[1] Marilyn Manson is widely regarded as being one of the most iconic and controversial figures in rock music, with the band and its lead singer influencing numerous other groups and musicians, both in metal-associated acts and also in wider popular culture.

[14] The Spooky Kids' popularity in the area grew quickly[16] and because of the band's highly visual concerts, which drew from performance art and used many shock techniques such as "naked women nailed to a cross, a child in a cage, or bloody animal body parts.

[32] The band then relocated to the new home of Nothing Studios in New Orleans to begin work on remixes and b-sides for Portrait's third single, "Dope Hat",[33] releasing a music video inspired by the boat ride scene from the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

As the tour was getting underway, the band found itself the target of bipartisan congressional hearings, led by conservative violent entertainment watchdog group Empower America (now known as FreedomWorks) co-directors Republican Secretary of Education William Bennett and Democratic U.S.

[83] The "Guns, God and Government Tour" elaborated on Holy Wood's central theme, and with its logo – a rifle and handguns arranged to resemble the Christian cross – Manson made no attempt to conceal what he saw as the source of that fascination.

[98] After finding inspiration through Manson's girlfriend Dita Von Teese in the swing and burlesque movements of 1920s Berlin,[99] the band recorded The Golden Age of Grotesque, which was released on May 13, 2003, and debuted atop the Billboard 200 album chart, selling over 118,000 copies on its first week.

[102] Eschewing the lyrical depth and symbolism found on Holy Wood, the album was relatively straightforward: in an extended metaphor, Manson compares his own often-criticized work to the Entartete Kunst banned by the Nazi regime.

[115] Former Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna also replaced Ginger Fish, who fractured his wrist, skull and cheekbone after falling several feet off his drum riser during a performance at a German awards ceremony.

[116][117] By late 2005, the band had composed 18 new songs, but work on their sixth studio album was halted when Manson focused his attention on various film and art projects, including the development of his screenplay, Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll, as well as a minor role in the Lucy Liu movie Rise: Blood Hunter.

[150] Manson utilized his entire home as a canvas to document the disintegration of the relationship, writing its lyrics on walls and coupling them with paintings and drawings relating to Wood, as well as used condoms, bags of cocaine and other drug paraphernalia.

"[157] A heavily censored version of the profanity-laced track – re-titled to "Arma ... geddon"[158] – was serviced to radio from April 13,[155] and peaked at number thirty-seven on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, becoming their lowest-peaking single in the process.

[180] For much of 2011, Manson removed himself from the public spotlight and ceased almost all communication with fans,[181] only taking a break from his self-imposed sequestration to appear in the music video for "Tempat Ku" by Brunei rock band D'Hask.

[186] Contrary to media reports that the project would be a "making-of" video documenting the album's recording,[187][188] Born Villain was a surrealist short[189] featuring a previously unreleased track, "Overneath the Path of Misery".

[236] While touring with The Smashing Pumpkins, Manson indicated a "strong possibility" of working with Corgan on new material, and also revealed plans to collaborate with Korn frontman Jonathan Davis on a "Southern-sounding, acoustic" project.

[324] The earliest incarnation of the band was conceived by Manson at a Fort Lauderdale[327] nightclub called The Reunion Room in December 1989,[5] where he was introduced to Big Black's Songs About Fucking by his future keyboardist, Stephen Bier.

[328] Daisy Berkowitz played in several punk rock outfits before co-founding the Spooky Kids, and was influenced by acts such as the New York Dolls and the Jim Carroll Band, whose "People Who Died" was covered regularly at live shows.

[329] As its only permanent member, Manson heads the direction of the band's sound; he has been influenced by the shock rock of artists such as Arthur Brown,[330] Alice Cooper,[291] The Doors,[331] Ozzy Osbourne[291] and Iggy Pop.

[343] Manson's other influences include The Beatles, Rihanna,[246] Madonna, Prince,[344] White Zombie,[345] Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, N.W.A, The Smashing Pumpkins, Justin Timberlake,[346] Ministry,[347] Led Zeppelin, the occult, horror comics, and the King James Bible.

"[379] Rolling Stone editor Lorraine Ali credited Antichrist Superstar with marking the end of the reign of grunge within popular music, writing that Marilyn Manson "[offered] total escapism as a true alternative", elaborating that the album was "a volatile reaction to five years of earnest, post-Nirvana rock.

"[1] Graham Hartmann of Loudwire said that the band's best songs document "a career that is unlike any other that came before", highlighting their mix of a "rock 'n' roll mentality with profound lyrics narrating the progression of society in real time, Manson has developed a polarizing identity as both a beloved hero and a reviled villain.

"[309] The band has been noted as influencing numerous groups within metal-associated genres, such as American Head Charge,[382] Babymetal,[383][384] Black Veil Brides,[385] Combichrist,[386] Kittie,[387] Korn,[388] Motionless in White,[389] Murderdolls,[390] Mushroomhead,[391] New Years Day,[392] September Mourning,[393][394] Slipknot,[395] and Vanna.

[396] Outside of heavy metal, both the band and its lead singer have inspired a diverse group of acts, including the Astroid Boys,[397] Avril Lavigne,[398][399] Charli XCX,[400][401] Creeper,[402] Die Antwoord,[403] Eminem,[404][405] Grimes,[406] Halsey,[407] Lady Gaga,[408][409] Lana Del Rey,[410] Lil Uzi Vert,[411][412] Ghostemane, Ski Mask the Slump God, Kid Bookie,[413] Trippie Redd,[414] Lil Peep,[415] Lisa Marie Presley,[416] Muse,[417] My Chemical Romance,[418] Mykki Blanco,[419][420] Natalia Kills,[421] Porcelain Black,[422] Salem,[423] Skrillex,[424] Skylar Grey[425] and Years & Years.

Senator Joe Lieberman and former Pennsylvania Secretary of State C. DeLores Tucker, held a press conference wherein they questioned MCA – the owner of Interscope – president Edgar Bronfman Jr.'s ability to head the label competently whilst profiting from "profanity-laced" albums by artists such as Tupac Shakur, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Marilyn Manson.

[429] At this subcommittee, Lieberman once again criticized the band's music, calling it "vile, hateful, nihilistic and damaging", and repeated his request that Seagram – then-owner of MCA – "start ... disassociating itself from Marilyn Manson."

[443] The band's scheduled appearance at the Park Live Festival in Moscow on June 27, 2014, was canceled moments before they were due to arrive on stage,[444] after authorities received numerous bomb threats, while hundreds of activists affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church protested outside the venue.

[citation needed] Two days later, a performance in Novosibirsk was also canceled when authorities refused to grant permission for the show to go ahead, accusing Manson of insulting the beliefs of the Orthodox church and of "promoting sadomasochism".

[448] The video, titled "Sturmgruppe 2013 Reel", showed simulated footage of film director Eli Roth attacking Del Rey, which was interspersed by unrelated images from two of the band's previous music videos—"No Reflection" and "Slo-Mo-Tion".

[458] Soon after, sensationalist headlines such as "Killers Worshipped Rock Freak Manson" and "Devil-Worshipping Maniac Told Kids To Kill" began appearing in media coverage of the tragedy (such as Fox News).

[460] Coloradoan politicians such as Governor Bill Owens and Republican Representative Tom Tancredo accused Manson of promoting "hate, violence, death, suicide, drug use and the attitudes and actions of the Columbine High School killers.

", where he rebuked the ensuing hysteria and "witch hunt", and castigated US gun culture, the political influence of the National Rifle Association of America, and the media's culpability in similarly violent events in the future – through their irresponsible coverage – in facilitating the placement of blame on a scapegoat, instead of informing the populace of genuine societal issues.