It was announced Thursday January 17th 2025 that Film Director David Lynch died of emphysema at the age of 78, just a few days before his 79th birthday on Monday. Both Lindsay and Manson paid tribute to Lynch on Instagram, with Lindsay posting in her stories a broken heart under the poster for Wild at Heart and Manson posting the poster for Lost Highway with the message: "May you live forever inside our dreams." Manson and Lindsay have both said that Wild at Heart (1990) is their favorite Lynch film and favorite romance film, to the point where their wedding theme in 2020 was inspired by Wild at Heart , and they even invited Nicolas Cage, the star of the film, to attend, which he did via a video call. Also, a quote from the film spoken by Crispin Glover can be heard in the song "Lunchbox", when you hear: "I'm making my lunch!" Manson's first film appearance was as a snuff film pornstar along with bandmate Twiggy Ramirez in Lynch's film Lost ...
There is so much going on in the world of Marilyn Manson while he is touring North America and releasing new music, its hard to keep up with everything. I have been updating a few of the bigger stories here and there, but there are some other stories that I think should have some attention that I skipped over and wanted to give a shout out to in order to keep everyone up to date with everything as we move forward to even bigger and better things.
1. The North American Tour
The tour so far has been an amazing success, Manson is putting on a show that is beyond expectations for many, and the new music and band so far are great. I've yet to hear anyone complain all that much about anything, rather I overwhelmingly only hear positive reviews of everything Manson has been doing, with many even hailing it as among the greatest comebacks in Rock and Roll history. And the enthusiasm among Manson fans has been the best in many years. Daily we see this like we never have seen before, with new videos and photos constantly posted on social media, and people can't get enough of how spectacular Manson looks and sounds. When it was announced that Manson would be opening most of his shows for Five Finger Death Punch, a lot of people were worried they wouldn't get their money's worth, but so far I have not heard one complaint about it from those who have attended these shows, since Manson has been performing strong and energetically for about 50 minutes, leaving the audience completely satisfied on the one hand, though wanting more, which is exactly what the aim should be. As for his headline shows, they have been selling out.
2. The Media
Because everything has been going so great for Manson, the media is clearly having trouble reporting what is going on. The few who do report anything report mostly neutral or positive things, though there are some that choose to see something wrong going on. For example, Rolling Stone has so far refused to say anything about the tour as it is in progress nor anything about the new singles and the new music videos. They are completely ignoring one of the greatest comebacks in Rock and Roll history, probably because Manson is like a vir triumphalis who has made his public return as one of triumph over his defeated foes (which most of the media has been the past few years), though his focus has been not on those who tried to bring him down but on moving forward as an artist and performer to establish his own legacy and to give his fans and supporters something positive.
On the other hand, while Rolling Stone has so far been completely silent, Metal Hammer/Louder, which was the first in 2020 to try to expose Manson as an abuser even before Evan Rachel Wood officially named him, has tried to give a different spin on what is going on. They say Manson's comeback "sets a grim precedent", in their August 2nd article titled "Marilyn Manson is Back. His Return Highlights How Little the Music Industry Cares about Protecting Women," written by the Executive Editor Merlin Alderslade. He writes: "It all speaks to something unsettling: too much of the music industry remains complicit in failing to protect women. In a climate where violence against women is being declared a 'national emergency' in some countries, seeing artists, promoters and labels scramble to rehabilitate Manson sends a loud and shameless message." He is afraid that Manson touring would give him the money that "could literally go straight into fighting some of his accusers in court." Bemoaning the fact that cancel culture has not been cemented into American society, he cries about seeing "it all roll out so casually, so easily and in the kind of timespan that isn't even out of step with your average veteran rock star's album cycle (Manson's last LP was released in 2020) is depressing all the same." As to why he finds something wrong with Manson's return, he finally says in the end: "He could yet be found guilty of some of those alleged offences."
The problem with Merlin Alderslade's logic, however, is that he thinks Manson does not have the right to make the money he needs to defend himself, assuming this is what is really going, and that we should not contribute to a man who has been accused of things which are not found credible yet (of course, the exact opposite is being uncovered!). At the same time, he dismisses the fact that Manson is the one who issued a lawsuit to counter the claims against him, and the ones he accuses are allowed to freely do anything they need to defend themselves, as is their right. Basically, Alderslade doesn't think people should make the decisions who they choose to support, but that he should make the decisions for you and the entire music industry. This is the real corruption of power in the music industry.
3. Five Finger Death Punch's Unwavering Support for Marilyn Manson
Thankfully there are artists out there who not only support Marilyn Manson with words, but do so with actions as well. Among them is the band Manson has been opening for on the current tour, Five Finger Death Punch, who despite not really knowing Manson on a personal level, have put a lot on the line to face possible backlash and scrutiny to have Manson on their tour. On August 5th in Holmdel, New Jersey, for example, the lead singer Ivan Moody gave a big shout out to Manson when he said the following:
"I'd like you to give an extra warm welcome to the one and only, the man and the legend, the one Marilyn Manson. When I was 17 years old I ordered a CD called Portrait of an American Family, you know back when CDs were cool, in Nam, and I remember telling one of my closest friends, I was like 'this guy is going to be as big as the fucking Beatles' and he didn't believe me. Well, what are you telling me, he's not? (pointing to an audience member) This guy right here is a John Lennon fan. He's like, 'that's blasphemy, you're an asshole.' But the reality of it is this man has made more tread than 90% of us will ever do. So one more time for Mr. Manson."
1. The North American Tour
The tour so far has been an amazing success, Manson is putting on a show that is beyond expectations for many, and the new music and band so far are great. I've yet to hear anyone complain all that much about anything, rather I overwhelmingly only hear positive reviews of everything Manson has been doing, with many even hailing it as among the greatest comebacks in Rock and Roll history. And the enthusiasm among Manson fans has been the best in many years. Daily we see this like we never have seen before, with new videos and photos constantly posted on social media, and people can't get enough of how spectacular Manson looks and sounds. When it was announced that Manson would be opening most of his shows for Five Finger Death Punch, a lot of people were worried they wouldn't get their money's worth, but so far I have not heard one complaint about it from those who have attended these shows, since Manson has been performing strong and energetically for about 50 minutes, leaving the audience completely satisfied on the one hand, though wanting more, which is exactly what the aim should be. As for his headline shows, they have been selling out.
2. The Media
Because everything has been going so great for Manson, the media is clearly having trouble reporting what is going on. The few who do report anything report mostly neutral or positive things, though there are some that choose to see something wrong going on. For example, Rolling Stone has so far refused to say anything about the tour as it is in progress nor anything about the new singles and the new music videos. They are completely ignoring one of the greatest comebacks in Rock and Roll history, probably because Manson is like a vir triumphalis who has made his public return as one of triumph over his defeated foes (which most of the media has been the past few years), though his focus has been not on those who tried to bring him down but on moving forward as an artist and performer to establish his own legacy and to give his fans and supporters something positive.
On the other hand, while Rolling Stone has so far been completely silent, Metal Hammer/Louder, which was the first in 2020 to try to expose Manson as an abuser even before Evan Rachel Wood officially named him, has tried to give a different spin on what is going on. They say Manson's comeback "sets a grim precedent", in their August 2nd article titled "Marilyn Manson is Back. His Return Highlights How Little the Music Industry Cares about Protecting Women," written by the Executive Editor Merlin Alderslade. He writes: "It all speaks to something unsettling: too much of the music industry remains complicit in failing to protect women. In a climate where violence against women is being declared a 'national emergency' in some countries, seeing artists, promoters and labels scramble to rehabilitate Manson sends a loud and shameless message." He is afraid that Manson touring would give him the money that "could literally go straight into fighting some of his accusers in court." Bemoaning the fact that cancel culture has not been cemented into American society, he cries about seeing "it all roll out so casually, so easily and in the kind of timespan that isn't even out of step with your average veteran rock star's album cycle (Manson's last LP was released in 2020) is depressing all the same." As to why he finds something wrong with Manson's return, he finally says in the end: "He could yet be found guilty of some of those alleged offences."
The problem with Merlin Alderslade's logic, however, is that he thinks Manson does not have the right to make the money he needs to defend himself, assuming this is what is really going, and that we should not contribute to a man who has been accused of things which are not found credible yet (of course, the exact opposite is being uncovered!). At the same time, he dismisses the fact that Manson is the one who issued a lawsuit to counter the claims against him, and the ones he accuses are allowed to freely do anything they need to defend themselves, as is their right. Basically, Alderslade doesn't think people should make the decisions who they choose to support, but that he should make the decisions for you and the entire music industry. This is the real corruption of power in the music industry.
3. Five Finger Death Punch's Unwavering Support for Marilyn Manson
Thankfully there are artists out there who not only support Marilyn Manson with words, but do so with actions as well. Among them is the band Manson has been opening for on the current tour, Five Finger Death Punch, who despite not really knowing Manson on a personal level, have put a lot on the line to face possible backlash and scrutiny to have Manson on their tour. On August 5th in Holmdel, New Jersey, for example, the lead singer Ivan Moody gave a big shout out to Manson when he said the following:
"I'd like you to give an extra warm welcome to the one and only, the man and the legend, the one Marilyn Manson. When I was 17 years old I ordered a CD called Portrait of an American Family, you know back when CDs were cool, in Nam, and I remember telling one of my closest friends, I was like 'this guy is going to be as big as the fucking Beatles' and he didn't believe me. Well, what are you telling me, he's not? (pointing to an audience member) This guy right here is a John Lennon fan. He's like, 'that's blasphemy, you're an asshole.' But the reality of it is this man has made more tread than 90% of us will ever do. So one more time for Mr. Manson."
4. European Tour Is Sold Out Months in Advance
On the back of a successful North American summer tour, the European tour set for February 2025 in ten cities has been selling out quickly. In fact, as of today, nine of the ten cities have been completely sold out, leaving Zurich as the only city right now where you can still purchase tickets. Zurich will also sell out, no doubt, within a day or two.
(Update: A few hours after I posted this, Zurich sold out as well.)
5. John 5 and Tommy Lee Mention Manson in Interviews
Tommy Lee appeared on This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von on August 6, 2024, where among other things he spoke about Marilyn Manson and how he introduced him to Absinthe.
5. John 5 and Tommy Lee Mention Manson in Interviews
Tommy Lee appeared on This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von on August 6, 2024, where among other things he spoke about Marilyn Manson and how he introduced him to Absinthe.
On August 14, 2024, John 5 appeared on Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk and among other things spoke about the comeback of Marilyn Manson, with much praise.
5. First Week Stats for Chart Topper "As Sick As the Secrets Within"
As far as Manson's music video for "As Sick As the Secrets Within", it was released on August 2nd, and one week later, on August 9th, it hit one million views. Then on August 16th, exactly two weeks after the initial release, it hit three million views.
According to Billboard, the song hit No. 1 on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart in its first week. “As Sick As The Secrets Within” marks Manson’s second career No. 1 on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart, along with "We Are Chaos" in 2020. All told, Manson has now landed 10 top 10 hits on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart.
According to Luminate, “As Sick As The Secrets Within” sold 1,300 copies in its first tracking week. That’s not a very large number, though apparently it’s big enough to make the tune the bestseller in its genre.
Also in its first week, the song was #1 on iTunes for Metal Songs and #1 for Rock Songs, while on Spotify it has 1.5 million streams and Manson has gained about a million new followers.
6. New Single Released Called "Raise the Red Flag" Accompanied with a Music Video
On Friday, August 16th 2024, Marilyn Manson released the second single from his forthcoming album titled "Raise the Red Flag", accompanied with a music video.
The video was again directed by Bill Yukich and features Manson with his current band (Tyler Bates on Guitar, Gil Sharone on Drums, Matt Montgomery (aka Piggy D) on Bass Guitar and Reba Meyers on Guitar). In an Instagram post, Bill Yukich also provided credit to all those who helped make the new music video possible.
On Friday, August 16th 2024, Marilyn Manson released the second single from his forthcoming album titled "Raise the Red Flag", accompanied with a music video.
The video was again directed by Bill Yukich and features Manson with his current band (Tyler Bates on Guitar, Gil Sharone on Drums, Matt Montgomery (aka Piggy D) on Bass Guitar and Reba Meyers on Guitar). In an Instagram post, Bill Yukich also provided credit to all those who helped make the new music video possible.
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A limited edition Maxi Single CD (limited to 3,000 copies) via Nuclear Blast Records was also made available, which includes both released singles as well an unreleased track called "FRONT TOWARD ENEMY". It sold out the day it was released. The cover art of the CD was done by Joseph Cultice.
The new video had over 500,000 views on YouTube in its first 24 hours.
7. Tyler Bates Issues a Statement
Upon the second single release, Tyler Bates gave the following statement:
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8. Reba Meyers Also Issues a Statement
After Tyler Bates issued a statement upon the second single release, new guitarist Reba Meyers also shared a few words. With this, now all four members of the band have issued statements:
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