15 Good (goddam) Reasons To Believe That Eat Me,Drink Me,The High End of Low and the Untitled Album Are a New Trilogy

WARNING: What you´re about to read is no way considered a spoiler for Marilyn Manson´s next album (because we don´t even have a clue what it will sound or look like). So this is why we came up with 15 good and goddam reasons that will lead us to believe at least that the last two records are tied by several circumstances and if it´s meant to be a trilogy then we already know what to expect; Enjoy!

1. The use of the spiral heart and the Cross of Lorraine.





Around the time the infamous Celebritarian Corporation was conceived (an elite of artists founded by MM) the symbol of the Cross of Lorraine was chosen and reshaped to resemble two symmetrical horizontal lines. This worked well to represent the dychotomy that has become somewhat of a trademark on MM's work.

The symbol was referenced from there on tons of times; in imagery and merchandise. However, rumor has it in the EMDM cover art there is a suspicious outline on the frames of the window that look like the cross. It's no secret as well that M wears the Lorraine ring most of the time.

The spiral heart was also created for the EMDM and used throughout the era. But in the High End of Low, you can still see it one of the pictures of the cover art as shown below.



Although it might not have been meant to stick until the very end in a way M still draws every single time he can.

2. The symbolism about blood and being bloodened









Back in EMDM had covered the eerie subject of vampirism (and no, it had NOTHING to do with Twilight) and blood was a constant symbol as in the first two videos , "Heart-Shaped Glasses" and "Putting Holes In Hapiness"

The mentions of this word continue on The High End of Low

"you're not crying, this is blood all over me." (Devour)

"they will all drown in our blood..." (Wight Spider)

"white cotton panties soaked and stained red..." (Into The Fire)

3. Key phrases: 6:19, here comes the Moon again, heart-shaped glasses, "high" and "low".







It's no secret that the presence of E introduced the entire concept of Lolita used for EMDM numerous times. However, very few people know the heart-shaped glasses are just part of the poster art and never inlcluded in any film version. But let's face it; they are still trendy (until we grow tired from them).

6:19 is referencing the song "If I Was Your Vampire" and apparently has no other meaning. But in this recent picture the number still haunts us, a possible sign?



The use of words like "high" and "low" have several can apply to a large number of concepts. In English slang it can mean the good times and the bad times, or when someone is extremely excited or depressed.

In the lyrics of Heart-Shaped Glasses this concept is used:

"that blue is getting me high getting me low..."

and in the song "High End of Low"

"we reached the high end of low..."

4. The sober ambients and tinted pictures

The photogrpahy style became more sober and minimalistic, using the shadow to literally flood the subject. You can see it here and in the stills of Phantasmagoria:






Notice how most of the time the females are surrounded by darkness, almost like ghostly figures, and in this recent one that's unoficiallly part of the new album.





Tinted pictures are used as well on High End of Low. As I covered earlier, the use of blue and red lighting is highly noticeable in EMDM and High End of Low as shown below.



5. Continuity between the new intro and "Running To the Edge of the World"

Last year we were given the chance to see "Running To The Edge of World" through MM's website (and was later unoficially distributed on You Tube), a somewhat soft snuff video which shouts "domestic violence" all over the place.

However, the new intro for MM's website revisits the idea, as if it were part 2...



6. Breakups, breakups and more breakups, or 'loss'...

wasn't EMDM's intro song "If I Was Your Vampire" referring to a relationship that ended, as in the lyrics below:

..."this is where it starts, this is were it will end, here comes the Moon again..."

7. The Phantom of the Paradise makeup and props (butcher's knife)

"The Phantom of the Paradise" is a 1974 musical film written and produced by Brian de Palma (director of such movies as "Scarface") an is considered somewhat of a mockery of many films, particularly the Phantom of the Opera.



8. The ghost of "Phantasmagoria" still lurking about...

So the movie was all about Alice anyway! The movie still doesn't have a release date but its style is used like in the pictures below.



Also, the masked "twins" appeared once in the MM's website intro a few years ago

9. The logo hasn't changed (yet)...

This is the design used in the High End of Low



This is the design we see now until further notice



10. The presence of ERW

Call it coinicidence but it wouldn't make any sense to sing "Heart-Shaped Glasses" or "Running To the Edge of the world" without her, not to mention that she 'unofficially' collaborates with photographs, such as these:



11. Inmortality, inlcuded in topics and symbols such as vampirism (EMDM), spiral, swastika and the tursaansydän...

Like it was described below the spiral in the heart design resembles ancient celtic symbols which stand for movement, evolution and eternity as shown here:



One of the origins of the swastika goes back to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism






Its Finnish parallel could be the tursaansydän or "heart of Tursas" which stands for good luck and is also one of MM's tats



Notice also that tursaansydän was used in Lappish shaman drums






12. Keywords such as "blue" and the concept behind it.

As I explained in earlier blogs, the use of the Blue Period concept seems latent now, but you can still notice it in this pic and the blue skull painting...



Also some other keywords have been used such as "ocean", "blue moon", "a planet inside", so go figure.



13. Handwriting and writings on the walls.

M's own handwriting was used for the art of EMDM and it continues to be seen in the walls of his 'room' in the High End of Low album art.



14. The version 'sooner than expected', as stated in a recent interview.

These were the exact words "I think people can expect the album out sooner than expected," said in an interview with Metal Hammer in December 2009 just as he had announced his departure from Interscope Records.

As mentioned in Metal Hammer: "We have recently been released from our contract with Interscope Records, so much creative control was limited in decisions reports, music videos, things like that.

So we started writing new songs while touring, just as David Bowie did (Aladdin Sane), I think people may expect a new album much sooner than expected. "

As for the sound are concerned, this is what he said in 2009, "yes, I think it would be more badass. I think that will be more romantic, perhaps. ... Auto abusive

Remember sequels of films like "Matrix Reloaded" and "Matrix Revolutions" and "Back to the Future II" and "Back to the Future III"?

The time between the sequel and the third part was not so long, nearly a year. So here we are a year later. The High End of Low announced on this month in 2009. You really can see this new material? ...

15. Possible signs found on "Running To The Edge of the World"





Suggesting a possible continuation, in the mentioned video Manson is closing a diary or journal. Since this is the most recent video it gives us the feeling that someting is about to end.

Are these actual signs of the third and final chapter?

Let´s Get Ready To Rumble: Manson and Raging Bull

Considering the sometimes volatile nature of Mr. Manson I decided to release this theme blog highlighting one of the best films of all time, "Raging Bull" with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.

"Jake La Motta is a young boxer who trains hard to become number one at middleweight. With the help of his brother, Joey, you will see this dream come true much later. But fame and success only get worse things. Their marriage is going from bad to worse because of his secret life with other women, and on the other hand you push the mafia to fix matches. After spending all the money I had, back where it started. "

(Source: Wikipedia)

The intro to "Raging Bull" shows the figure of Jake La Motta with his characteristic robe in the ring training. During the concert series "Rape of the World" Manson appears with a white robe in the middle of the stage. We're not sure if he was referring to this movie but the concept is similar.

Raging Bull, like many other films highlights the rise and defeat of an idol of boxing, and one can compare it with the phenomenon that happens around rockstars, and they also have their highs and lows. There are even those who have a guilty pleasure of watching famous people hit rock bottom and then revindicating themselves. That's nothing new, but the feeling remains true today ...

Marilyn Manson in the middle of a photo shoot for the magazine Revolver, 2009.

Bono, emulating a boxer, in a 1997 MTV Awards.

Manson during the tour of "Rape of the World" emulating a boxer.

Intro for the movie "Raging Bull" with Robert De Niro as Jake La Motta.

Jake La Motta in a robe with animal print motif announcing his victory ...

Manson´s Cameo in new Rammstein video...

So we stumbled upon Rammstein´s new video which is called "Haifisch".

Why do I comment it here? Because there is an actual special appearance by Marilyn Manson, which happens to be one of the "guests" at this funeral.

The song itself has a vibe and sound very similar to Manson´s song "Arma-goddam-motherf****n-geddon".

You might also want to point out the fact that Rammstein did some pictures for the cover art of "Sehnsucht" with Gotfried Helnwein, who also happened to work with Manson previously on "Golden Age of Grotesque".

Some say in this video there´s just a picture of this MM album in the background, but I´ll leave you with some screenshots so you´ll be the judge...

Coincidences???...

And I stumbled upon this picture of Ecoloco, endeared character and villain in a children's fantasy series called "Odisea Burbujas" and compared it with the one that was recently released as a promo for Marilyn Manson's album "High End of Low" .

Look carefully because both guys use a three-cornered hat and are using a purple gown. Manson also has a surrounding light of the same color.

Although I doubt that our friend knows of the existence of this cooky character they still have much in common ...

What's your earliest memory?

When I fell asleep in my father's arms and apparently I was at a church. I don't even go to church anymore...

Ask me anything

Fetish...

One had to wear because it was absolutely necessary; the other by mere fixation. In this example I took the corsets the main subject.

While in dream symbolism corsets mean restraint and restrictions, also limitations, in Frida's painting "The Broken Spine" (La Columna Rota) the main meaning is because of her need to wear medical corsets. In this case it was a metallic one made around 1944. Most of the things surrounding the painting are not only physical pain, but emotional because the longest nail is at her heart.She is alone in the desert and it seems that she will have to deal with these ordeals by herself.



On the other hand Manson has explained or most people have tried to explain his recurring use of corsets. Some say that there are references to sadomasochism and movies such as "The Rocky Horror Show" where Dr. Frankenfurter wears this attire most of the time. So this could be more of a fetish than anything else. But in some rare ocassions, as in this picture above where he stands next to a stained glass window with an image of Jesus it could also refer to physical pain in order to connect with a higher level of spirituality. Also, in some tours such as "Dead To The World" he uses oversized crutches and stilts to enhance the meaning. Likewise, it may still have different interpretations. Your turn.

A Sick Love Game: Lady Gaga vs Marilyn Manson

A lot of people have compared pop artist Lady Gaga and the shock rocker Marilyn Manson for several reasons, even allegating they're the same person,but mainly because Gaga reminds us of the highly provocative imagery.

So then I embarked on this journey trying to figure out how much are they actually related and see if Gaga is continuing what Manson started to promote in the mid 90's, the theatrical value to the rock scene, among other things. Also we can compare to earlier visual elements to see who influenced who.

So here we go!

ROUND 1: The Love Game



Around 2008 Lady Gaga launched a song called "Love Game" which is part of the album "The Fame". Its electropop catchy sound features the term "disco stick" which is a euphemism for "penis".

The song received a number of remixes and among them was the one made with Marilyn Manson, but was actually recorded by Chew Fu Ghettohouse Fix. Lady Gaga continued to promote the remix in The Fame Ball tour. Likewise Manson did the same thing on the first part of "The High End of Low".

WINNER: Lady Gaga, the original song is still at the top of the charts worldwide.

ROUND 2: Sick Love Games.



Lady Gaga carried on to make a highly controversial and sexually explicit video for "Love Game". However it's noted that in one of the dance sequences Gaga dons an oufit similar to one already seen in the video "The Fight Song" in which Manson plays in a gothic-inspired high school in the middle of a rainy night.



If we still go back in time the Nazi-like outfit belonged to Lucia Atherton from the 1974 film "The Night Porter"; a highly controversial film about a tormentous relationship between a concentration camp survivor and a former Nazi SS officer named Maximilian Theo Aldorfer.



WINNER: "The Night Porter". And it's not just a pretty outfit.

ROUND 3: The Mickey Mouse Club

I commented earlier that the video "Paparazzi" is based loosely on the concepts of the Celebritarianism Manson developed. Gaga described it as, "a doomed starlet hounded by photographers, and in the process almost killed by her boyfriend. It shows her survival, comeback, revenge on her boyfriend, and experiences on the way to fame."



Pay close attention to the ficticious murder scene in which Lady Gaga poisons her boyfriend. She wears Mickey Mouse ears-inspired sunglasses and a yellow leotard with her image in mouse ears. This last little icon was used by Manson during "The Golden Age Of Grotesque" era. He was photographed by Gotfried Helnwein using black and white ambients. The mouse ears were used numerous times in the Grotesk Burlesk tour, as well as reinvented symbol using the Death Head skull or Totenkopf in German, more commonly seen in European army uniforms.



Manson also did some watercolors making it look as if Disney the real enemy and has no brains as seen in "Faunadestia".



Recently in the "ArmaGoddamnMotherf*****Geddon" a group of girls with black faces reprises the Mickey Mouse ears.



In the most recent video "Telephone" prisoner Gaga wears a leather jacket with gloves presumably ornamented with the Death Head Manson symbol as you can see here:





The Mickey Mouse sunglasses are also worn by Beyonce at the exact moment in which she poisons his boyfriend with 'honey'.

WINNER: I call it even, both Manson and Gaga mocking the 'mouse' is still a catchy idea.

ROUND 4: Caught in a Mechanical Bad Romance

"Bad Romance" is also a recent video from "The Fame Monster" album which features a more glossy ambient than the other Lady Gaga productions. This time we also get a peek of what is known as The Haus of Gaga, which a multidisciplinary design team behind the success of Lady Gaga. It also reminds me a little bit of the Celebritarian Corporation Manson founded but it remains hidden.



The imagery used for "Bad Romance" is highly futuristic, almost artificial that takes place in a white bathhouse where Gaga is kidnapped by a group of supermodels who drug her and then sell her off to the Russian Mafia for sexual slavery.

I paired this video with the concept behind Manson's video "The Dope Show" which features an androgynous alien who fell from space and is later captured by a local laboratory only to be turned into a rockstar. See the resemblance?



The cinematography of "Bad Romance" has also been compared with the work of Stanley Kubrick.





Originally Marilyn Manson's video was inspired by a short film starring David Bowie called "The Man Who Fell To Earth" and also evokes imagery from Jodorowsky's film "The Holy Mountain", specially for the sequence in which the fictional Omega smashes his own 'clones' or copies.



Although the concepts behind both videos are different you can't deny at some point they evoke the idea about the decadent scene of Hollywood.

WINNER: Technically "The Dope Show" because it won a 1999 MTV Video Music Award for "Best Cinematography", as well as the "Maximum Vision" award.

FINAL WINNER: Both.

Personally Lady Gaga has earned a highly respectable reputation as well as a worldwide fanbase which she addresses to as "little monsters" and still has a long way to go. Marilyn Manson has left a legacy for an array of artists to follow, not only Lady Gaga but other goth and industrial bands. Still, there's no denial that his main source of inspiration is glam rock, coming from artists like David Bowie, T-Rex, Iggy Pop, Kiss, Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd among others who contributed to the showmanship in pop and rock music.