Q
magazine Enjoying an evening at home with America's cat-loving super-villain,
Marilyn Manson. As Marilyn Manson himself says, if you expect his
living room to be filled with morbid paraphernalia then you not going
to be disappointed. On the coffee table sits a wax death mask and
an unborn foetus in formaldehyde that he has named Ludwig. The walls
and floor are covered with Manson's taxidermy collection, including
a mounted turkey ("not one of my favourites"), an entire peacock and
a brown bearskin rug, complete with head, which I trip over on my
way in. However, the gothic motif doesn't pervade the entire house.
By the front door, just by the old effigy of a child with chicken
feet for hands, the bathroom is painted a rather jolly shade of blue
with a framed picture of Manson's live-in girlfriend - the stunning
fetish model Dita Von Teese - sitting on a shelf next to the basin.
The toilet paper is a lavishly quilted white with a pink floral pattern.
It's 9pm. Manson has been up since lunchtime working on the video
for "mOBSCENE," the first single form his fifth studio album, "The
Golden Age Of Grotesque." A white cat, Lily, skedaddles out of the
room, though her owner says it's a good sign that she came in at all.
His other pets, two dachshunds called Eva and Greta, have already
turned in for the night. Sitting in the corner on a brown couch sipping
absinthe and listening to Billie Holiday, Manson moves his grey military
cap to ruffle his hair. Cut like a 1920's gentleman - a long swept-over
fringe, the back and sides shorn - the style is in keeping with the
themes he is currently exploring in his music and it's associated
imagery: the nihilistic Dada art movement, Dandyism and post-WWI,
pre-Hitler period of German history known as the Weimar Republic.
At home today, high in a remote corner of the Hollywood Hills, he
hasn't bothered with full make-up, the milky white contact lens in
his left eye the only concession to cosmetics. Though Manson is a
genial host, immediately offering a cold bottle of Corona beer and
a seat next to him on the couch, the effect of his wonky pupils is
nevertheless quite unnerving. Manson is at once bemused and pleased
when this s pointed out. "It's meant to be," he grins.
To
start, what should I call you?
"Everyone
generally calls me Manson, even my father does nowadays."
Does
no one ever call you Marilyn?
"I don't
really care what people call me, though they don't generally call
me that. People often seem nervous that I'm going to be mad if they
call me by my given name."
So
you wouldn't get annoyed if someone called you Brian?
"No, it
just doesn't really pertain to anything to do with me. If my friends
and the band and the girl that I live with don't call me that, then
there's no reason for anyone else to."
So
it's not like when you're home and the door closes you're Brian Warner?
"No."
What's
your favourite rumour about yourself?
"My
least favourite rumour is the "Wonder Years" thing [that a young Manson
played Kevin Arnold's gawky pal, Paul Pfeiffer - he didn't, it was
a otherwise undistinguished actor called Josh Saviano]. If anyone
ever asks me about that again I'm just going to start punching them
in the teeth. My new favourite rumour would be . that's tough. What's
a good one you've heard lately?"
That
you once chopped off a hamster's feet.
"I'll
tell you what my favourite rumour is. I was arrested in Italy for
a really absurd crime. It was based on a phonecall they received from
an "innocent bystander" and the citation read that I came on stage
wearing the outfit of a pope, though the outfit I had was of a lower
echelon of the priesthood."
A
cardinal?
"Yes,
a cardinal. It said that I immediately disrobed, tore off my genitals
and threw them into the crowd. I tried to tell the police it's very
obvious - I can go into the bathroom and show them privately - but
I clearly have not torn off my genitals. I should be congratulated
if I could do that, but they're still here."
Are
you drinking absinthe there? Shouldn't you have hot sugar in it?
"That's
sort of a ritual for tourist. Once you've been drinking absinthe for
six years you lose all that."
So
just a splash of water for you?
"Yeah,
I like it in a very French way. I find it amusing that the French
are so unpopular right now. I like France because they've provided
us with good food, good liquor and they think I'm an artist, so that's
very good [laughs]."
They
love Jerry Lewis and Mickey Rourke too.
"Yes.
That's why I'm making the joke, so that should be put in italics.
And you should write 'Manson chuckles.' I'm just kidding."
Who
are your neighbours up here?
"
I don't know, quite honestly. I got a letter on my doorstep this morning
from one of the neighbours asking for some sort of help with a petition
because their rent was raised by some evil landlord. They addressed
it to Brian, then in parenthesis Marilyn Manson, which was amusing
to me. They were complaining about the exorbitant prices and they
spelt exorbitant wrong so I corrected it and sent it back to them.
I keep myself to myself. That's the one dichotomy to me living in
Hollywood - I'm not someone who really enjoys being around people
or being part of a scene. I live in a very secluded, odd area, as
you can see."
When
was the last time you went to the beach?
"God,
in Hawaii, maybe in 1998. I stayed up all night and decided that I
was going to walk the entire beach at Honolulu. It didn't work out
that way."
Do
you ever sunbathe?
"No.
I used to as a kid because I lived in Florida and I was told it would
be good to clear up my teenage acne, but it only resulted in a tan."
What
were your favourite subjects at school?
"Art class
was the only one I really got excitement out of. I loved creative
writing, too, and I thought I was really great at it but I got bad
grades because the said my stories didn't make sense."
And
the worst?
"Math.
I failed geometry and algebra, but I knew that there was no reason
for it. If you can buy a fucking calculator why should you bother
to learn how to write it out?"
You
could be in a shop and need to work out whether you're getting the
right change…
"I knew
that I wouldn't need to do that [laughs]."
You
were into 'Dungeons & Dragons' when you were younger. What character
did you play as?
"I liked
being the Dungeon Master because no one did it the way I liked so
I couldn't enjoy it being a character. They never made it scary enough
and they never made it challenging enough, but then it was defeating
because I couldn't enjoy the game because I was the authority figure
that had to control everything. That probably played into creating
a band, though I don't feel like I have to have the same control that
I had in 'Dungeons & Dragons.' The fear and exhilaration of letting
go of the wheel while you're driving really fast or shoplifting or
tearing off a condom while you're having anal sex with a prostitute
[laughs], whatever it might be, is what I try to put into everything
I do, especially now. It's always exciting to know you're doing something
wrong."
There
are degrees…
"Let's
say it's more appropriate to compare it to masturbating in your parent's
house. It's the fear of getting caught that's always the best part."
You
tend to show a lot of flesh when you perform. How do you feel about
your body?
"I'm
very shy. I refuse to sleep in the nude unless I pass out that way.
I have a phobia that I'm going to wake up and be naked in front of
the police or someone . my parents! Maybe the insecurity comes out
in exhibitionism. That's a pretty general psychological thing with
anyone."
What
brand of cosmetics do you like to use?
"I don't
think any of them pay me enough to endorse them! I use, and have used
for years, MAC make-up, which is the preferred makeup of RuPaul [laughs]."
Do
you regret any of your tattoos?
"Not really.
They're all landmarks of where I was at the time. Actually, for the
first time in years I've wanted to get a tattoo so I might get a tattoo
this weeks."
There's
a rumour that your cock is tattooed black. Would you consider getting
that done?
"No. That
would hurt."
Another
cock rumour has it that you had ribs removed so you could suck yourself
off.
"I think
that originated from me wearing corsets."
Is
that something you've ever attempted?
"I think
every guy's tried to do that at some point or another. If I was successful
we wouldn't be sitting here right now [laughs]."
Have
you ever paid for sex?
"No, but
I was paid for sex once. I received $100 in cash and prizes because
the girl didn't exactly have the entire $100 but she did have a credit
card so she bought me some shoes. This was in New York City right
when I first started the band. There was a girl that was a friend
of one my bandmates and she was really in love with me and kept begging
me to have sex with her and I wouldn't, I wouldn't. She finally offered
me $100 so I have to say I'm a cheap prostitute, but I've never paid
for sex."
You
once wrote a song called "Cake And Sodomy." Which do you prefer?
"I'd have
to say sodomy. It takes a strong woman to bear the burden of ass-fucking
and I respect any girl that does and I buy her a lot of jewellery.
I kick the ones that don't out of my house."
What
are your duties as The God Of Fuck, if indeed that's what you still
are?
"You can't
just walk away from a throne like that [laughs]. I really have to
fulfil the prayers of my believers."
What
was the last thing you returned to a shop?
"I don't
think I've ever done that. The last thing that I returned was something
that I had someone make for me - it was an improperly manufactured
jawbone made of chrome that didn't fit my head."
Do
you still steal things from hotels?
"I was
in a hotel recently . I'm trying to think of the last thing I stole.
I like to shoplift every now and again. Not like Winona Ryder."
So
just small items?
"Yeah,
but only because people wouldn't suspect me of doing something like
that. What I enjoy most when I go into a store is taking pornography
to Blockbuster and putting it in new releases of really shitty movies."I'm
not sure that I believe you.
"I really
do that and I really find great pleasure in it [laughs]. I really
have to find ways to entertain myself."
Like
your painting exhibition last year? You seemed to come out of that
quite well.
"I
knew people would want to say he's only trying to capitalise on being
famous and sell this shit art, but they seemed to genuinely like it.
I even had eavesdroppers wandering around listening to their comments.
If anything."
That
seems a bit insecure.
"No,
I was predicting . maybe there was a bit of insecurity . I was predicting
what I would say if someone like me were to do an art show, I would
be the first one to criticise it if it wasn't."
You
were a music journalist before you formed a band. Who was your favourite
interview subject?
"Probably
the one I learned the most from was Malcolm McLaren. I quite innocently
asked him a lot of things that now I know were rather daring to say
to him, specifics about Vivienne Westwood - which happens to be the
only clothes I wear nowadays - and things about John Lydon, stuff
like that. That really pissed him off and so I thought that was enjoyable."
And
the worst?
"The Red
Hot Chili Peppers was pretty disastrous."
How?
"I was
the journalist that would ask the questions that . I realise now that
some journalists are just stupid and they ask those questions because
they don't know it's going to piss you off, not because they're trying
to piss you off. I'm not sure what my intention was but I said something
that pissed them off."
What
did you say?
"I don't
remember. I have the tapes around somewhere - it'd be funny to listen
to them now - but they were really rude to me."
What
era was that?
"When
John Frusciante joined the band, so it was "Mother's Milk," around
89. I've since seen them and the most ironic part is that Flea bought
one of my paintings for $30,000. I was discussing this story with
him and he was concerned that he was rude to me. I would have been
rude to me if some young punk journalist came in and asked me something
out of turn. I would have responded the same way."
Isn't
there something vaguely ridiculous about one millionaire rock star
paying $30,000 to another, I assume, millionaire…
"Wannabe
millionaire [laughs]."
Wealthy,
then.
"But often
sued. Well, the prices for my paintings reflected how I felt about
them. The cheapest one was $1000, which was almost the price of the
frame alone. I wanted to sell it because it was of some girl that
I don't like any more."
Who's
that?
"My ex-girlfriend,
so I put it in the budget bin of the art show. Comically."
Is
that how you are with ex-girlfriends, you just don't have anything
to do with them?
"No, no,
it's not that. Let me rephrase the whole thing by saying I wanted
to get rid of the paintings I did of my ex-girlfriend because they
were something that I was very proud of because I created them, I
didn't really want to have them anymore. One of the most expensive
ones - the one that Flea brought - I didn't want people to buy them
but he did, so what was I supposed to say? No?"
Do
you have a pension?
"I don't
really know what I have, I don't even know what I have in my bank
account . in fact, I don't really know where my bank card is. I gave
it to my friend who takes a lot GHB so my account is probably empty."
What's
the weirdest thing you've ever seen done with cocaine?"It
being disposed of. I find that you can't really accomplish anything
while you're on drugs . except feeding baboons."
Feeding baboons?
"Two years
ago I took ecstasy for the first time. I've experimented with a lot
of things in my life but I never wanted to take ecstasy because someone
told me it makes you like people."
That's
not always true.
"No, it
wasn't true at all. I went to his place called Busch Garden in Florida.
It's a zoo and an amusement park, which sounds like my life. So I
took ecstasy and they let me in the baboon cage because somebody who
worked there was a fan. Baboons are my favourite."
Aren't
they incredibly dangerous?
"Absolutely.
They don't ever let people do that, so they probably wanted to kill
me, they said, 'Whatever you do, don't look it in the eye,' so I of
course I'm staring at it [laughs]. I have three baboons, there's one
there next to you [it is, of curse, stuffed]. It looked very much
like that one. I like watching animals. I never talk to my cat in
a way that she's not a person, I always speak to her as if she would
understand me and I think that she does. It's the same with kids.
They're not stupid."
You
once said you got into the business for tits. What makes a really
good pair in your book?
"I guess
if they match and they're on the same person [laughs]."
Is
it true that you really hate smoking?
"I generally
do, but sometimes I'll smoke. I decided that I would start smoking
to confuse people, because they know that I hate it. It started when
I did a small part in this movie "Part Monster" with Macaulay Culkin
last year. I play a German transvestite that smokes."
How
did you get on with Macaulay?
"He brought
me my first packet of cigarettes, strangely enough."
How
do you keep your figure?
"I forget
to eat because I'm always doing something. In fact, I was supposed
to eat right before you came over."
What
would you refuse to eat?
"I've
been very experimental with food over the past few years, so there's
not much I don't eat now except that I don't like mushrooms. They
taste a bit like sperm to me, and I only say that because everyone
who's ever kissed a girl after oral sex knows what that tasted like.
You don't have to be gay to know the flavour."
Do
you think that the intelligence you try to put into your work is sometimes
undercut by things like putting your nuts on some security guy's head?
"No, I
think the balance always has to be there. You can never take yourself
too seriously, but people need to know that when I'm being funny I'm
still serious about what I do. Not only would I die for what I do,
I can't live without doing it. This is what I am. There really is
nothing else that interests me."
When
you made your court appearance [in Clarkston, Michigan, 2001, for
sexual assault - ie lowering his genitals on the aforementioned security
guard's head] were you bothered that people got to see you out of
your normal get-up?
"Not really,
because I was a criminal."
But
obviously those pictures were in magazines.
"I was
only disappointed that they were such ugly pictures because the lighting
was so bad."
They
made you look like you had a weak chin.
"Well,
I don't have a very strong chin. If I was a judge I would insist upon
much more dramatic lighting. It should be like the movies, not like
a supermarket."
Are
you still into Satanism?
"Satanism
was never as much of a religious interest for me as people thought,
it was always an artistic thing. If artists had to have a religion,
that's what they'd pick though it's more of a belief system."
Do
you consider yourself evil at all?
"Just
as much as anyone else. I treat people how they treat you, not how
you'd like to be treated, so that's probably evil."
That's
quite a biblical approach, an eye for an eye.
"It is.
If you read the Bible in the way that I do it's not as self-righteous
as people think. There are rules that are part of your DNA, a law
of the jungle like animals have. You have to respect your surroundings
and protect yourself and that's basically what I believe."
Do
you have a cellphone?
"I do,
but I never use it because I don't really leave the house. Maybe once
or twice a week."
What
ringtone do you have?
"It has
me yelling 'Cocksucker! Motherfucking cocksucker!' . a series of profanities
of some sort. The one time that I did receive a phonecall was, of
course, in a restaurant at a very quiet moment. What else would one
expect from Marilyn Manson?"