I was watching Jenny Jones the other day, and the array of "spooky kids", Marilyn Manson freaks for the uninitiated. After the repeated harping of the assembled parents on "Manson causing my child to become this…", and I gradually became pissed enough to write this page. Lets start by stating a few things about me. First, I have been listening to Manson since his first album, "Portrait of an American Family". Second, yes, I have been to a Marilyn Manson Concert. Third, no, I do not wear makeup and nothing but black. Fourth, no, I do not worship Satan…actually, I am a strong evolutionist…when I die, I'm gonna rot(probably take a few years after all those stadium hotdogs).
To be honest with you, the original reason I bought "Portrait" was because of Trent Reznor's(Nine Inch Nails guru) involvement. This was during my "depressed phase", and NIN happened to be my favorite band. Over the years, I think I have begun to understand, a) what Manson is trying to say, b) what people think Manson is trying to say, and c) why all the fuss over Manson.
Now, lets get a few myths, rumors, and blatant lies out of the way:
Myth: Manson is the root of all evil in my generation.
Truth: I'm not going to dignify this with a response. Grow up, boomers.
Myth: Manson causes suicide.
Truth: There are several reasons for a person to contemplate suicide, trust me, I thought about it a long time, but I can guarantee you that music is not a common factor. If someone's going to commit suicide because somebody tells them to in a song, well, to be brutally frank, I don't know how successful they could have been in later life. Actually, for me, anyway, music helped me to stave off suicide until I got back on a more even keel(thanks, Carrie). That's why NIN was(and to a certain extent, still is) my favorite band. What Reznor was singing about was generally exactly what I was feeling. It gave me a sense that someone else was going through it with me.
Myth: Manson regularly fornicates on stage.
Truth: Hey, I went to a concert, and I didn't see anything.
Myth: Manson is a Satanist.
Truth: While Manson is influenced by Satanism, which by the way is simply believing that each of us are our own God and Satan, not devil worshipping and sacrifice, he has never claimed to be a member of the religion. In fact, the only mention of Satan in any Manson song is in 1996 on "Anti-Christ Superstar". The line reads, "Anti-Satan".
Myth: Manson rips up a Bible as part of his stage act.
Truth: Well, this isn't a myth. Sorry, he does it, but why is this so offensive to people? Is it because that document is personally important to you? Or just because society has conditioned you to feel that way?
Basically, it boils down to "Think for yourself." Sorry, but that's it. He basically says to make your own decisions. If what you decide, on your own, is to be Christian, and not because your parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, cousins are, then that is perfectly okay. Yet, just as choosing a religion without thinking about it is counter to this ideology, "worshipping" Marilyn Manson just because you need attention, or just because it is "cool", is also counter to the ideology. This is why most self-proclaimed Manson fans piss me off. They regard Manson as "their personal Messiah", which isn't what Manson is trying to say. In my opinion, these guys are just as bad as the protesters outside of his concerts and the parents that refuse to take any responsibility for their children.
Now, the big thing that cheesed me off about the show was the constant pushing of blame onto Marilyn Manson. It seems that many of today's "boomer parents" have decided to a) let the media raise their children and b) blame it when anything goes wrong. If parents would take care of their kids, instead of going out to mingle with their golfing buddies, these kids wouldn't be dressing the way they are for attention. It seems to me that the "baby boomer" generation generally values their own goals, pleasures, and careers over the raising of their children. When you realize this, you can understand why our generation could turn to an artist such as Manson, that advocates free thinking, as well as pointing out the shortfall of our parents generation. For instance, this excerpt from the liner notes of "Portrait of an American Family":