That, boys and girls, is the end of the "Bippy Covers Her Legal Ass" section of this page. On to the good stuff.
I have to admit, I enjoy Marilyn Manson's music. I have never gone to a concert or bought a shirt, but I like the music. It's hard, it's angry, it has intelligent, non-condescending lyrics, and whenever I'm in teen-angst-overload, it makes me smile.
My favorite song of Brian Warner's (the man who is Marilyn Manson) isn't anything I have ever heard on the radio. It's not even on a Marilyn Manson CD. Brian Warner did the vocals for Trent Reznor on the Lost Highway CD. The title of the song is "I Put a Spell on You", and it's a CCR cover. However, Brain Warner's original songs are easily as good. His lyrics are compelling and powerful, on top of that they're literate. There are jokes, puns and religious references that you have to be somewhat educated to get. The lyrics have a sense of irony to them, and I respond to that. I don't have as much of a hard-on for Christian bashing as Warner has, but then I understand where he's coming from after reading his book.
The Antichrist of Pop himself wrote a book. Avery handed me her battered copy of The Long Hard Road Out of Hell that lived in her backpack during her years as a street urchin. It’s tattered, torn, and been around so much weed I wouldn't be surprised if drug dogs started humping it if they got within 50 feet. I started flipping through it and was genuinely pleased with what I found.
Not only is Mr. Manson literate, he's a decent writer. He tells his story in a clipped yet expressive prose, but it's not his writing style that will get your attention, it's what he says. I have to say that I disagreed with at least ninety eight percent of what he had to say, but I could see where he was coming from and appreciate his point of view at all times. He is brutally honest in his assessment of himself and the world around him. It takes something special to be so far from your point of view and still an entertaining read, but Manson manages to pull it off.
Marilyn tells the story of his repressive Christian schooling, his life in Florida before he made it big, and his rise to the top. He tells you about how his next-door-neighbor killed his only friend, his dog, and how the girl who took his virginity gave him crabs. He talks about having second thoughts in the waiting room as his girlfriend is getting yet another abortion and his odd but touching friendship with Anton Le Vey, founder of the Church of Satan. Manson admits to using stupid drugs, cheating on his girlfriends, and psychologically torturing fans backstage.
I'm disappointed in him at times. Love him or hate him, it's obvious that Manson's smart. He does some pretty stupid and trite shit, things I only think he'll recognize years down the road. He is trying his best to live his life aware of everything, chasing down all experiencing everything dark that he sees as well as everything light. He seems to forget the light part, however, and instead of living a full life that balances the positive and the negative in his world, he's doing that which he is trying to avoid- fixating only on the parts of his life that he wants to live. He is simply doing a 180 degree reversal of the suburban housewife who thinks her life is fine even though the darkness is all around her. He ignores the good things in life that he has, for lack of a better word, been blessed with and spends his time brooding or deliberately fucking up.
Manson vacillates between trying to explain why he is the way he is and asking for understanding, to trying to shock. I'll clue you in on something: Brian Warner is not a nice person. He wants to be, he tries to be, and one day he might be. But he isn't someone I would want to count among my closest friends. Mr. Warner is also a bit of a whiner and can be hypocritical. He has something that few people do- he has something to say, and a desire to be heard. He has star power, charisma, and a magnificent will. I would love to have a lunch with him, talk to him, interview him, and understand this fascinating person intimately, but I would not want to be a Close Personal Friend of Manson’s. He has a healthy streak of self loathing and random destructiveness in him, it's what I respond to in his voice and his music, and it doesn’t make him a happy person, but a fascinating one.
Through the entire book he makes you are aware of something. This Antichrist Superstar is a real person, who bleeds and shits just like anyone else. He's beautifully human, in the most explosive, dynamic and vibrant way possible. He will bare his soul and cut his heart out in front of you just to be seen. He’s an emotional exhibitionist, just like I am, but instead of having a small, underground website he’s a superstar. I hope it gives him what he’s looking for, what he needs. After reading this book I truly hope that he manages to find some joy and peace for himself, and despite the stardom manages to grow into the person he could be. Marilyn Manson is not a happy person, but maybe Brian Warner can be.
