Marilyn Manson Essay, Research Paper

The Long Hard Road Out of Hell

Autobiography by:

Marilyn Manson & Neil Strauss

Marilyn Manson is America s most feared rock star. He sells millions of records and performs sold-out concerts for his diehard fans. There has been much controversy with Manson s music. From banned concerts to police arrests and even rumors of animal sacrifice, one might have an idea of him, but the real truth is untold. In The Long Hard Road Out of Hell, Marilyn Manson reveals for the first time his twisted life and the pains that he faced. The book features many illustrated photographs, portions of Manson s tour journal, his original writings, and Manson s hilarious “rules” of conduct. The stories in this book illustrate what molded his beliefs, what made him turn away from his school and family, and it lays the foundation for everything he has become and everything he will grow to be.

For those who have never listened to Marilyn Manson s music, his story is as gripping as any other novel. This novel is a three-part history of an innocent boy who is teased and humiliated in school by his friends, and the world around him. Manson tells of his life as a child, and the discoveries that he encounters. He turns to rock-n-roll to free himself of the problems that exist in his life, and instead finds out who he really is. He becomes the exact kind of monster that he was once afraid of as child.

Part one: When I Was A Worm

Manson begins his journey into Canton, Ohio, when he is still known as the young

and innocent Brian Warner. He spends most of his childhood at his grandparent s house not too far from his own home. Manson and his cousin Chad explore his grandfather s basement on a daily basis. They find out that his grandfather, Jack Warner, is a cross-dresser and a consumer of pornographic material. While attending Christian School during the day, Manson listens to the many brainwashing seminars on Armageddon and the Antichrist. His opinions are rejected when he brings a photograph to his teacher that his grandmother had taken of an angel in the clouds. He is told that the angels are just an apparition and nothing real.

Manson begins his teenage years in public school. Here he meets many people with the same interests as he has. Manson also begins to experience his sexuality with women. From his school experiences to his involvement with sexuality, Manson begins playing pranks on the people who have mistreated him. He experiments with black magic, steals from local stores, and begins using drugs. All of this is what Brian Warner was, and who Marilyn Manson was to become.

Part two: Deformography

Manson begins sending out his written poems and stories but only receives a pile of rejection letters in the end. He tells of his self-mutilation and the crazy things that his band demonstrates on stage during concerts. He also tells revealing stories about Fiona Apple, Traci Lords, Howard Stern, and Axl Rose. In an interview that is done by Empyrean Magazine, he talks in detail about the good times during the recording of his album “Smells like Children.” He explains the tours with Nine Inch Nails and Hole.

Manson also writes about his philosophical growth, including Anton LaVey, founder and high priest of the Church of Satan.

Part three: How I Got My Wings

The Long Hard Road Out of Hell climaxes with drugs, paranoia, and self-destruction during the recording of Antichrist Superstar. Manson tells of his beliefs on the Antichrist:

“When the whole world wants to destroy you, every day is your last and every performance is your final one. The Antichrist isn t just me, or just one person. It s all of us, a collective state of mind that America needs to have awakened in them. I want to wake it in them… to make America realize they don t have to believe in something just because they ve been told it all their lives.”

Manson re-visits his home in Ohio and New Orleans, and his childhood memories become a clear picture to him. His drug abuse, conflicts within the band, and his problems with his manager, Trent Reznor all become too much. His band almost breaks up, though during hard times they stick together to become a complete success. Manson explains:

“From that point there was nowhere to go but to the grave — or to become more human. …My weaknesses became my strengths, my ugliness had become beauty, my apathy to the world had become a desire to save it … Now, more than any other point in my life, I began to believe in myself.”

The Long Hard Road Out of Hell is a well written book, and the passages are well presented. The detailed photographs, drawings, and artwork from his earlier life were quite interesting. One of the most surprising points of the book is the humor of the

“rules” Manson provides for cheating, homosexuality, and drugs. Furthermore, the discussion about Jack Warner and his experiences are shocking, yet entertaining. The influence Jack has over the actions of Marilyn Manson today become obvious once the book is read. One can learn a lot about the man by reading this book. Though not a literary work of a famous writer, this is a fine book to read for both fans and enemies of Marilyn Manson. One can only benefit from better understanding a man this wild and complex.

My opinions about this book are quite frank. I am not a fan of Marilyn Manson, just a fan of his individualism. Like Manson, I believe that who you are is determined by the people you associate with and what you choose to experience. Manson is the way he is now because of the people that influenced him. When he found that rock-n-roll was an interest of his, he also found out who he really was.

“This isn t me! I m someone else! This isn t me!”

– Marilyn Manson to his bodyguard, Aaron Dilks during an alcohol blackout from Leipzig to Berlin.