Controversial by design rather than accident, this Florida, USA-based artist formed Marilyn Manson And The Spooky Kids in 1989 with the express intention of ‘exploring the limits of censorship’. The original line-up comprised part-time journalist Manson (b. Brian Hugh Warner, 5 January 1969, Canton, Ohio, USA; vocals), Daisy Berkowitz (guitar), Olivia Newton-Bundy (bass) and Zsa Zsa Speck (keyboards), later joined by Sara Lee Lucas (drums) - all the band members assuming forenames of female icons and surnames of famous murderers. Bundy and Speck were replaced at the end of 1989 by Gidget Gein and Madonna Wayne Gacy (b. Steve Bier), respectively. In keeping with their controversial image, they were the first band to be signed to Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) and John A. Malm Jnr.’s Nothing label. Support slots with artists such as Suicidal Tendencies, Meat Beat Manifesto, Murphy’s Law and the Genitorturers brought them considerable local recognition, in the form of the 1993 ‘Slammy’ Awards (taking the Song Of The Year nomination for ‘Dope Hat’) and sundry other baubles (not least, short-heading Gloria Estefan for the Best Local Musician category in South Florida magazine).
In December 1993, bass player Gein was replaced by Twiggy Ramirez (b. Jeordie Francis White, 20 June 1971, Florida, USA). Reznor acted as guest musician and executive producer on the band’s 1994 debut album, with half of the tracks mixed at the house of the infamous Tate murders by the Manson family (where Nine Inch Nails also recorded). In March 1995, Lucas was replaced on drums by Ginger Fish (b. Kenny Wilson). Berkowitz also departed in June 1996 (he later sued the band for unpaid royalties and breach of contract) and was replaced by Zim Zum (b. Mike Nastasi) who later departed. Antichrist Superstar included the American hit single ‘The Beautiful People’, and reached number 3 on the Billboard album chart.
By 1998, Marilyn Manson had become one of the biggest acts in the USA, assuming virtual cult status, a position aided as much by their notoriety and propensity for upsetting US right-wing and Christian groups as by their music. Mechanical Animals was a huge American chart-topper that also placed the band in the UK Top 10 for the first time. During the recording of the album, Zim Zum left and was replaced by Johnnie 5. The highly articulate Manson was forced to morally defend himself when, in April 1999, two alleged fans, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, murdered 15 of their classmates at Colombine High School in Denver, Colorado. The band was forced to abort their nationwide tour, although fans were rewarded with the release of a live album. Manson addressed many of the issues raised by the Colombine shootings on the band’s new album. Holly Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death) was another impressive collection of articulate and deceptively melodic industrial rock that belied the moral majority’s one-dimensional portrait of Marilyn Manson as a corrupting, atonal degenerate.
Speck and Ramirez left Marilyn Manson in 2002 during the recording of the new album, The Golden Age Of Grotesque. The 2004 compilation set Lest We Forget included the band’s new recording of Depeche Mode’s ‘Personal Jesus’.
