Trivia / Marilyn Manson

• Cowboy BeBop at His Computer:
  • Marilyn Manson is not a goth band, and they have never claimed to be so. It seems as though the only reason people think they are a goth band is because the media kept saying they were. The makeup, nail polish, black clothing, and stereotypical "darkness" of the band didn't help much. The music video for "Tainted Love" also does not help, what with it being filled with goth kids and all (one even wearing a shirt stating "Nothing but a G(oth) Thing.")
  • Also they're not Satanists, although Manson himself is a Reverend in the church of LaVeyan Satanism (which is quite distinct from the aforementioned stereotypical version) and they do not condone it, especially during the Antichrist Superstar-era. The Antichrist part especially does not refer to Manson in a literal sense since it is a Concept Album... That, and it would make no sense anyway for various reasons.
• Creator Breakdown:
  • Marilyn Manson (the person) had a bout of serious depression whilst writing Eat Me, Drink Me.
  • Some may go so far as to say it went from their first album, Portrait of an America Family through to The High End of Low. Yes, Born Villain is the first non-breakdown album.
• Creator Killer: Manson attributes the end of the band's mainstream success to the Columbine massacre, specifically how Moral Guardians accused him of influencing the shooters and turned him into a symbol of everything wrong with mainstream rock music.
• Cut Song: Many from the Spooky Kids era, though most survived via old cassette tapes and bootlegs. Some are... Well, let's just say Manson has a good reason for trying to forget about them.
• Development Hell: The Holy Wood novel was written along with the album, but has yet to be published. Manson stated it's a life goal of his to get it before he dies.
• Executive Veto: Manson originally wanted to use a nude photo of himself as a child for the cover of Portrait of an American Family. The label was Squicked out and shot down the idea, not being very eager about accusations of child pornography.
• Fountain of Expies: Copied by many, many shock rockers, from Chris Motionless of Motionless in White to Hyde of L'arc~en~ciel and Vamps.
• The Pete Best: No less than five examples, the last three of whom ended up suing.
  • Olivia Newton Bundy and ZsaZsa Speck were the first bassist and keyboardist, but wrote nothing and only played a few shows before quitting to form another band.
  • Gidget Gein was the second bassist and co-wrote a number of the songs, but his addiction to heroin got him kicked out of the band. He played on the first album, Portrait of an American Family, but never toured. He later became an artist, but died of an overdose in 2008.
  • Sara Lee Lucas was the first drummer, but came into conflict with Manson. He was set on fire during one show and left without saying goodbye.
  • Daisy Berkowitz was the first guitarist and co-founder of the band, but clashed with Manson and Twiggy during the Smells Like Children tour and ended up leaving halfway through the recording of the second album, Antichrist Superstar. He wound up joining Jack Off Jill and had various other projects, as well as a solo project where he played Spooky Kids songs. He later succumbed to cancer in late 2017.
• Pop-Culture Urban Legends: The rumour that Manson had his two bottom ribs removed in order to perform DIY blowjobs. This has persisted despite the fact that an operation of this kind would probably be fatal, and no doctor on earth would agree to perform it. That, the Wonder Years rumor, the "killing puppies" rumor, and the "Manson is actually a chick" rumors still exist to this day. Lampshaded by the man himself in his autobiography:
  "If I really got my ribs removed, I would have been busy sucking my own dick on The Wonder Years instead of chasing Winnie Cooper."
• Promoted Fanboy: A young Manson (real name Brian Warner) appeared on an MTV program talking to a VJ about the band he was putting together. According to his autobiography, he also interviewed future collaborator Trent Reznor in the late '80s while working as an amateur music journalist.
• Referenced by...: In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, a Stand given to a con artist named Miraschon is called Marilyn Manson, and has the ability to collect fees from bets of equal exchange, regardless of whether or not it's money, valuables, or organs.
• Role-Ending Misdemeanor:
  • Gidget Gein, the second bassist for the group, was fired via telegram on Christmas Eve 1993 while in rehab for his latest overdose. Like the Dave Mustaine/Metallica situation, this was ironic as the members of Marilyn Manson were almost all notorious drug addicts. Gein died of a fatal overdose in 2008.
  • In 2017, Twiggy Ramirez, the band's third bassist, was fired after his ex-girlfriend, Jack Off Jill frontwoman Jessicka Addams, accused him of rape and abusive, controlling behavior.
  • Manson himself was named by Evan Rachel Wood in 2021 as the previously-unnamed person she accused of sexual abuse in 2017, followed by at least fifteen other women (including Esmé Bianco and Phoebe Bridgers) coming forward with very similar stories. Most damningly, Manson's former synth tech-turned-personal assistant Dan Cleary's old tweet that backed Wood's accusations and all other abuse accusations against Manson resurfaced (where Cleary said in no uncertain terms that while he wanted no part of cancel culture, he wanted the world to know that those women spoke the truth). Wes Borland would go on to echo Cleary's statements, backing both Wood's accusations and those of the other women based on what he personally witnessed in the nine months that he was in the band and referring to him as a "bad fucking guy". This resulted in Loma Vista Recordings throwing Manson off their label and ceasing all further promotion of We Are Chaos, his most recent full-length album, while his talent agency also removed him from its roster, and his scheduled appearances in American Gods and Creepshow were cancelled, with the filmed footage from the former apparently being cut from the final product.
    • However, as of 2023, he may be making a comeback, as he posted a picture to Instagram that said "I’ve got something for you to hear," and most of the allegations may be proven false, as one of his former accusers said the allegations were fake.
• Troubled Production: The necessary re-recording of the debut, the constant drug-use and intra-band tension of Antichrist Superstar.
• Working Title: Eat Me, Drink Me was originally announced as Putting Holes in Happiness early on.
  • Born Villain was being recorded as Co-Morbid at the start.

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