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...
Though she had just released her second studio album some months before and was nominated for four Grammy's including Best New Artist in 2020, before February 4th of 2021, most people had never really heard of Phoebe Bridgers. All of a sudden, she is all over the media making an accusation on Twitter against Marilyn Manson to supplement the bombardment of accusations of domestic abuse and sexual assault against him made a few days earlier by Evan Rachel Wood and others. She obviously felt like she could contribute something, even though she herself was never acquainted with Manson either romantically or as a friend. Her claim was that she heard something suspicious from Manson one day as a teenager when she went over Manson's house with some friends, and by tweeting what this suspicious thing was, Phoebe Bridgers automatically was listed as one of Marilyn Manson's accusers, and became much more known then she was before. In fact, her name would become almost a household nam...