There is a point in One Assassination Under God – Chapter 2 where the language of survival finally becomes the language of retaliation. “The Arsonist” is that point. The song is not simply about having survived an attempt to destroy you. It is about what happens afterward, when the person who has been burned decides that the fire did not finish him and that the scars it left behind have become part of his strength. Manson himself described the song as the moment when the narrative of the two chapters “crystallizes into a battle stance,” and, referring to the painting he created for it, said that the “burned scar tissue” had formed into armor. That description gets very close to the heart of the song. The fire has not disappeared. It has changed him. The title is important because Manson does not call the song The Survivor or The Victim . He calls it "The Arsonist." An arsonist deliberately starts a fire, and this changes the entire perspective of the song. The speaker is no...
As mentioned in my previous post , Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon issued a peculiar statement on October 9th updating people on the criminal investigation of Marilyn Manson by his office. In the statement it was revealed that "our office’s Sex Crimes Division are carefully reviewing new leads and additional evidence that continue to come to our attention from the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s investigation." He also informed us that they "anticipate making a filing decision soon and will provide an update when that time comes." The problem with this is that George Gascon is in danger of losing his position to his opposing candidate, former U.S. Assistant Attorney General Nathan Hochman, who is running as an Independent. Los Angeles residents have realized that progressive policies on criminal justice make things worse for their city, and it appears that a change is just weeks away at the November 5th election. Will we finally be getting the ...