This week, Marilyn Manson was confirmed to support Slipknot in front of 90,000 people at Wembley Stadium next July. He was booked despite the wave of sexual misconduct allegations levelled against him, plus a lawsuit from his former assistant alleging physical, emotional and psychological abuse that’s set to go to trial in November 2027. (The singer denies any wrongdoing, and in 2025 a four-year investigation into his alleged crimes was dropped with no charges filed.) If metal is supposed to uplift the downtrodden, then putting a man accused of wrongdoing by more than a dozen women on one of Europe’s biggest stages feels like the antithesis of everything the genre stands for.
Manson, whose real name is Brian Hugh Warner, retreated from the public eye after the start of the allegations against him in 2021, but he returned in 2024 with a new record deal and a string of high-profile tour dates. He’s far from the only allegedly problematic figure to have recently made a successful musical comeback. Chris Brown, who in 2009 pleaded guilty to felony assault of his ex-girlfriend Rihanna, and Ye (formerly Kanye West), who made a string of antisemitic statements in 2022, are playing massive venues. Earlier this month, the Guardian published an op-ed about Queen of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme’s cosy image rehabilitation after he kicked a female photographer and his ex-wife accused him of domestic abuse.
Metal, with its long-established identity as a dangerous and anti-mainstream force, appears to be particularly lenient with this kind of figure. The news of Manson touring with Slipknot came three months after Pantera supported Metallica on their second night at the 62,500-capacity London Stadium. In 2016, Pantera singer Phil Anselmo faced widespread backlash for raising his hand and screaming “white power!” onstage at a charity concert. He eventually apologised, but in 2017 gave an interview where he called some of his detractors “phonies”. None of it stopped his band from reuniting to much celebration in 2022. In November, Nuclear Blast Records, the same label to which Manson signed in 2024, will release a new album by Anselmo’s other group, Down.
In February, As I Lay Dying are poised to release a new album. The band split in 2014 after its sole constant member, singer Tim Lambesis, was sentenced to six years in prison for soliciting the murder of his ex-wife. Then, in 2024, everyone bar Lambesis quit the band, and some disturbing video surfaced online where he’s seen flipping a table that another ex-wife was sitting at. (The former couple have each accused the other of abuse.) As I Lay Dying’s latest single, aptly entitled Polarized, has amassed 560,000 YouTube views in two weeks regardless.
I'm just saying that if you try to force it, you'll get backlash harder than if you just gave information.
Most metalheads, given the info that someone is a douche are going to lose interest fast, barring the edgelords of the community. It's when you try and dictate their response, or start giving them shit that it goes contrarian.
And that's understandable - most people don't enjoy being forced to do anything. I don't view opening the conversation around why we're all okay with opening acts like this as forcing anyone though. It's starting a conversation.
Maybe some people will learn of these allegations where they didn't know about them before and they can make more informed decisions about the art they consume.
For the record, I was a huge metalhead and still listen to some metal now. I listen to a lot more punk these days. But I'm not uninformed about this area.
I get you :)
I'm able to separate art and artist very well in terms of what I'll enjoy in my own life, but I'll be damned if I would spend a dime to see that guy at this point.
Even with him not having his day in court, a chance to counter the accusation in a useful way, I have little tolerance for that kind of thing. But, knowing how limiting it can be to have to wait until a court case happens to present anything publicly, I can't make myself care if others are willing to pay money to see him.
I totally believe the accusations. And, I tend to err on the side of giving preliminary belief to a victim, even while also insisting that the accused is only accused until all evidence is available. But in this case? Yeah, everything he was accused of is perfectly in line with things he's said over his public life. He may well have evidence that those things weren't illegal, and/or that they aren't tortious enough to merit the lawsuit being found for the plaintiff.
But that's still only about the court side of things. He's yet to deny doing some really fucked up shit to people. He's even admitted some of it, claiming consent. And I don't often kink shame. But in this case? No thanks. I wouldn't be able to see him live without being aware I put money in his pocket. Hell, I had trouble just watching his most recent music videos. Couldn't finish them. I still enjoy his older music and videos though. Like I said, I'm usually good at the art/artist duality. But if I had to replace what I have, I'd pirate it.
Sorry again for my assumption btw. I really should know better
No worries, I can't say I'm innocent from making assumptions sometimes, too lol
This is pretty much how I feel about the whole situation when it comes to artists being scummy like this - it's a little give and take depending on circumstances, apologies, outcomes of court cases, all that. So it's nuanced. But with Manson? Ugh, I'm not happy that he's being allowed to re-invent himself, so to speak, with this particular history.
It wouldn't be so bad if he was believable about having rethought things. I might believe he's gotten too old and tired to do anything about it, but there's no way he really changed his thinking.