On July 31st, Marilyn Manson and his wife Lindsay Warner were among 110 invited guests of Ozzy Osbourne's nearest and dearest to attend his private funeral at his 250-acre estate near Gerrards Cross. Guests were sent a simple black invitation with a picture of a cross that read: “In loving memory of Ozzy Osbourne.” They were transported from The Crowne Plaza and The Bull in Gerrards Cross to the house at 2pm, with the service starting at 3pm. Pictures of Ozzy were dotted throughout the house and a photograph of him was given to everyone who attended to take home with them. A huge floral tribute was seen at the mansion that spelled out “Ozzy fucking Osbourne.” Fans left tributes at the gate of the estate. The ceremony comes just one day after Osbourne’s family and friends came together in Birmingham, England, for a funeral procession. At the private funeral on Thursday, a slew of famous musicians paid tribute to the heavy metal icon, including Osbourne’s Black Sabbath bandmat...
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.