January 23, 2007
(No, I didn't quit $DAYJOB)
I've been a 'fan' of Brian Warner (or more specifically, his alter-ego Marilyn
Manson). Now, I'll grant you that I came into his music a little late (around
AntiChrist Superstar), but I now own several of his albums and have seen a
handfull of interviews with him. In fact, it's the interviews that really 'drew
me in' as it were. You see, Brian is all about the message, and he, like me,
seems to realize that the general populance is either asleep, or retarded. In
his interviews, it becomes clear immediately that the Marilyn Manson persona
and stage act are, well, a persona and a stage act. And they are not, per se,
done for increasing sales of the record. They are done deliberetly and with
great thought such that they force people to wake up. Now, I'll grant you that
a lot of people are rudely awakened by his antics and yet still don't see the
message, or begin to question their own dogma, but at least he's getting a
response. And responses make other people wake up.
Now, on to the book. This book is essentially his autobiography, and explains
in great detail (too much in places) how Brian grew up and morphed into
Marilyn. It's a fascinating read that details the loss of innocence in his
childhood, the beginnings of the awakening of his adult mind and his
development of a 'presence of mind' to question the 'rules' of society and
religion that are thrust upon our youth. We learn how he was raised in
conservitive, backwater, middle America (not far from where I've lived my whole
life actually) in a devout Catholic family. This book ends with the release of
AntiChrist Superstar, which could be classified as their first mainstream
record. As such, it really lets you see where he comes from, how he got here,
and why the mission will probably never be complete. A good read!
Currently listening to: Bosson - One In A Million
Posted in Books at 19:41:37