| as Suididal Tendancies, Meat Beat Manifesto, Murphy's Law and Genitorturers bought them considerable local recognition in the form of the 1993 'Slammy' Awards (taking the Song Of The Year nomination for 'Dope Hat') and sundry other baubles (not least short-heading Gloria Estifan for Best Local Musician category in South Florida magazine). In December 1993, bass player Gien was replaced by Twiggy Ramirez (Geordie Francis White, 20 June 1971, Florida, USA). Reznor acted as guest musician and executive producer on the band's 1994 debut album, with half of the tracks mixed at the house of the infamous Tate murders by the Manson family (where Nine Inch Nails also recorded). In March 1995, Lucas was replaced on drums by Ginger Fish (Kenny Wilson) Berkowitz also departed in June1996 (he later sued the band for unpaid royalties and breach of contract) and was replaced by Zim Zum (Mike Nastasi). Antichrist Superstar included the American hit single 'The Beautiful People' and reached number 3 on the billboard album charts. By 1998 they had become one of the biggest bands in the USA, assuming virtual cult status, a position aided as much by their notoriety and propensity for upsetting US right wing and christian groups as by their music. Mechanical Animals was a huge American chart-topper that also placed the band in the UK top 10 for the first time. During the recording of the album, Zim Zum left and was replaced by Johnhy 5. The highly articulate Manson was forced to morally defend himself when, in April 1999, two alleged fans, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, murdered 15 of their classmates at Colombine High School in Denver, Colorado. Tha Band was forced to abort their nationwide tour, although the fans were rewarded with the release of a live album. Manson raised many of the issues raised by the Colombine shootings on the band's new album. Holywood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death) was another impressive collection of articulate and deceptively melodic industrial rock that belied the moral majority's one-dimensional portrait of Marilyn Manson as a corrupting atonal degenerate. |
