Long Hard Road Out of Hell (43 page)

Tonight somehow the rumor got started I was going to kill myself. But I’ve died so much in the past year, I don’t think there’s much left to kill.

UNDATED

I’m becoming what I used to be afraid of. When the whole world wants to destroy you, every day is your last day and every performance is your final one. The Antichrist isn’t just me, or just one person. It’s all of us, a collective state of mind that America needs to have awakened in them. I want to wake it in them. That’s the purpose of this tour, maybe even my life, to make Americans realize they don’t have to believe in something just because they’ve been told it all their lives. You can’t have someone who’s never had sex or drugs telling you it’s wrong. Only through experience can you determine your own morality. Humanity isn’t about constantly having to seek forgiveness for being human; humanity is leading a guiltless existence as an individual.
That
is Armageddon, because, to Christianity, if you forsake the idea of God and believe in yourself, the world is over.

G
IVEN: AS BELIEVERS IN
C
HRIST, WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD AND WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE AUTHORITY OVER DEMONS AND EVIL SPIRITS.

G
IVEN
: T
HE “ROCK” GROUP
M
ARILYN
M
ANSON CONSISTS OF DEMONS OR EVIL SPIRITS IN THAT THEY ESPOUSE HERETICAL BELIEFS, CLAIM TO BE
A
NTICHRISTS AND
S
ATANISTS, AND ATTEMPT TO TEMPT CHILDREN AWAY FROM
C
HRISTIANITY WITH SIN.

P
ART OF THE AUTHORITY
C
HRIST HAS GIVEN US OVER DEMONS IS THE POWER TO, THROUGH PRAYER, BIND, RESTRAIN AND INHIBIT THE ACTIONS OF EVIL SPIRITS.

T
HIS BINDING COMMAND HAS BEEN ISSUED IN RESPONSE TO A PLEA FOR HELP FROM STUDENTS AT SEVERAL
C
HRISTIAN COLLEGES IN
F
LORIDA
. I
T IS NOT INTENDED TO HARM IN ANY WAY THE PERSONS OF ANYONE IN
M
ARILYN
M
ANSON
. I
T IS AN ATTACK SOLELY ON THIS CONCERT AND IS INTENDED TO CAST THESE DEMONS OUT OF THE COMMUNITY OF
O
RLANDO ONLY.

W
ITH THIS COMMAND BELOW, WE NOW BIND THE DEMONS AND EVIL SPIRITS THAT SURROUND THE PERFORMANCE BY
M
ARILYN
M
ANSON ON THE FIFTEENTH DAY OF THE ELEVENTH MONTH IN THE YEAR OF NINETEEN-NINETY-SIX.

O
FOUL AND EVIL SPIRITS WHO HAVE BROUGHT

T
HE MUSIC GROUP
M
ARILYN
M
ANSON INTO
O
RLANDO,

A
ND HAVE CONSUMED AND POSSESSED THE BODIES AND MINDS

O
F ALL WHO ARE A PART OF THE GROUP OR AN AID TO THEIR MOVEMENTS,

B
Y THE POWER GIVEN US BY
J
ESUS
C
HRIST, AND IN HIS
H
OLY NAME,

W
E HEREBY BIND THE BUSSES AND THE TRUCKS THAT WILL BRING

M
ARILYN
M
ANSON AND THEIR MUSIC INTO OUR COMMUNITY.

W
E BIND THE ENGINE THAT MAKES THE CAR RUN,

A
ND THE FUEL THAT MAKES THE ENGINE RUN.

W
E BIND THE LIGHTS AND THE AMPLIFIERS,

THE MICROPHONES AND MUSICAL EQUIPMENT,

NEEDED FOR THEIR VILE AND BLASPHEMOUS PERFORMANCE.

W
E BIND THE MOUTH AND HANDS AND FEET,

OF THE MEMBERS OF
M
ARILYN
M
ANSON,

SO THAT THEY CANNOT SOW LIES

AND SPREAD DISCONTENT AMONG OUR YOUTH,

OR PLAY THEIR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS,

OR TRESPASS ON OUR COMMUNITY.

I
N THE NAME OF
J
ESUS
C
HRIST WE BIND THESE DEMONS,

AND BY
H
IS HAND WE KNOW THEY SHALL BE BOUND.

O
UR SCRIPTURAL AUTHORITY FOR THIS ACTION IS AS FOLLOWS:

M
ARK
16:15-18 (KJV)

15 A
ND HE SAID UNTO THEM
, G
O YE INTO ALL THE WORLD, AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE.

16 H
E THAT BELIEVETH AND IS BAPTIZED SHALL BE SAVED; BUT HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT SHALL BE DAMNED.

17 A
ND THESE SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW THEM THAT BELIEVE
; I
N MY NAME SHALL THEY CAST OUT DEVILS; THEY SHALL SPEAK WITH NEW TONGUES;

18 T
HEY SHALL TAKE UP SERPENTS; AND IF THEY DRINK ANY DEADLY THING, IT SHALL NOT HURT THEM; THEY SHALL LAY HANDS ON THE SICK, AND THEY SHALL RECOVER.

—P
RAYER DISTRIBUTED BY PROTESTORS BEFORE
M
ARILYN
M
ANSON CONCERT IN
O
RLANDO
, F
LORIDA

NOVEMBER 2, 1996, NEW JERSEY

There’s something exciting and terrifying about club shows and theater shows, but the arena concert is so
Antichrist Superstar
. And tonight seeing six thousand people raise their fist to “Beautiful People” is so Nero, so powerful, bombastic, fascistic, rock and roll. It’s disgusting and I love it.

NOVEMBER 6, 1996, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Twiggy and I called Trent. No response. I don’t know what I did to be so hated. If it was being myself, then I guess that’s the price I have to pay. It’s behind me now. I hold no grudges. I just wish the tension would be resolved.

NOVEMBER 15, 1996, FORT LAUDERDALE

It’s funny because for the past two years Twiggy and I have listened to Dr. Hook’s “Cover of the Rolling Stone” ritualistically, as if maybe it would actually land us in the magazine. And strangely enough that interview came today. I’m not sure if the writer was gay or not, so I did most of the interview in the hot tub to either confuse or excite him. I think it did both. I informed him that this would be one of the most important articles he would write, and I know that to be true.

NOVEMBER 16, 1996, FORT LAUDERDALE

Our homecoming show was better than I expected. I thought people would be negative and resentful because they feel like I owe them something or they knew me when. But in fact, I never had a lot of friends here because nobody ever really believed in what I was trying to do. The only people I feel I owe anything to are my parents for supporting me when I didn’t have a job. Anyone I may have used should feel happy that they even had a use. It’s better than being useless.

NOVEMBER 23, 1996, SOUTH AMERICA

Tonight we went to some bar in Santiago and the floor was made out of Plexiglas and there were weird lights shining out of it and we got really drunk on Chilean wine. Some bizarre character came up to me and asked if I liked Ziggy Stardust. I told him that it was a great record. He seemed upset and repeated the phrase Ziggy Stardust, making a sniffing noise this time. He explained that he wanted to sell us a bunch of hard-core South American cocaine. We hadn’t really binged on the dust since recording
Antichrist Superstar
. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do. So we figured when in South America, do as the South Americans do and snort a lot of hard-core cocaine. Someone said a bunch of cops were outside. In Chile, cops aren’t guys in blue suits with nightsticks. They’re a squadron in a tank with machine guns. Somehow we escaped. We stayed up all night anyway, drinking wine and making people snort mysterious pink dust a roadie bought in a park outside a death metal concert. Of course we had to fly in the morning, which is where I’m writing this from, on the plane. And I feel sick.

DECEMBER 3, 1996, GERMANY

Last night I left Twiggy at about six
A.M.
Apparently he stayed up until about noon. All of the hair on his forehead is missing.

DECEMBER 19, 1996, DAY OFF

What happens someday if more people own my record than the bible? Will that make me god because more people believe in me than him? Because it’s just about popularity. There are plenty of people in the world who have never heard of Jesus, while in America he’s taken for granted. The key to changing the way people think is to change what’s popular. That’s why rather than submit to the mainstream, you have to become it—and then overcome it.

March 19, 1997

TO: Mississippi Coast Coliseum Commissioners

c/o Executive Director Bill Holmes

Dear Commissioners:

I encourage you to cancel the Marilyn Manson appearance at the Coliseum.

I feel that Manson’s appearance and giving him a forum to spout his poisoned philosophy is not in the best interest of the Mississippi Coast community.

During this holiest of the Christian seasons celebrating the risen Christ, I believe that this controversy is an affront to the taxpaying citizens who built and support the Coliseum.

In the interest of unity and cohesion in the community, I ask that you take action to cancel this concert!

    
Sincerely,

    
(signature)

    
Ken Combs

    
Mayor

    
KC/jw

     
JANUARY 5, 1997

Tonight was my birthday. Too tired to go into details, but you can be sure that since
Rolling Stone
came out today (ironically), we snorted lines off my face on the cover as Dr. Hook played at an ungodly volume. I told you so.