The EM Poll

Marilyn Manson

Jan 10, 2008 2:59 PM, By Jeff Perlah

           

The Wizard of Odd

Do you think it is important for a musician to listen to a variety of styles of music?

I suppose so. I never like to call myself a musician. I've always hated that term.

What about artist?

Artist, yeah, but that sounds pretentious. And I don't mind sounding pretentious if it means saying I'm an artist, because I'm proud that what I do is art, not just music.

So what is your stage “look” these days?

On Ozzfest, the outfit I wear most is the black military uniform, and of course, I always like to wear my corset — that's actually conveniently where I put the battery pack for my headset.

Does your archbishop attire mock the fact that you've been banned in England?

They've tried to ban us many times, but never succeeded. In fact, we had quite a good sold-out show there in Wembley Arena — 14,000 people. Which was cool. The outfit is actually the one I wore in the “Disposable Teens” video, but it was more to really just evoke the God part of the Guns, God, and Government element. And it's interesting you noticed that it was an archbishop, because so many people think it's the Pope off the bat. All of those outfits have such a strong symbolism to 'em; they're just perfect archetypes.

Are your theatrics influenced by '70s acts like David Bowie and Alice Cooper?

Of course, Ziggy Stardust — era Bowie. I was always a fan of Alice Cooper as a kid, but I never thought his live performances were as cool as everyone else did. He just kind of sat there a lot. But I always loved the imagery that was surrounding it. I did think the band was really cool. On the first couple of records, their whole look was great, and his too, of course. Also Pink Floyd, for their grand visual elements.

How do you relax before a gig?

I don't like to have anybody in my dressing room right before a gig. If there's excessive talking, or a lot of people around, it really makes me uneasy and distracts me. Girlfriends are okay backstage, but not during the hour before I go on, because then I'm thinking about those things when I'm on stage and I don't want to be thinking about those things.

I really prefer to just sit with just the band, and we watch a video before we get ready. We'll often watch the same movie over and over again every day, so it's almost like a ritual in a sense. It's like, “Okay, when this part of the movie comes on, we know we gotta go brush our teeth.” It becomes regimented. I think that makes me feel at ease.

Have your parents seen you perform?

A lot, yes. I know it's strange to other people. It's strange to me that they're so into it. They're like big fans.