Marilyn Manson is an American rock band from Ohio. Formed in 1989, the group was originally known as Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids and featured eponymous vocalist Marilyn Manson (real name Brian Warner), guitarist Daisy Berkowitz (real name Scott Putesky) and bassist Olivia Newton Bundy (real name Brian Tutunick), who were soon joined by keyboardist Zsa Zsa Speck (real name Perry Pandrea). The current line-up includes Manson, drummer Gil Sharone, guitarist/keyboardist Tyler Bates (both of whom first joined in 2014), guitarist Reba Meyers and bassist Piggy D. (both since 2024).
Marilyn Manson and Daisy Berkowitz formed Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids in December 1989,[1] adding Olivia Newton Bundy to complete the band's first line-up.[2] After recording their first demo The Raw Boned Psalms the following month, the trio added keyboardist Zsa Zsa Speck (Perry Pandrea) and performed their first string of live shows, before Bundy and Speck were replaced in June 1990 by Gidget Gein (Brad Stewart) and Madonna Wayne Gacy (Stephen Bier), respectively.[3] In August 1991, the Spooky Kids became a five-piece with the addition of their first drummer Sara Lee Lucas (Fred Streithorst), after previously using a drum machine.[4] The group played its last show under the Spooky Kids moniker on August 1, 1992, before it was dropped on the recommendation of their label Nothing Records.[5]
During the recording of the band's full-length debut album Portrait of an American Family, Gein received a notice while in hospital recovering from a heroin overdose that his services "were no longer needed".[6] His bass parts were retained from earlier sessions for The Manson Family Album, but he was subsequently replaced by Twiggy Ramirez (Jeordie White).[7] In March 1995, during the subsequent touring cycle, Lucas left the group after an incident in which Manson lit his drum kit on fire while he was playing.[8] He was replaced by Ginger Fish (Kenny Wilson) in time for the next run of shows.[9] For 1996's Antichrist Superstar, much of the guitars were performed by Ramirez following Berkowitz's earlier departure,[10] due to Manson and producer Trent Reznor's dismissal of many of his songwriting contributions.[11]
Berkowitz was replaced by Zim Zum (Timothy Linton) in time for the Dead to the World Tour which followed the release of Antichrist Superstar.[12] The new guitarist performed on 1998's Mechanical Animals, but left the band during its mixing stages to pursue a solo career, with John 5 (John Lowery) leaving Two to take his place.[13] The Last Tour on Earth and Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) followed, after which Ramirez left in May 2002 due to creative differences with Manson, to be replaced by Tim Skold.[14] This lineup recorded The Golden Age of Grotesque, before Lowery was dismissed on March 30, 2004, for unknown reasons.[15] In a 2009 interview, Lowery claimed that "It was completely amicable. He just wanted to write with other members of the band, and I wanted to do other things."[16]
Lowery was replaced on the Against All Gods Tour by Mark Chaussee, which started in October 2004.[17] Chris Vrenna also temporarily substituted for Fish on drums, who had been injured after falling from the stage at an awards show the previous month.[18] During 2006 and 2007, Manson and Skold collaborated on the band's next album Eat Me, Drink Me without Fish, although he remained an official member of the group.[19] For the subsequent Rape of the World Tour, Vrenna returned to take Gacy's place on keyboards, initially temporarily.[20] It was later revealed, however, that Gacy had sued Manson for alleged breach of contract relating to use of the band's earnings, and that he hadn't worked with the band for over a year.[21] Rob Holliday performed bass on the 2007 tour, with Skold switching to guitar.[19]
In January 2008, after the first leg of the Rape of the World Tour, Twiggy Ramirez returned to replace the outgoing Tim Skold and took over bass duties, with Holliday switching to guitar.[22] Former Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland took over on guitar in August,[23] but by the following February had left again to reform his original band.[24] After the release of The High End of Low, which featured only Manson, Ramirez and Vrenna, the band toured with Andy Gerold on bass, as Ramirez took up the role of lead guitarist.[25] In July 2010, Fred Sablan took over as Marilyn Manson's official bassist.[26] Long-term drummer Ginger Fish left the band in February 2011, after temporarily touring with Rob Zombie and subsequently opting to join full-time.[27] Vrenna switched roles until November, when he also departed.[28]
In January 2012, Jason Sutter was announced to be the band's drummer for the upcoming Hey Cruel World... Tour.[29] Spencer Rollins was brought in on keyboards and additional guitar for the Masters of Madness Tour in 2013.[30] In November 2013, drummer Gil Sharone shared a video of an unidentified recording session, which was revealed early the following year to have been for the Marilyn Manson band.[31] The new lineup was officially unveiled at the band's first show of the year in June 2014, featuring Tyler Bates and Paul Wiley on guitars, and Ramirez in place of the departed Sablan on bass.[32] The Pale Emperor, released in 2015, featured only Manson, Bates and Sharone, as Ramirez was busy working on other projects during the recording sessions.[33] Daniel Fox joined on keyboards for 2015 tour dates.[34]
Heaven Upside Down was released in 2017 and once again did not feature Twiggy Ramirez, after he decided that Bates's initial demo bass recordings were of sufficient quality for the album.[35] In October 2017, between legs of the Heaven Upside Down Tour, Ramirez was fired from the band after becoming the subject of a sexual assault allegation from Jack Off Jill singer Jessicka Addams.[36] He was replaced by Juan Alderete.[37] After the conclusion of Twins of Evil: The Second Coming Tour at the end of 2018, Manson and Bates stopped working together.[38] Sharone also left in March 2019 to work on other projects.[39] He was replaced by Brandon Pertzborn in June, prior to the start of the Twins of Evil: Hell Never Dies Tour.[40] In November 2021, former band member Tim Skold announced that he was once again working on material with Marilyn Manson.[41]
In 2024, Sharone and Bates returned alongside guitarist Reba Meyers (Code Orange) and bassist Piggy D. (Rob Zombie).[42]
Image | Name (real name) | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Marilyn Manson (Brian Warner) |
1989–present |
|
all Marilyn Manson releases | |
Gil Sharone |
|
drums |
| |
Tyler Bates |
|
| ||
Reba Meyers | 2024–present |
|
none to date | |
Piggy D. (Matthew Montgomery) |
|
Image | Name (real name) | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Daisy Berkowitz (Scott Putesky) |
1989–1996 (died 2017) |
|
all Marilyn Manson releases from The Raw Boned Psalms (1990) to Antichrist Superstar (1996) | |
Olivia Newton Bundy (Brian Tutunick) |
1989–1990 | bass |
| |
Zsa Zsa Speck (Perry Pandrea) |
1990 | keyboards | The Beaver Meat Cleaver Beat (1990) | |
Madonna Wayne Gacy (Stephen Bier) |
1990–2007 |
|
all Marilyn Manson releases from Big Black Bus (1990) to The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003) | |
Gidget Gein (Brad Stewart) |
1990–1993 (died 2008) | bass | all Marilyn Manson releases from Big Black Bus (1990) to Portrait of an American Family (1994) | |
Sara Lee Lucas (Fred Streithorst) |
1991–1995 |
|
all Marilyn Manson releases from After School Special (1992) to Portrait of an American Family (1994) | |
Twiggy Ramirez (Jeordie White) |
|
|
| |
Ginger Fish (Kenny Wilson) |
1995–2011 (inactive 2004–2005) |
|
| |
Zim Zum (Timothy Linton) |
1996–1998 |
|
| |
John 5 (John Lowery) |
1998–2004 | all Marilyn Manson releases from God Is in the T.V. (1999) to The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003) | ||
Tim Skold |
|
|
| |
Chris Vrenna | 2007–2011 (studio 1996) (touring 2004–2005) |
|
| |
Fred Sablan | 2010–2014 |
|
Born Villain (2012) | |
Paul Wiley | 2014–2020 (touring 2014–2018) |
|
We Are Chaos (2020) | |
Juan Alderete | 2017–2020 (touring 2017–2018) |
| ||
Brandon Pertzborn | 2019–2020 | drums |
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mark Chaussee | 2004–2005 | guitars | Chaussee played guitar on the Against All Gods Tour, following the departure of John 5 in March 2004.[17] | |
Rob Holliday | 2007–2008 |
|
Holliday played bass on the Rape of the World Tour, then switched to guitar upon the return of Twiggy Ramirez.[19][22] | |
Wes Borland | 2008–2009 | guitars | Borland played guitar in Marilyn Manson for eight months before rejoining the reformed Limp Bizkit in early 2009.[24] | |
Andy Gerold | 2009 |
|
Gerold played bass on the High End of Low Tour, as Twiggy Ramirez switched from bass to guitar.[25] | |
Jason Sutter | 2012–2013 | drums | Sutter played drums on the Hey Cruel World, Twins of Evil and Masters of Madness Tours from 2012 to 2013.[29] | |
Spencer Rollins | 2013 |
|
Rollins played keyboards on tour dates in late 2013, after the band performed without a keyboardist for a year.[30] | |
Daniel Fox |
|
|
Drum technician Fox played keyboards and percussion for the group at tour dates between 2015 and 2017.[34] |
Period | Members | Releases |
---|---|---|
December 1989 – January 1990 (as Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids) |
|
|
January – June 1990 (as Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids) |
|
|
June 1990 – August 1991 (as Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids) |
|
|
August 1991 – December 1993 (as Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids until early 1992, then as Marilyn Manson) |
|
|
December 1993 – March 1995 |
|
|
March 1995 – June 1996 |
|
|
June 1996 – July 1998 |
|
|
July 1998 – May 2002 |
|
|
May 2002 – March 2004 |
|
|
March – October 2004 |
|
|
October 2004 – August 2005 |
|
none – Against All Gods Tour only |
August 2005 – May 2007 |
|
|
May 2007 – January 2008 |
|
none – Rape of the World Tour only |
January – March 2008 |
| |
March – August 2008 |
|
none – rehearsals and live shows only |
August 2008 – February 2009 |
| |
February – June 2009 |
|
|
June – December 2009 |
|
|
December 2009 – July 2010 |
|
none – rehearsals and live shows only |
July 2010 – February 2011 |
| |
February 2011 – February 2012 |
|
|
February 2012 – June 2013 |
|
none – Hey Cruel World... Tour only |
June – July 2013 |
|
none – Masters of Madness Tour only |
July 2013 – June 2014 |
|
none – rehearsals only |
June 2014 – June 2015 |
|
|
June 2015 – July 2017 |
|
|
July – October 2017 |
|
none – Heaven Upside Down Tour only |
October 2017 – December 2018 |
|
|
December 2018 – June 2019 |
|
none – studio rehearsals only |
June 2019 – February 2020 |
|
|
August 2024 – present |
|
none to date |