Manson on the June 2018 cover of Kerrang!, photo by Perou.

“I watched it, (Columbine), live on TV. They said that there were five boys dressed in Marilyn Manson costumes, and then it was three, and then it was two. But I was watching it live, and I remember the day, I was in Chicago, in a hotel room, just going I know I’m going to get blamed for this, and I don’t know why. But then I actually see my face come up, (on the screen), like I was responsible, when they weren’t fans anyways…” - Marilyn Manson, Channel 4 interview, December 2017

The headline “Life in the Trenches” and Manson’s black trench coat on the June 2018 cover of Kerrang! is a further reference to Columbine. When the news about Columbine broke, the killers were reported by various media outlets to be wearing Marilyn Manson costumes, Marilyn Manson shirts, Marilyn Manson makeup, the “gothic look popularized by Marilyn Manson”, (New York Times), etc. However, none of these claims were true. The killers were actually wearing long black trench coats, with Harris in a shirt that said “natural selection” and Klebold in black. The initial media reports that the shooters were wearing Marilyn Manson costumes started the witch-hunt against Manson, and led to the wrongful blame that was placed upon him for Columbine.

Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris during the Columbine shooting. Note the clear absence of any form of Marilyn Manson costumes/makeup/shirts.

Manson’s black trench coat can also be seen as a nod to the “Trench Coat Mafia.” The media surrounding Columbine reported that the shooters were members of the “Trench Coat Mafia”, a group of “self styled outcasts” at Columbine High School that wore black trench coats. Additional reports claimed that the “Trench Coat Mafia” was a cult with Neo-Nazi ties, which created further stigma and bias against the group, and positioned them as a scapegoat to blame for the shooters’ actions. However, not only were the claims of the group having Neo-Nazi ties entirely inaccurate, but neither Klebold, nor Harris were even members of the group. The inaccurate reporting on the “Trench Coat Mafia” is yet another example of the lack of factuality by journalists and media sensationalism surrounding Columbine that Manson has discussed. Manson’s nod to the group references the witch hunt that he also experienced, (on a much greater level), as the media lied and manipulated his music to wrongfully blame him for Columbine.

Headline from the Argus Leader newspaper the day after the Columbine shootings.The media had already started using “Trench Coat Mafia” headlines as a scapegoat a mere day after the shooting occurred.

Manson’s black trench coat is also a nod to the 1999 dystopian science fiction action film The Matrix. In addition to the media reports on Columbine, Manson was also tied to the shooting due to his single Rock Is Dead being featured in The Matrix.

The official movie poster of The Matrix, note the similarities between Manson’s black trench coat and sunglasses on the cover of Kerrang! to the poster.

The resemblance between the movie poster and general costumes in The Matrix, and the outfits of the Columbine shooters made the film a target for the media to blame for the shooting. This blame was furthered by the fact that the film contains a number of scenes where characters are dressed in long black trench coats, black clothing, and dark sunglasses and are holding large guns in a manner that is similar to that seen in the footage of the Columbine shooters. However this blame had no factual basis, as the film did not advocate for mass murder, and was not responsible for the actions of two homicidal high school students.



Keanu Reeves in The Matrix. Again note the similarities to Manson’s trench coat and gun to that of Reeves in the film.

Carrie-Anne Moss and Keanu Reeves in The Matrix.

Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris during the Columbine massacre. This still from the footage from “Hitmen for Hire”, a video made by Klebold and Harris for class*, was placed side by side with The Matrix by many who wanted to blame the film, and entertainment as a whole, for Columbine.

* This post originally stated that the footage was from the Columbine shootings, however as pointed out by users @goddamndylan and @99reb the footage is actually from the video “Hitmen for Hire” that Klebold and Harris made for class. This error has been corrected in light of this.

Manson’s single Rock Is Dead was featured in the end credits of The Matrix. A second music video for the song featuring clips from the film, (including clips of Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss holding guns in black trench coats, dark sunglasses, and black clothing), was released prior to Columbine, making Manson a further target to blame for the shooting.

The official Rock Is Dead music video with clips from The Matrix. Released after the original version of the Rock Is Dead music video (which does not contain any clips from The Matrix), this version of the video was utilized as a promotional tool for the film.



Interestingly enough, Rock Is Dead was also added to the set list for the Summer 2018 European leg of the Heaven Upside Down Tour. The song was first played at the Haarlem, Netherlands show on May 30, 2018, and has remained on the set list since. This is the first time Rock Is Dead has been played since October 28, 2015 at Tricky Falls in El Paso, Texas.

Manson performing Rock Is Dead on the Summer 2018 European leg of the Heaven Upside Down Tour.

The similarities in the style of Manson’s black trench coat on the cover of Kerrang!, and the costumes in The Matrix is a clear nod to the film. The reference serves as a reminder of how the media continues to use entertainment as a scapegoat for violence in society. and how artists to this day are still unfairly blamed by the media for the actions of other people.

Some of the countless headlines blaming entertainment for violence. Manson discussed the hypocrisy of claims like these in his essay “Is Adult Entertainment Killing Our Children? Or is Killing Our Children Adult Entertainment?”



Additionally, the headline, “Life In The Trenches” on Manson’s Kerrang! cover is a reference to war. Trench warfare was used predominantly in World War I and World War II, both of which were referenced by Manson in his interview with Kerrang!. The reference to war is seen heavily in Heaven Upside Down with Vietnam, (a full analysis on the references to Vietnam will be in Part 3), and is also seen on the Guns God and Government tour in Manson’s costuming and props. Throughout the tour Manson carried a (fake), giant rifle as a prop, and wore a military helmet (A further discussion on Manson’s use of guns and military symbolism will be included in tandem with Vietnam in part 3 of this analysis.)

Manson wearing a traditional SS infantry helmet with the Totenkopf (death’s head) symbol across the front. Helmet identification and photo credit to The Nachktabarett.

Manson holding a rifle prop during the Guns, God and Government tour. Photo credit to Manson Source.

“Life In The Trenches” can be seen as a reference to the battle and full out war that Manson fought and won against the media after Columbine happened. Manson’s fight against media sensationalism and conservative ideology is still going on, and continues to be reflected in his art to this day.

Manson shot for NME’s September 2017 issue promoting Heaven Upside Down. Photo by Perou.

Manson using a (fake) rifle microphone holder onstage during the Heaven Upside Tour at Knotfest on November 5, 2017. Knotfest was Manson’s first show after his accident at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom on September 30, 2017, and marked the debut of the prop.

It’s worth noting that Manson’s rifle microphone holder was replaced for the Winter 2017 European leg of the Heaven Upside Down tour due to media backlash. The media claimed that the prop had frightened audience members who believed it was a real semi automatic weapon, and that the prop was insensitive in light of yet another school shooting that had occurred that morning. However Manson was not aware of the shooting prior to stepping onstage, and the prop was handed to him while he was surrounded by police officers and is clearly not a real gun. The backlash to the prop is a further reflection of how society and the media have not changed in their disposition to blame artists and entertainment for school shootings. Rather than blaming the legislation that allows for individuals to purchase guns and shoot up schools, the media continues to use artists like Manson as a scapegoat, just as they did during Columbine.

Thank you for reading part 2 of my analysis on Manson’s June 2018 Kerrang! cover, Check back for part 3 coming within the week!

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Manson’s June 2018 Kerrang! Cover Analysis Part 1:

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