arilynan on

Manson finally opens up and tells howhe plans to stay on top BY KIRSTEN BININGTON

AARRIILLYYNN MMAANNSSOONN RREETTUURRNNSS FFRROOMM HHIISS DDAARRKKEESSTT DDAAYYSS WWIITTHH AA FFRREESSHH NNEEWW FFEEAASSTT FFOORR TTHHEE SSEENNSSEESS

“This is the record I’ve workedall my life to get to”. MarilynManson says of his forthcomingalbum, Eat Me, Drink Me(Nothing/Interscope). You al-ways have to transform, or youcan’t continue as an artist, andthis record has been the biggesttransformation for me."

Eat Me, Drink Me, his firstdisc since 2003’s The GoldenAge Of Grotesque was co-produced by Manson and bassistcamp Tim Skold, and is beingmixed by Sean Beavan, who hasworked on several other Mansonprojects, including 1996’s An-tichrist Superstar, and 1998’sMechanical Animals. Accord-ing to the frontman, Eat Me,Drink Me “takes a totally dif-ferent approach musically”.Still, he reveals, “On this recordI really wanted to sing, and thathas to come from a naked, emo-tional place. “Its not a recordabout me crying, or songs aboutmy woes, but I think this recordwill probably speak to morepeople in different ways.”As practically everyone knowsnow, Manson’s yearlong mar-riage to burlesque performerDita Von Teese fell apart in late

2006. Their break-up was thecapper of what Manson now de-scribes as “The most fucked upyear of my life” one that foundhim almost catatonic at times

from severe depression. “Asmany dark places as I’ve gone inmy life and in my music thispast year… it’s a real wonderthat I’m alive” he says with asoft chuckle. ‘I never wanted tomake music again, but this wasthe only salvation I had going

for me. So somehow I came outof that, and I came out of thatby writing a song, and that songturned into a record.”Of the song in question “Justa car crash away” Manson says“I compare love to fire, and howit consumes everything, andscars everything, and changeseverything. A couple people Ihave played it for have cried, butI don’t think it’s sad, I justthink it’s terribly romantic, in aBram Stoker sort of way”.Other songs include “The RedCarpet Grave” and the six-minute epic ballad “If I WasYour Vampire.” “It’s the center-piece of the album,” Mansonsays of the latter, “I woke upChristmas Day and wrote it. It’skind of my death wish fantasy.”According to Manson, Vam-pirism is just one of the darkthemes running through EatMe, Drink Me, which wasrecorded mostly in his home inthe Hollywood Hills. “If I hadto do a record review, I’d say it’sgot a cannibal, consumption,obsessive, violent-sex, romanceangle, but with an upbeat swingto it.” He says with a laugh.

Eat Me, Drink Me is scheduled for a May release,after which Manson and hiswill hit the road for the firsttime since his Against AllGods tour in late 2004. “I’vebeen laying dormant, but its notgoing to be just a gradualsneaking back into society,”Manson promises, “Its going tobe a large swarm of pestilence.”

“If I had to do a record review, I’d

say it’s got a cannibal consumption, obsessive,

violent-sex, romance angle,but with an upbeat swing to it.”

““AAss mmaannyyddaarrkk ppllaacceess aassII’’vvee ggoonnee iinn mmyylliiffee aanndd iinn mmyymmuussiicc tthhiiss ppaassttyyeeaarr…… iitt’’ss aarreeaall wwoonnddeerrtthhaatt II’’mm aalliivvee””