Marilyn Manson: Behind The Mask charts the musician’s rise to fame, significance and role as a counterculture icon.
Delving deep into his rock persona, this series examines the recent accusations against Manson and his ability to court controversy all while exploring how high-profile sexual assault allegations play out in today’s post #Metoo era.
From the moment Brian Warner launched his alter-ego, Marilyn Manson, in the early 1990s, he set out to shock. Over the next two decades his carefully cultivated, highly controversial persona became iconic around the world. His fans and liberal cultural commentators justified his shocking lyrics, behaviour and concerts, as a form of social or political satire. Many placed Manson at the centre of a culture war, particularly following the Columbine school shootings, for which conservative commentators claimed he was partially responsible, an accusation he stridently denied. This had many people asking the question whether he should be cancelled as a performer for corrupting America’s youth, or if his freedom should be defended as an artist.
In February 2021 several women accused Brian Warner of sexual assault and within 24 hours he was dropped by his manager, his agent and his record company.
Later the same year, an explosive Rolling Stone article laid bare a stream of allegations from multiple women. The allegations led to a police raid and criminal investigation into Manson. In total, five of his accusers launched civil lawsuits against him claiming sexual assault and other charges, with retractions and out-of-court settlements evidencing the complex and multi-faceted nature of this type of allegation. To date, no charges have been made but civil cases are pending.
Marilyn Manson: Behind The Mask delves deep into an extraordinary unfolding story, of which Rolling Stone’s ongoing investigation is a part, and asks searing questions about this moment in the culture, where Marilyn Manson is fighting to defend himself against allegations from women who have recently accused him of abusive behaviour that happened many years ago and which he and his lawyers argue were entirely consensual, or simply did not happen.
The documentary has access to several of the accusers, lifelong fans, industry insiders, lawyers, a former band mate and his childhood best friend. The series charts his rise to fame from a difficult childhood, through vilification and death threats to being championed as an advocate for those on the fringes of society and closely examines the fallout of the allegations for both the accusers and the accused. It includes exclusive audio recordings of interviews with Rolling Stone alongside archive footage and never-before-seen photographs, to provide a first-hand portrait of one of the most controversial musicians of the twenty-first century.
A broadcast date will be set later by Channel 4.
