This article is about the person. For his band, see Marilyn Manson (band).
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969) in Canton, Ohio, better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson, is an American musician and artist known for his outrageous stage persona and image as the lead singer of the band that bears the same name. His stage name was formed from the names Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson, showing what he considered the ultimate and most disturbing dualism of American culture.
Manson was born in Canton, Ohio to Barb Wyer and Hugh Warner. His father was a Catholic and his mother Episcopalian, and Manson was raised in his mother's religion attending Heritage Christian School. In 1990, Warner was a college student working toward a journalism degree, and gaining experience in the field by writing music articles for a South Florida lifestyle magazine, 25th Parallel where he was able to meet several of the musicians to whom his own band would later be compared, including My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.
Main article: Marilyn Manson (band)
Before forming Marilyn Manson, he was involved with Twiggy Ramirez in two projects: Satan on Fire, a fake Christian death metal where he played bass, and Mrs. Scabtree, where he played drums. He formed Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids in Florida in 1989 (the name was shortened to Marilyn Manson in 1992). In the summer of 1993, the band drew the attention of Trent Reznor. Reznor produced their 1994 debut album, Portrait of an American Family and released it on his Nothing label. The band began to develop a cult following, which grew larger with the release of Smells Like Children in 1995. That EP yielded the band's first big MTV hit with "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", a cover of the 1983 Eurythmics hit. Antichrist Superstar (also produced by Reznor) was an even greater success. Three of the band's albums have been awarded platinum certification and three more have been awarded gold, and the band has seen three of its releases debut in the top ten, including two number-one albums.
Manson's first work as a producer was with the band Jack Off Jill. Not only did he help name the band and produce most of the band's early recordings but also played guitar on the song "My Cat" and had the band open most of his South Florida shows. Manson later wrote the liner notes to the band's album Humid Teenage Mediocrity, a collection of early JOJ recordings.
Manson has appeared as a guest performer with several artists including rapper DMX's album Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood and on Godhead's 2000 Years of Human Error album -- the only album released on Manson's vanity label Posthuman.
Manson's first film role was in 1997, as a pornographic actor in David Lynch's Lost Highway. Since then he has appeared in a variety of minor roles and cameos, including Party Monster, based on the the murder of Angel Melendez by Michael Alig; former love interest Rose McGowan's 1998 film Jawbreaker; Asia Argento's, 2004 film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things; Rise; and The Hire: Beat The Devil, the sixth installment in the BMW Films series. He appeared as himself in Michael Moore's political documentary Bowling for Columbine discussing the motivations of the perpetrators and allegations that his music was somehow a factor. He has appeared in animated form in Clone High and Family Guy and participated in several episodes of the MTV series Celebrity Deathmatch; he often performed the voice for his claymated puppet, and contributed the song "Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes" to the soundtrack album. He also made a brief cameo appearance in the classic cult film "Reefer Madness."
In July 2005, Manson told Rolling Stone magazine that he was shifting his focus from music to filmmaking - "I just don't think the world is worth putting music into right now. I no longer want to make art that other people--particularly record companies--are turning into a product. I just want to make art."
He is currently working on his directorial debut, Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll, In the film Manson plays the role of Lewis Carroll, author of Alice In Wonderland. Rather than a web-only release, Manson decided to give the $4.2 million budget film a conventional cinema release in mid-2007. The film will have an original music soundtrack with previously unreleased songs.
Manson claimed in a 2004 interview with i-D magazine to have began his career as a watercolor painter in 1999 when he made five-minute concept pieces and sold them to drug dealers. On September 13-14, 2002, his first show, The Golden Age of Grotesque, was held at the Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions Centre. Art in America's Max Henry likened them to the works of a ‘psychiatric patient given materials to use as therapy’ and said his work would never be taken seriously in a fine-art context, "the value was ‘in their celebrity, not the work’. On September 14-15, 2004, Manson held a second exhibition on the first night in Paris and the second in Berlin. The show was named ‘Trismegistus’ which was also the title of the centre piece of the exhibit – a large three headed Christ painted onto an antique wood panel.
On October 31, 2006, Manson opened his own art gallery, The Celebritarian Corporation Gallery of Fine Art in Los Angeles for which his third exhibition was the inaugural show. From April 2-17, 2007, Manson's recent works were on show at the Space 39 Modern & Contemporary in Florida. 40 pieces from this show travel to Germany's Gallery Brigitte Schenk in Cologne to be publicly exhibited from June 28 - July 28, 2007. Small detail, Marilyn Manson has been refused the entrance to the Cologne Cathedral, better known under the German name Kölner Dom when he was in the city to attend the opening night. This was due to his make-up.
Manson made an appearance in the video game Area 51 as an ancient and powerful Grey Alien. His likeness is also featured on the Celebrity Deathmatch video game for which he recorded a song for the soundtrack (2003).
Manson was given the title of "Reverend Manson" by Church of Satan founder, Anton LaVey.
Manson and Dita Von Teese, a popular American burlesque artist, model and actress, started dating on Manson's 32nd birthday (January 5, 2001), and Manson proposed three years later on 22 March 2004. On 3 December 2005 (court documents say 28 November), the couple were married in a non-denominational ceremony at Gurteen Castle in Kilsheelan, County Tipperary, Ireland, the home of artist, Gottfried Helnwein. The wedding was officiated by surrealist film director and comic book writer Alejandro Jodorowsky.[10]
On December 30, 2006 Manson and Von Teese split after her filing for divorce due to "irreconcilable differences".[11] ET.com and People claimed that Manson was having an extramarital affair with 19-year-old actress Evan Rachel Wood, who is to co-star in his upcoming horror film Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll, and features in the video for his 2007 single, 'Heart Shaped Glasses', as well as inspiring the record.[12][13] The relationship was confirmed by Von Teese in an interview with Britain's Sunday Telegraph, "I get the impression he thinks I was unsupportive. But the truth is I wasn't supportive of his lifestyle, and someone else came along who was."[14] Manson's alcohol abuse and distant behavior were also cited as cause for the split.[15] Manson is reportedly fighting for custody of the couple's two cats.[16]
Prior to his five-year relationship to von Teese, he was engaged to actress Rose McGowan.[17]
In a civil battery suit, David Diaz, a security officer from a concert in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 27, 2000, sued for $75,000 in a Minneapolis federal court.[18][19] The federal court jury found in Manson's favor.[20]
In a civil suit presented by Oakland County, Michigan, Manson was charged with sexual misconduct against another security officer, Joshua Keasler, during a concert in Clarkston, Michigan on July 30, 2001. Oakland County originally filed assault & battery and criminal sexual misconduct charges,[21] but the judge reduced the latter charge to misdemeanor disorderly conduct.[22] Manson pleaded no contest to the reduced charges, paid a $4,000 fine,[23] and later settled the lawsuit under undisclosed terms.[24]
On April 2, 2002 Maria St. John filed in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing Manson of providing her adult daughter, Jennifer Syme, with cocaine and instructing her to drive while under the influence.[25]
Main article: Marilyn Manson discography
