Marilyn Manson

The members of the band dress up in bizarre and unconventional costuming, and have developed a devoted fan base by following and sometimes extending typical publicity/shock methodologies used by earlier shock groups like KISS and Alice Cooper. The band began in 1990, and, with the exception of Marilyn himself and keyboardist Madonna Wayne Gacy[?], has changed members several times since then. Names of band members are generally derived from the first name of a female pop culture icon and the last of a serial killer, though all members thus far have been men. Marilyn's name refers to Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson.

As a band, Marilyn Manson started in Tampa Bay, Florida under the name Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids. Marilyn Manson's early presentation had a more comic-book, Scooby Doo-style than the dark, brooding feeling of the band's later output. The band didn't receive significant attention outside of Florida until after being noticed by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. Marilyn Manson's first CD, Portrait of an American Family[?] was released under Reznor's Nothing Records label.

Albums include: Portrait of an American Family[?], Smells Like Children[?], Antichrist Superstar[?], Mechanical Animals[?], Holy Wood, and Golden Age of Grotesque[?].

Marilyn Manson's current girlfriend is Dita von Teese[?].

See also: Gothic rock