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Marilyn Manson: ‘Columbine Massacre Destroyed My Entire Career’

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Updated on July 6, 2023

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Marilyn Manson chatted with The Guardian recently to promote his new album, Heaven Upside Down. During the discussion, Manson reflected on one of the most difficult periods of his life, when he was accused of being responsible for the Columbine High School shootings.

After word came that the two students were wearing Manson T-shirts throughout their rampage and were admirers of the rock star’s songs, Manson’s name was linked to the widely publicized Colorado massacre.

Nonetheless, he continues to fill arenas and land roles in programs like Salem and Sons of Anarchy, according to The Guardian.

“If your parents give you money to buy a clean version of my record at Walmart, you might as well go there, buy a gun instead, take it into your own hands, do whatever you want,” Manson tells The Guardian. “Give them the money and let them make their own choice: guns or records. If [the Columbine killers] had just bought my records, they would be better off.”

“Certain people blame me for the shootings at schools – I think my numbers are low, and hopefully they go up on (my upcoming) record. But, honestly, the Columbine era destroyed my entire career at the time,” Manson said.

“[I] was the best face to attach to at the time because I put myself in the role of villain. Because I think villains are the key to any good story,” he added. “Before they were showing anything, they said a gang of kids wearing Marilyn Manson T-shirts shot up a school… I think I’ve been blamed for about 36 school shootings.”

Manson admits to being “angry, confused, and upset” in the past. But, as he pointed out, the world has changed, and he has evolved as well. “Now, I think I feel more happy. Not like, Shiny Happy People. I think I’m just happy being myself. I think now, I’m much more charming and likable.”

Following the tragedy, he claims he got “hundreds” of death threats when playing in Colorado, the state where Columbine occurred.

“No, I don’t miss that at all,” Manson said. “It made everyone around me upset. And I discovered that police bomb dogs are also drug dogs. So when there were bomb threats, I had a very difficult time hiding my narcotics.”

He indicated in 2012 that the title of his book “Born Villain” was prompted by being wrongly maligned as a result of Columbine.

“When it comes to things like Columbine, it would have been different if they [Harris and Klebold] had actually liked my music, but I think that I have had more blame accredited to me than any person in the history of music,” Manson told NME. “There should be some sort of Grammy for that.”

Mechanical Animals, released in 1998, has sold 1.4 million copies in the United States alone. Following the events of Columbine, Manson released Holy Wood two years later, although it only sold 573,000 copies in the United States. As of this writing, Manson’s latest platinum album in the United States is Mechanical Animals.

Moving on from the past, the infamously divisive musician is set to release his new album Heaven Upside Down on October 6th.