Can Shock Rockers Still Shock?
Winter 2002
?I?m not in love, but I?m gonna f***k you ?til somebody better comes along??
~Marylin Manson
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Mechanical Animals
At the beginning of December various issues in my life made me start remembering why I?m agnostic. While those issues are not relevant to this editorial, what I did next is. I remember that sometime ago that my friend had informed me that the Marylin Mason trilogy was supposed to be listened to backwards. To clarify, meaning you listen to his most recent release, ?Holywood,? then listen to the second one, ?Mechanical Animals,? ending with his first release, ?Antichrist Superstar.? Much to my surprised it worked; before, when I had all three, I listened to them forwards and they did not make any sense. For those of you who are completely in the dark, Manson released three CDs, when listened in order, starting with his most recent release, they tell the story of a man who realizes that God does not exist, then proceeds to tell the world. The world accepts his claims and begins to indulge in itself, but over time people starting asking him what to believe in now that God does not exist; so he takes it upon himself to become their new God and eventually turns the world into a communistic totalitarian society.
Now that I hope everyone is on the same page, let me continue with my adventure. When I put ?Holywood? in and began to listen to it, then it came back to me, the reason why I?m agnostic. To a point, Marylin Manson helped shape my opinion of religion (Yes mums and daddies Manson can cause children to think for themselves to a point), but also friends help contribute to my current state of mind. I realized it was because there were too many discrepancies within organized religion, but at the same time there were too many unanswered events that do not disprove his existence. The music made me think back to when I was pondering over religious questions, seeing how my church friends were being led in the dark by the blind. While the music sort of renewed my religious trek, that was not the main thing on my mind. The real question was can people like Marylin Manson still shock the public in a post-9/11 world?
To answer simply, yes and no. In today?s society religion has seem to taken a backseat to the more important crisis at hand ?The War on Terrorism.? Before 9/11 religion was a major issue, as far where they should tread in government and where they should stay in their chapels, but after 9/11 many people have started to question their own faith. Yet, at the same time, it has also made some people stronger in God, hence the trendy slogan ?God bless America!? In either case Marylin Manson?s message seems to be tired and worn out; if he was to release a new CD tomorrow chances are the only people he would probably offend would be the religious extremist who have nothing better to gripe about in the first place. Also, when I look at it, the music industry has made way for other shock musicians, most notably Eminem.
It?s interesting; Marylin Manson offends religion and all that is holy, while Eminem just offends everyone. Somehow I see Marylin Manson being more cunning and calculating in respect to the message he is trying to convey. I also have to side with Marylin Manson because he has never apologized for his songs offending anyone, or at least he?s never done a shameless duet with a religious official to make amends among the religious community, sorry prayer buddies the duet between Manson and Falwell has been indefinitely postpone, but stay tuned for Eminem?s duet with RuPaul as they sing disco to show that they love each other and the world.
Eh, besides, it seems like Eminem is out of the limelight anyway after joining some rap group; so now rather than have him take the fall, he can bring everyone down with him. So where does that leave Marylin Manson then? It?s hard to say; if he creatively reinvents himself he may be able to continue to shock the world at large, but if something does not change, whether it is style or message, then he will soon be old news, not saying that he is not already, because he pretty much is. So this looks like this may leave a space open for someone new to come in and shock us all, but the question is, with everyone so jaded from 9/11 who can shock us now? I say be on the look out for someone to sing against America and their supposed ?War on Terrorism? as it seems now people are starting to tire of not speaking out against what is being done. Someone must have the balls, or is still too early?hell it is never too early, I mean look at the government: erasing images of the World Trade Center from movies and putting up Christmas decorations three months too early, see it?s never to early to make fly by night decisions. So the voice of the musical masses will be heard eventually, look for the musical Antichrist to be riding a pig, oh wait that?s happened already?watch for the musician that can offend everyone with one song; dammit that happens every day. Ya know what, when you here a song that goes against the grain of America?s wooden finish then you know that shock rock is still alive and kicking.
~William Batey, III
i_be_damned@hotmail.com