Author’s Note: While the rest of this list was primarily written in December 2020 and January 2021, I am re-writing this entry now in light of the recent accusations made against Marilyn Manson that were not public knowledge at the time I wrote my initial review.

It is an age-old question when it comes to music. Not just in music, but in sports, film, and all forms of pop culture: When is it okay to listen to the music of an accused criminal? There are countless examples in the history of music, some convicted, others acquitted. And that brings us to Marilyn Manson.

In February 2021, actress Evan Rachel Wood, Manson’s former fiancée, announced that Manson had allegedly abused her throughout their relationship from 2006 to 2010. Her accusations involved grooming her before she reached the age of consent, sexually assaulting her on at least one occasion, and engaging in anti-Semitic tactics as part of his abuse. Since Wood, sixteen other people have accused Manson of sexual abuse. Manson vehemently denied the claims, announcing to all that “my intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners.” Simply put, the backlash against Manson was immediate. While his band still exists, they were promptly dropped by Loma Vista Records, and Manson was fired by both his longtime agency Creative Artists and manager Tony Ciulla. In 2022, Manson launched a counter suit against those who have accused him of sexual abuse. While it remains to be seen what will happen in his case, regardless of verdict it is probable that he will never have another hit song, or even a high-charting rock song, again. It brings the question not just to the media, but to music fans in general: should Marilyn Manson be cancelled?

It’s complicated. Speaking honestly, there is a chance I will listen to his material again. To date I have not listened to a Marilyn Manson album in full, but I have considered listening to his three most well-known albums, Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals, and Holy Wood for reference. Before people get into an uproar with me, let me state that I will not be listening to these albums to become a fan, and I will most definitely not be buying his music or going to his concerts. The days of 16-year-old me supporting him financially by downloading “Arma-Goddamn-Motherf**kin-Geddon” on iTunes are over. However, the decision of listening to his past music may be more difficult.

But with all that said, I can say this. Manson will not have another hit. It’s been 19 years since his last legitimate hit song, “This Is The New S**t.” Even the Mainstream Rock charts, his last remaining note of relevance outside of his friendship with Johnny Depp, has been filled with diminishing returns. And quite frankly, if this is the music he is going to be writing and performing for us in the future, then I would be okay with never hearing a new Marilyn Manson song again.

“We Are Chaos” – Marilyn Manson

Mainstream Rock
#8 peak, #44 year-end

It’s easy to pick on Manson knowing his revelations about his personal life, and the fact that even if he does not end up in jail due to the accusations brought forth against him, he will likely end up with his entire legacy ruined. But the first rule of music criticism regarding a sociopath, is that we cannot let the man’s personal life determine our final opinion. That does not apply, however, with “We Are Chaos.” Based on the accusations brought forth from Evan Rachel Wood and others, Manson is a miserable human being who cares about no one but himself. And as it turns out, “We Are Chaos” presents Manson as a miserable human being.

Before we get into why Manson fails to present himself in any other way besides a monster, let’s go through the music. Much of the music on We Are Chaos was written by Shooter Jennings, who also plays lead guitar on much of the album. And the music is by far the only part of the song with redeeming qualities. The acoustic guitar in particular, with its dissonant chords in the verses, do add a bit of unpredictability to the song. Combined with Manson’s vocals, it provides a more haunting version of Ziggy Stardust, a version where Bowie is less idealized, more devastated. But therein lies the first problem. Shooter Jennings wrote the song in Nashville tuning with the intention of having it sound like “Elvis meets Jeff Lynne.” I don’t hear it. I’m a big fan of the Electric Light Orchestra and I can confidently state, nothing in their discography sounds like this. Even when Jeff Lynne became a super producer with Tom Petty and Roy Orbison after ELO broke up, hit songs like “I Won’t Back Down” and “You Got It” were too bright for the ominous chords Jennings brings to the table. And no, Manson does not sound like Elvis. He’s too angry, too ragged, to emulate his vocals. With his demented attempts at androgyny and glam, he can only be compared to the man he’s constantly attempted to be a late 90’s-early 2000’s clone of. One of Manson’s biggest hits, “The Dope Show,” was an estimation of what the Spiders From Mars would have sounded like if they played alternative rock instead of glam. And that doesn’t even take into account the obvious, that Manson didn’t play an instrument on this song. No matter how much Jennings tried to make this song sound different than Manson’s past work, it’s still Marilyn Manson doing the same schtick he was doing in 1998. Manson is angry. Manson is a lonely soul. Manson is the same guy he always was, and no amount of a musical makeover is going to change that.

But now we have to get into the lyrics. Honestly, I don’t know if I can even go through all of them, because this song is dominated by one set of lyrics. It was the reason I hated this song in 2020, before the allegations against Manson became public. It is still the reason I hate the song now. The chorus.

We are sick
F**ked up and complicated
We are chaos
We can’t be cured

“We are sick. F**ked up and complicated.” We have to hear this eight times in the song. 47 percent of this song is spent hearing this chorus. When I wrote my initial criticism of this song, my claim about this chorus was that it is miserable. Nothing about that has changed. Hearing how Manson cannot possibly be aided and how there is no hope for him is just depressing, and makes me frustrated myself. Why should I spend all my time listening to a man announce that nothing in his life is going to get better? Whether or not he wrote this as a premonition, all this chorus does is affirm what we have learned from Evan Rachel Wood’s accusations since. Anyone who is a bigot is “f**ked up,” and someone who does not respect women is especially so. Tie this in with Manson’s stage persona, a man who constantly portrayed himself as a terrible human being for what appeared to be a joke. He constantly denied the existence of a God and mocked people for believing in one. He constantly railed against the government. He named his stage persona after a serial killer, for Christ sakes! A man who pretended to be a terrible human being, who after all may very well be a terrible human being. The second part of that chorus lyric is very true. “Complicated,” indeed.

All this is tied together with some of the worst production of the year. Manson’s vocal performance is buoyed by several backing tracks of himself, and the result is an absolute mess. As I mentioned on my earlier review, this song sounds like it was recorded in a sewer. Manson’s vocals sound needlessly elongated throughout the song, and the inclusion of the backing tracks fail to match up with the lead vocal. The result is a production that is sounds like it is insulting you for listening to this track. And quite frankly, if I’m going to be mocked by Manson eight times for listening to his song, why should I?

Look, just because you’re an overall lousy human being doesn’t mean you’re a terrible musician. And to be fair, Marilyn Manson has released some good songs. “The Beautiful People,” “The Dope Show,” and “Coma White” are the main ones that came to mind. But when you write a song that both proves you have not done anything to progress as a musician over the last two decades, we have nothing left to look at except the person who is portrayed in the song. And thus, I have found that “We Are Chaos” is no worse, but also no better, than it was before we found out the crimes Manson has been accused of. Manson’s performance and lyrics for the title track to his most recent album sounded so depressing when I first evaluated the song. Now, Manson himself has become a depressing topic for us all. Regardless of whether or not he gets blacklisted from radio and streaming services, I’m fine with leaving “We Are Chaos” in the dustbin of music history.

UP NEXT: The trio of easy targets begins at #4.

SOURCES

“A TImeline Of The Abuse Allegations Against Marilyn Manson.” Loudwire 3 March 2022. Web. 9 June 2022 https://loudwire.com/marilyn-manson-abuse-allegations-timeline/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral.

Horsley, Jonathan. “Shooter Jennings: Marilyn Manson’s Miraculous Poetic Ability Doesn’t Grow Cold, Like A Lot Of People’s Songwriting.” Guitar World 23 September 2020. Web. 15 July 2020 https://www.guitarworld.com/features/shooter-jennings-marilyn-mansons-miraculous-poetic-ability-doesnt-grow-cold-like-a-lot-of-peoples-songwriting

IMAGE SOURCES

Album cover from Matinal Jornalismo

Image of Marilyn Manson from NME