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I'm A Class Act
His Talent. How he utilizes others, friends and foes etc to contribute to it.
"Our less well-developed physical senses, vis-a-vis our limited perception of the electromagnetic spectrum, aka reality - would be responsible for our reliance on reality and all that we define by it."
'Joelle'
yeah, this sort of answer really. it's harder for me to choose like a specific record or whatever than to say that being Manson is his biggest achievementOriginally Posted by S.Hal0mega.B
First of all, I have to comment on the resounding truth of this statement.
I've been putting off replying here as I'm too lazy to type, but time to bite the bullet.
The easy, cop out answer is to say the Triptych. It's the most obvious, though something like Manson deserves deeper scrutiny.
Antichrist Superstar is going to be many people's pick, and it's clear to see why. It remains as a massive highlight in Manson's career, although it is going to be easy for many people to write off as well. The album was written in an almost hasty manner, an acoustic guitar and drum machine on the tour bus, then they go in to a studio and throw in other parts of an arrangement, chop around structures, add in parts and lyrics and weird sound effects and atmospheres according to what was going on at the time, all on the spur of the moment. I think for this reason it is in danger of some people viewing it as more a moment of spontaneity, rather than the planned, structured and rehearsed format of Holy Wood. However, I don't think that is really fair: after all, if we are discussing artistic achievement, isn't art meant to be an expression of emotion and thought? In that case, something like this -- born of such deep and intensive personal anguish, and put directly on to tape as it was going on with little given to over thinking things -- is surely as pure as art can be. In this manner, ACSS could be considered the greatest artistic achievement.
On the other hand, you have something like Holy Wood. Seemingly meticulously planned as an epic ending to a cycle of album begun 4 years earlier, things become less clear cut when you view it as a reaction to the goings on at the time. How would Holy Wood have differed if the Columbine Massacre had not occurred? While it is easy to marvel at the amount of forethought and planning that went in to the album, it is just as amazing as a reaction to the media's persecution of the band. After all, while some loose ideas and themes may have been present since 1996 or earlier, weren't the majority of the lyrics written during a self-imposed isolation by Manson, during which time he virtually locked himself away from the world and emerged with not only these lyrics but an accompanying novel? It seems to me to be a very basic (not to diminish it, I mean as in the roots of) an idea, that exploded in to something much larger as a pure artistic reaction to circumstance: much the same as ACSS.
Let's also remember that, although Manson the person takes most of the media attention, this is still a band and the musical output is a band effort. Any respect has to be directed to the other band members of the times as well, be it in the adaptive, spur of the moment style of ACSS, or the rehearsed manner of HW that gives it such a dramatic tightness of sound and crisp perfection.
However, while many have been talking about the Triptych, and some have also rightfully mentioned GAOG (a similarly masterful album), let's give EMDM and THEOL the respect they deserve.
Eat Me, Drink Me is a massively underrated album. Sure, I freely admit it's not my favourite, but in a discussion based on artistic merits, it would be unfair not to touch upon it. Stylistically it differs greatly from almost everything else Manson has done, although to be fair this is probably due it the music being largely up to Skold with little or no input from others. But as an art piece... people like to trash it or even just make good natured jokes about it, but at the end of the day it's a virtual musical diary of a man. In the same manner as ACSS, although you may not like it, you cannot ever debate it's authenticity.
The same goes for The High End Of Low, really. It's rough and ready, songs put together with the delightful glee of someone jamming with their recently returned best friend, using their pairing as an emotional outlet for them both. Again, while some spoke poorly of it, I loved it for it's simple openness. It was just Manson plain and simple, speaking his honest truth at the time of making the record.
The thing to note here is that while many get caught up in "eras" and "personas", each album has, at it's core, been just that. I find it hard to believe that every day for 2-3 years of his life Manson woke up and thought "right, today I have to put on the ripped stockings or a suit and play the Worm and Antichrist Superstar". He was just being himself, and back then the full on Antichrist Superstar was who he was. Some 14 years later, he's the man we have now. He's just been speaking his truth all along, and that's why I find it hard to pick a single "greatest" achievement. Art to me is representation of emotion and thought, and Manson has always done that in a far superior manner to so many others. So give me a more specific list of terms -- which album is the most emotionally intense, or musically impressive -- and I can answer for you. In a sense of general achievement, I find it not only hard to pick one, but think it would be rather unfair.
My avatar looks like a mix of NIN, My Chemical Romance, and Chris Vrenna
Marilyn Mansons Magnum Opus ?
Magnum Opus-The greatest achievement of an artist or writer.
Now, this can be a song, an album, a video, a painting etc. , but what do you think Marilyn Mansons magnum opus is ?
My pick is Coma White/Black, I consider it a two-part song as others do.
Yours?
"Light a candle for the sinners, set the world on fire."
If I had to pick ONE song it would be The Nobodies. Mostly for what it stood for. I think after Columbine it was pretty much the perfect 'response'. And still, no one understood.
Coma white would be a second, again, for what it meant to him.
I think Antichrist superstar set the tone for the rest of his career, so I'd say that one was a big achievement.
I don't think as an artist he is done yet though. After going through the EMDM and HEOL era, I feel like he's just starting to pick up his pace again. I'm not saying that those were bad albums, but I think they were necessary for him to 'find himself' again. Or reinvent himself, which ever. I'm looking forward to more art/music!
P.s- I'm sure others have noticed... I have a HORRIBLE time trying to articulate what I mean... sorry for a sloppy read!
Portrait of an American Family
I am going to stray from citing anything from the Triptych as his magnum opus, and go with Devour.
^ I'm terrible at this sort of thing because I can't ever say what would be his "magnum opus", my "favourite song" or something like that, but I'm glad you said that because that song is so often overlooked, there's a lot of power there and was pretty intense live.
My avatar looks like a mix of NIN, My Chemical Romance, and Chris Vrenna
Mechanical Animals (album). The music, the album cover, the videos, all of it is so memorable. That album is the perfect balance of tongue and cheek and seriousness. I really feel like he nailed it on that one in every way. I still listen to it and fucking love it.
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