Androgynous Hate :: Marilyn Manson Rock Essays

Androgynous Hate â€Å"Please proceed, only if you are prepared to confront Satan himself,† warns a Christian web site devoted to educating Christian youth on today’s hot-button issues such as pornography and pre-marital sex (Christian Family Network). But what the authors of this web page are referring to is not the abandonment of morals by today’s teens. They are naming a singular music artist to be a current incarnation of the primal evil; they refer to the man born as Brian Warner, but known by teenagers everywhere as Marilyn Manson. Marilyn Manson fronts a music rock band of the same name that in no uncertain terms preaches hate for everything: hate for family, hate for government, hate for society, hate for religion, and to some, the most threatening of all, hate for self. â€Å"I’d hate the hater, I’d rape the raper,† screams Manson on the opening track of his Anti-Christ Superstar album (Manson). Appropriately titled â€Å"Irresponsible Hate Anthem,à ¢â‚¬  this song characteristically lashes out criminals and victims alike, his message leaving nothing but battered psyches in its wake. Visual images projected by the band use death, grotesque rotting flesh, evil countenances and androgynous sexuality to shock and revolt. At one concert a hermaphroditic Manson dons a gas mask whose air supply is attached to his two guitarists’ penises. If a fan cannot get to a concert, they need not fear. Simply load Marilyn’s latest album, Holywood, into a computer and those with an Internet connection are treated to a multi-media presentation of a human brain being removed in an autopsy. Like a Sam Rami horror movie, the viewer cannot quite believe what they are seeing and watches with the same rapt fascination reserved for a train wreck or airplane crash. It is hard to imagine that this is anything more than an act, but the Church of Satan takes it seriously. The Church made Marilyn Manson an honorary Reverend saying that he is â€Å"the most satanic performer in popular music today,† (MTV News). This dubious accolade seems to fit Manson fine, as he currently prefers to be addressed as â€Å"Reverend.† Marilyn Manson uses this revolting imagery coupled with an unacceptable message of hate to sell record albums, however, he truly feels marginalized by society. That Marilyn Manson has an intentionally shocking presentation goes without saying. But this satanic superstar has another side; a subtle, darker, humanity constantly wounded by media hounding and the overt repulsion displayed by everyone, including his fans.