A Hug to My Personal Freddy Krueger

Over the past year or so, Pandora has played so much music for me that I am unable to healthily expand my taste. Thousands of pieces of wrapped chocolate with no names rain from the sky and I miss out on those that don't fall into my pint-sized bucket. There is so much music to check out, but there is not enough time. However, there are times like this when someone spends time discussing a band or musician he/she enjoys. As Halloween drew near, the Distressed Watcher on thatguywiththeglasses.com did just that while summoning a very familiar boogyman. In fact, thanks to my Pandora friends (Tenebris in Lux especially) and DW's video that boogyman doesn't frighten me so much anymore.

Who or what could I possibly be talking about? The musician that upset adults of the left and right, parents of children, fellow kids of mine as well as the generation before me. The one whose music was accussed of "corrupting" the minds of the boys behind the Colombine High School shooting. The one whose band was banned from performing in some states.

Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don't let the Antichrist Superstar get you.

Actually, this looks more hilarious than scary.

I'm not sure if anyone my age ever has seen Marilyn Manson's happy, cheery face that brought lovely, sweet dreams (what a bad pun -_-) to children and teenagers. I do not have any notable early memories of being scared of him (only time I know for sure was back in 2007), but I know I heard the name more than seen the image. All I was told that he was creepy. Bad news. Controversial. Even satanic. And like the good child I was, I feared Marilyn Manson because people were scared of him and expected me to feel the same. No reason, just irrational ignorance and fear.

As I grew older, I started to question and find my own answers to things that didn't make sense to me. Religious views and perspectives, political nonsense, and the nature of fans of etertainment as a whole. Inevitably, Marilyn Manson must have been destined to be my next target.

Why did people fear him? Why do some STILL fear him? How did I see him as an object of fear that adults painted for me? Why should I still be scared of him?

It's been taking over a year, but compared to me as a kid, I practically love this guy and his music. I finally burst out of my comfort zone and gave Marilyn Manson a chance. Lo and behold! I have such a greater appreciation of him as an artist. Don't get me wrong, I'm not into him like how I am with HIM (damn these puns!), but I'll be shocked if another year goes by and I still don't call myself a fan.

Minus the temporarily missing eyebrows, he doesn't look too creepy to me.

Does he still creep me out? Oh yeah, quite a bit. But I wholeheartedly no longer see a reason to FEAR him. Keep him from children? Because of his literature and cultural references, definitely (that's more research time for me.) Say that he poisons minds into killing others? That's pretty stupid. Saying he's the devil? That's worse. His image is as insane as his music, but Mans - oops, should I say - Brian Warner is a human being with an art you may like, hate, or not give a crap about. Feel free to disagree.

We all have childhood ghosts as well as Freddy Kruegers. The question is, when and are you ready to let them go? I am in this phase right now. But for the last question: HOW will you let go? Hug it? Kill it? Do something because ignoring ghosts is like leaving a bomb to detonate right on your lap.

Again, thanks to Tenebris and Schweinwerfer-sempai, my music buddies, and the Distressed Watcher's enjoyable video. Without them, I wouldn't have wasted over two hours of my life watching his music videos in one school night. Mom wasn't happy... XD