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LUCIFER’S TEARDROP: Marilyn Manson and the Search for Home

Throughout One Assassination Under God – Chapter 2 , Marilyn Manson constructs a dark journey through death, violence, accusation, isolation, mortality, and the search for something beyond him. “Don’t Answer the Door” speaks of a voice being a guiding light in the darkness, while “None of the Suns” speaks of running away from the daylight and being “in the black.” By the time we arrive at “Lucifer’s Teardrop,” the journey has reached a different point. The darkness is still present, but the speaker is finally prepared to stand before what shines. “Lucifer’s Teardrop” is therefore less a departure from everything that came before it than a turning point within it. The fallen angel at the center of the song has been cast out, wounded, and changed by what happened to him, but he is no longer simply defined by the fall. He is “finding my way home.” That movement becomes especially important when considered alongside Manson’s own explanation of the song. He said that its title was inspired...
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Ronnie Radke on Marilyn Manson: "He'll Always be a Legend"

Few figures in modern rock stir the pot quite like Falling in Reverse frontman Ronnie Radke, and his latest appearance on the Rock Feed podcast (September 15) proves he has no intention of toning it down. Amid discussing his band's massive new music, Radke pulled zero punches when the conversation shifted to his rock icon Marilyn Manson (at the 51:38 mark in the video below).  While much of the music industry actively sprinted away from Manson following severe public controversies and abuse allegations, Radke chose to stand firmly by his side, doubling down on his support by flatly declaring, "He's a legend." Radke’s defense isn't just about preserving rock history; it's intensely personal. The frontman openly admitted that he sees a reflection of his own turbulent past in Manson’s struggles, specifically pointing to the maddening experience of being publicly accused of things he says he didn’t do. Beyond the personal empathy, Radke took a broader aim at the ...

Tyler Bates Discusses His Past Work With Marilyn Manson

Tyler Bates joined the podcast Loudwire Nights on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, where he went into some detail working as a producer for Marilyn Manson. Bates and Manson first met on the set of Californication , a TV show Bates was working on and Manson happened to appear in. "I was a bit irritated at the time," Bates recalled with Loudwire Nights ' Chuck Armstrong. "It's the end of a 10-hour day at 100 degrees in the rehearsal studio, he was the last one to show up of course. And we were ready to get out of there, so it took a minute. I never expected that I would work with him." They did two shows together, followed by a "wrap party" which was essentially a full-on concert. Bates described it as an amazing atmosphere filled with nearly 1,000 people. "That's when we first spoke about sort of a reinvention," he said. "It took awhile before we actually ever did get to the studio — and that led to The Pale Emperor ." Not only...

The Practical Magic 2 Recasting Controversy: Evan Rachel Wood and the Complicated Legacy of a Cult Classic

When Warner Bros. announced on June 11, 2024, that Practical Magic 2 was officially in development, the news was received as the return of a film that had acquired an extraordinary second life. The original Practical Magic , released in 1998, had not initially been the major success that its later reputation might suggest. Over the following decades, however, it developed a devoted audience, and the relationship between Sally and Gillian Owens became one of the film's defining attractions. The announcement of a sequel therefore carried a particular kind of nostalgia. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman were expected to return as Sally and Gillian, while producer Denise Di Novi and writer Akiva Goldsman were also involved. At that point, however, there was no public controversy concerning Evan Rachel Wood. The question of what would happen to Sally's daughters had simply not yet been answered. The project became more concrete during 2025. On May 6, 2025, Warner Bros. announced a S...

Fact Check: In High School Evan Rachel Wood and Her Friends Formed a Group Called "The Berets"

Claim: In High School, Evan Rachel Wood and Her Friends Formed a Group Called "The Berets,"  out of boredom. Fact: False, Evan Rachel Wood never attended High School, therefore it is not possible for this to have taken place. Evan Rachel Wood is known at this point for rewriting aspects of her personal history, to the point where it has become almost impossible to trust any story she has to say unless it can be verified with certainty. One of many such made up stories can be heard from an interview she did for the Comedy Central show Stir Crazy with Josh Horowitz, which was posted online on September 22, 2020. During this time, she was promoting her film Kajillionaire , while behind the scenes she was filming her documentary Phoenix Rising, which documents her plotting with other women, including her then girlfriend Illma Gore, to expose Marilyn Manson as her abuser. During the interview, Josh Horowitz asks a series of lighthearted questions to Evan, among them being (at t...

The New Symbolism of Marilyn Manson's Stage Show Since 2024

   Since Marilyn Manson returned to the stage in the summer of 2024 with the One Assassination Under God tour, pulsating illuminated upside-down double crosses have been a consistent part of the stage design. The double cross itself is nothing new in Manson's work. It has been part of his imagery for many years and became particularly prominent again after the Heaven Upside Down era. What is new since 2024 is the way the symbol has been incorporated into the lighting of the performance. Rather than functioning simply as a static emblem, the crosses now pulsate and change as part of the stage itself, becoming one of the most noticeable elements of every concert. Manson's return to the stage has also involved bringing back many features and images from earlier periods of his career, which has naturally given the performances a nostalgic quality for longtime fans. What interests me for this analysis, however, is what has actually been added during this new period that has not be...