Mechanical Bull Session

Modern Day Icon Marilyn Manson Reflects On The True Nature Of Rock And Shock.

Its 92 degrees on this typically scorching summer's day in L.A., but you wouldn't know it by looking at Marilyn Manson. Holed up in a West Hollywood Hotel, he's wearing a thick orange sweater, matching orange nail polish and pin-striped black trousers. One side of his black hair, cut just below shoulder length, is dyed crimson; he wears little makeup. Large gold-rimmed, teardrop sunglasses cover half his face, and adorning his finger is an enormous amber ring imbedded with an ugly gold insect. The laid-back, friendly Manson belies his reputation as a devil- worshipping, beastiality-loving lowlife--a reputation he himself has worked diligently to promote. Sipping on a can of Coke, he's here to talk about the band's new album, Mechanical Animals--their most commercial and melodic album to date.

Guitar World: Mechanical Animals seems a lot more radio- friendly than your previous work.

Marilyn Manson: Well, it's more of a rock record--it wasn't specifically designed to be pop, but the songs were much more of in the tradition of, you know, rock and roll, Beatles, Stones, David Bowie kind of rock and roll. And we weren't afraid to be bombastic in that sense, to make things over the top with elaborate arrangements and instrumentation, whereas in the past things were sonically just more aggressive. This had to represent a lot of different emotions, so it had to sound different.

GW: Was the recording process different this time?

Manson: Yeah, it was very different. The record was written and most of it recorded at my house really without any outside help. We brought in the producer to make sure when we recorded in the studio that it had all the elements I was looking for. I had a very clear vision of what I wanted to do. It wasn't really polluted with anyone else's ideas, so we just kind of sat down and did it until it was done.

GW: Is there a set process in the way you write, the way you record?

Manson: No, there's never been any specific way. I just mostly would sit down with Twiggy, who's my main collaborator, and we'd write most of the songs on acoustic guitar and then we'd go later and try to translate them into a band setting.

GW: Who else is in on the album?

Manson: We experimented with a lot of different things. Dave Navarro played some lead guitar on a track, I had some black gospel singers contribute some vocals to a few tracks. We just used a lot of different instrumtation that we haven't used in the past--this record's more organic.

GW: You've described your last album, Antichrist Superstar, as the end of a phase for you. Can you talk about that, and what new phase you've entered with this record?

Manson: Antichrist Superstar was a lot about stripping away emotions, and it was a metamorphosis, really, for me trying to believe in myself, and it took going through a lot of different pain to get there. And I think after i got to that point, I had to have somewhere to go from there, and it was almost like starting over. And the feeling I get from this record is, in some ways, the exact opposite of the last record, because this is about getting back all of your feelings and being in a world that really doesn't have any.

GW: What pain are you referring to?

Manson: Dealing with every element of my life, you know, all at once. Dealing with drugs, dealing with belief in myself and presenting ideas that the rest of the world, particularly America, really didn't agree with. So I was put in a position where i had to fight to stand up for what I was saying. I was taking a lot of heat from that, and it's a real tiring struggle that can take a lot out of you.

GW: So do you still harbor a lot of anger, or are you freed from that emotion because you're able to get it out through your music?

Manson: I think there's always gonna be something to piss me off. Anybody who has any bit of individuality or his own opinions is never going to be satisfied in anything that he does. But i've just found that being creative is probably the healthiest thing you can do. I hope that my expressing that would encourage other people to do the same, rather than seeking other ways to express it. At least do something that contributes to society.

GW: What ar you trying to contribute to society?

Manson: On a basic level, entertainment. On a deeper level, thought-provoking ideas.

GW: What shocks you?

Manson: Well, I'm beginning not to be shocked by people's stupidity. I used to be surprised by it, but now I'm just trying to grow accustomed to it. There's not much that shocks me. I think being shocked is, in a way, kind of a weakness, because you're letting other people affect you so much.

GW: You've been quoted to the effect that the Beatles said they were bigger than God, and you're bigger than Satan. Is that an accurate quote?

Manson: Yeah, 'cause that was being me...you know, making fun of the Lennon quote. But I think it's the context of how people are constantly asking me if I worship the Devil and all these nonsensical questions, and that I thought it was quite clear that Marilyn Manson has evolved into more of a devil in America than Satan has.

GW: Do you agree that every generation is blessed with an icon whose fate it is to shock the masses?

Manson: You know, it started with Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley. Things went down from there, so I suppose if I'm responsible for that in this decade, that's fine, I guess. I think I'm here to prove, particularly with this new record, that I'm not just limited to that.

GW: What's the best rumor you've heard about yourself? Manson: I always like the one about me removing a rib so i could suck my own dick. That's always been my favorite.

GW: Do you think that's possible?