my thoughts on….
Marilyn Manson
I’m not really a Manson fan. I’m not a Manson hater. I have 1 cd, I was supposed to go to see him Nov 19th. I have mixed opinions on Manson. The CD I have is “antichrist superstar”. When I don’t listen to the cd, I forget how much I used to like it. I was no where near becoming a “mansonite” when I got it, but I listened to it an awful lot. I like that cd. It is really good.
I think Manson is incredibly fake, and a bit humorous (I cracked up laffing reading his millennium column in Rolling Stone last year). I believe he knows he’s fake, he does it on purpose. Anyone who believes he is really truely like that needs their head examined, in my opinion. He’s almost admitted to the fakeness. He’s explained where his name as come from, etc etc etc… He’s a product of the media, and that was his purpose. He intended to shock the country/world and that’s what he has done. I believe he’s quite happy with what he’s accomplished.
I also think Manson is very intelligent, articulate, and has some really interesting and CORRECT things to say about American society and religion. I just wish people could hear him.
I was quite impressed with Manson’s article regarding Columbine High School that was in Rolling Stone magazine. I haven’t read it recently, but everything he said was correct. Things he has said in interviews I’ve read and seen about religion, America, etc, have been right on. Am I the only one who sees this? I doubt it. Because I can hear what he’s trying to say, does that make me Satanic? No. If you listen to what he’s saying, he’s not preaching satanism, nothing even close to it. He’s telling the truth. He sees the truth and what is really going on in our society today.
Does this make him a god, or messiah, or anything close to it? Of course not. Should we listen or pay attention to what he has to say, yeah I think so.
Now, let’s look at some quotes, and maybe *my thoughts* on them..
“My fellow Americans, we will no longer be oppressed by the fascism of Christianity, and we will no longer be oppressed by the fascism of beauty. ‘Cause I see you all sitting out there trying your hardest not to be ugly…trying your hardest not to fit in…trying your hardest to earn your way into heaven…but let me ask you – do you wanna be in a place that’s filled with a bunch of assholes?!”
“Find out what’s really out there. I never said to be like me, I say be like you and make a difference.” *clearly pointing out he hasn’t intended to “convert” or do anything to the people he attracts*
“The message that I’m sending out to them is raise your kids better or I’ll be raising them for you.” *very nice, no one paid much attention during Columbine about the parents, and why they didn’t notice the arsenal of guns these kids had. This quote isn’t direct reference to Columbine, but in general it’s quite true…*
“There’s always been this underlying theme in the stuff I do. It’s teaching people not to be so stupid” *brilliant*
“I grew up feeling like I could never fit in no matter how hard I tried. One day, I realized that I didn’t want to fit in. I could make my own standards and I’d live by them. That’s what I try to tell people. Don’t be afraid to say what’s on your mind, and if it pisses someone off that’s too bad. If you make everybody happy, you’re an idiot.”
“I don’t really have any place in my heart for stupid or weak people. I try my hardest to be a strong person. I think with anyone, the thing that they hate are their own fears, and I guess through a little bit of self-analysis, I’ve realized that I have a fear of being a weak person. So Marilyn Manson is a bit of a challenge to people’s intelligence. It’s almost a little bit of a science project to see how far I can push you, and see exactly what kind of a reaction I can get. If you listen to Marilyn Manson and you decide to go off and commit some act of violence, or you decide to kill yourself, then that’s a responsibility you need to take for yourself, that’s nothing you can put off on me or off on the television or anything like that. If anyone, your parents should be responsible for raising you to be an idiot, so that you will be influenced so easily by someone in a band. I’ve never gone out and told anyone to commit these acts, but if somebody kills themselves because of our music, then that’s one less stupid person in the world. There are too many people in the world, and they need to make way for the people who actually can contribute something to society. If you’ve got that kind of mentality where you would so easily be swayed, then you have no contribution, you have no place to stand in my movement, if you want to call it that.” *i have strong opinions about music and entertainment’s influences on adolescents…maybe i’ll write them down some day*
“However, I know that when I retire I’ll either become a third-grade teacher or a TV evangelist so that I could further the scam that tends to keep perpetuating itself in America. I think what would be really enjoyable when I retire. I would feign being a born again Christian and I would get people’s money to help me stop other bands like Marilyn Manson, but secretly I would be funding other bands like Marilyn Manson. And that would be the ultimate thing to pull across in America.” *i think this illustrates quite nicely manson’s “mission”, if you will, his hypocracy, and has a good point regarding the scam that keeps perpetuating itself in the US. it’s very clear if you do any kind of research or have any interest at all about the truth, you will see what you learn in school and what you are taught by religion is wrong…*
“I’ve never once been manipulated by the media. I consider that just as much of my creation as the music. Every reaction they had was completely my intention from the beginning.” *proof u’ve all fallen right into his trap, bravo!*
“I don’t generally use profanity just for the sake of it. If I do it, I’m generally being sardonic, or it’s the legitimate or only way to express an angry thought. If you use too much of anything, it becomes watered down. If every other word is ‘fuck’ then what’s the barometer of fuckness? It’s like, if everyone was cool, what would the point of cool be?” *that’s just totally hilarious*
“People said to me: What would you say to these kids who act this way? My answer is: I wouldn’t say anything. I’d listen. Because no one was listening, and that’s why it happened.” *genius*
“A long time ago, there was a man as misunderstood as we are and they nailed him to a fucking cross!”
– November 8, 17, 2000 –