According to the British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mail , when Marilyn Manson gave a 30 second video message tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning farewell concert on Saturday July 5th, it "sparked controversy." Marilyn Manson and Ozzy Osbourne have been friends for many years, they have toured together a number of times and made multiple appearances together. In fact, before the pandemic struck in 2019, Marilyn Manson and Black Sabbath were planning a tour together, which unfortunately had to be canceled due to the pandemic. And when accusations came against Manson in 2021, the Osbourne family supported him. It should have been no surprise therefore that Manson would have been invited to participate in the farewell concert, and though he was unable to schedule a live appearance, he sent a quick video message expressing his gratitude to Ozzy and Black Sabbath, as did other musicians who were unable to attend. According to the Daily Mail ho...
27 years ago, in an interview with Rolling Stone (March 6, 1997), Trent Reznor gave a good summary of what Marilyn Manson brought back to the music scene in the 1990's, which not only made him a controversial and misunderstood figure, but unique and successful as well.
When I was growing up, rock & roll helped give me my sense of identity, but I had to search for it. I remember I loved the Clash, but I was an outcast because you were supposed to like Journey. Before that, I loved Kiss. The thing these bands gave me was invaluable - that whole spirit of rebellion. Rock & roll should be about rebellion. It should piss your parents off, and it should offer some element of taboo. It should be dangerous, you know? But I'm not sure it really is dangerous anymore. Now, thanks to MTV and radio, rock & roll gets pumped into your house every second of every day. Being a rock & roll star has become as legitimate a career option as being an astronaut or a policeman or a fireman. That's why I applaud - even helped create - bands like Marilyn Manson. The shock-rock value. I think it's necessary. Death to Hootie and the Blowfish, you know. It's safe. It's legitimate.
Look at Marilyn Manson: They have no qualms about taking that whole thing on. The scene needs that, you know? It doesn't need another Pearl Jam-rip-off band. It doesn't need the politically correct R.E.M.s telling us, "We don't eat meat." Fuck you to all that. We need someone who wants to say, "You know what? I jack off 10 times a night, and I fuck groupies." It's not considered safe to say that now, but rock shouldn't be safe. I'm not saying I adhere wholeheartedly to all that in my own lifestyle, but I think that's the aesthetic we need right now. There needs to be some element of anarchy or something that dares to be different.