It sounds like you have a very sane take on him. Manson’s brilliance, and eventually his curse, was that he made himself pop culture’s favorite villain: horror, glam, religion, philosophy, satire and moral panic all fused into one huge theatrical mirror. He understood the media monster better than the media did, and for years the outrage was basically free marketing. But the downside is obvious now: people stopped separating Brian Warner from Marilyn Manson, so when the allegations came, the “Born Villain” mask became a pre-written verdict. It was Columbine logic all over again: society needed a simple monster, and he had already built the perfect costume.

I also agree that the decline was real, even though I personally never fell off as a fan and still liked a lot of the music from that period. But around the mid-2010s, especially after his father died, he often looked unhealthy, drunk, bloated, bitter, unfocused and trapped inside his own mythology. Some performances were genuinely uncomfortable to watch. Still, being a chaotic, self-destructive rock star who may have been toxic, cruel or awful to be around is many miles away from proving the most extreme version of the allegations: cages, starvation, brainwashing, mind control, organized predation, cult-like fan networks, hacking, stalking and all the rest of it.

That is why people should be much more careful before talking as if everything has been proven. A multi-year criminal investigation ended with no charges filed, and the public narrative is far more complicated than “many people said it, therefore it is all true.” Some of the accusers knew each other or moved through overlapping advocacy/media/legal circles; Ashley Morgan Smithline later recanted and claimed she had been pressured into false allegations; the “Groupie” story blurred 90s shock-art with real-world criminal implication; Paz de la Huerta denied a circulated assault claim; and former partners like Dita Von Teese and Rose McGowan did not describe the cartoon serial predator image from their own relationships. None of that makes him a saint, but it absolutely makes the simple media version harder to swallow.

The only thing genuinely shocking about Manson now is that after decades of trying to scandalize the world, his wildest plot twist turned out to be getting sober, healthy, focused and doing a full 180 like he suddenly found the emergency brake on his own life. This is probably completely new territory for Mr. Manson: being present without the drugs, the chaos and the collapsing circus around him. His voice, expression, discipline, health and seriousness are on a different level now, and his new music and live shows feel like a real artistic comeback, not just nostalgia. I’m backing that 100%, not because I think he was never an asshole, but because I believe in evidence, proportion, growth and redemption. Even forgiveness, at times. No salvation though. ;)

Ashley Morgan Smithline straight up admitted she lied..

His comeback is extremely inspiring.

Great video. Thank you, nice to see someone that takes Brian’s life seriously like this.

Looking forward to the new album coming very soon.

Slight correction - his Dad died in 2017. His Mom was the one who died in 2014

Very proud of him. He also looks genuinely happy now.

His voice improved too, he sounds like he used to now.

I couldn't agree more, great video! So glad we got Marilyn Manson back, ready for this new Era 🤘🔥🔥🤘

Great video, fan since the mid 90s too and wasn’t sure he was able to come back from all the pressures on him but so inspirational to see him overcome and put on killer shows(!) Important video and message to put out too, ‘people’ are not intelligent and will believe anything without evidence and talk nonsense just to feel like they’re part of a conversation, and/or to morally project their weak pathetic selves with a bunch of virtue signalling like they’re saints that are perfect. These idiots are the first to cry for forgiveness too but would never give it to anyone else. Who are the real monsters amongst us? Scary mentality and display of unadulterated stupidity.

Well, as you know, Marilyn Manson is my favourite artist of all time. And it’s partly because of the allegations. Let me explain.
I loved Manson in kindergarten and primary school but distanced myself from him through 2016-2022. Then, in 2022, I fell in love again, even with bullying due to the allegations (I’d have been 13/14 at the time).
Then, in 2023, I had false allegations against me. Trust me, they leave a permanent scar that is impossible to erase. Being bullied, mocked and named horrible things will leave a scar just as much as the physical assaults on you. Anyways…
When Manson released As Sick As The Secrets Within, I was gobsmacked. But then, Raise the Red Flag came out at a pivotal time in my life. It came out at a time when everything was so heavy, when there felt like no hope. And it genuinely saved my fucking life.
The triptych spoke to me (and still speaks to me) in ways no other artist can. He manages to describe how my life feels, how shame and pressure and the all-seeing eyes of society feel.
And One Assassination Under God came out and was the middle finger I needed at all of those motherfuckers who tired to put me and him down. It felt like he was speaking directly to me with that album.
It may sound cliched, but Marilyn Manson saved my life. And that’s why I love him the amount I do.
Plus, the fantastic music.
Anyways, with all of that said, great video!

The 2 newest albums are amazing

You know the fact he’s been doing this since 1989 is really crazy. I always loved his Persona which the makeup and those questionable outfits from both of his music videos and live performances i started listening to him since 2024 my first time getting into listening to industrial metal and which was also the absolute worst year for me but either way I still love that man’s music and he’s one of  my favorite vocalists!

man seeing some clips of later manson was brutal. i forgot just how bad it got. if you look at him now, it feels like 90s manson but older. if you look at him in the late 2010s, it feels like a completely different person. a person the real manson would have nothing but contempt for

He is so back 🤘🤩 Saw him last week. He was fantastic

This has to be the best-articulated and accurate op-ed on this subject which I’ve seen. Thank you for this.

His arc has been nothing short of remarkable. His new album I have so much anticipation for

I wouldn't go so far as to say that Marilyn Manson completely touched my life like some others have said, Evanescence was the band from that time that really had a grip on me lol. That said, I will say that being a fellow "weirdo" back in the 2000s as a teenager, I admired that despite the backlash he'd get and how he was turned into a scapegoat by the media, he still rose above and continued doing what he loved. His response to the Columbine tragedy was level-headed and thoughtful. I came around during The Golden Age of Grotesque era  when I was 13 nd I thought his music was very cool at the time and it honestly still holds up in my opinion, "Mobscene" was such a vibe lol. "If I Was Your Vampire" still gives me chill,s and same deal with "Coma White", honestly one of my most favorite songs of all time tbh His music just rocked.

I do remember hearing in passing when he was going through his downward spiral though by then, I kinda fell out of his music around 2012 as I was getting into other kidns of music so needless to say, I wasn't keepin up with his work but I did remember seeing the infamous clip of him on the stage floor looking like he was in agony the clip you showed) and yeah, that was just painful to see. And then the drunken live performances, I'm still remember how much of a hot mess his performance with Taylor Momsen was when they performed "Dope Show" ...

And then the allegations came out and honestly, I was like you in the sense that I was a bit skeptical but I was open to hearing what happened. The YouTuber Colonel Kurtz was a big help for this. But when it was learned that Rachel and her partner at the time concocted that false FBI report and then later, Ashley Smithline recanted her allegation and admitted that she felt manipulated by Rachel, that is when  it was over and I knew that while Manson was not always the best person, he was innocent here. As much as I try to take the victims side in these kinds of manners because it's awful to go through, when the evidence is there, you have to follow your intuition and it just felt like Rachel was trying to get as much money as she could get from him.

From there, it was great seeing Manson bounce back from that and seemed to have turned his professional life around. His comeback album was genuinely good, almost on par with this 90s material and he was looking a lot healthier as well which was nice to see. His comeback has been inspiring to see.

Great video. I've been a fan since I was 12 in 1996 and I was so worried for him like you were. I always wished he'd straighten his life out, get fit and just SMASH back into high gear. And he actually did it!

Redemption? Manson isn't guilty!
He doesn't deserve redemption, he deserves an apology