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Marilyn Manson
interviewsofrecordingartists.com
The roots of shock-rock,the genre of pop music that is a fusion of B-grade horror show and hard-edged Rhythm & Blues,can be traced back to the '50's,and the hit single "I Put A Spell On You" by R&B legend Screaming Jay Hawkins. Hawkins was a one of the first artists to incorporate theatrics into his outrageous stage show. In concert,Hawkins' would emerge from an upright coffin,in a outfit that resembled a vintage costume straight from the wardrobe department of the "Dracula"movie set. Hawkins' learned early on,that horror show sells,and he had one of the biggest cross-over R&B singles of the era. In the early '70's,shock-rock emerged once again. Set to heavy metal rock and taking decadence to a level which bordered on obscene for the time,Alice Cooper brought a $250,000 stage production with him out on the road,and in turn made millions. The high-tech,lavish theatrics which Cooper pioneered started a movement among the more well-heeled rock stars to produce tours that began to rival the Broadway shows for the number of and costume and set changes. In the '80's,ex-Black Sabbath lead singer Ozzy Osborne made headlines by biting bats heads off and generally degarding himself onstage whenever Osborne would be in one of his numerous drunken rages. Rocker/performance artist Marilyn Manson is the latest incarnation within the shock-rock genre to hit the big time. He views his theater of the absurd,as a continuation of the form. "Critics have always called it shock-rock,"he said during a recent interview,"but I think that it's just music made by individuals who have gone one step further. We're paying tribute to not only what we do,but to the other people such as Ziggy Stardust(David Bowie),Alice Cooper,Iggy Pop and Arthur Brown. They've made the music more of a reality by incorporated themselves into the music more so then others." Manson who is 26,won't reveal his real name. He believes the formative years he spent growing up in Canton,Ohio,inspired him to be different and break out of the world of middle-class conformity which he perceived. "I think growing up in the Mid-West,"he said,"and being somewhat sheltered along with being forced to attend private Christian schools,influenced me. I had to get out of that,so after I graduated high school,I had a lot of rebellion to get out and it took a while to find myself and figure out what was me and what was just rebellion. I'd say that about 50 per-cent of what I do today is just me lashing out at those who repressed me as a child." Several years ago,Manson's close friend and comrade-in-arms,NIN's Trent Reznor, was influential in signing Marilyn Manson to a Nothing record label deal. Manson and group members Madonna Wayne Gacy(keyboards),Twiggy Ramirez(bass),Daisy Berkowitz(guitar) and Ginger Fish(drums),1995 debut album "Portrait of an American Family",was a dark and grinding soundscape of aural images which offered the listener a troubling look at Manson's view of life in modern-day suburbia. The new Marilyn Manson album "Smells Like Children",picks up right where it's predecessor left off. Manson choose to cover The Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams(are made of this)" and even pays a tribute to shock-rock originator Screaming Jay Hawkins by recording a updated version of "I Put A Spell On You". With extremely strong content,harsh lyrics and a parental advisory sticker adorning the cover of "Smells Like Chldren",Manson realizes the MTV cable channel execs might not be to keen on airing the group's videos. "We were watching MTV at the hotel room the other night,"Manson said with a laugh,"and we saw Alanis Morissette and Candlebox,both really huge bands on Madonna's Maverick Records label. We thought it was really funny because we were offered a deal with Maverick about a year and a half, or two years ago,and we turned it down. Because we wanted the freedom to do what we wanted and we didn't see that happening with Maverick. I'm sure we could be in the shoes of those two bands right now,"he continued. "It's a trade off you know? I don't know if I could feel as true to myself if we that successful by not doing what we wanted to do. I don't see any reason way Marilyn Manson cannot become as big as KISS was. We're not in any particular hurry to jump on the MTV Buzz Clip bandwagon. But when that time comes,and that may not come until our next record,I think we'll have a lot more longevity than these other bands out there."
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