Marilyn Manson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marilyn Manson
|
|
|---|---|
Manson performing in 2024
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Brian Hugh Warner |
| Born | January 5, 1969 Canton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 1989–present |
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He became famous as the lead singer of the band he started in 1989. His stage name is a mix of the first name of actress Marilyn Monroe and the last name of cult leader Charles Manson.
In the 1990s, his band released popular albums like Portrait of an American Family (1994), Antichrist Superstar (1996), and Mechanical Animals (1998). Many of their albums sold millions of copies. The band has had eight albums reach the top 10 on music charts, with two even reaching number one. Manson has been recognized as one of the "Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists" by Hit Parader. He and his band have been nominated for four Grammy Awards. Manson also received another Grammy nomination for his work on Kanye West's album Donda (2021).
Manson started acting in films with David Lynch's Lost Highway (1997). He has appeared in many other small roles since then. In 2002, he had his first art show, called The Golden Age of Grotesque, in Los Angeles. His music and stage presence have made him a well-known figure in rock music.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Brian Hugh Warner was born in Canton, Ohio, on January 5, 1969. His parents were Barbara Warner Wyer and Hugh Angus Warner. As a child, he went to an Episcopal church. He attended Heritage Christian School for many years. At this school, teachers tried to tell students what music they should not listen to. This made Warner interested in that forbidden music.
He later moved to GlenOak High School and finished there in 1987. After moving with his family, he went to Broward Community College in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1990. He studied journalism and wrote articles for a music magazine called 25th Parallel. He also interviewed musicians. This is how he met people like Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, who later helped produce his first album.
Music Career
Forming the Band
The band started in 1989 with Warner and guitarist Scott Putesky. Warner wrote the lyrics, and Putesky created most of the music. Warner chose the stage name Marilyn Manson. The band, first called Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids, recorded their first demo tape in 1990. They quickly became popular in the South Florida punk and hardcore music scene. Within six months, they were playing to sold-out crowds in Florida.
They signed a record deal with Sony Music in 1991. Even though they didn't record for Sony, they used the money to make more demo tapes on their own.
Rise to Fame
The group's name was shortened to Marilyn Manson in 1992. They kept performing and releasing tapes. In 1993, Trent Reznor signed them to his record label, Nothing Records. Their first studio album, Portrait of an American Family, came out in July 1994.
Their next record, Smells Like Children, included their famous cover of the Eurythmics' song "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)". This song made the band very popular. Its music video was played a lot on MTV. It also earned them a nomination for Best Rock Video in 1996.
Their second studio album, Antichrist Superstar (1996), was a huge success. It reached number three on the Billboard 200 chart. It sold almost 2 million copies in the U.S. and 7 million worldwide. The song "The Beautiful People" received three nominations at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards.
Later Albums and Tours
For their 1998 album, Mechanical Animals, Manson was inspired by 1970s glam rock. He changed his look to be more like David Bowie. He wanted to avoid being seen as a "bogeyman" by the media. This album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. However, some older fans didn't like its more radio-friendly sound.
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) (2000) went back to the band's industrial metal style. This album was Manson's response to media stories that blamed him for influencing the Columbine High School massacre. Critics loved the album, calling it one of the band's best. A cover of "Tainted Love" became a global hit in 2002.
The Golden Age of Grotesque was released in 2003. This album was inspired by the swing and burlesque styles of 1920s Berlin. It also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The band worked with French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier for their "Grotesk Burlesk Tour" costumes. A collection of their best songs, Lest We Forget: The Best Of, came out in 2004.
After a break, the band released Eat Me, Drink Me in 2007. Their seventh album, The High End of Low, came out in 2009. In 2011, Manson signed a deal with Cooking Vinyl record label. Their first album with this label was Born Villain (2012). The song "No Reflection" earned the band their fourth Grammy nomination.
Later albums like The Pale Emperor (2015) and Heaven Upside Down (2017) were released. "Kill4Me" became their highest-charting single on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. In 2019, "God's Gonna Cut You Down" became their highest-charting song on Billboard's Hot Rock Songs. Their most recent album, We Are Chaos (2020), was their tenth top ten album on the Billboard 200.
In March 2024, Manson announced a tour with Five Finger Death Punch. The tour started on August 2, 2024. On the same day, the band released "As Sick as the Secrets Within", their first new song in four years. Two weeks later, they released "Raise the Red Flag".
Marilyn Manson has sold over 50 million records worldwide. In the United States, three of their albums have gone platinum (meaning they sold over a million copies). Three more have gone gold (selling over 500,000 copies).
Working with Other Musicians
Manson has worked with many other artists. He became friends with The Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan in 1997. They performed together at the Bridge School Benefit concert. In 2015, Marilyn Manson and The Smashing Pumpkins went on a tour together called "The End Times Tour".
In 1998, the band toured with Hole on the "Beautiful Monsters Tour". This tour had some problems, and Hole eventually left. The tour was then renamed the "Rock Is Dead Tour".
Manson started his own record label, Posthuman Records, in 2000. It released two albums before closing in 2003. He sang on the song "Break You Down" for the band Godhead. He also sang on "Redeemer" for the movie Queen of the Damned: Music from the Motion Picture (2002). Manson helped remix the Linkin Park song "By Myself" for their album Reanimation. He also helped create music for the 2002 film Resident Evil.
He has worked with pop artists like Lady Gaga and Avril Lavigne. He sang on a remix of Lady Gaga's "LoveGame" in 2008. He also appeared on "Bad Girl" from Avril Lavigne's 2013 album. Manson also collaborated with country musician Shooter Jennings on a cover of David Bowie's "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)". Jennings later produced Manson's 2020 album We Are Chaos.
Manson has also worked with hip hop artists. In 1998, he was on a song called "The Omen (Damien II)" by DMX. After the Columbine High School event, Eminem mentioned Manson in his song "The Way I Am". Manson appeared in the song's music video and performed it live with Eminem. In 2020, he sang on the song "Marilyn Manson" for ASAP Ferg.
In 2021, Manson worked with Kanye West (also known as Ye) on the song "Jail pt 2" for Ye's album Donda. Manson and Ye appeared together at events promoting the album. Donda was nominated for a Grammy Award, which included Manson in the nomination. He continued to work with Ye for the album Donda 2.
While with The Spooky Kids, Manson also played in two other bands: Satan on Fire and Mrs. Scabtree.
Acting and Art
Film and Television Roles
Manson first acted in a film in 1997, in David Lynch's Lost Highway. Since then, he has appeared in many small roles. These include Party Monster, Jawbreaker, and The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things. He also appeared in TV shows like Californication (2013) and Eastbound & Down. He provided the voice for the character "Shadow" in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
He also appeared in animated form in Clone High. He was a frequent guest on the MTV series Celebrity Deathmatch, where he voiced his own claymated character. He also contributed a song to the show's soundtrack.
In 2005, Manson said he wanted to focus more on filmmaking. He was working on directing a film called Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll. He was also going to play the role of Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. However, the film's production was stopped due to concerns about its violent content. In 2013, Manson said he had "resurrected" the project, but later decided to step away from it.
Manson appeared in the final season of the TV series Sons of Anarchy as Ron Tully. In 2016, he joined the cast of WGN's Salem, playing a barber and surgeon named Thomas Dinley. In 2020, he had a guest role in the HBO series The New Pope.
Art and Exhibitions
Manson started painting with watercolor in 1999. His first art show, The Golden Age of Grotesque, was held in Los Angeles in 2002. He had more exhibitions in Paris and Berlin in 2004.
Manson created his own art movement called Celebritarian Corporation. Its slogan is: "We will sell our shadow to those who stand within it." He also owns an art gallery in Los Angeles called the Celebritarian Corporation Gallery of Fine Art. In 2007, his works were shown in galleries in Florida and Germany. In 2010, he showed 20 paintings called Genealogies of Pain at a gallery in Vienna. He worked with David Lynch on this exhibition.
Video Games
Manson has appeared in the video game Area 51 as an alien named Edgar. His song "Cruci-Fiction in Space" was used in a commercial for the game The Darkness. His image was also in the Celebrity Deathmatch video game. The song "Use Your Fist and Not Your Mouth" was in the credits of Cold Fear and Spawn: Armageddon. A remix of "Tainted Love" was in trailers for Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and Twisted Metal. His song "The Beautiful People" was featured in games like WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth and Brütal Legend.
Hell, etc.
Hell, etc. was Manson's third art exhibition, held in Athens, Greece, from April 28 to May 2, 2010. It featured his newer artworks. The exhibition was held at the Athenian Cultural Centre.
Vocal Style
Manson usually sings in a melodic way. But he also uses different vocal techniques like vocal fry, screaming, growling, and crooning. He has a baritone voice type and a vocal range that covers three octaves. He has said his voice has five different tones.
Appearance
Manson often wears one or two different colored contact lenses.
Name Origin
The name Marilyn Manson combines two very different American pop culture icons: Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson.
Manson has said that he trademarked the name Marilyn Manson. He explained that it's like how Walt Disney owns Mickey Mouse. The United States Patent and Trademark Office shows he registered the name between 1994 and 1999. This protects his entertainment services and merchandise.
Helping Others
Manson has supported many charities. In 2002, he worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He invited a 16-year-old fan named Andrew Baines to his recording studio. Andrew helped record backing vocals for the album The Golden Age of Grotesque. Manson thanked Andrew for sharing his wish.
He also helped Oxfam in 2013 to raise money for victims of domestic abuse. He has supported groups like Music for Life and Little Kids Rock. These groups help children from low-income families get musical instruments and education. He has also worked with Project Nightlight, which helps children speak out against physical abuse. In 2019, he performed with Cyndi Lauper at her 'Home for the Holidays' concert. All the money went to Lauper's True Colors United charity.
Personal Life
Manson is the godfather of Lily-Rose Depp. He is married to Lindsay Usich. They got married in a private ceremony in 2020.
Music Albums
Studio albums
- Portrait of an American Family (1994)
- Antichrist Superstar (1996)
- Mechanical Animals (1998)
- Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) (2000)
- The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003)
- Eat Me, Drink Me (2007)
- The High End of Low (2009)
- Born Villain (2012)
- The Pale Emperor (2015)
- Heaven Upside Down (2017)
- We Are Chaos (2020)
- One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1 (2024)
Music Videos He Appeared In
- 1992: Nine Inch Nails – "Gave Up"
- 2000: Eminem – "The Way I Am"
- 2002: Murderdolls – "Dead in Hollywood"
- 2010: Rammstein – "Haifisch"
- 2011: D'hask – "Tempat Ku"
- 2014: Die Antwoord – "Ugly Boy"
- 2017: Elton John – "Tiny Dancer"
- 2020: Corey Taylor – "CMFT Must Be Stopped"
Concert Tours
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes" | Best Metal Performance | Nominated |
| 2004 | "mOBSCENE" | Nominated | |
| 2013 | "No Reflection" | Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance | Nominated |
| 2022 | Donda (as featured artist) | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| Year | Winner | Category |
| 1997 | "Long Hard Road Out of Hell" | Best Song From a Movie Soundtrack |
| 1999 | Marilyn Manson | Live Performer of the Year |
| 1998 | God Is in the TV | Home Video of the Year |
| 2000 | Marilyn Manson | Male Performer of the Year |
Film and TV Roles
- Lost Highway (1997)
- Howard Stern (1997–2004)
- Celebrity Deathmatch (1998)
- Jawbreaker (1999)
- Clone High (2002)
- Bowling for Columbine (2002)
- Beat the Devil (2002)
- Party Monster (2003)
- The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004)
- Born Villain (2011)
- Wrong Cops (2013)
- Californication (2013)
- Celebrity Ghost Stories
- Once Upon a Time (2013) Voice of Peter Pan's shadow
- Sons of Anarchy (2014) (Ron Tully)
- Let Me Make You a Martyr (2016) (Pope)
- Salem (2016–2017) (Thomas Dinley)
- The New Pope (2020) cameo
- The New Mutants (2020) Voice of the Smile Man
- American Gods (2021) Johan Wengren
Books Written
- The Long Hard Road Out of Hell. New York: HarperCollins division ReganBooks, 1998 ISBN: 0-06-039258-4.
- Holy Wood. New York: HarperCollins division ReganBooks, Unreleased.
- Genealogies of Pain. Nuremberg: Verlag für moderne Kunst Nürnberg, 2011 ISBN: 978-3-86984-129-8.
- Campaign. Calabasas: Grassy Slope Incorporated, 2011 ASIN B005J24ZHS.
See Also
In Spanish: Marilyn Manson para niños
