It’s for a jury to decide whether Marilyn Manson is guilty of the accusations against him, but public opinion seems to have already made up its mind.
This three-part expose of the rock star makes for deeply distressing viewing.
Many of the allegations were already known, such as former girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood’s testimony in 2021, but if you’re not that familiar with the antics of the self-titled ‘Antichrist Superstar’ his previous announcements are jaw dropping.
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Marilyn Manson (a stage name based on Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson) was a cultural phenomenon in the late 1990s which led to two No 1 albums in the US and sold-out concert tours.
He was part of the ‘shock rock’ genre and was regarded as a highly controversial figure.
However, most people didn’t take Manson too seriously, assuming the Antichrist posturing was self-publicity and attention seeking.
From the distance of a couple of decades it seems much more sinister.
Manson, born Brian Warner, denies the allegations of abuse (his lawyer appears repeatedly in this series to vehemently refute the accusations) but his pronouncements at the time are irrefutable.
One commentator notes: “The hard question is discerning what is blustery rock star persona and what is hiding in plain sight.”
Manson’s in plain sight blustering was shocking stuff by any measure.
The series opens with what looks like a backstage interview where Warner talks about himself in the third person.
“Marilyn Manson is about transcending morality and sexuality. No boundaries, grey areas.”
And while strangely there is no Marilyn Manson music (perhaps a contractual issue between the programme and the artist?) there are plenty of clips of Manson speaking to his fans from the stage in the most shocking manner.
“Which one of you sixth graders wants me to make you feel like a goddamn eight grader?” he asks during one concert.
An eight-grader in the US is around 14-years-old.
And some of the comments from the stage about teenage girls are even more graphic, leaving the viewer to wonder how Manson got away with it at the time.
Perhaps it was because the religious right protested outside his shows with bibles in their hands that the rest of us thought it was all a bit silly?
Former bandmate Stephen Bier isn’t uncritical of Manson but says he doesn’t remember the lead singer being with young girls and offers what he seems to think is a solid defence.
It’s anything but.
“Our tour manager on the corner of our daily sheets, he would write the age of consent for each city and each state because every place is different and that way the band knew... Here’s your line. I never saw him (Manson) mess with that line.”
Manson attracted teenage girls, often vulnerable young women who were looking for something alternative and he was in the habit of befriending some and phoning them (landline days) at home for a chat.
Twenty-five years later Jennifer Pavao looked back on her connections with Manson with something approaching affection.
She was one of the “lunch box girls” who followed the band from early on and got to know them well.
They eventually drifted apart but she says there was nothing inappropriate in the phone calls, although she does look back on some of the events of the time with concern.
“He was very charismatic and I was drawn to that,” she says with a smile and a shrug.
Marilyn Manson: Unmasked is available to stream at channel4.com
