Marilyn Manson's skill in crafting boldly creative imagery and brutally powerful statements has catapulted his band and persona into the mass media spotlight. His ever-expanding methods and range of creative expression continue to communicate important messages in irresistably memorable ways which simultaneously speak to those who understand him, and rail against those who never will.Current members:Marilyn Manson (2) - vocals (1989-present)Twiggy Ramirez - guitar (2009-present), bass (1993-2002, 2008-2009)Ginger Fish - drums (1995-2004, 2006-present)Chris Vrenna - keyboards (2007-present), drums (2004-2005)Andrew Gerold - live bass (2009-present)Former members: (incl. previous "The Spooky Kids")Daisy Berkowitz - guitar, programming (1989-1996)Zsa Zsa Speck - keyboards (1989)Olivia Newton Bundy - bass (1989)Madonna Wayne Gacy - keyboards, sampling, percussion (1989-2007)Gidget Gein - bass (1989-1993)Sara Lee Lucas - drums (1991-1995)Zim Zum - guitar (1996-1998)John 5 - guitar (1998-2004)Tim Skold - bass (2002-2005), guitar (2006-2008)Mark Chaussee - live guitar (2004-2005)Rob Holliday - live bass (2007-2008), live guitar (2008)Wes Borland - live guitar (2008-2009)
Marilyn Manson (born as Brian Hugh Warner on January 5, 1969) is the lead singer of the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA based shock 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 names of each band member were 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. Along with Rob Zombie and Eric Burdon he is one of the main performers of the shock rock genre.
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 was the only remaining original bandmember. In 2008 Twiggy Ramirez (previously a member of Marilyn Manson as bassist/songwriter), drummer Ginger Fish and multi-instrumentalist Chris Vrenna also joined Manson for the upcoming album.
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 album spawned two singles, Heart-Shaped Glasses (When The Heart Guides The Hand) and Putting Holes in Happiness.
In a recent interview Manson announced an upcoming new studio album, which is currently in the mixing process and is titled 'The High End of Low'. The release date was recently announced to be May 18 in the UK, and May 13 in Japan.
Confirmed song titles so far are "15", "Armagoddamnmotherfuckinggeddon", "Devour", "Four Rusted Horses", "I Want To Kill You Like They Do In The Movies" and "We're From America". The latter will be released this week as a free downloadable track on the official website www.marilynmanson.com.
Manson has gained most of his fame with his dark covers of 80's hitsingles, like Sweet Dreams (by the Eurythmics) and Tainted Love (originally performed by Gloria Jones and brought to fame by Soft Cell). Apart from the fame he gained probably even more notoriety with the band's bestselling album 'Antichrist Superstar', which contains the songs "The Beautiful People" and "Antichrist Superstar" among others.
From Wikipedia:Marilyn Manson is an American rock band founded by Brian Warner and Scott Putesky in the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida 1989. Originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids, the band's uniquely theatrical performances gathered a local cult following in the early '90s, that subsequently developed into a worldwide fanbase. The band's lineup almost always changes between album releases. The current members of the band are the eponymous lead singer Marilyn Manson, bassist/guitarist Twiggy Ramirez, drummer Ginger Fish, keyboardist Chris Vrenna and the live bassist Andy Gerold.
The band is one of modern music's most controversial,[citation needed] due largely to frequent clashes with religious and political figures. The 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 serial killer (such as Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson), doing so to demonstrate the odd dichotomy of American society. The members of the band dress in outlandish makeup and costumes, and have engaged in intentionally shocking behavior both onstage and off. Their lyrics often receive criticism for their anti-religious sentiment and their references to sex, violence and drugs. Marilyn Manson's music and performances have frequently been called offensive and obscene, and, on several occasions, protests and petitions have led to the group being banned from performing.
As this controversy began to wane, so did the band's mainstream popularity. Despite this, Marilyn Manson has garnered much success: three of the band's albums have been awarded platinum certification, three more have been awarded gold, and the band has seen four of its releases debut in the top ten, including two number-one albums. VH1 has ranked Marilyn Manson as the seventy-eighth best rock band on their 100 Great Artists of Hard Rock.