Reflections on violence: Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie in Grand Rapids, August 2019

“Kill, kill, kill, kill!” a tall figure in white face-paint shouted forcefully as he approached an eager row of devoted fans. Sufficiently riled up, they started joining in on the chant, which was now echoing across the entire arena in a matter of seconds.

A scene like this isn’t surprising at a concert of the so-called ‘Evil Twins’: rock star Marilyn Manson and heavy metal artist Rob Zombie. The pair have been touring with each other since 2012, attracting audiences which—given their tolerance for diverse references to death, drugs, and rape—are apparently quite hard to offend.

Today, such a casual position towards violence comes with obvious implications. In the wake of a series of shootings that have shocked the country, the public conversation has again turned to the causes of such events. Representations of violence have been, and always will be, easy targets for blame. Manson himself is familiar with this charge: in the wake of the Columbine shooting, he briefly inspired an outcry of socially-conservative voices who attributed the perpetrators’ motivations to his music.

Nowadays, attention has shifted towards two arguably more useful subjects: mental health and gun control. But still, there will always be the irreducible question of whether…