Los Angeles brand Enfants Riches Déprimés is currently showcasing their Spring 2024 collection at Maxfield LA, and the event was attended by Marilyn Manson and his wife Lindsay on April 17th. On March 16th, Manson posted photos on his social media wearing the Enfants Riches Déprimés brand, which is French for "Depressed Rich Kids". Enfants Riches Déprimés is a Los Angeles and Paris based luxury fashion brand founded in 2012 by the conceptual artist Henri Alexander Levy, who has created a French punk streetwear line based on the movements of the late 1970s and Japanese Avant-garde movements of the 1980s. One of the core precepts of the brand is high price points, with T-shirts ranging on average from $500 to $1,000, and haute couture jackets priced as high as $95,000. ERD consistently utilizes the business model of artificial scarcity. In this regard, all styles are sold on an extremely exclusive basis, and thus in relatively small quantities. In a 2016 interview with Complex
Marilyn Manson in the News (March 8-13, 2022) - Manson Still Very Controversial, Positive and Negative Reviews of 'Phoenix Rising', Ashley Morgan Smithline a Walking Contradiction, Ashley Walters and her Repressed Memories, Manson on Social Media, Evan Rachel Wood vs. Kanye West, and Evan Rachel Wood Week on Television
- Marilyn Manson Remains One of the Most Controversial Figures in the Music Industry
This past week a new study by TickPick has found the three most controversial figures in rock music, in which their fans actually chose to stop backing them. For the experiment, TickPick surveyed 1,001 music fans ranging from the ages of 20 to 80 years old. Of that pool, 66 percent agreed with the statement, "It's impossible to separate a musician from their art," meaning they cannot support an artist who displays problematic behavior. 20 percent disagreed with the statement, and the remaining 14 percent had no opinion on the matter. Members of the millennial and Gen X generations found it more difficult to separate musicians from their work than the baby boomers did.
Those findings were from fans of 19 different genres. As for rock fans specifically, 65 percent of punk fans, 64 percent of alternative fans, 61 percent of rock fans, 58 percent of grunge fans and 52 percent of indie rock fans agreed with the sentiment.
As far as ceasing to support an artist financially, 51 percent of the participants felt that it depends on the circumstances the artist was specifically involved in, 42 percent said they would absolutely stop supporting a controversial artist and 7 percent said that they would not. The Top 3 reasons to stop supporting an artist were: They should be held accountable for their actions, They shouldn't profit from bad behavior, and That it's simply the right thing to do.
Key Takeaways
* 2 in 3 music fans agreed that it's impossible to separate a musician from their art.
Those findings were from fans of 19 different genres. As for rock fans specifically, 65 percent of punk fans, 64 percent of alternative fans, 61 percent of rock fans, 58 percent of grunge fans and 52 percent of indie rock fans agreed with the sentiment.
As far as ceasing to support an artist financially, 51 percent of the participants felt that it depends on the circumstances the artist was specifically involved in, 42 percent said they would absolutely stop supporting a controversial artist and 7 percent said that they would not. The Top 3 reasons to stop supporting an artist were: They should be held accountable for their actions, They shouldn't profit from bad behavior, and That it's simply the right thing to do.
Key Takeaways
* 2 in 3 music fans agreed that it's impossible to separate a musician from their art.
* More than half of music fans said they'd stopped listening to at least one artist in 2021 due to controversial behavior.
* K-pop and EDM fans were the most likely to feel that "cancel culture" should end.
* R. Kelly, Chris Brown, and Kanye West were artists who'd lost the most supporters in 2021 due to controversial behavior.
* Bryan Adams, Marilyn Manson and David Ellefson were rock artists who'd lost the most supporters in 2021 due to controversial behavior.
Read the full report here.
- A Gushing Review for Phoenix Rising by KQED
Rae Alexandra from KQED has written a gushing review for Phoenix Rising. Having worked for Kerrang Magazine, she comes at it from a particular perspective, as she herself says in the review:
"For the entirety of Wood’s four-and-a-half-year relationship with Manson, I worked for a magazine that was one of Manson’s earliest and most fervent supporters. When I started that job, I thought Manson was corny and cliché. By the time I’d left, I believed him to be an artist and social commentator deserving of the world’s respect. I know first-hand that the cult of Marilyn Manson is powerful and convincing, and if one so much as brushes up against it, it’s extraordinarily easy to get sucked into.
Evan Rachel Wood does a masterful job of describing that phenomenon in Phoenix Rising. She explains that, to his fans and inner circle, Manson isn’t just another shock-rocker, but an intellectual artist who holds a mirror up to society. He’s an icon who gives lost children a safe place to go. He is one of the good guys, dressed up like a bad guy because that’s his artistic vision. And then she spends two and a half hours demonstrating what a bunch of bullshit it all is."
Rae Alexandra approaches the rest of her review as if she has been liberated from this cult of Marilyn Manson by the harrowing account of Evan Rachel Wood. It is clearly an emotional experience for her, as we see in such statements as the following:
"In one moment we see Wood standing her ground as an empowered and determined activist, trying to make a difference for women everywhere. In the next, we see her caught off-guard, shaking or sobbing as a sound or a piece of evidence hurls her back into her past."
"In the courtroom, she is a stoic warrior. Outside its doors, she resembles a broken child. Understanding that the former wouldn’t exist without the latter is painful to witness."
"Wood uses the word 'scared' in Phoenix Rising more than she probably realizes, and more than I could count."
She even falls for the theatricalities displayed for the camera by Evan and Illma:
"When authorities begin building a case against Manson, for example, we see Wood flee her home for a secret, safer location. (You have to wonder: What about the women who don’t have somewhere else to go?) We see her and fellow activist Illma Gore moving boxes of evidence to avoid detection by Manson."
She even goes so far as to say Manson is treated with sympathy throughout the documentary:
"One of the more surprising elements of Phoenix Rising is the amount of empathy afforded to Brian Warner—the person Manson was before the creation of his famous alter ego. Warner’s background with a violent father, mentally ill mother and years of bullying by peers is presented respectfully in the first episode... Warner’s own traumatic background is presented as a factor in the controlling, racist and abusive person Wood describes."
By the end of the review, Rae Alexandra has already decided that despite Manson's lawsuit against Evan and Illma, the documentary is enough to nail his fate in the coffin of being guilty.
- A More Fair Review of Phoenix Rising by RogerEbert.com
RogerEbert.com offered a more fair assessment of the documentary Phoenix Rising, with few positive things to say. Beyond this, it offers even some very good criticism"
"The leaping around in chronology is unnecessarily confusing, and the Phoenix Act battle—where she testifies before the California legislature, pleading the bill's case to different representatives—is over in about 10 minutes, never to be mentioned again. The truncation of Wood's very interesting years-long advocacy of the Phoenix Act is a baffling choice.
There are a couple of other missteps along the way, mainly the use of animation (and only in the first episode). Leaning heavily on the Alice in Wonderland theme, Wood's story is illustrated as a wide-eyed young girl—looking to be about nine or ten years old—being sucked into a scary underworld, punctuated with pages showing the definitions for words like 'grooming,' 'love-bombing,' 'isolation' in storybook-type fonts. The illustrations are so hallucinatory they take away from—as opposed to underline—the seriousness of Wood's allegations, and the 'loaded language' has a sameness to it which strips it of some of its power. There's a scene where Wood defaces one of the watercolor portraits Manson did of her, and this too feels added on, heavy-handed, unnecessary. Wood's trauma is undeniable. A more straightforward approach would have served 'Phoenix Rising' well."
- Ashley Morgan Smithline is a Self-Described "Walking Contradiction"
On her Instagram Stories, Ashley Morgan Smithline posted among her many Stories the following meme:
Read the full report here.
- A Gushing Review for Phoenix Rising by KQED
Rae Alexandra from KQED has written a gushing review for Phoenix Rising. Having worked for Kerrang Magazine, she comes at it from a particular perspective, as she herself says in the review:
"For the entirety of Wood’s four-and-a-half-year relationship with Manson, I worked for a magazine that was one of Manson’s earliest and most fervent supporters. When I started that job, I thought Manson was corny and cliché. By the time I’d left, I believed him to be an artist and social commentator deserving of the world’s respect. I know first-hand that the cult of Marilyn Manson is powerful and convincing, and if one so much as brushes up against it, it’s extraordinarily easy to get sucked into.
Evan Rachel Wood does a masterful job of describing that phenomenon in Phoenix Rising. She explains that, to his fans and inner circle, Manson isn’t just another shock-rocker, but an intellectual artist who holds a mirror up to society. He’s an icon who gives lost children a safe place to go. He is one of the good guys, dressed up like a bad guy because that’s his artistic vision. And then she spends two and a half hours demonstrating what a bunch of bullshit it all is."
Rae Alexandra approaches the rest of her review as if she has been liberated from this cult of Marilyn Manson by the harrowing account of Evan Rachel Wood. It is clearly an emotional experience for her, as we see in such statements as the following:
"In one moment we see Wood standing her ground as an empowered and determined activist, trying to make a difference for women everywhere. In the next, we see her caught off-guard, shaking or sobbing as a sound or a piece of evidence hurls her back into her past."
"In the courtroom, she is a stoic warrior. Outside its doors, she resembles a broken child. Understanding that the former wouldn’t exist without the latter is painful to witness."
"Wood uses the word 'scared' in Phoenix Rising more than she probably realizes, and more than I could count."
She even falls for the theatricalities displayed for the camera by Evan and Illma:
"When authorities begin building a case against Manson, for example, we see Wood flee her home for a secret, safer location. (You have to wonder: What about the women who don’t have somewhere else to go?) We see her and fellow activist Illma Gore moving boxes of evidence to avoid detection by Manson."
She even goes so far as to say Manson is treated with sympathy throughout the documentary:
"One of the more surprising elements of Phoenix Rising is the amount of empathy afforded to Brian Warner—the person Manson was before the creation of his famous alter ego. Warner’s background with a violent father, mentally ill mother and years of bullying by peers is presented respectfully in the first episode... Warner’s own traumatic background is presented as a factor in the controlling, racist and abusive person Wood describes."
By the end of the review, Rae Alexandra has already decided that despite Manson's lawsuit against Evan and Illma, the documentary is enough to nail his fate in the coffin of being guilty.
- A More Fair Review of Phoenix Rising by RogerEbert.com
RogerEbert.com offered a more fair assessment of the documentary Phoenix Rising, with few positive things to say. Beyond this, it offers even some very good criticism"
"The leaping around in chronology is unnecessarily confusing, and the Phoenix Act battle—where she testifies before the California legislature, pleading the bill's case to different representatives—is over in about 10 minutes, never to be mentioned again. The truncation of Wood's very interesting years-long advocacy of the Phoenix Act is a baffling choice.
There are a couple of other missteps along the way, mainly the use of animation (and only in the first episode). Leaning heavily on the Alice in Wonderland theme, Wood's story is illustrated as a wide-eyed young girl—looking to be about nine or ten years old—being sucked into a scary underworld, punctuated with pages showing the definitions for words like 'grooming,' 'love-bombing,' 'isolation' in storybook-type fonts. The illustrations are so hallucinatory they take away from—as opposed to underline—the seriousness of Wood's allegations, and the 'loaded language' has a sameness to it which strips it of some of its power. There's a scene where Wood defaces one of the watercolor portraits Manson did of her, and this too feels added on, heavy-handed, unnecessary. Wood's trauma is undeniable. A more straightforward approach would have served 'Phoenix Rising' well."
- Ashley Morgan Smithline is a Self-Described "Walking Contradiction"
On her Instagram Stories, Ashley Morgan Smithline posted among her many Stories the following meme:
Judging from her lawsuit and interviews about her alleged abuse by Marilyn Manson, I would have to agree with her, because there we find one contradiction after another. For example, though she claims to be suffering from trauma and PTSD because of Manson, and is even looking to support women who have suffered real abuse and rape, she has no problem making the following rape poses for the camera and joking about it, and even showing heart-shaped glasses synonymous with Lolita and Marilyn Manson:
- New Selfie and Social Media Profile Pic by Manson
On March 11th, Manson's former assistant Paula Baby posted the following selfie in her Instagram Stories taken by Manson, with Paula and Lindsay in the background.
Later that day, Manson updated his social media accounts after many months with a new profile picture. His wife Lindsay did the same.
It has already been noted that Manson's makeup at the previous two Donda listening parties is reminiscent of Holy Wood. It should also be noted that the singular eye, of which Kanye has been wearing similar contacts on both eyes, is reminiscent to me of the Eden Eye from Coma Black. You can read more about it here. It is also reminiscent to me of the depiction of hearts in the eyes of Manson during the Eat Me, Drink Me era, which is his romance era with Evan Rachel Wood (see here), but now instead of hearts, his eyes are wide-opened and penetrating, perhaps from the experience of the past year.
- Evan Rachel Wood Hypocritically Goes After Kanye West
Without referring to Marilyn Manson's friendship and collaboration with Kanye West, Evan did decide to address the news related to the relationship between Kanye and Kim Kardashian, and it was even picked up by a few media sources. The problem with her comments is that she is facing some public scrutiny herself in the custody battle of her own kid with her ex-husband Jaime Bell, where Evan is the one that is exposed as coming on the wrong side. She should understand that divorce is rarely clean, especially if the divorce involves a child. Personally I think Evan's custody battle should be considered more controversial than Kanye's and Kim's. Evan's controversy lies much in the fact that she is trying to keep her son Jack away from Los Angeles and the media, which she actually has more in common with Kanye than with Kim. Part of the controversy is that Kim is exposing her kids on TikTok against the wishes of their father, Kanye. Kanye is demonized for this and for expressing his frustrations through his art, while Kim's decision taken against the wishes of the father are looked upon with sympathy. Much can be written about this, and about Evan's hypocrisy in her response, but I will just say that no one should ever expect a clean divorce when one parent feels slighted, nor should one expect to get into a serious relationship with an artist and not become a permanent fixture of their art and expression. And of course, Evan should start focusing at her own child custody controversy, which she even dragged Manson into, and stop worrying about the child custody cases of others.
- Evan Rachel Wood Hypocritically Goes After Kanye West
Without referring to Marilyn Manson's friendship and collaboration with Kanye West, Evan did decide to address the news related to the relationship between Kanye and Kim Kardashian, and it was even picked up by a few media sources. The problem with her comments is that she is facing some public scrutiny herself in the custody battle of her own kid with her ex-husband Jaime Bell, where Evan is the one that is exposed as coming on the wrong side. She should understand that divorce is rarely clean, especially if the divorce involves a child. Personally I think Evan's custody battle should be considered more controversial than Kanye's and Kim's. Evan's controversy lies much in the fact that she is trying to keep her son Jack away from Los Angeles and the media, which she actually has more in common with Kanye than with Kim. Part of the controversy is that Kim is exposing her kids on TikTok against the wishes of their father, Kanye. Kanye is demonized for this and for expressing his frustrations through his art, while Kim's decision taken against the wishes of the father are looked upon with sympathy. Much can be written about this, and about Evan's hypocrisy in her response, but I will just say that no one should ever expect a clean divorce when one parent feels slighted, nor should one expect to get into a serious relationship with an artist and not become a permanent fixture of their art and expression. And of course, Evan should start focusing at her own child custody controversy, which she even dragged Manson into, and stop worrying about the child custody cases of others.
- More Interesting YouTube Videos
It has become difficult to keep up with all the YouTube videos covering the Manson case, so I will offer a few below that should definitely be watched:
1. Colonel Kurtz interviewed Manzin again, where he elaborated a little more about the abortion of Evan Rachel Wood (see here).
2. Jessie from Pod Awful did a four hour show reviewing Phoenix Rising. I haven't seen it yet but will sure make time to do so. It is only $12 to watch, which I think is a good deal. He put up a video with a hilarious preview of what we can expect (see here).
3. Spirit Pop did an excellent job summarizing Manson's lawsuit. What is most interesting is that they had assumed Manson was guilty based on the allegations of Evan Rachel Wood, but now that they read Manson's lawsuit, they have a different perspective (see here).
4. Sina Rez Law did an insightful video on a lawyers perspective of the lawsuit of Marilyn Manson, and he even breaks down what his lawsuit is worth should he win the case (see here).
It has become difficult to keep up with all the YouTube videos covering the Manson case, so I will offer a few below that should definitely be watched:
1. Colonel Kurtz interviewed Manzin again, where he elaborated a little more about the abortion of Evan Rachel Wood (see here).
2. Jessie from Pod Awful did a four hour show reviewing Phoenix Rising. I haven't seen it yet but will sure make time to do so. It is only $12 to watch, which I think is a good deal. He put up a video with a hilarious preview of what we can expect (see here).
3. Spirit Pop did an excellent job summarizing Manson's lawsuit. What is most interesting is that they had assumed Manson was guilty based on the allegations of Evan Rachel Wood, but now that they read Manson's lawsuit, they have a different perspective (see here).
4. Sina Rez Law did an insightful video on a lawyers perspective of the lawsuit of Marilyn Manson, and he even breaks down what his lawsuit is worth should he win the case (see here).
- Evan Rachel Wood Makes a Statement on Manson's Lawsuit (sort of)
I don't think we are going to have an official statement from Evan Rachel Wood or Illma Gore on the lawsuit against them by Manson. I mean, after reading Manson's damning lawsuit against them, what can they say? We have already read Illma Gore express a defiant attitude, and on March 12th we also received what looks like a defiant statement by Evan. She does this through a quote. Read it, then read between the lines.
- Update on the Ashley Walters Case
According to Rolling Stone on March 12th, lawyers for Ashley Walter issued an amended lawsuit against Marilyn Manson on May 11th. The amended lawsuit is not much different from the original, except now, much like the amended lawsuit of Jane Doe #2 a few months ago, repressed memories are cited for the cause of Ashley Walters not filing her lawsuit within the statute of limitations.
“While [Walters] could not recall many of the specific acts of intimidation, threats and coercion until Fall of 2020 or later, the compilation of numerous threatening and violent events instilled a constant state of fear of retribution and retaliation should Plaintiff, in any way, confront Defendants,” Walters’ lawyers write in the amended lawsuit.
“This also contributed to the fact that Plaintiff was unable to access many of the memories of her abuse until the effects of these threats and coercion subsided due to the public exposure of Warner’s abuse and the loss of his power in the industry when even his record labels and management dropped their representation of Defendants.”
Walters’ many allegations against Manson remain intact in the new filing, but emphasized to reiterate that they were repressed memories. However, Walters’ lawyers added that, since the initial filing, Walters was also threatened by Manson’s counsel with “retaliatory legal action” if she took part in the upcoming Evan Rachel Wood documentary Phoenix Rising that details the alleged abuse the actress suffered while with Manson.
Walters’ lawyers continued, “Defendants should not benefit from [Manson’s] physically, emotionally and psychologically debilitating and threatening behavior by being permitted to use the statute of limitations as a shield.”
Personally, I don't think citing "repressed memories" is going to work in Walters' favor. Repressed memories for adults has pretty much been debunked as a hoax, and if true then it is very rare and are just limited to very young developing minds, and is often used as an excuse to just play dumb. The fact that all of Manson's accusers cite some sort of repressed memories is just ridiculous.
- Evan Rachel Wood Television Appearances This Week
Evan Week has come! Here is a list of her television appearances so far.
On Monday, March 14th, Evan will appear on Good Morning America (7-9AM)
I don't think we are going to have an official statement from Evan Rachel Wood or Illma Gore on the lawsuit against them by Manson. I mean, after reading Manson's damning lawsuit against them, what can they say? We have already read Illma Gore express a defiant attitude, and on March 12th we also received what looks like a defiant statement by Evan. She does this through a quote. Read it, then read between the lines.
- Update on the Ashley Walters Case
According to Rolling Stone on March 12th, lawyers for Ashley Walter issued an amended lawsuit against Marilyn Manson on May 11th. The amended lawsuit is not much different from the original, except now, much like the amended lawsuit of Jane Doe #2 a few months ago, repressed memories are cited for the cause of Ashley Walters not filing her lawsuit within the statute of limitations.
“While [Walters] could not recall many of the specific acts of intimidation, threats and coercion until Fall of 2020 or later, the compilation of numerous threatening and violent events instilled a constant state of fear of retribution and retaliation should Plaintiff, in any way, confront Defendants,” Walters’ lawyers write in the amended lawsuit.
“This also contributed to the fact that Plaintiff was unable to access many of the memories of her abuse until the effects of these threats and coercion subsided due to the public exposure of Warner’s abuse and the loss of his power in the industry when even his record labels and management dropped their representation of Defendants.”
Walters’ many allegations against Manson remain intact in the new filing, but emphasized to reiterate that they were repressed memories. However, Walters’ lawyers added that, since the initial filing, Walters was also threatened by Manson’s counsel with “retaliatory legal action” if she took part in the upcoming Evan Rachel Wood documentary Phoenix Rising that details the alleged abuse the actress suffered while with Manson.
Walters’ lawyers continued, “Defendants should not benefit from [Manson’s] physically, emotionally and psychologically debilitating and threatening behavior by being permitted to use the statute of limitations as a shield.”
Personally, I don't think citing "repressed memories" is going to work in Walters' favor. Repressed memories for adults has pretty much been debunked as a hoax, and if true then it is very rare and are just limited to very young developing minds, and is often used as an excuse to just play dumb. The fact that all of Manson's accusers cite some sort of repressed memories is just ridiculous.
- Evan Rachel Wood Television Appearances This Week
Evan Week has come! Here is a list of her television appearances so far.
On Monday, March 14th, Evan will appear on Good Morning America (7-9AM)
On Monday, March 14th, Evan will appear on The View.
On Monday, March 14th, Evan will appear on The Daily Show.
On Tuesday, March 15th, Part One of Phoenix Rising will air on HBO at 9pm. (HBO Max will apparently have both Parts One and Two available for viewing on March 15th)
On Wednesday, March 16th, Part Two of Phoenix Rising will air on HBO at 9pm.
On Thursday, March 17th, Evan will appear on The Drew Barrymore Show.
Updates will be made on my Instagram account.
On Wednesday, March 16th, Part Two of Phoenix Rising will air on HBO at 9pm.
On Thursday, March 17th, Evan will appear on The Drew Barrymore Show.
Updates will be made on my Instagram account.