the NachtKabarett
All Writing & Content © Nick Kushner Unless Noted Otherwise
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand.Revelation 14:9
And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.Revelation 17:5
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CELEBRITARIANISM | Celebritarian.com was the first step and public display of the concept of Manson's Celebritarianism. The site was hinted at in the lyrics to Holy Wood in the song The Fall Of Adam in which the term was used which Manson coined. And what brought specific attention towards it was in the liner notes which reads "Celebritarian™ used by permission". The is the meaning behind Celebritarianism being that religion is based on death; echoed by the precepts and rituals of Christianity where we drink the blood in the form of wine and whose body we feed upon in the form of a communion wafer; the devouring of celebrity as set by precedent of the first celebrity, Jesus Christ.
It is a theme which Manson has been evoking since his inception. The original Celebritarian.com and more are archived here and firstly by The NACHTKABARETT.
CELEBRITARIAN CORPORATION EMBLEM | Though evidently aborted for use upon the release of 'Eat Me, Drink Me' in 2007, the montage is the official Celebritarian Corporation masthead which Manson conceptualized to embody the era and art movement he had been cultivating between 2004 to 2006.
Outlined in the following is a breakdown of each element of the collage, all amalgamated and assembled together to embody the ethos of Celebritarianism, with each piece a representation of the themes Manson wished to portray.
DOUBLE-CROSS - THE CELEBRITARIAN SYMBOL | Celebritarianism, The Cross of Lorraine & Freemasonry. Celebritarian.com was (temporarily) resurrected from the dead in October of 2005. The sole symbol which the website consisted of is a double barred cross, often known as The Cross of Lorraine. It's a symbol that has connotations in the occult, alchemy as well as freemasonry, all of which have been underlying, reoccurring and key elements throughout Manson's art.
First hinted at by its implied formation on the cover of the unreleased Holy Wood novel, it is a symbol which has been consistently been referenced by Manson since this date and is additionally found within the cover artwork of 'Eat Me, Drink Me'.
HOLY WOOD ERA GUN CRUCIFIX
| "Do you love your guns, your god, your government?" as Manson scathingly indicted on 'The Love Song', against the ideals America holds above all else. The three tools it uses to justify its bigotry, blind-hatred and bloodlust. The gun crucifix symbol which Manson adopted during the 'Holy Wood' era symbolizes that very theme of, literal, violence worship by combining three guns into a symbol of universal worship, the central arm of which is styled after the rifle used to assassinate Kennedy whom America has historically valued as a martyr, or Second Christ, via his very public death. The type of death which both makes the aggregate public reel in horror, and conversely enthralled to complete absorption and consumption of tragedy.
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PERSONAL JESUS | Though a Depeche Mode cover, Marilyn Manson's video for 'Personal Jesus' contained many references which began with a new logo on the single cover, its accompanying artwork and even down to the apocalyptic imagery within the video for the song itself.
Depeche Mode; the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; the legendary slayer of the dragon (ie - Satan), St. George; false prophets; and evangelical profiteers are all present within the one and only single from 'Lest We Forget'.
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LEST WE FORGET & THE AGAINST ALL GODS TOUR | Marilyn Manson, 2004 - 2006. The era of 'Lest We Forget' and the 'Against All Gods Tour', their influences, imagery and inspirations Manson has cited leading up to The Celebritarian Corporation and Phantasmagoria. Influences and imagery ranging from The Black Death, Romanticism, Lewis Carroll, Victorian era fashion, Marlene Dietrich, Nineteenth Century military aesthetic, and an overall extension of 'The Golden Age of Grotesque.'
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BIBLICAL PASSAGES WITHIN MANSON'S ARTWORK | 'The God Bandaid' & 'Tim Skold / Biblical Swastika'. Passages, and literally pages, from the Holy Bible within Marilyn Manson's artwork. All deciphered by NACHTKABARETT contributing partner, Brad Jaeger, the unifying theme presented by the King James Bible's juxtaposition within these two paintings are deception (assisted by God himself), premonitions of burning strongholds, dashed children, and mass murder by the sword, the necessity of Jesus' death for mankind's salvation, cannibalism, polygamy, the total destruction of the earth, as orchestrated by God himself. All as Manson's continued presentation of the morbid foundations and hypocrisy within the teachings that self righteous Christianity invokes for personal gain.
MARILYNMANSON.COM - v1.0 : CELEBRITARIAN RESURRECTION | January to March 2006. The first new signs of a thematic direction emerged from Manson in January 2006, following by the 'Against All Gods Tour', the resurrection of Celebritarian.com and the announcement of the Phantasmagoria film project.
Subtly contained within a changing flash introduction to MarilynManson.com were three brand new images hinting at his new direction and the first stages of a cryptic number code which would be present within the site for another year.
All original elements are archived and hosted here by The NACHTKABARETT.
MARILYNMANSON.COM - v2.0 : PHANTASMAGORIC INTRODUCTION | April 21st, 2006 to now.
Seven years had passed since the tragedy that took place in Colorado which Manson was virtually solely scapegoated for allegedly inspiring, the subject of Celebritarianism was again revisited, marking the new evolution of MarilynManson.com. As a litteral illustration of the word 'phantasmagoria', the website was now an instantaneously flashing of 26 cryptic and disturbing images with a superimposed MM atop : elements of Manson's film project, images which reflect the concept of Celebritarianism further discussed below, and images hinting at the original concept of Marilyn Manson.
MARILYNMANSON.COM - v2.1 : CELEBRITARIAN FLASH EMBLEM | April 25th to November, 2006. Following the teaser introduction of the number cypher and two following introductions showing new imagery for Manson's Phantasmagoria film, more of the website was launched in a slightly more "complete" form. Or at least inasmuch as showcasing many numerous new images and the number code evolving into an interactive puzzle to be entered into the site itself.
All original elements archived here by The NACHTKABARETT.
MARILYNMANSON.COM - v3.0 : FULL CELEBRITARIAN SITE LAUNCH | Heralding in Celebritarianism, the allusions to the Victorian Era and a prelude to Phantasmagoria which lasted from November 2006 to April 2007. After long stagnation of nearly six months, the brand new Celebritarian themed MarilynManson.com was launched on November 6, 2006.
Though this site incarnation would be short lived, and very soon discarded altogether in favour of the 'Eat Me, Drink Me' themed official site, several cryptic new elements were revealed as to Manson's direction with Celebritarianism. Details within the following article is a breakdown and decryption of many of the symbols and hints which were included in this now "lost" era in Marilyn Manson history.