Shock rocker Marilyn Manson has defended pointing a fake assault rifle at fans during a California concert Sunday that triggered criticism. He called it an “act of theater” to make an anti-gun statement in the wake of the Texas church shooting that killed 26 people just hours before the concert.
Manson wielded the gun from a wheelchair in the San Bernardino Knotfest Meets Ozzfest concert as he was pushed around by a stagehand in a surgeon’s scrubs. Manson has been confined to a wheelchair since a falling prop broke his leg during a performance in September. A microphone was inserted into the scope of the rifle, and when he lifted it to sing, the barrel of the gun — which had a bright orange cap attached to it — pointed to the audience. He used the prop during his track “We Know Where You Fucking Live” from “Heaven Upside Down.”
Manson told Billboard in a statement that the gun prop was an attempt to “make a statement about how easily accessible semi-automatic weapons are and how seeing them has become normalized.
“My art has always been a reaction to popular culture and my way to make people think about the horrible things that happen in this world. My performance was not meant to be disrespectful or show any insensitivity. ... My empathy goes out to anyone who has been affected by the irresponsible and reprehensible misuse of REAL guns.”
“In an era where mass shootings have become a nearly daily occurrence this was an act of theater in an attempt to make a statement about how easily accessible semi-automatic weapons are and how seeing them has become normalized. My art has always been a reaction to popular culture and my way to make people think about the horrible things that happen in this world. My performance was not meant to be disrespectful or show any insensitivity. The prop microphone I used on stage was handed to me with the approval of a police officer. My empathy goes out to anyone who has been affected by the irresponsible and reprehensible misuse of REAL guns.”