On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we study the king of the grotesque, everyone’s favorite Antichrist, Marilyn Manson. He was born as Brian Hugh Warner, and he had a love of music early in life. Once he started his band in college, he decided to name every member after one serial killer and one famous super model. And it worked. His grotesque imagery and crazy stage antics and unique, distorted sound made him rise up the charts in just a matter of year. Now, he’s still producing music, acting, has become an accomplished water color artist, and even met Anton LaVey who inducted him as minister in the Church of Satan.

Brian Warner was born to two fairly religious parents. He attended Christian schools, and while they taught him everything he was not supposed to do, he took it the other way and used the ideas of sin and the demonic as what he WOULD do. After hearing The Doors for the first time, he knew he wanted to pursue music. Once in college, he started a couple of bands. First was Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids, Satan on Fire, and Mrs. Scabtree. It was the Manson persona that caught the eye of Nine Inch Nail’s Trent Reznor. Reznor signed him after convincing Jimmy Iovene he needed to, produced him, and took him on tour with him, helping to launch Manson’s career.

From there, his career was an explosion of popular culture. His bizarre and shocking imagery and stage behavior made him an MTV darling (remember MTV?). He was also a permanent target of the religious and was even blamed for the Columbine shooting. So much so that it damaged his career and made record sales and concert attendance seriously dip.

But, his intelligence, his ability to write and give eloquent interviews, and the truth won out, and his career got back on track. Some people see him as a clown, but his persona is very intentional and ingenious. He was poised at just the right time to do just the right amount of gross. He knew the music world needed a dark prince, and he provided one with his shock rock.

So, why did Trent Reznor and him have a falling out, and what brought them back together? What type of paintings does he do? What crazy things has he done on stage? What did he do on stage to get arrested, and why did some many ex members of his band sue him and claim he screwed them out of money? And, oh, what’s the deal with him and Satan? Listen, laugh, learn.

Visit Our Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Manson

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-golden-age-of-grotesque-marilyn-mansons-most-shocking-moments-155971/

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/columbine-whose-fault-is-it-232759/

https://www.nme.com/news/music/marilyn-manson-says-hes-finished-his-masterpiece-of-a-new-album-2656329

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Marilyn_Manson

https://deadline.com/2019/09/marilyn-manson-american-gods-casting-season-three-neil-gaiman-starz-1202737047/

https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/marilyn-manson-2262.php

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/02/06/marilyn-manson_n_6625118.html

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Putesky

https://www.ranker.com/list/trent-reznor-marilyn-manson-friendship/jacob-shelton

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/trent-reznor-says-marilyn-manson-has-become-a-dopey-clown-73520/

https://loudwire.com/marilyn-manson-trent-reznor-mended-ways/