Difference between pages "The Dope Show" and "Interview:2000 Kerrang!"

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{{About|the song|the single|The Dope Show (single)|the bootleg|Dope Show (bootleg)}}
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{{Interview
 
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|Image    = Kerrang_Nov_11_00_cvr.jpg|350px
{{Song
+
|Title    = Kerrang!
| Name        = The Dope Show
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|Interviewer =  
| Cover      = MechanicalAnimals.png
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|Date     = November 11, 2000
| Artist      = [[Marilyn Manson (band)|Marilyn Manson]]
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|Source   = [''Kerrang!'' <ref>[http://www.blackdiamondmemorabilia.com/marilyn-manson-signed-kerrang-magazine Black Diamond Music Memorbilia] </ref>  ]
| Album      = [[Mechanical Animals]]
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|scans    =
| Released    = September 14, 1998
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| Recorded    = 1997–1998 at the White Room, Westlake Recording Studios in West Hollywood, California and Conway Studios
+
| Genre      = Glam rock, Electronic rock
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| Length     = 3:46
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| Label      = [[Nothing]], [[Interscope Records|Interscope]]
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| Writer      = [[Marilyn Manson]]
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| Composer   = [[Twiggy Ramirez]]
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| Producer    = Michael Beinhorn, Marilyn Manson
+
 
}}
 
}}
"'''The Dope Show'''" is the first single and the second track of the third album ''[[Mechanical Animals]]''.
 
  
==Appearances==
 
An excerpt from the song was included in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yugldxpRDMo&t=2m53s "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Polka Power" medley] in 1999.
 
  
===Albums===
 
* ''[[Mechanical Animals]]''
 
* ''[[Lest We Forget – The Best Of]]''
 
  
===Singles===
 
* "[[The Dope Show (single)|The Dope Show]]"
 
* "[[Personal Jesus (single)|Personal Jesus]]"
 
  
==Versions==
+
:'''''Twiggy Ramirez: MANSON’S RIGHT-HAND MAN ON FAME, FAILURE AND MASTURBATING WITH PIZZA DOUGH...'''''
* "The Dope Show" <small>&mdash; Appears on ''[[Mechanical Animals]]''.</small>
+
* "The Dope Show" ([[1999/04/13 Cleveland, OH|Live]]) <small>&mdash; Appears on ''[[The Last Tour on Earth]]''.</small>
+
* "The Dope Show" (Live) <small>&mdash; Appears on the ''[[Guns, God and Government World Tour]]'' DVD.</small>
+
* "The Dope Show" (Acoustic Live) <small>&mdash; Recorded live on [[2003/04/11 Berlin, Germany| 2003/04/11]]. An official video recording of the performance appears on "[[A Grotesque Evening with Marilyn Manson]]" and "Sonic Seducer Cold Hands Seduction Vol. 29". .</small>
+
  
==Music video==
+
'''Kerrang!:''' Where and when did you first meet [[Marilyn Manson]]?<br/>
[[Image:TheDopeShowScreenshot.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Manson as the extraterrestrial in the video]]
+
'''[[Twiggy|Twiggy Ramirez]]:''' If I recall correctly, it was probably around 1989 in a shopping mall in Coral Springs, Florida. I had a big giant brown afro at the time and Manson looked something like a Satanic Emo Philips (Nerdy ‘80’s comedian - Comedy Ed).<br/>
 
+
'''Kerrang!:''' What were your first impressions of him?<br/>
The [http://youtube.com/watch?v=5R682M3ZEyk music video], directed by Paul Hunter and co-directed by [[Marilyn Manson|Manson]], was filmed during the week of August 8, 1998, and premiered on August 20, 1998. In scenes reminiscent of ''The Man Who Fell to Earth'', Manson appears &mdash; red-haired, with his entire body, including prosthetic rubber breasts, covered in white grease paint &mdash; as an androgynous extraterrestrial wandering around the Hollywood Hills. He is captured, studied in a laboratory, and eventually transported by limousine to a stage where he and the other members of the band &mdash; the fictional band Omēga and the Mechanical Animals &mdash; perform the song in concert before hysterical fans who end up rioting and crossing the security barriers. The music video also features a direct homage to a sequence in the Alejandro Jodorowsky film ''The Holy Mountain'', involving the destruction of plaster casts of the main character's body in a crucifixion pose. Actor Billy Zane makes a cameo appearance in the limo sequence, as a recording industry executive. This same sequence features parodies of ''SPIN'' magazine and ''The National Enquirer''.
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' I tried to sell a Love And Rockets tape to him. He was looking for Judas Priest’s ‘Painkiller’. Because of that I thought that he was a metalhead.<br/>
 
+
'''Kerrang!:''' And was he?<br/>
An [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQpituSu6Hk alternate video] for "The Dope Show" found its way to the internet that consists mainly of varying angles of Manson singing along to the song in a white room. This is in fact, B-reel footage shot for the main Dope Show video. Parts of this "alternate video" can be seen in the main video on various TVs and monitors starting around the 2:00 minute mark.  
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' Isn’t everybody?<br/>
 
+
'''Kerrang!:''' What is your non-musical role in the band?<br/>
Some [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEDYL8667dE extra footage] for "The Dope Show" was published on Manson's website sometime in 1998 or 1999 but today its unavailable and no good quality version of this material can be found.
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' I’d say that I’m the instigator. It’s my job to instigate things and to wind people up. Sometimes I like to make situations seem a lot more stressful than they really are. You know, simple situations; if the band is waiting to go onstage then I like to wind everybody up and to make them really pissed off, not at me, but to get everyone pumped. It doesn’t have anything to do with sports, it’s not like it’s a hockey term or any-thing, I just do it to push people’s buttons. It tends to make everyone a little more aggressive.<br/>
 
+
'''Kerrang!:''' What’s Manson like to work with?<br/>
Further additional footage for "The Dope Show" can be found on the VHS compilation ''[[God Is in the T.V.]]'', which includes unused footage of [[Twiggy Ramirez]], [[Madonna Wayne Gacy]] and the Goddess Bunny drunk and undressing in the back of a limousine while being observed and mocked by the same people who mocked Manson during his limo scene. There is also an extended cut of the Goddess Bunny's dance scene from the end of the video.
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' He’s my musical soulmate so it’s great. I wouldn’t say we agree on everything, we have a lot of the same tastes but we have different opinions on certain things. But it all balances out. We disagree on some stuff but we respect each other’s opinions. And it’s tough to disagree 100 per cent with someone if you trust their opinions.<br/>
 
+
'''Kerrang!:''' What’s the most hedonistic thing you’ve done since joining the band?<br/>
[[Image:Mechanical animals.jpg|thumb|left|190px|The Band on a film set.]]
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' Continuing to be in the band, I guess. The most hedonistic thing I did was probably before I was in the band, actually. It was when I worked at a pizza parlour. What happened was that one time I masturbated with pizza dough. It was okay, though, ‘cos I threw it out, I didn’t serve it. But for some reason I still feel guilty about having sexual relations with the pizza dough.<br/>
"The Dope Show"'s performance sequence was filmed in front of the Los Angeles [https://www.google.com/search?q=34.0309004%2C-118.267546 Municipal Courthouse] on North Hill Street. The Brutalist architecture of the Courthouse did not permit a reasonable angle or height from which to film; instead, the band was placed on top of the trailer of an 18-wheeler transport truck. Cameras situated on mechanical arms, and at a distance across the street, were used to film the dramatic concert shots. These scenes are interspersed with cuts of underground drag performer Johnnie Baima, the Goddess Bunny, dancing in a yellow, sequined dress, similar to that worn by Twiggy Ramirez in the same video. The costumes for the video, including the dresses and Marilyn Manson's red, diamond-patterned boots (which featured a 6-inch sole and heel) were designed jointly by Manson and Terri King. The Goddess Bunny's custom couture sequin gown (worn for the live MTV awards performance), was designed and hand sewn by Kris Hendrickson, aka littlemskris of San Francisco.
+
'''Kerrang!:''' Is it because you never returned the pizza dough’s calls afterwards?<br/>
 
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' (Laughing) Yeah, I never called the pizza dough back.<br/>
The video won a [[1998/09/10 Los Angeles, CA|1999 MTV Video Music Award]] for "Best Cinematography", as well as the "Maximum Vision" award. It was filmed on standard cinema-grade Kodak 35 mm film stock; the contrast, saturation, and color tinting were all altered dramatically to obtain its vintage look. The video was filmed over two weeks &mdash; extreme in comparison to the industry standard of two days. [[Interscope Records]] funded the video, while HSI Productions produced and filmed it.
+
'''Kerrang!:''' You’re seen as the typically wasted rock ‘n’ roller in the band. is that fair?<br/>
 
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' Yes and no. I can be responsible, but I can see how people could perceive that as being the case. Yes I live a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, but I don’t plan on dying yet. At least not from drink and drugs. But I do like that lifestyle and I don’t try to hide it, so if people want to point the finger at me for being that type of guy then that’s fine with me. It’s better to be used than useless. At least I’m good for something.<br/>
The video is available on the ''[[Lest We Forget – The Best Of]]'' bonus DVD.
+
'''Kerrang!:''' What’s your favourite Manson album?<br/>
 
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' I’d have to say the new one, ‘[[Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)|Holy Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death)]]’. Obviously ‘[[Antichrist Superstar (album)| Antichrist Superstar]]’ has a place in my heart ‘cos it was my first record, the first songs I really wrote with the band. But now, with the evolution of the band, we’re making better records and I’m more proud of them. But it’s kind of like picking kids, which of your kids you like the best. I do like where we’re at now. That’s the reason I’m doing this interview.<br/>
{{Photos
+
'''Kerrang!:''' What’s your favourite song to play live?<br/>
| /caption = Behind the scenes
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' ‘[[Irresponsible Hate Anthem]].<br/>
| dope-show-behind-the-scenes-1.jpg =
+
'''Kerrang!:''' You recorded ‘Holy Wood...’ at legendary escapologist Harry Houdini’s house. How enjoyable was the recording?<br/>
| dope-show-behind-the-scenes-2.jpg =
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' I remember very well when we were writing the record and when we were mixing the record, but when we were at the Harry Houdini house, where the album was recorded, it’s all a bit of a blur actually. I can’t really remember recording the tracks. I guess the reason being, that there were a lot of different emotions racing around. Plus there was the rumour that Houdini’s house was haunted, which I kinda laughed off at the time, but there was definitely some-thing weird going on at that place. All I can say is, I definitely felt like something was there.<br/>
| dope-show-behind-the-scenes-3.jpg =
+
'''Kerrang!:''' Do you fully under-stand the album’s concept?<br/>
| dope-show-behind-the-scenes-4.jpg =
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' Yeah I do. It’s pretty difficult to put into words, but I definitely understand it. To listen to the album is the only true answer.<br/>
| dope-show-behind-the-scenes-5.jpg =
+
'''Kerrang!:''' How did the after-math of Columbine affect you?<br/>
| dope-show-behind-the-scenes-6.jpg =
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' It gave me the opportunity to have some time off. We got to go home, ‘cos nobody wanted to professionally be around us for a while after that happened. I don’t mind you asking about it here, but the only thing that really bothered me at the time was that people kept asking about it. You automatically get associated with that. But people like to point the finger at things and I guess the biggest thing they could point the finger at was Marilyn Manson. It’s unfortunate that people are that ignorant.<br/>
| dope-show-behind-the-scenes-7.jpg =
+
'''Kerrang!:''' Do you mind that Marilyn Manson the man seems to have overshadowed Marilyn Manson the [[Marilyn Manson (band)| band]]?<br/>
| dope-show-behind-the-scenes-8.jpg =
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' No, ‘cos I’m a fan of both Marilyn Manson the man and Marilyn Manson the band. I enjoy both. I don’t find it too restrictive, I’m able to put my foot down and to keep myself visible. And also, being in the shadows. I don’t have to take responsibility for everything that comes along. The attention that Marilyn Manson gets also comes with responsibility. I’m glad I don’t have that on my shoulders.<br/>
}}
+
'''Kerrang!:''' Why do think ‘[[Mechanical Animals (album)|Mechanical Animals]]’ didn’t live up to commercial expectations?<br/>
 
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' Because I think people have unrealistic expectations when it comes to Marilyn Manson. We’re not a pop band. It did as well, if not better than ‘Antichrist Superstar’, so it wasn’t a failure to me. We’re not here to sell records like the Backstreet Boys.<br/>
===Extra footage===
+
'''Kerrang!:''' Who’s your closest friend in the band?<br/>
{{Videos
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' I would have to say Manson. I’ve known him the longest.<br/>
| fsdUVyAYKMI =
+
'''Kerrang!:''' What do your parents think of what you do?<br/>
}}
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' I don’t know my real father, but my mom loves what we do. She comes to our shows all the time.<br/>
 
+
'''Kerrang!:''' How easy is it to keep a relationship in a band like Marilyn Manson?<br/>
==Reception==
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' For me personally, I can’t be monogamous right now, so I don’t want to have to lie to anybody. I try to be honest.<br/>
===Critical reception===
+
'''Kerrang!:''' What’s the best and worst thing about being in Marilyn Manson?<br/>
Barry Walters of ''The Village Voice'' commented "''The Dope Show'' is the first Manson single as memorable as its video. Over a skipping Gary Glitter beat, the pied piper of gloom celebrates the Clinton-era narcotics of oral stimulation and headrushing authority. Its sing-along chorus lends the social study a levity the [[Trent Reznor|Reznor]] period denied, and the bite-sized lyrics--bon mots like "Cops and queers make good-looking models"--help the medicine go down. Despite the guitars pumping the hook in the proven grunge tradition, this bouncy sugar pill is radical for Manson not only because it's pop, but also because it's something few '90s rockers have attempted: it's sexy." He went on to conclude, "This born sophist once merely dared to deconstruct sexiness. By now embodying it, Satan's ambitious little helper has relocated Manson theory out of its logical head and into a freshly liberated and femme-y cyborg that sets it in motion. Its slinky gloss going against the rough Reznor grain, Manson's alien mannequeen declares independence from the industrial factory."<ref>{{cite web|last=Walters |first=Barry |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/1998-09-22/music/who-s-beautiful-now/ |title=Who's Beautiful Now? |publisher=''The Village Voice'' |date=1998-09-22 |accessdate=2011-03-09}}</ref>
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' The worst thing is not getting any sleep and the best thing is not getting any sleep.<br/>
 
+
'''Kerrang!:''' Do you still like the drugs?<br/>
===Accolades===
+
'''Twiggy Ramirez:''' Yes. But I don’t take drugs to be creative, I am creative and I happen to take drugs. I just happen to recreationally use drugs. Either way, I’m creative whether I use drugs or not. My drug of choice? Viagra.<br/>
"The Dope Show" was nominated for the ''Best Hard Rock Performance'' category at the 41st Grammy Awards (1999).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1999/grammys.htm |title= "41st Annual Grammy Awards - 1999" |publisher=[http://www.rockonthenet.com/ Rock On The Net] |accessdate=2011-03-06}}</ref> ''Spin Magazine'' ranked "The Dope Show" the 3rd Best Single in their 1998 End Of Year List.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/spinend.htm |title=Spin End Of Year Lists 1998 |publisher=Rock List |accessdate=2011-03-06}}</ref> The music video for the single would later win the ''Best Cinematography in a Video'' category at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1999/mtvvmas.htm |title= "1999 MTV Video Music Awards" |publisher=[http://www.rockonthenet.com/ Rock On The Net] |accessdate=2011-03-06}}</ref>
+
 
+
==Track listing==
+
===Australia===
+
# "The Dope Show" – 3:47
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# "[[Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)]]" (Live) – 4:33
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# "[[Apple of Sodom]]" (Live) – 4:36
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:* "The Dope Show" <small>(Multimedia track)</small>
+
 
+
===UK, Pt. 1===
+
# "The Dope Show" – 3:47
+
# "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (Live) – 4:33
+
# "Apple of Sodom" (Live) – 4:36
+
 
+
===UK, Pt. 2===
+
# "The Dope Show" – 3:47
+
# "[[The Beautiful People]]" (Live) – 4:33
+
:* "The Dope Show" <small>(Multimedia track)</small>
+
 
+
===Germany===
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# "The Dope Show" – 3:53
+
 
+
===Japan===
+
# "The Dope Show" – 3:47
+
# "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (Live) – 4:33
+
# "Apple of Sodom" (Live) – 4:36
+
# "The Beautiful People" (Live) – 4:33
+
 
+
===Picture Disc===
+
# "The Dope Show" – 3:47
+
 
+
===Promotional===
+
# "The Dope Show" – 3:53
+
 
+
==Lyrics==
+
    The drugs they say
+
    Make us feel so hollow
+
    We love in vain
+
    Narcissistic and so shallow
+
    The cops and queers
+
    To swim you have to swallow
+
    Hate today
+
    There's no love for tomorrow
+
   
+
    We're all stars now in the dope show
+
   
+
    There's lots of pretty, pretty ones
+
    That want to get you high
+
    But all the pretty, pretty ones
+
    Will leave you low
+
    And blow your mind
+
   
+
    We're all stars now in the dope show
+
   
+
    They love you when you're on all the covers
+
    When you're not then they love another
+
   
+
    The drugs they say
+
    Are made in California
+
    We love your face
+
    We'd really like to sell you
+
    The cops and queers
+
    Make good-looking models
+
    I hate today
+
    Who will I wake up with tomorrow?
+
   
+
    There's lots of pretty, pretty ones
+
    That want to get you high
+
    But all the pretty, pretty ones
+
    Will leave you low
+
    And blow your mind
+
   
+
    They love you when you're on all the covers
+
    When you're not then they love another
+
   
+
    We're all stars now in the dope show
+
 
+
==Personnel==
+
* [[Marilyn Manson]] – lead and background vocals, syncussion, electric drums
+
* [[Twiggy Ramirez]] – rhythm and lead guitars, bass
+
* [[Madonna Wayne Gacy]] – piano
+
 
+
{{Videos
+
| 3kE49uig7_A = "Inside the Song with Michael Beinhorn"
+
}}
+
  
==Trivia==
+
<center>
* This song has been performed on every subsequent tour since the [[Rock Is Dead (tour)|Rock Is Dead]] tour.
+
[[image:Mansonkerranglarge3BD.jpg]]
* When asked how this song was written, Jeordie White called it a "ripoff" of "Nightclubbing" by Iggy Pop.[http://www.basetendencies.com/responses/Response042807.html]
+
</center>
* The song was nominated for the Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy in 1999, but lost to "Most High" by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.
+
* The song is available to download as a playable track for the ''Rock Band'' video game series and ''Guitar Hero 5''. While each franchise's developer often takes the liberty of censoring excessive profanity from soundtrack inclusions, this song's instance of "queers" is intact in both games.
+
* When performing the song live, Manson often changes the lyrics "We love your face we'd really like to sell you" and "The cops and queers" to "We love your face we'd really like to cum on it" and "the pigs and fags", respectively.
+
* The line "drugs, they say are made in California" is often sung differently live, changed to "drugs, they say are made right here in ________" with Manson adding the name of the city the band is performing in.
+
* The song's lyrical content and imagery is very similar to that of [[David Bowie]]'s "Fame" from his 1975 album Young Americans.
+
*Taylor Momsen of [[The Pretty Reckless]] joined Manson onstage to sing this song during the [[Golden Gods Awards 2012|April 11th, 2012]] performance at Revolver's Golden God Awards.
+
  
==References==
+
====References====
<references/>
+
<references />
  
{{Videography}}
+
<small> Click [[Interview:2000/11/11_Kerrang!_speaks_to_Madonna_Wayne_Gacy| here]] for the next interview in this series.</small>
  
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dope Show}}
 
  
[[Category:Mechanical Animals era]]
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[[Category:Interviews]]
[[Category:Marilyn Manson songs]]
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[[Category:Holy Wood era]]
[[Category:Songs from Mechanical Animals]]
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[[Category:Songs from The Last Tour on Earth]]
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[[Category:Songs from Lest We Forget (The Best Of)]]
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[[Category:Marilyn Manson songs with music videos]]
+

Latest revision as of 09:03, 15 October 2020

Kerrang!
Kerrang Nov 11 00 cvr.jpg
Interview with Marilyn Manson
Date November 11, 2000
Source [Kerrang! [1] ]



Twiggy Ramirez: MANSON’S RIGHT-HAND MAN ON FAME, FAILURE AND MASTURBATING WITH PIZZA DOUGH...

Kerrang!: Where and when did you first meet Marilyn Manson?
Twiggy Ramirez: If I recall correctly, it was probably around 1989 in a shopping mall in Coral Springs, Florida. I had a big giant brown afro at the time and Manson looked something like a Satanic Emo Philips (Nerdy ‘80’s comedian - Comedy Ed).
Kerrang!: What were your first impressions of him?
Twiggy Ramirez: I tried to sell a Love And Rockets tape to him. He was looking for Judas Priest’s ‘Painkiller’. Because of that I thought that he was a metalhead.
Kerrang!: And was he?
Twiggy Ramirez: Isn’t everybody?
Kerrang!: What is your non-musical role in the band?
Twiggy Ramirez: I’d say that I’m the instigator. It’s my job to instigate things and to wind people up. Sometimes I like to make situations seem a lot more stressful than they really are. You know, simple situations; if the band is waiting to go onstage then I like to wind everybody up and to make them really pissed off, not at me, but to get everyone pumped. It doesn’t have anything to do with sports, it’s not like it’s a hockey term or any-thing, I just do it to push people’s buttons. It tends to make everyone a little more aggressive.
Kerrang!: What’s Manson like to work with?
Twiggy Ramirez: He’s my musical soulmate so it’s great. I wouldn’t say we agree on everything, we have a lot of the same tastes but we have different opinions on certain things. But it all balances out. We disagree on some stuff but we respect each other’s opinions. And it’s tough to disagree 100 per cent with someone if you trust their opinions.
Kerrang!: What’s the most hedonistic thing you’ve done since joining the band?
Twiggy Ramirez: Continuing to be in the band, I guess. The most hedonistic thing I did was probably before I was in the band, actually. It was when I worked at a pizza parlour. What happened was that one time I masturbated with pizza dough. It was okay, though, ‘cos I threw it out, I didn’t serve it. But for some reason I still feel guilty about having sexual relations with the pizza dough.
Kerrang!: Is it because you never returned the pizza dough’s calls afterwards?
Twiggy Ramirez: (Laughing) Yeah, I never called the pizza dough back.
Kerrang!: You’re seen as the typically wasted rock ‘n’ roller in the band. is that fair?
Twiggy Ramirez: Yes and no. I can be responsible, but I can see how people could perceive that as being the case. Yes I live a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, but I don’t plan on dying yet. At least not from drink and drugs. But I do like that lifestyle and I don’t try to hide it, so if people want to point the finger at me for being that type of guy then that’s fine with me. It’s better to be used than useless. At least I’m good for something.
Kerrang!: What’s your favourite Manson album?
Twiggy Ramirez: I’d have to say the new one, ‘Holy Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death)’. Obviously ‘ Antichrist Superstar’ has a place in my heart ‘cos it was my first record, the first songs I really wrote with the band. But now, with the evolution of the band, we’re making better records and I’m more proud of them. But it’s kind of like picking kids, which of your kids you like the best. I do like where we’re at now. That’s the reason I’m doing this interview.
Kerrang!: What’s your favourite song to play live?
Twiggy Ramirez:Irresponsible Hate Anthem’.
Kerrang!: You recorded ‘Holy Wood...’ at legendary escapologist Harry Houdini’s house. How enjoyable was the recording?
Twiggy Ramirez: I remember very well when we were writing the record and when we were mixing the record, but when we were at the Harry Houdini house, where the album was recorded, it’s all a bit of a blur actually. I can’t really remember recording the tracks. I guess the reason being, that there were a lot of different emotions racing around. Plus there was the rumour that Houdini’s house was haunted, which I kinda laughed off at the time, but there was definitely some-thing weird going on at that place. All I can say is, I definitely felt like something was there.
Kerrang!: Do you fully under-stand the album’s concept?
Twiggy Ramirez: Yeah I do. It’s pretty difficult to put into words, but I definitely understand it. To listen to the album is the only true answer.
Kerrang!: How did the after-math of Columbine affect you?
Twiggy Ramirez: It gave me the opportunity to have some time off. We got to go home, ‘cos nobody wanted to professionally be around us for a while after that happened. I don’t mind you asking about it here, but the only thing that really bothered me at the time was that people kept asking about it. You automatically get associated with that. But people like to point the finger at things and I guess the biggest thing they could point the finger at was Marilyn Manson. It’s unfortunate that people are that ignorant.
Kerrang!: Do you mind that Marilyn Manson the man seems to have overshadowed Marilyn Manson the band?
Twiggy Ramirez: No, ‘cos I’m a fan of both Marilyn Manson the man and Marilyn Manson the band. I enjoy both. I don’t find it too restrictive, I’m able to put my foot down and to keep myself visible. And also, being in the shadows. I don’t have to take responsibility for everything that comes along. The attention that Marilyn Manson gets also comes with responsibility. I’m glad I don’t have that on my shoulders.
Kerrang!: Why do think ‘Mechanical Animals’ didn’t live up to commercial expectations?
Twiggy Ramirez: Because I think people have unrealistic expectations when it comes to Marilyn Manson. We’re not a pop band. It did as well, if not better than ‘Antichrist Superstar’, so it wasn’t a failure to me. We’re not here to sell records like the Backstreet Boys.
Kerrang!: Who’s your closest friend in the band?
Twiggy Ramirez: I would have to say Manson. I’ve known him the longest.
Kerrang!: What do your parents think of what you do?
Twiggy Ramirez: I don’t know my real father, but my mom loves what we do. She comes to our shows all the time.
Kerrang!: How easy is it to keep a relationship in a band like Marilyn Manson?
Twiggy Ramirez: For me personally, I can’t be monogamous right now, so I don’t want to have to lie to anybody. I try to be honest.
Kerrang!: What’s the best and worst thing about being in Marilyn Manson?
Twiggy Ramirez: The worst thing is not getting any sleep and the best thing is not getting any sleep.
Kerrang!: Do you still like the drugs?
Twiggy Ramirez: Yes. But I don’t take drugs to be creative, I am creative and I happen to take drugs. I just happen to recreationally use drugs. Either way, I’m creative whether I use drugs or not. My drug of choice? Viagra.

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References[edit]

  1. Black Diamond Music Memorbilia

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