Marilyn Manson On Columbine: ‘It Really Shut Down My Career Entirely’ [Video]

It seems Marilyn Manson has always had an eye for what he wanted it and pursued that life without ever stopping to consider he might fail. Brian Hugh Warner created his Marilyn Manson persona 20 years ago and, in a bold move, he booked his first concert before he’d written a single song. The professional persona he’d created hadn’t yet earned him fame, when he started writing his autobiography.

This is nothing uncommon today, but, 20 years ago, Marilyn’s approach to establishing a brand was novel enough that it had worked. Manson recognizes that now in today’s world of social media and content sharing, the same approach would earn him…nothing. Manson would just be another one of a million aspiring performers and artists.

“Having a persona online doesn’t make you a personality now,” Marilyn said at the Cannes Lions on Monday. “When everyone can be famous, to me it’s not a challenge. The best will rise to the top.”

The scene was an annual music seminar, where Marilyn Manson was invited to speak on his own personal views related to his musical success. During Marilyn’s speech, the singer revealed that, prior to every concert, Manson sits in a pitch black room that has been set to the precise temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit. There, Marilyn sits for three hours, alone. Manson also shared his desire to attract new fans with each consecutive album, hoping to draw upon people from those “who’ve never heard me before or didn’t like me before.”

Manson also reflected on being associated with the 1999 Columbine High School massacre with the media reporting that killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were inspired by the lyrics to some Marilyn Manson songs to commit their massacre. Marilyn sets the record straight by revealing that those boys weren’t fans at all and that they had told peers that Manson’s songs were “too pop.”

“With Columbine, it really shut down my career entirely, to the point where casinos — gambling establishments — refused to book my shows,” Manson said.

What followed was something Marilyn found even more insulting than being wrongly associated with the killers. While Manson was busy trying to come back and rebuild a fanbase, the media was putting the faces of the killers on nearly every magazine cover.

“They put these two killers (Harris and Klebold) on the cover of Time magazine,” Manson said. “I’ve never been on the cover of Time magazine. That’s the whole point.”

The Columbine incident taught Manson that his dark, gothic persona had the tendency to become a double-edged sword. While his dark, provocative image appealed to the demographic he was trying to reach, other groups, such as conservative parents and pastors, were all too willing to lay the ills of society upon Manson’s back.

Years later, Marilyn finds that he’s respected by many groups, even those who once vilified him. Marilyn fears he has become too acceptable in today’s world.

“I wonder sometimes if I’ve outgrown my spotlight,” he said. “Someone asked me a long time ago, ‘Are you worried your image will overshadow your music?’ No, I’m worried my music will overshadow my image.”

[Featured image: Marilyn Manson courtesy of Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images]