There is a point in One Assassination Under God – Chapter 2 where the language of survival finally becomes the language of retaliation. “The Arsonist” is that point. The song is not simply about having survived an attempt to destroy you. It is about what happens afterward, when the person who has been burned decides that the fire did not finish him and that the scars it left behind have become part of his strength. Manson himself described the song as the moment when the narrative of the two chapters “crystallizes into a battle stance,” and, referring to the painting he created for it, said that the “burned scar tissue” had formed into armor. That description gets very close to the heart of the song. The fire has not disappeared. It has changed him. The title is important because Manson does not call the song The Survivor or The Victim . He calls it "The Arsonist." An arsonist deliberately starts a fire, and this changes the entire perspective of the song. The speaker is no...
Kanye West brought out Marilyn Manson at his Donda album listening party that just took place at Chicago’s Soldier Field, which was live-streamed globally via Apple Music. Manson appeared on the stoop of a church-like structure built in the center of the stadium. When photos of the construction of the structure circulated online before the event, many noted its resemblance to West’s childhood home. A notable difference however was the crucifix on top, transforming it into a church building. Manson, along with a masked figure many online thought to be DaBaby, who has been facing his own controversies these days with what many say was a homophobic rant, walked out onto the porch alongside West as the first song of the event, rumored to be titled "Jail", began to play, which usually has featured a guest verse from Jay-Z, but at tonight's event a verse from DaBaby replaced it, seemingly calling out the controversy surrounding him: “I said one thing they ain’t like and they t...