May 7, 2017 | Miles Brucker

Weird Facts About Marilyn Manson


Marilyn Manson is a musician, actor, and public figure who has been active since the late 80s. Though not as popular today, Manson once dominated the music charts.

Here are 42 weird facts about Marilyn Manson.


Marilyn Manson Facts

1. Normal Name

Marilyn Manson was born Brian Warner. He is of German and English ancestry, but grew up in the American Midwest. His mom is Episcopalian and his dad is Catholic.

Marilyn Manson performing in Columbus, Ohio at the Rock on the Range festival - 2015Jack Fordyce, Shutterstock

2. Like Father

Manson attended Christian heritage school until the 10th grade. This was the kind of school that told you what not to listen to. Take a wild guess what music Manson listened to?

Marilyn Manson on stage - Rock Am Ring 2015Andreas Lawen, Fotandi, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

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3. Musical Manson

When he was still known to the world as Brian Warner, Marilyn Manson was pursuing a career as a music journalist.  He majored in journalism at Broward College and also wrote for a local Florida lifestyle magazine called The 25th Parallel.

Musician Marilyn Manson speaks to students - 2004Frank Micelotta, Getty Images

4. Inquisitive Manson

Manson also got to interview many famous rock stars before becoming one himself. One such rock star is Trent Reznor, who would later go on to produce to of Manson's albums, and sign Manson to his Nothing Records.

Nine Inch Nails In-StoreScott Gries, Getty Images

5. Too Long

In 1989, Marilyn Manson & The Spooky Kids was formed. They recorded their first demo in 1990, and started gaining a following by 1992 for their highly visual shows featuring shocking imagery and bizarre costumes. The band shortly thereafter dropped The Spooky Kids and continued as just Marilyn Manson.Marilyn Manson in Nederlands -  2015Robin Looy, CC BY-SA 4.0,  Wikimedia Commons

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6. Namesake

Marilyn Manson and his original band mates got their names by mashing up the first name of an iconic female sex symbol and an iconic serial killer. For Manson, it's a mash up of Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson. On the flip side, Charles Monroe sounds very distinguished. A glamorous Marilyn Monroe in a red dressSam Shaw, Wikimedia Commons

7. Will You?

Manson has been engaged three times; once to actor Evan Rachel Wood, once to actor Rose McGowan, and once to burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese. He only married Dita, but they divorced shortly after.

Dita Von Teese and Marilyn MansonAstrid Stawiarz, Getty Images

8. Shooting Star

Manson’s music was accused of influencing of the tragic Columbine school shooting. Manson even appeared in the documentary Bowling for Columbine, discussing at length with Michael Moore how he did not support the shooters, or the idea that his music influences people to commit acts of violence.Filmmaker Michael Moore (C) with cast and crew attend Robin Marchant, Getty Images

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9. Son Of A…

Manson has also acted, appearing in several shows like Eastbound & Down, Californication, and he had a recurring role in Sons Of Anarchy as Ron Tully. He said the most challenging part of the role was growing a goatee.

Marilyn Manson attends the 2nd season premiere - 2010David Livingston, Getty Images

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10. Gimme Grammy

Although Manson has been nominated for Grammys multiple times, the recording artist hasn’t ever won any.

Marilyn Manson on stage - 2015Craig Noce, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

11. Platinumbers Game

Though he’s never won any Grammys, Manson has had two albums go platinum: Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals.

Photograph of Marilyn Manson during the Mechanical Animals era - 2014Patrick Whitaker, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

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12. Collector

Manson collects metal lunchboxes from the 40’s and 50’s. He also collects outdated medical prosthetics and other old-timey medical memorabilia.

Artificial left arm, Scotland, 1937Wellcome Images, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

13. Obscene

Manson’s Mechanical Animals depicted Manson wearing an androgynous body suit, and Walmart decided that the cover was too obscene for its shelves. Two years later, Walmart would stock Manson’s next album Holy Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death) because it was “commercially viable” and “in the top ten charts.” The cover art was also surprisingly more tame, so that probably helped.

Marilyn Manson poses in the winners room at The Fashion Awards 2016Stuart C. Wilson, Getty Images

14. Wonky For Wonka

Manson is a huge fan of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, and even wanted to play Willy in the remake of the film. He eventually lost the role to his good friend Johnny Depp.

 Johnny Depp (L) and Musician Marilyn MansonKevin Winter, Getty Images

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15. Getting Deep With Depp

Manson is really close with Johnny, so much so that they have matching back tattoos. Depp has even said that he used Manson as inspiration for the role of Willy Wonka in the remake. Luckily, this didn’t affect their friendship.

Actor Johnny Depp performs on stage with Marilyn MansonFrazer Harrison, Getty Images

16. Heart The Kart

Manson is a huge fan of the franchise. He’s also had his music in many video games. No word on who his main character is for Mario Kart.

Marilyn Manson - Download Festival - 2015cliqmo_, Flickr

17. Spirited

Manson is a huge fan of the alcoholic drink Absinthe. So much so that he made his own brand of the drink called Mansinthe, and won a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2008.

Marilyn Manson performing  - 2013Sean Molin, Flickr

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18. Heartfelt

Manson was born with a condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, which results in a rapid heart rate. The condition is due to an extra, abnormal electrical pathway in his heart.

Marilyn Manson @ Rock am Ring - 2018Sven Mandel, CC BY-SA 4.0,  Wikimedia Commons

19. Parents Just Don’t Understand

Manson’s mom always called him by his birth name, Brian, while his dad would refer to him as simply Manson.

Marilyn Manson attends the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures' "King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword" Matt Winkelmeyer, Getty Images

20. Superscar

In his memoir, The Long Road Out Of Hell, Manson mentions that his body is covered in scars accrued from years of self-inflicted cuts during shows. Hopefully, the memoir helped heal some of those scars.

Marilyn Manson performs onstage during the 2018 CoachellaRich Fury, Getty Images

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21. Birthday Suit

In 1999, Honcho magazine published a nude photoshoot of Manson as a birthday tribute to the singer. The photos were taken five years prior, before Manson had become a big star.

Marilyn Manson arrives at the premiere of Universal Pictures' "The Thing"Jason Merritt, Getty Images

22. Caulkinfluence

Home Alone star Macaulay Caulkin was actually the first person to ever bring Manson a cigarette. It happened when they were filming Party Monster, and a scene called for Manson’s character to smoke a cigarette. Macaulay was the one to give him his first pack, Virginia Slims.

Macaulay Culkin at the 2018 American Music AwardsFeatureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock

23. F-Word

Manson once wrote the F-word across his face to keep the paparazzi away, since they can’t sell any pictures that are deemed profane.

Marilyn Manson - Rock Am Ring - 2015Andreas Lawen, Fotandi, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

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24. Eye Spy

Manson wears two different color contact lenses in both eyes, each with a different sized pupil. Manson does this as a tribute to legendary British musician David Bowie, who suffered from anisocoria, a condition where one pupil is permanently dilated; which also creates the illusion that both eyes are different colors.

Marilyn Manson  attends the screening of the short animated film "Final Flight of the Osiris"Vince Bucci, Getty Images

25. Charity Case

Manson supports various charities like Music for Life and Little Kids Rock. He even worked with the Make-A-Wish foundation, and had a terminally ill fan come to the studio and lay down backing vocals for a track Manson was working on.

Marilyn Manson perform at the Echo Awards 2012Andreas Rentz, Getty Images

26. Artist

Manson started painting in 1999, and would paint five-minute concepts that he sold to drug-dealers. He even started an art movement called Celebration Corporation.

Marilyn Manson on stage - 2019Ivan Montoya Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

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27. Bedeviled

Manson is a fan of Anton Lavey, who founded the Church Of Satan. Manson is also a fan of Aleister Crowley who has been described as the “highest profile Satanist ever.”

Marilyn Manson performs during the Perth leg of the Australian tourPaul Kane, Getty Images

28. Make Me

While in Cologne, Germany for the opening night of his art exhibition, Manson tried to visit the Cologne Cathedral, but was denied entry because of his makeup.

MARILYN MANSON at the Los Angeles premiere of The Rules of Attraction - 2002.Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock

29. Too Busy To Massacre

In 2002, Manson was hired to write and record the score for the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but never got around to it as he was too busy working on his own album The Golden Age Of Grotesque.

A visitor dressed as the character LeatherfaceIan Forsyth, Getty Images

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30. Gamify

Manson not only loves playing video games, he even voices characters in video games sometimes. He voiced the alien Edgar in 2005’s Area 51 and his likeness was used for MTV’s Celebrity Death Match.

Performer Marilyn Manson entertains live in concert June 22, 2001 at Mile High Stadium in Denver, CO.TDC Photography, Shutterstock

31. Wondering Years

A strange urban legend surrounding Manson is that he played Paul in The Wonder Years. This is definitely not true, but their childhood photos do look very similar.

Marilyn Manson at Soundwave Festival Melbourne, 2 March 2012Laurence Barnes, Flickr

32. Political Ties

Manson is related to conservative political commentator, former CNN host and one-time Presidential candidate Pat Buchanan. They are fourth cousins, twiced removed.

Presidential candidate Pat Buchanan speaksAlex Wong ,Getty Images

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33. Still Got It

After Manson was used as a scapegoat for the Columbine shootings, he wrote an article called “Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?” in which he denounced how society immortalizes mass killers through the media.

Marilyn Manson attends the Relentless Energy Drink Kerrang!Danny E. Martindale, Getty Images

34. Manson Family

Manson once did a photo shoot with famous photographer Terry Richardson, where both he and his father wore the iconic singer’s trademark makeup. Hilarity ensued.

Rock star Marilyn Manson (C) with his bandKevin Winter, Getty Images

35. O’Realy?

Manson was a guest on Bill O’Reilly’s The O’Reilly Factor, back when it was still on the air. During the interview, O’Reilly repeatedly attacked Manson with false allegations, but Manson remained composed and his answers stayed thoughtful. At one point, Manson stated “It’s better to use a curse word than to hurt somebody else, I find.”

Host Bill O'Reilly appears on "The O'Reilly Factor" Rob Kim, Getty Images

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36. Heartfelt Pt 2.

After the daughter of Michael Jackson, Paris Jackson tried to commit suicide, Manson reached out to her, saying “I hope you feel better. You will be on my guest list anytime you want.” Aww, Mansy…

Michael Jackson's children (L-R) Prince Jackson, Blanket Jackson and Paris JacksonTim Alban, Getty Images

37. Strange

Manson’s song “Killing Strangers” was inspired by Manson’s father, who was a member of the Air Force.

Marilyn Manson performs at Riviera Theatre Daniel Boczarski ,Getty Images

38. Who?

Manson is almost unrecognizable without his trademark makeup. He uses Christian Dior foundation, Aquacolor for the blue, and a mixture for the black.Marilyn Manson performs on stage at the third and final day of The Carling Weekend Reading FestivalJo Hale, Getty Images

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39. The Man, The Myth

Over the years, there have been a few myths surrounding Manson. The two biggest ones were that he injected heroin into his eye, which resulted in the dilated pupil in one eye. Another is that he had several ribs removed in order to perform oral sex on himself. Both are false.Musician Marilyn Manson presents the award for Scream Rock Immortal to Ozzy OsbourneKevin Winter, Getty Images

40. Animal Lover

Rumors circulated that Manson once threw a live puppy into a jacked up crowd at one of his shows, who then proceeded to rip the puppy to pieces. Another rumor surrounding the singer is that he once bit the head off of a live chicken on stage. While neither story is true, in 1995, there was a live chicken on stage, and it did get thrown into the crowd. The chicken lived, and no one bit it. Manson also has three dogs whom he loves very much.

Performer Marilyn Manson entertains live in concert June 22, 2001TDC Photography, Shutterstock

41. Shocking

During one of his early concerts, Manson hired a pregnant looking actress to iron out the wrinkles on a Nazi flag on stage. She then sat on the ironing board and pretended to perform an abortion on herself. If you want to shock people, Nazis and abortion will do it.

Musician Marilyn Manson performs liveTroy Augusto, Getty Images

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42. Fire Safety

Manson has said that he only has sex in the dark, and with his underwear around his ankles because he has a phobia of his house catching fire. We wouldn’t want to be caught outside our burning home buck naked either.

Marilyn Manson at the world premiere of Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5


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