The Golden Age of Grotesque
The Golden Age of Grotesque is the fifth studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on May 7, 2003, by Nothing and Interscope Records, and was their first album to feature former KMFDM member Tim Sköld, who joined after longtime bassist Twiggy Ramirez amicably left the group over creative differences. It was also their final studio album to feature keyboardist Madonna Wayne Gacy and guitarist John 5, who would both acrimoniously quit before the release of the band's next studio album.
The Golden Age of Grotesque
May 7, 2003
2002–2003
- Doppelherz Blood Treatment Facility, Los Angeles
- Ocean Way, Hollywood
- The Mix Room, Burbank
57:32
The record was produced by Marilyn Manson and Sköld, with co-production from Ben Grosse. Musically, it is less metallic than the band's earlier work, instead being more electronic and beat-driven. This was done to avoid creating music similar to hip-hop influenced forms of nu metal, a then-predominant genre that the vocalist considered cliché. Despite this, the album's sound has been compared to the likes of several nu metal bands, notably Slipknot and Korn.[5][6] Manson collaborated with artist Gottfried Helnwein to create several projects associated with the album, including Doppelherz, a 25-minute surrealist short film which was released on limited edition units of the record as a bonus DVD. The Golden Age of Grotesque was also the title of the Manson's first art exhibition.
The album's lyrical content is relatively straightforward, and was inspired by the swing, burlesque, cabaret and vaudeville movements of Germany's Weimar Republic-era, specifically 1920s Berlin. In an extended metaphor, Manson compares his own work to the Entartete Kunst banned by the Nazi regime as he attempts to examine the mindset of lunatics and children during times of crisis. Several songs incorporate elements commonly found in playground chants and nursery rhymes. "Mobscene" (stylized as "mOBSCENE") and "This Is the New Shit" were released as singles, and a controversial music video was released for "Saint" (stylized as "(s)AINT").
The record received mixed reviews from mainstream music critics: some praised its concept and production, while others criticized its lyrics and described the album as uneven. Despite this, it was a commercial success, selling over 400,000 copies in Europe on its first week to debut at number one on Billboard's European Top 100 Albums. It also topped various national record charts, including Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the US Billboard 200. It was certified gold in many of these territories. "Mobscene" was nominated in the Best Metal Performance category at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards in 2004. The album was supported by the Grotesk Burlesk Tour.
Controversies[edit]
On June 30, 2003, the mutilated body of fourteen-year old schoolgirl Jodi Jones was discovered in woodland near her home in Easthouses, Scotland.[58] The injuries sustained by Jones closely resembled those of actress Elizabeth Short, who was murdered in 1947 and was popularly referred to by media as the Black Dahlia.[59][60] Jones' boyfriend, then-fifteen year old Luke Mitchell, was arrested on suspicion of her murder ten months later.[61] During a search of his home, detectives confiscated a copy of The Golden Age of Grotesque containing the short film Doppelherz.[62] It was purchased two days after Jones' death.[63] A ten-minute excerpt from the film, as well as several paintings by Manson depicting the Black Dahlia's mutilated body, were presented as evidence during the trial.[62][64][65]
Although Mitchell's defense attorney argued that Jones' injuries were inconsistent with those found in Manson's paintings,[66] Lord Nimmo Smith said during sentencing that he did "not feel able to ignore the fact that there was a degree of resemblance between the injuries inflicted on Jodi and those shown in the Marilyn Manson paintings of Elizabeth Short that we saw. I think that you carried an image of the paintings in your memory when you killed Jodi."[67] Mitchell was found guilty of murder and sentenced to serve a minimum of twenty years in prison.[68] Manson later dismissed claims that his work inspired the murder, arguing instead that "the education that parents give their children and the influences they receive" plays a more direct role in violent behavior, and criticised media who attempted to "[put] the blame elsewhere."[65]
The Golden Age of Grotesque is the final studio album to feature longtime keyboardist Madonna Wayne Gacy and guitarist John 5, who would both acrimoniously quit the group over the following years. John 5's relationship with Manson had soured over the course of the Grotesk Burlesk Tour. According to John, Manson spoke to him only once during the entire tour: "It was on my birthday and he turned to me and said, 'Happy birthday, faggot'—then walked away."[69] Manson also displayed hostility towards the guitarist on stage. During a performance of "The Beautiful People" at the 2003 Rock am Ring festival, Manson kicked and then shoved John, who appeared to respond in anger by throwing his guitar to the ground and raising his fists to Manson, before resuming the song.[70] John 5 later revealed that the "fight" was staged, and a regular occurrence in the band's stage performance, but that night John 5 had "snapped" because his sister had recently died.[71] Gacy, who was also the band's last remaining original member – excluding Manson – quit shortly before the recording of the band's next studio album, Eat Me, Drink Me (2007).[72] He would later file a $20 million lawsuit against Marilyn Manson for unpaid "partnership proceeds",[73] accusing the vocalist of spending money earned by the band on "sick and disturbing purchases of Nazi memorabilia and taxidermy, including the skeleton of a young Chinese girl."[74]
Commercial performance[edit]
Industry forecasters predicted that The Golden Age of Grotesque was on course to become the band's second number one album on the Billboard 200, following 1998's Mechanical Animals, with estimated first-week sales of around 150,000 copies.[94] The album debuted at number one with first week sales of over 118,000 copies,[95] at the time the lowest opening week total for a number one-debuting studio album since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data in 1991.[96] This figure was just 1,000 copies more than the first week sales of Holy Wood, which debuted at number thirteen in November 2000.[97] Sales of the album dipped to 45,000 copies on its second week, resulting in a positional drop on the Billboard 200 to number 21.[98] This broke the record previously held by Nine Inch Nails' 1999 album The Fragile for the largest drop from number one in the chart's history.[99] The Golden Age of Grotesque held this record until Incubus' Light Grenades dropped to number 37 in December 2006.[100] As of November 2008, the album has sold 526,000 copies in the US, making it the lowest-selling number one-debuting studio album of 2003. This was the second year the band achieved this, after Mechanical Animals became the lowest-selling number one-debuting studio album of 1998.[101] It also entered the Canadian Albums Chart at number one, selling 11,500 copies on its first week.[102]
The record was more successful internationally than the band's previous albums, particularly in Europe, where it sold over 400,000 copies during its first week to debut at number one on Billboard's European Top 100 Albums.[103] It topped various national record charts, namely Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland,[104] as well as the album chart of the Wallonia region of Belgium,[105] and the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart.[106] It also peaked within the top five in France, Norway,[107] Portugal,[108] Spain, Sweden,[109] and the United Kingdom.[104] It attained gold certifications in several of these territories, including Austria (denoting 15,000 units),[110] Switzerland (20,000 units),[111] and France, Germany and the UK (100,000 copies each).[112][113][114] In Australasia, the album peaked at number five in both Australia and Japan,[115][116] and was certified gold in both countries for sales in excess of 35,000 and 100,000 copies, respectively.[117][118] It also peaked at number 16 in New Zealand.[119]
Notes
Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Golden Age of Grotesque.[120]
Marilyn Manson
Production