Marilyn Manson Interviews That Went Horribly Wrong

Everyone knows shock rocker Marilyn Manson loves to push the envelope and cross the boundary lines of morality, but there have been a few times in which he went a little too far in front of interviewers. Whether it be an outright refusal to answer tough questions about abuse allegations, challenging a reporter to a fight, or even flicking another person's genitals, Manson has had more than his share of moments that could have destroyed other musicians' careers.

Keep in mind that Manson has always been a controversy magnet, though. He stirs the pot intentionally, whipping up a storm of outrage to get everyone talking about him or his latest project. Sometimes, he says and does things he totally means; other times, it's all for the headlines and attention. Regardless, let's take a look at the instances when his provocative personality might have backfired on what he wanted to achieve with the journalists in question.

In 2020, Metal Hammer reporter Dave Everley called Marilyn Manson for an interview. Manson was in the middle of promoting his record "We Are Chaos," and the publication wanted to catch up with him about it, covering dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as a touring artist and human being, as well as a few other noteworthy topics — namely Evan Rachel Wood's abuse allegations about Marilyn Manson that dominated the headlines at the time.

According to Metal Hammer, the moment the reporter mentioned Wood's name and asked for Manson's perspective, the musician hung up the call. He didn't say, "No comment," nor that he had been advised by his legal counsel to not speak on the topic — he simply cut the call without a further word. The publication didn't hide the fact that the interview between Everley and Manson ended so dramatically, even explaining its side of why the question was raised and the importance of addressing the proverbial elephant in the room.

Metal Hammer offered Manson another chance for commentary, providing 10 questions to Manson's publicity team for the musician to answer. Manson's representative issued a lengthy statement to the publication, but ultimately the main point was that they had "advised [their] client not to comment further on [the] article." In addition, the publicist said that people tend to put too much stock into everything they read on the internet.

In 2009, journalist Ian Youngs wrote a piece for BBC News recounting an interview that Youngs and a fellow colleague conducted with Marilyn Manson at the time. According to Youngs, Manson ran nearly four hours late for his interview. When he arrived, he wasn't in a mood to answer questions in a normal manner, intentionally offering rude or off-kilter responses wherever he could.

Early into the interview, Youngs said that Manson playfully asked the reporter if he wanted to "fight." However, they swiftly moved on from the topic without incident. Eventually, Youngs asked Manson about a movie he was working on regarding Lewis Carroll's life. Manson oscillated between seriousness and weirdness as he addressed the question in his own special way. Before Youngs could even finish the follow-up regarding if the film would ever be released, Manson replied, "You want a fight? A film?" Youngs confirmed to the musician that the question was about the film — not a fight — but that didn't make matters any better. Allegedly, the only topic that Manson spoke about in a reasonable manner was Mötley Crüe.

Youngs explained how this trainwreck of an interview concluded in less than 10 minutes. For Youngs, though, the reporter could only refer to it as "the strangest interview ever."

After Evan Rachel Wood made abuse allegations about Marilyn Manson, one interview kept popping up and being cited as particularly concerning: a conversation that Manson had with Spin in 2009. In the interview, Manson spoke about the period in which the couple broke up and how the relationship influenced several songs on his 2009 album, "The High End of Low." He also discussed how he spent Christmas Day alone and phoned her "158 times," self-harming every time she didn't answer his calls.

Even more worrying is what Manson said about the song "I Want to Kill You Like They Do in The Movies" and how it related to what he called his "fantasies." He said, "I have fantasies every day about smashing her skull in with a sledgehammer."

Even Spin journalist William Goodman was caught off guard by the comment and didn't know how to respond to it. Manson added, "I can laugh about it now because it's a process I went through, and I need to have a sense of humor about it."

In 2017, The Guardian's Alexis Petridis received what can only be described as the full Marilyn Manson experience, while the musician promoted his album "Heaven Upside Down." As Petridis explained, he was warned that the room where the interview would be conducted would be dark and cold, because these are the conditions that Manson prefers for his conversations with journalists. Yet, Manson frightened the reporter right out of the gate by pulling a gun on Petridis — well, a replica of a weapon, but it was enough to scare any human being.

If Manson's attempt at dark humor wasn't enough, he held more in store for Petridis during their conversation. When Petridis asked Manson more about his on-stage persona and his attachment toward it, Manson responded by "flicking [Petridis'] testicles," then discussing how he's "a person and a persona."

While Petridis was able to fire off his questions and receive answers, Manson did mention hitting him in the genitals again, albeit this time with a beer bottle. As the interview concluded, Manson told Petridis to write a positive article about him. Petridis confirmed he would, to which Manson replied, "Good. Or I'll find out where you f***ing live."

In 2014, Marilyn Manson showed up on the red carpet for the premiere of the film "Transcendence," which stars his close friend Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, and Morgan Freeman. As Manson walked in front of the press, a journalist asked him if he had the ability to do anything like the characters from the movie, what would he choose? "That's a dangerous question," Manson said. "My first initial reaction would be to blow everything up." He joked that since he doesn't know the reporter, he wouldn't say anything like that.

Out of nowhere, he decided to take a potshot at how the journalist held the microphone toward him, alluding to sexual assault. "It's aggressive," he said. "Like a d*** in my face."

The journalist laughed and denied his claims, while Manson departed the scene. Unquestionably, it was a bizarre encounter and exchange between two strangers that added absolutely nothing to the conversation.

Want to read more about the shock rocker? Read what Marilyn Manson's former bandmates have said about him.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, or has been a victim of sexual assault, contact the relevant resources below:

• Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

• The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

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