Interview:2014/01/08 KERRANG! - The Antichrist Superstar Reborn

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The Antichrist Superstar Reborn
Kerrang2014.jpg
Interview with Marilyn Manson
Date January 2014
Source KERRANG! Magazine

THE ANTICHRIST SUPERSTAR REBORN

AS MARILYN MANSON PREPARES TO RETURN TO THE UK WITH ALT-FEST, KERRANG!’S ELEANOR GOODMAN GRABS ONE OF ROCK’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL FIGURES TO TALK NEW MUSIC, 20 YEARS ON THE ROAD AND WHY HE’S READY TO “FUCK THINGS UP” AGAIN...

When festival newcomer Alt-fest announced last year that it was handing the reigns over to fans to pick their 2014 line-p, we’ll be honest, we had no idea what on earth was going to happen. But now, with the event looming large this summer, the people have spoken - and they’ve made quite a noise.

Because not only have you all chosen rock legends including The Cult and Gary Numan to play the Kettering bash in August, but you’ve demanded one of metal’s most controversial characters ever. Step forward Marilyn Manson!

The Antichrist Superstar is set to use the occasion for his only UK festival show of the year, as he takes a break from a grueling period of work that’s seen him not only tackle his first new music since the 2012’s Born Villain, but a whole host of TV and film work, too. And as Kerrang! Finds out it’s given Manson a new lease of life as he enter his third decade on the stage...

YOU’RE RETURNING TO THE UK THIS YEAR WITH ALTFEST - A FESTIVAL WHERE THE LINEUP IS VOTED FOR BY THE FANS. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT BEING THEIR CHOSEN SATURDAY HEADLINER?

MARILYN MANSON: “Well, I’d say, ‘You’re goddamn right.’ They chose, so I will be there. One million screaming fans can’t be wrong.

HAVE YOU GIVEN ANY THOUGHTS ON HOW YOU’RE GOING TO MARK THE OCCASION?

“It’s going to be quite different from anything I’ve ever done before. I want something that makes me rethink, in the same way that when I had my first show, I made a flyer, I didn’t have any songs written, and thought, ‘What am I going to do now?’ I’m excited to see what it’s gonna be. I want to give people what they want, though there’s a difference between being a chef and a waiter. But I’m not one of those people that goes to a concert and wants to sit through a bunch of new songs from a new album that the artist is enthused about.”

SPEAKING OF WHICH, HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING ON ANYTHING NEW?

“I’m in a very productive mode and I’m way busy with music and movies and art and trying to remember to fuck shit up. People start to get serious when you’ve done more than one or two records in your time. I have that sense of humour about myself, obviously. It doesn’t mean that I don’t take what I do seriously, but you cannot imagine me not having some sort of sense of humour in knowing that in some way, this is a giant prank on the world. And I’m enjoying getting away from it.”

WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE MUSIC YOU’RE WORKING ON?

“There’s a considerable body of work that I’m in the process of completing. It’s very cinematic. The redneck in me comes out in my voice, and it’s got some old blues mixed with the very hard elements. I want to retain what I think is good about the past, what music I did and who I am. It’s not about being pissed about the world - it’s about realising someone has to fuck things up. If there’s no chaos, things are just linear. There always has to be someone who wrecks the game plan that everybody has.”

IS THAT YOUR JOB? DID YOU THINK THE WORLD IS TOO CALM AT THE MOMENT?

“it’s just too predictable. I like to be unhinged. I like to be unpredictable, I like to make people worry that worse things can happen whenever I go out to a restaurant, or act in a movie. They’re always on edge going, “Shit, how’s he going to ruin this?” And then I show up calmly and do my job right, but in the hope that the whole perspective gave you the opposite idea.”

YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU’VE BEEN WORKING ON FILM PROJECTS, TOO...

“Absolutely, I’ve been working with Roger Avary, the director and film writer, on a very surrealist documentary of me. It’s not anything like reality television - it’s not following me around or anything. I just went to the premiere of a movie called Wrong Cops, which I have a small part in. It’s a hilarious movie. I’m looking forward to starting my long-awaited Phantasmagoria film, too. I’ve been inspired by Roger, who’s been involved in great screenplays, like Pulp Fiction, True Romance and The Rules of Attraction. I was going to direct it and act in it, but Roger sees something in it that I didn’t, so I’m going to let him do it. Plus, the other day, I cried watching the season finale of Sons Of Anarchy. The next day, I get a call from the guy that created the show and I’m meeting with him about the next season.”

ON TOP OF ALL THAT, 2014 WILL ALSO MARK 20 YEARS SINCE YOUR DEBUT ALBUM CAME OUT.

That’s what you say. How do I know that’s true? What if I don’t believe in calendar?

WELL, ERM, OKAY... LET’S NOT GET INTO THAT TOO DEEP, OK. WHAT’S YOUR VIEW ON THE PAST AND WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO NEXT?

“Everywhere. There’s a big difference between someone that has nothing to lose, and someone that has everything to gain, but that’s not the same as someone that doesn’t give a fuck. You know, someone might say, ‘I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks.’ That’s really a misappropriated version of what I believe is the statement that’s intended to be used - ‘I won’t be controlled by what people think.’ I care about putting out my thoughts a certain way, but people are going to think about them how they want to. If I let that control me, it would change how I do things. I’m not looking to end the world. I’m just looking to make it more interesting.

HOW HAVE YOU CHANGED IN THE PAST 20 YEARS?

“It’s hard for me to resist the comic response of ‘my dick got bigger’. I haven’t grown up much, but I’ve learned to figure out how to not repeat the things you consider errors. You can’t have regrets, or change the past. You can’t necessarily change the present, but you can change your own future to a certain degree. I could potentially change the world, but I may not want to change my underwear.”

WHAT ERROR HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM THE MOST?

“Everything can be construed as an error, depending on how you look at it. I don’t want to do things that prevent me from being as happy as I could be, or that hurt people I care about. I don’t want to do things that are lesser than what I’m capable of, and I don’t want to do things that I don’t want to fucking do. Life’s too short”

MARILYN MANSON PLAYS ALTFEST, SEE ALT-FEST.COM FOR MORE

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