Marilyn Manson (born as Brian Hugh Warner on January 5, 1969) is the lead singer of the Fort Lauderdale, FL based rock group of the same name. Warner chose the name, a combination of Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson, to illustrate what he considered to be the extreme dualism of late 20th century American culture. The stage name of each band member was originally created by combining the first name of an iconic female sex symbol and the last name of an iconic mass murderer or serial killer, though this naming convention has not extended to new band members after the mid-90s.
Formed in 1989 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as Marilyn Manson & The Spooky Kids, the band’s uniquely theatrical performances gathered a local cult following that developed over time into a worldwide fanbase. By the late 1990s the band was considered one of modern music’s most widely-known and controversial acts; this was due, in large part, to Manson’s then-frequent clashes with religious and political groups. Manson’s lyrics often receive criticism for their anti-religious sentiment and for references to sex, drugs, and violence (albeit typically in the abstract as opposed to any specific depiction). The band’s music and performances have frequently been called offensive and obscene. Protests and petitions have sometimes led to the group being banned from performing.
Each Manson album has tended to have a distinct image and sound, with Manson himself often recording and performing each record in the guise of a different adopted persona. The musical differences album to album are also due, no doubt, to the fact that the band experiences frequent personnel changes. Since keyboardist Madonna ‘Pogo’ Wayne Gacy left the band in 2006 Manson himself as the only remaining original bandmember. The band itself has had frequent line up changes but in 2008 ex-bassist, and fan favorite, Twiggy Ramirez re-joined the group.
Since the 1990s, both the controversy and the band’s mainstream popularity have waned. Despite this, its many devoted fans have made Marilyn Manson a consistently high-profile group; three of the band’s albums have been awarded platinum certification and three more have been awarded gold. The band has seen three of its releases debut in the top ten, including two number-one albums. In June 2003, Jon Wiederhorn of MTV.com called Marilyn Manson “the only true artist today”.
Marilyn Manson’s 6th studio album, ‘Eat Me, Drink Me’, was released worldwide on June 5th 2007. The first single of the new album, Heart-Shaped Glasses (When The Heart Guides The Hand), was released two weeks before on May 25th, followed by Putting Holes in Happiness on October 26th.
In a recent interview Manson announced an upcoming new studio album, which according to several sources is currently being recorded.
Manson has also gained fame with dark covers of 80’s hit singles, like Sweet Dreams (by the Eurythmics) and Tainted Love (originally performed by Gloria Jones and brought to fame by Soft Cell). The band’s bestselling album is ‘Antichrist Superstar’, which contains the songs “The Beautiful People” and “Antichrist Superstar” among others.
