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...
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| Ben Barbaud, founder and director of Hellfest |
The lineup for one of the biggest hard rock and metal annual festivals in all of Europe, Hellfest, has just been unveiled. Next year’s event will be held in Clisson, France on June 19th-22nd and feature headlining sets from Korn, Muse, Scorpions and Linkin Park. 184 artists, including an as-yet unannounced very special guest on June 20th, will be taking to the stage over the course of the festival. And while special consideration was given to Till Lindemann and Marilyn Manson, it was decided to allow Lindemann open for Korn and completely reject Marilyn Manson.
In an interview with Le Parisien, Hellfest founder and director Ben Barbaud gave his reasons for accepting Till Lindemann and rejecting Marilyn Manson. He said:
"I'm not a judge, but a festival director and programmer. The legal proceedings against [Till Lindemann] were dropped by the German Public Prosecutor's Office for lack of evidence. And I invite the artists that people want to see... That said, I do it on a case-by-case basis and I'm not here to provoke activists either. This year, I actually refused Marilyn Manson. In my opinion, his situation is much too murky to schedule him."
The founder of Hellfest also assures that his festival is a place where women can feel safe. According to him, it is "neither a den of macho men, nor an insecure place for women. They are also taking up more and more space there. There are more and more female spectators every year." They now represent 35% of festival-goers, whereas they were only 10% ten years ago. Because of this, a day entirely dedicated to female groups or groups led by a female singer is to be organized on one of the big stages, Barbaud assures concert goers.
To deal with these problems on the ground, in addition to 150 security officers, the organization deployed "HellWatch" in 2022, 54 volunteers (compared to 30 for the previous edition) on the site and campsite to prevent abuse and collect statements from potential victims. Two prevention centers were also set up.
Controversy with Hellfest especially erupted in 2023 when a number of controversial bands with members accused of acts of domestic violence (including Hollywood Vampires with Johnny Depp, and Motley Crüe with drummer Tommy Lee) were on the bill. Disrespectful comments were also made by festival founder Ben Barbaud in the daily Ouest-France on the treatment of sexist and sexual violence.
Despite Marilyn Manson's successful summer 2024 tour which went by smoothly in North America with hardly any noticeable controversy, his recent amazing reception in Mexico, and the fact that Marilyn Manson is scheduled for a sold out headlining European tour in February 2025, which as of right now does not have a date in France, it seems like France has lost another opportunity to host an artist much loved in their country due to fear of the possibility of a few loud activists making a fuss (this was entirely Barbaud's decision with no known threats from any activists).
In an interview with Le Parisien, Hellfest founder and director Ben Barbaud gave his reasons for accepting Till Lindemann and rejecting Marilyn Manson. He said:
"I'm not a judge, but a festival director and programmer. The legal proceedings against [Till Lindemann] were dropped by the German Public Prosecutor's Office for lack of evidence. And I invite the artists that people want to see... That said, I do it on a case-by-case basis and I'm not here to provoke activists either. This year, I actually refused Marilyn Manson. In my opinion, his situation is much too murky to schedule him."
The founder of Hellfest also assures that his festival is a place where women can feel safe. According to him, it is "neither a den of macho men, nor an insecure place for women. They are also taking up more and more space there. There are more and more female spectators every year." They now represent 35% of festival-goers, whereas they were only 10% ten years ago. Because of this, a day entirely dedicated to female groups or groups led by a female singer is to be organized on one of the big stages, Barbaud assures concert goers.
To deal with these problems on the ground, in addition to 150 security officers, the organization deployed "HellWatch" in 2022, 54 volunteers (compared to 30 for the previous edition) on the site and campsite to prevent abuse and collect statements from potential victims. Two prevention centers were also set up.
Controversy with Hellfest especially erupted in 2023 when a number of controversial bands with members accused of acts of domestic violence (including Hollywood Vampires with Johnny Depp, and Motley Crüe with drummer Tommy Lee) were on the bill. Disrespectful comments were also made by festival founder Ben Barbaud in the daily Ouest-France on the treatment of sexist and sexual violence.
Despite Marilyn Manson's successful summer 2024 tour which went by smoothly in North America with hardly any noticeable controversy, his recent amazing reception in Mexico, and the fact that Marilyn Manson is scheduled for a sold out headlining European tour in February 2025, which as of right now does not have a date in France, it seems like France has lost another opportunity to host an artist much loved in their country due to fear of the possibility of a few loud activists making a fuss (this was entirely Barbaud's decision with no known threats from any activists).