Marilyn Manson says he hates being branded a celebrity as anyone can be famous these days.
And he reports that he feels an obligation to be a rock star – even though it sometimes weighs heavy on him as there’s more to him than some people might imagine.
He tells Dazed: “I really despise when people refer to me as a celebrity, because anyone can be a celebrity in this era. It’s the very definition of the name Marilyn Manson, so this isn’t new – anyone can be famous at any point by dying and being in an obituary or by killing someone and being on the front page. So I hate that term.
“It’s been a rough year for me, since a lot of friends and family of mine have gone away. It’s awful, but it lays a burden on me. I have this obligation to be a rock star.
“It’s so vexing, to make sure I enjoy the dream while it’s happening, because sometimes there’s a lot going on, bad and good, and as a human being, I do have more than one dimension.”
He continues: “But I’m fortunate that people are still charmed by my childlike humour, because I’ve never felt that I had immensely normal, handsome looks. I just let my sense of humour and my utter lack of respect for rules define me.”
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When asked about the last moment that shocked him, Manson says: “I get shocked by every single person I meet. No one’s stabbed me or shot me or anything like that, but I’m always shocked at how affected people are by the things that I’ve made and how much it means to them.
“It has never really worn off, I’ve never become jaded by it. It just makes me surprised that the only way I can connect with people is from a distance, through art. I guess that’s because of my shyness.”
Manson will launch his 10th album Say10 on February 14 and previously said it would be a surprise to anyone expecting it to follow on from 2015’s The Pale Emperor, with those who had heard it reminded more of 1996’s Antichrist Superstar and and 1998’s Mechanical Animals.
And he says he’s anxious to release it as it’s the “most thematic and over-complicated” record he’s ever made.
Manson adds: “It wasn’t my intent to go backwards. Everything goes in a full circle and it just becomes, without cannibalising work from the past, the same thing, which is ultimately you.
“I’m a little over-anxious to release it, so it was done very quickly, but it is by far the most thematic and over-complicated thing that I’ve done. In a way, it’s deceptively delightful to strangers. It’s sort of like the old saying that the devil’s greatest secret is that people don’t believe he exists.”
Manson will play Toluca, Mexico, on October 15-16 and Tokyo, Japan on November 5.
