie White fired in 2017. Jack Off Jill vocalist and ex-girlfriend Jessicka Addams came out with allegations in a Facebook post in 2017, claiming that, during their on-and-off relationship from 1992-1997, Jeordie White(Twiggy)was emotionally, verbally, and physically abusive. She alleges that he had violent outbursts, was unfaithful, and eventually raped her. Though there was no actual substantial evidence to back up the claim, White was swiftly fired from the band. Although Manson claims that the firing was long-time coming due to creative differences, and says to have not cut ties with Jeordie in regards to their friendship, Manson doesn’t follow White on any social media anymore and hasn’t been seen with him since the allegations broke.