Interview:98 KUPD September 14, 2012 Marilyn Manson Desert Uprising

98 KUPD Fitz Madrid Radio Interview
Interview with Marilyn Manson
Source	98 KUPD Arizonia Radio
Interviewer	Fitz Madrid (Arizonia 98 KUPD)

Transcript

Fitz Madrid Arizona’s Real Rock 98 KUPD Good Afternoon this is Fitz Madrid. Marilyn Manson Co-headlining day one of The Desert Uprising along with Rob Zombie, Cory Taylor, Buck Cherry, The Art of Dying and many, many more bands. On the phone with me now, the man himself, Marilyn Manson!

Marilyn Manson Hello.

Hello.

DJ “Tits” Madrid.

Fitz Madrid. That’s me. How are you today, Marilyn?

No, it should be Tits! You should change it to Tits! What about, what about: When you’re ever having sex with a girl, do you say....it doesn’t... “My name is it don’t fit”?

Given the piece of chalk I’m working with downstairs, it fits in most places.

Alright. Fair enough. A piece of chalk? A piece of chalk, that was a very… self-humiliating comedy. I like that. Yea but I got you. I do the same thing. It’s my whole life. Look at my face.

I can say, Marilyn, that I’ve never had anyone famous interested in my crank so thank you for taking an interest, man. Thank you for taking an interest.

Hey man, I’ll write on your chalk board. I will not say it fits. I will not say it fits over and over again.

How are you today, man? You sound like you’re in rare form.

Uh… Rare like in not cooked enough? Ha ha.

Yes. That Marilyn Manson, he’s so bloody! Send him back to the kitchen!

I’m...I’m good. I’m good. I was just uh... I was on the pot. I don’t mean the toilet, but I mean on the marijuana.

Laughs) Oh, right.

Because I uh… I have glaucoma now. I contracted it from my cat. “It’s like rickets” I’m gonna be okay.

Good!

The doctors say... Well actually, the doctors, it’s because I’m hallucinating on the marijuanas. So there you go.

So wait a minute. Ok, is your cat smoking pot too?

The cat doesn’t really have a choice Lily. Wait a minute. Lily! Here, ask her. She said no.

Alright.

She did! Did you hear her?

I heard something. I can say that… here’s the terrible radio tie in. You sir, are a Born Villain” for hot-boxing a cat!

I didn’t… what do you mean? Hot-boxing, what’s “hot-boxing”?

Hot-boxing is like when you blow pot smoke at somebody. How have you never heard of hot-boxing?

Oh! I don’t do that! I don’t do that to her.

Ok.

...it’s more of a contact high. Listen. It’s like any girl you smack on the butt. They go “meow”. It’s just like any girl you smack on the butt. They go “meow”.

Right.

Lily!

I got into an argument the other day with someone about whether or not cats have lips.

Um, Lily invented science, the pyramids and other things. I’ve had Lily since... and she has a full name like a human. Lily White. No middle name, of course.

Right.

But, uh... but she’s been on tour with me seven times and she enjoys it. I’m a cat person. That sounds really awful if you were to take it out of me but when you take out of mean then you would think “Cat person. It’s almost like that show with the two headed girl. It’s like... it doesn’t make sense but you wanna watch it?”

Right. I’ve talked about those conjoined twins and I don’t know what state you’re in but I know what you’re talking about.

I’m not gonna say they’re conjoined twins because well, okay let’s do the math. There’s two heads. There’s two hearts, four lungs, two stomachs and then from the waist down it’s just regular (standard or sailor) stuff. I wanna see the cleavage because I wanna understand the distance between the two. I don’t know where they buy their bras. At Two Headed and Wide or whatever it is. I’m not making fun of them. I’m just enjoying the comedy that some complete and total savage joined in on the destruction of the civilization we know as our modern culture by making that show. Just the same as the person who made “The Real World”, the first season when they put the guy with AIDS on there knowing he would die at the end.

Right.

It’s, it’s kind of... it’s really, it’s I can make fun of it, but at the same time it’s not funny because, I was simply a nihilist or someone who didn’t care then I wouldn’t even bother making fun. So I try, but I’m not gonna chase the world.

So if you like reality TV it’s just something we’re stuck with.

Yea, well I have two opinions on that. I mean, when it comes to reality TV shows and I don’t want people to mistake me for someone who watches those, those shows although I-I’ve seen (both of) them but the (the intelligence) thing here for me and because I’ve painted Jon Benét Ramsey I think that... I mean if you wanted a better title for the show it would be “America’s Top Marilyn Manson’s Girlfriend” probably would be a good title for it but... Oh my god! Please tell me that’s in development! Please tell me that’s in development right now, dude!

No. But rather it’s...it’s funny but at the same time it’s really so...to me, it’s-it’s wrong and that’s hard to hear from someone like me.

Yea

But a record called Smells Like Children. But people don’t understand the irony in what I say because...some, but you know, there’s no way to misunderstand me. There’s different ways to understand me. When I watch something like “A Thousand Tears” it’s, it's sad because it’s like watching Christians being eaten by lions in the coliseum which is fine. I guarantee. You know? It’s entertaining.

This is Big Red Radio 99 KUPD Marilyn Manson on the phone! The new album Born Villain. It sounds good! It sounds different from the other stuff. What’s up?

Yeah, well you know, when I recorded this record, I had a lot of people in the studio much like I imagined when I was a child thinking “What’s it like when rock bands record songs?” because in the past I’ve always been in an isolation booth by myself with a bunch of notebooks contemplat[ing], being introspective, being Marilyn Manson wearing black eye liner. Whatever people might imagine. That bullshit.

Right

But, you know, this time I had people in the room with me. Granted most of them were girls. Granted some of them may have been naked but...(Fitz laughs) um...they didn’t have headphones on and I did so I was singing and all they heard was my voice. This raspy monster coming out of my throat and it’s almost like reading a book report in front of the class naked but it wasn’t humiliating and it wasn’t cathartic. It was just enjoyable. It made me feel like I do when I perform. So that made this record have the same... For me it had the same energy as performing live. It’s the same as live. You go with the energy of it cause you go with the energy of it, the spontaneity. The impact, you play from your dick not from your brain.

Interesting. Interesting cause the new album does sound different. This is the first album you recorded all by your lonesome.

Alright, Arizona’s Real Rock 98 KUPD. My name is Fitz Madrid. I have Marilyn Manson on the phone. Marilyn Manson along with Rob Zombie co-headlining day one of “The Desert Uprising”

There was a period, like a when you first came out in the 90s everyone was convinced that you, Marilyn Manson was gonna destroy America. Now 20 years later, I feel like…. Now get this. This is gonna bum you out dude. I feel like 20 years later I feel like Kim Kardashian caused more damage to America then you ever did. Does that..you know? Do you feel like “Bitch! Get out of my hair! I’m supposed to be destroying America. Is that how you feel about that? Or you have no opinion.

Well I do have an opinion that is, it sort of agrees and sort of proves the point that makes itself come full circle that Marilyn Monroe, Charles Manson, that whole element of someone becoming a celebrity for the wrong reason. Criminal or someone dying or, you know, how many people are watching when you die determines how, where you are on Billboard charts or whatever it is, you know, that same phenomenon that has existed since Jesse James, Julius Caesar, Jesus Christ...you wanna know what the best horror book ever is? The bible.

Okay.

It’s got the apocalypse, it’s got the devil, it’s got vampires, it’s got zombies, it’s got everything you need. So it’s been around forever. So when you got the Kim Kardashian thing: Yes it’s making our civilization fall deeper into the decline but the world’s been ending since it started and I don’t mean to say like dooms day. I’m not a negative person at this point. I am disgusted by things in the same way that some other people are but, you know, you have to figure out what you do with it. Are you gonna be miserable? Are you gonna watch it? Laugh at it? Are you gonna be disgusted by it then just be bitter? Be very Republican? What are you gonna do? You gotta pick. So for me I make songs. I mean, and then mostly I ignore it. Mostly I decide: Hey I’m gonna go on tour. I’m gonna go on stage. I’m gonna play rock and roll and then later I’m gonna go see naked girls in sexual positions, hopefully, and that will be the end and that’s why Rock ‘n’ Roll was invented.

[Laughs] Always comes back to (tin) tang. Alright, Mr. Superstar of all the things you could have done with your life why music, man? Why?

I mean, let’s just be honest. We need to start at the beginning. Elvis and you know, Rock ‘n’ Roll when I was a... okay. For me. This is just before I ever touched a microphone...

Right.

...for musical purposes. That sounded really strange. That sounds like you would say “Your honor before I ever touched a microphone for musical purposes...”I, I you know, I would go to concerts because I wanted to meet girls because girls would go to concerts because they wanted to (fuck) the band. If they couldn’t (fuck) the band so then maybe they wanna (fuck) you and if you look like the band or whatever. That is the history of Rock ‘n’ Roll and that’s what it is. It’s always been that. People see Rock ‘n’ Roll and they either wanna be it or they wanna have sex with it.

Man, I totally agree with ya. I’ve long held that single biggest striving force in Rock ‘n’ Roll was that anonymous chick all those gajillians of years ago who walked up to that award dude playing guitar and said “How about a b.j.?” I mean she’s the one who started this whole thing. There’s no doubt about that.

This is Arizona’s Real Rock 98 KUPD. My name is Fitz Madrid. I’ve got Marilyn Manson on the phone Marilyn Manson co-headlining day one of “The Desert Uprising” with Rob Zombie.

Now that seems like a perfect match but it’s never happened before. How would you describe the interplay between you and Rob Zombie?

I just...you know. A lot of people...why would...you know. I think this is the perfect idea for a tour bet then my band mates were saying “Wow. He’s not gonna do that because it’s got two of his ex-band mates in Rob Zombie’s band and...that’s, you know...that’s exactly why I would wanna do it. You know? That’s that plan. I get to pick on them. Second plan is like, you know? It’s decided. You know, if I was not... If I stepped outside of myself, and this sounds like a crazy person talking, because that’s one of my most endearing qualities. If I was just simply not me I would think “That’s a great show to go see” because Rob Zombie covers the comic book and the slasher element of horror that I like and I cover the psychological element of it and the political element of it. I think that’s, I think that’s a good combination and we’re very different but we think it’s a perfect synthesis between the two and I think it’s something people will like. "Twins of Evil” you know. That’s something Rob decided to pick. It’s the name of a movie. You know. I’ve known him for a long time. I don’t know him that well but we travel in the same vein of pushing people. I’m more about chaos. He’s more about...I don’t know. I don’t wanna say anything that sounds like I’m criticizing him. He’s more about delivering people something that he knows for sure that they’re gonna enjoy and that, and that is a smart thing to do. Now, I know how to do the exact same thing but my stubbornness and my natural instinct is to do the opposite. So I’m more about chaos...

Yeah

And so, I will know exactly what people want and I’ll do the opposite. I’m interested in getting people to feel something and so when I made the record. I’m playing it for a friend and if I see them liking it or if some girl gets excited enough to ignore the fact that I have a sign that says “I heart AIDS” on the wall and then take off her clothes then that’s...that, you know. That means I’m a genius in some way. I’m a genius in some way, I’m a genius, not a magician.

Yeah, you’ve (cultivated) it... It’s interesting sort of thing when you talk about the contrast between you and Rob Zombie because hearing your side of it, I totally get it. It’s like, you know, I’ve been a fan of your music and Rob’s music for...for you know, for twenty years now. I could not tell you a single thing about Rob Zombie. I, he’s a little unknowable. Like, you see what his art does but him as an individual? I have no idea what he’s like, none, and I’ve talked to the guy in the way that any other radio guy would talk to a rock star. I don’t know anything about Rob Zombie so it’s weird that he’s sort of, sort of anonymous in that way.

Well, there’s an element in that that is very important. I don’t like people... Well, what I don’t like is (...mystery). So I don’t like that. Tell people I like to talk to people. I tell stories. I open up to anyone who comes into my mind. Even now we’re talking without even seeing you face to face. I’ll just talk. You give me a question, I’ll just answer it however I decide to but I don’t think that reveals some sort of mystery. I mean, I have nothing to hide but I think that that’s the most dangerous part about me because, I mean, if you walked into my house right now I have a shovel next to the door, a cat, a tire, there’s like a blow torch. I’m not even making this up, and books. Whatever. It’s not meant to be scary it’s just, like, my house.

Well when you say it like that it seems very scary.

If I walked in there and I didn’t know me I would think “This is probably not a good place to be,right?”

Yeah! Yeah, absolutely! Right, totally!

..but my charm overwhelms that. That’s the thing. That’s why in Slo-Mo-Tion I say “...incredibly charming! This is...” I do sarcasm.

Well you just are the charming young man. Aren’t you?

Arizona’s Real Rock 98KUPD. I’m talking to Marilyn Manson! Marilyn Manson co-headlining with Rob Zombie “Desert Uprising”

So, Marilyn, uh… looking around at the influence you’ve had on American society it’s sort of weird, insidious and subtle. You know who I see a lot of you in is Lady Gaga. Every time I see her on television I think “That is a less interesting version of Marilyn Manson”. What do you think about that comparison?

Well she has...I have worked with her...

Yeah.

...( ?) but she has, at least to her credit, said that I was one of her influences...

I see.

...which I appreciate, you know, because there’s been other bands like “My Chemical Romance” that... There’s always other bands like, you know, vampires or whatever. Or there’s bands like “We like, you know, blah blah blah” You know. It’s...you know. I’m the first one. Alice Cooper, David Bowie, Prince, Madonna. I incite my influences. I’m not afraid to incite them. That’s just... and that’s exactly what I... you know. Nine Inch Nails Ministry, all these things. So if you’re afraid to hide your influences it means you’re not a good artist. You didn’t do it properly because all art is...you steal it and you make it your own.

Yeah.

I don’t... with her it’s different because she’s a girl but to her credit, she’s taken the type of thing I do but I associate her more with Madonna. That would mean... but just bear with me... I don’t uh... and you know the thing in the press that says I don’t like her music. What I meant when I said it was I don’t like that type of music in general.

Right.

So it’s just not what I listen to. I don’t like any music in general. I usually listen to like the Death Folk or something like that. Death Folk. Ok. What would be a Death Folk band? I’ve never heard of that before. What is that?

I don’t even know. Like “Sons of the Velvet Rat”. That’s a real band.

Oh. Of course it is. Who hasn’t heard of them? Who else are you liking? Obscure. A song, a band I really like, if you wanna play music after this, just play Shooter Jennings uh...you know. Something like that is good. That song was on “Sons of Anarchy”, I think. Uh...things like that just...things that people would not expect me to like. I mean when I say Death Folk I mean depressing country. Like if Jeff Buckley still made records after he drowned in a river. Like he’s recording them under water.

I think that’s the most Marilyn Mansony thing you’ve said in this interview.

Yeah, no no, I don’t mean like depressing. I mean like Johnny Cash.

Yeah, right I got it.

Cocaine blues, you know. That type of thing. You know, stuff that’s raw. Where it’s just an acoustic guitar, someone singing and then it just puts me in a mode where my brain can sort of erase whatever else is on my mind and then I go and I do a show and that’s it. You know, sometimes I’ll do... One of my favorite songs in the world is “Moonlight Sonata”.

Hmm.

For whatever reason.

Well, written by Beethoven. Great song. Uh...used as...

Yea he was big, he was big back in the day.

Yeah, back in the day. Jammin’.

There were some hip bands.

You know, it’s interesting talking to you because of your uh... well first your candor and after so many years of every band being, you know, sort of Nancy Reagany, say no to drugs and you’re like yea drugs it’s different and refreshing in a totally self-destructive sort of way so don’t do too many drugs.

No! No no. There’s a very simple solution. I’ve been to the mental hospital. I’ve been to rehab.

Yeah.

I’ve been everywhere you know. What I’ve learned over the years, where I’m at now is very basic. Don’t do drugs when you’re sad. Do them when you’re happy. You know? That’s good. That’s all it is.

Okay

It’s that basic, that basic and also, you know heroin? Probably not a good idea.

Right.

You might get the wrong dose.

Right.

Crack and meth. Your teeth will fall out.

Right.

Although, I love “Breaking Bad”. Great show.

Right.

I mean when I made my first record I never even had a drink. I took acid once mistakenly at Disney Land. It was quite an adventure but...

Was that awesome or a bummer or both?

Well, I mean, I went balls deep in. I started with acid, um...now I’m back...I’ve kind of gone through the back gate. The gateway drug. Now I-just smoke some… I just smoked a marijuana cigarette just a few minutes ago.

...smoke some pot.

Yeah. You know, I finally understood why people smoke pot while listening to music. I was listening to music like...Holy Jesus, Son of God which is weird for me to say.

Right.

Because I must have been on pot. (Fitz laughs) I was suddenly: “Wow I understand why people smoke pot and listen to music.”

Well, I guess you learn a new thing every day, Marilyn. You know, you can also make a bong out of an apple.

This is Arizona’s Real Rock 98KUPD I have Marilyn Manson on the phone with me headlining day one of Desert Uprising along with Rob Zombie. Um...your paintings are nice! You know, I was in the liquor store the other day and I saw the bottle of “Mansinthe” (Laughter in the background)which I thought was a cool name but it sounds a little bit like the title of like a gay wine like “We’re having some ‘Mansinthe’ today.

It does. Thank you. I appreciate that. I like that you said “I saw one of your paintings in a liquor store.”

I did! I saw your painting in a liquor store and I saw another one of your paintings before. Did the sort of artistic pleasure you get from painting and music. Is it same, different, just, you know, another thing you’re doing? Because your paintings are good, your paintings are good.

Thank you. I think they’re totally...people that are in the art world, I’ve learned, besides you know, I understand that people that are fans of my music they like art that I do sometimes, but simply because they’re immersed in the whole idea that it relates to music. Now, there’s people that like simply into art they don’t like my music. Would never like it and then there’s rich people who don’t know what to do with their money and they’re weird and a lot of them are strange and I...

Wow.

...and I’ve, but I’ve learned a lot of strange things. It’s almost what I learned about the music industry but what I like about art is no one could tell me what to do and I did it because I had nothing to lose. I had an art show and if no one bought any of my paintings I would be more than happy because I didn’t wanna sell them in the first place.

Right. Got it.

They were my snapshots of my mind and I paint, usually, in the middle of the night. In silence on my knee and because I paint on the floor cause they’re watercolors and uh...this one painting called “The Un-embodied Self” which is a word you might not think exists but you can google that. It’s a painting I did simply with tattooing. You know, I might just take tattoo gun off and sign autographs with the tattoo gun. Whatever.

Sure. Why not?

I started doing that, so. Damien Echols, Johnny Depp and I all got the same gigantic back tattoo together and it was painful. It took seven hours. The Flowers of Evil and Johnny Depp and I both got matching No Reason on our wrists. It’s a bit, it sounds a bit gay, I know.

A bit. Yea.

It’s a bromance.

Bromance. Yea. Nice. Good times. Couple high fives there. It’s interesting to hear you describe people as strange and weird because, you know, we can look at you know... when people think of like strange and weird are you not it? What is strange and weird to you?

Um...whatever is not what you’re used to.

Mhm.

Is strange and weird.

Alright

So what I’m used to may be strange and weird to other people. What you are may be strange and weird to me. I guess that’s the best way of looking at it.

I see.

I’m not...I mean I know that what I do is not the same as what other people do.

Not at all.

I’m not stupid.

Right.

I’m not retarded. I’m not...

That’s gonna be the headline here. “Marilyn Manson Not Retarded”.

It is the norm for me, and, and so that doesn’t mean that other people aren’t wearing eye liner or lipstick and it’s always funny when people say “What are you like without the makeup?” If I wiped it off it’s not a big deal. I have eyeliner on. I wear less makeup than most strippers so... and most news casters also. So it’s not a big…. It’s not like KISS or Barnum and Bailey Circus and I usually... The bonus part is that you wear leather pants and you wear the same shirt. Almost like a Fisher Price toy, it’s like a uniform...

Right.

...black eyeliner, don’t wash your hair ever, just wash your undercarriage with maybe a “Wet-One” like a hooker bath and then you just start your day. You wake up roll out of bed, do it again, do it again, do it again and that’s it. It’s very simple. You may get a rash in there but other than that, you’re good.

Well...good to know. Well that was a...

That’s normal. That’s normal.

That’s normal to you. All right.

The people that use conditioner in their hair? I don’t understand that.

Those Pagans. Heathens! Them. Dude. Fascinating conversation. Looking forward to seeing you in a couple of days with uh, Rob Zombie and all that. Good times dude. I hope...

We started feeding, did we start feeding?

You started...yeah! You started feeding today and it ends on Halloween night which is gonna be, I would have to say a media circus cause I...you know, someone who’s been working media now for twenty years you get like Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson on Halloween there’s gonna be so many like( fey) jokes about that.

This will be the first time I’ve played on Halloween in years. Last Halloween, actually and this is a good story, It was in the pa... and it was on page six it sounds completely fabricated. Page six said “Marilyn Manson was at a Karaoke bar where he requested Justin Timberlake’s ‘Cry Me a River’ six times and when the sound system broke. He pulled out a Samurai sword, and shot-gunned a beer and then tried to steal a limousine where his friends then pulled out switch blades and then they were...they left in the limousine after he pulled out his Black American Express card” and that was exactly accurate. I purchased a Samurai sword at a truck stop and I wanted to sing Justin Timberlake and I wanted to sing “Cry Me a God-Damned River” and they couldn’t get it to work and I shot-gunned a beer like you do with a Samurai sword. Then, there was no limo outside for me so I decided to “appropriate” the one that was running. I wasn’t stealing it. However the guy that owned it thought I was stealing it. So when he grabbed me, my friends then pulled out switch blades and then I pulled out my black American Express card which then I said “I will just buy the vehicle if we need to. I don’t wanna go to jail because I don’t wanna wake up with a sore butt...

(Laughs) Right

...sir and then he gave me a ride and he had to kick out the people he was waiting for. So that is the power of Vegas liquor and Halloween. So I’m very happy to playing a concert and not high-jacking limos and shot-gunning beers with Samurai swords although, why not do both?

Right. You know what, Marilyn? It is your world, man. You got the swords the beers and the black card.

Alright. Here’s what we got. We need to have an after show party for your station where you bring Samurai swords and beers and we shot-gun them. Then we see who survives. It’s like rock of death.

O-oh, right. As opposed to rock of love it’s rock of death. Kick ass, dude. I’m excited to see you and I look forward to when you roll through town, man.

I hope it’s cold.

Here, the thing about late September in Arizona it’ll be OK. It’ll be just right by the time you’re on stage. Like if you came here like a month ago you’d be freakin’ miserable because you’d be melting but, you know. By late September, you’ll be Okay.

No I just meant, when I said I hope it’s cold, I meant the beer. (snickering in background) Oh. Well done.

That was a joke. Badum badum.

Well, well done. Well played.

No, I’ll see you there. Alright, Marilyn. I’ll talk to you soon, dude.

Ok man, bye.

Bye.