Marilyn Manson

Marilyn Manson (born January 5, 1969, Canton, Ohio, U.S.) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and artist best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Marilyn Manson, which he cofounded with guitarist Scott Putesky in 1989. The band became popular for its blend of industrial rock, glam rock, and alternative metal and for its controversial image and lyrics, which often challenge societal norms and provoke strong reactions.

Early life

Brian Hugh Warner was born to Barbara Wyer Warner and Hugh Angus Warner. He spent his early youth in Canton, Ohio, where he had a dark and difficult childhood, in which he was molested by a neighbor and bullied by other children. He was raised Episcopalian and attended Heritage Christian School, an experience that caused him to develop a negative perspective of Christianity and ultimately impacted his views on religion and human nature more generally. In his teens his family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he attended high school and later studied journalism at Broward Community College.

Marilyn Manson, the band

In 1989 Warner met Putesky at a Fort Lauderdale club. The two quickly bonded over a shared interest in music and a desire to form a band with a unique sound and provocative image. Warner adopted the persona of Marilyn Manson, and Putesky adopted the stage name Daisy Berkowitz, and they formed the band Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids, which also included Brian Tutunick (stage name Olivia Newton Bundy) on bass. In 1989 the group released The Raw Boned Psalms, a demo tape with four tracks of metal-infused punk rock music marked by angst-filled lyrics.

The band subsequently added keyboardist Perry Pandrea (Zsa Zsa Speck), who was soon replaced by Stephen Bier (Madonna Wayne Gacy). Bundy was replaced in 1990 by Bradley Stewart (Gidget Gein), and in 1991 drummer Fred Streithorst, Jr., (Sara Lee Lucas) joined. The group quickly gained a cult following in the South Florida music scene, becoming known for its theatrical, often visually shocking performances. In 1992 the band shortened its name to Marilyn Manson, a deliberate amalgamation of the names of American cultural icons actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe and cult leader Charles Manson.

The group released multiple influential albums through the 1990s, including Portrait of an American Family (1994); Smells Like Children (1995), which contains the popular single “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” (a cover of the song by the Eurythmics); Antichrist Superstar (1996), which features “The Beautiful People”; and Mechanical Animals (1998), which contains the highly controversial song “The Dope Show.” The group’s later albums, which include Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) (2000), The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003), and We Are Chaos (2020), were relatively less successful.

Acting career

Manson appeared in his first film, David Lynch’s Lost Highway, in 1997. He then gained a role in the dark comedy Jawbreaker (1999), playing a minor part as a stranger who has a one-night stand with the character played by Rose McGowan, Manson’s then-girlfriend. He later made cameos and filled minor roles in other films, frequently playing roles that aligned with his dark, gothic persona. In 2013 he played the lead character in the independent short comedy Wrong Cops (2013), acting the part of a young street hustler who becomes involved with a drug-dealing police officer.

Impact and controversy

Manson has had a significant impact on music, culture, and society. His drive to blend glam and industrial rock with alternative metal is considered groundbreaking, and his use of provocative and often unsettling imagery in his lyrics and music videos inspired a generation of musicians and artists. His stage persona and aesthetic challenged conventional norms and ignited conversations about freedom of expression and the boundaries of artistic performance. His frequent invocation of religious and political themes—often accompanied by shocking visuals—triggered strong reactions and made him a polarizing figure. He drew significant criticism from family advocacy groups and Christian fundamentalists in the 1990s, particularly with the release of Antichrist Superstar and the later release of “The Dope Show.”

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His band’s concerts were frequently protested. In 1997 a congressional hearing led by U.S. Senators Joseph Lieberman and Sam Brownback was convened to discuss concerns about the impact of media on young people, particularly the influence of “shock rockers” like Manson. Manson’s persona and his group’s music and live performances were seen as promoting drugs, sex, violence, and Satanism, and incidents of vandalism and violence by teenagers were sometimes attributed to the influence of the group’s music.

In the 2020s more serious allegations against Manson emerged, many of which went beyond artistic expression. Notably, in 2021 Manson was accused of human trafficking and sexual and physical abuse, including multiple accounts of nonconsensual sexual acts and rape, by former partners and acquaintances. The civil lawsuits suggest a pattern of coercive control and violent behavior on Manson’s part, though he claimed that the accusations were “horrible distortions of reality” and that his intimate relationships had been “entirely consensual with like-minded partners.”