Marilyn Manson's first interview on Letterman

If you want to fall out of your chair laughing, watch this. It's from back in the days when Letterman was a little more funny and a little less caustic.

Marilyn Manson on "The Phil Donahue Show" in 1995

We've really come a long way since those days. It's been almost twenty years since this show, and I think the general public has gotten a different point view about goth and industrial music and events since those days. Of course, the average Joe or Jane on the street is still probably going to think that people who present as goth are strange and might have problems, but it seems like, for the most part, only significantly conservative people at this point in time think that goths, by definition, worship Satan and are prone to violence. As much as we want to complain about the lack of mainstream acceptance of underground subcultures now, when we look back at things like the below video, we get a stark sense of perspective. That doesn't mean we should rest on our laurels, but we have made large amounts of progress.

In this episode of "The Phil Donahue Show", there is a debate about the safety of moshing, and there are some interesting points that are even applicable today, such as the need for competent security at clubs and the discussion about blaming media for personal actions. Also, I notice the level of shock value that Marilyn Manson attempts, and back then, it was considered super edgy, particularly to the mainstream. Now that I've been into the scene for a while, I see that Marilyn Manson is about as hardcore as a jar of Metamucil, but that shouldn't detract from his merits as an artist. I largely side with the Marilyn Manson and the other music scene people on there, although I think Manson could have worded some things better, particularly in regard to suicide as a result of music. I understand what he was trying to say, but I think he might have been a little too focused on being hardcore to try to get his point across properly. I think the point that he was trying to allude to, but didn't really come out and say, was the fact that the suicides people try to blame on music were probably a result of anything but the music and that we should be focusing on what the real problems were with these people as opposed to looking to create a scapegoat.

Anyway, sit back and enjoy some old 90s "trash TV".

Marilyn Manson teaches a class

If you're interested in seeing how intelligent Marilyn Manson actually is, here's a good video for it.

Marilyn Manson - "The Beautiful People"

Just as I feel compelled to post about bands and musicians who are super indie, I also feel it's worthwhile to post about those who have gone super mainstream if I like the music or find something novel to talk about. Marilyn Manson is no exception. Although I wouldn't say Marilyn Manson is my favorite musician ever, I do like a few songs. If you're one of the three people in the goth-industrial community who hasn't heard this song, this one is about recognizing and owning your beliefs on beauty and not letting society dictate it.