Marilyn Manson – Stage Name Origins

Marilyn Manson may very well have the most infamous stage name on the planet. As a pioneer of shocking imagery and lyrical content in mainstream music, Manson has been met with much vilification and protest due to the misunderstanding of his creative direction.

Born Brian Hugh Warner, the vocalist came up with the moniker of Marilyn Manson by combining the names of iconic actress Marilyn Monroe and psychotic cult leader Charles Manson.

He chose those two names specifically because he viewed Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson as the two most iconic figures of the 1960s. Marilyn Manson's bandmates would also adopt the actress / killer names, such as Ginger Fish (Ginger Rogers / Albert Fish) and Madonna Wayne Gacy (Madonna / John Wayne Gacy).