Controversy continues to follow Marilyn Manson as a UK council leader calls for the cancellation of his upcoming Halloween show, which comes shortly after current bandmate Piggy D. publicly praised the singer’s return to the stage.
The BBC reports, Millie Earl, leader of the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, has urged venue operator BH Live to reconsider hosting Manson at the Bournemouth International Centre, citing concerns over violence against women.
Earl expressed:
“Because of our lease arrangement with them, we don’t have any input into the decisions that are made, the acts that are appearing, although I have actually written to BH Live to express my concern.
I don’t feel Marilyn Manson reflects the values we have in BCP and we’ve been doing a lot of work around things like the White Ribbon accreditation scheme which helps men and boys change negative, damaging behaviours.
So I have asked that BH Live reconsider hosting Marilyn Manson later this year.”
Although multiple allegations were previously made against Manson, including high-profile accusations from Evan Rachel Wood and Esmé Bianco, California prosecutors declined to press charges, citing statute of limitations issues and insufficient evidence to meet the legal standard of proof. However, a few cases against the shock rocker remain pending. While some, like Earl, remain vocal critics, Manson’s bandmate Matt Montgomery (a.k.a. Piggy D.) had nothing but praise for the singer in a recent interview with 96.7 KCAL-FM’s Wired In The Empire.
On working with a sober Manson, Piggy expressed:
“Yeah, he’s amazing. His focus is sharp and he is an inspiration to people; he really is. And I’m proud to stand next to him, because I think he’s representing hard. And as somebody that’s been in and out of sobriety over the years, it’s amazing to see somebody turn their life around. It’s always an amazing story. It doesn’t matter who they are. It’s always an amazing story. The miracle is never lost on me. You put a microphone in front of it, you can do some good. And it’s cool.”
Piggy also highlighted the positive energy within the band’s current lineup and the creative excitement surrounding Manson’s latest release, One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1. “The shows have been rad,” he added.
On the overall setlist, Piggy expressed:
“There’s a wealth of material to pull from, if you wanna get weird and do weird stuff. He knows what he’s doing. And personally, what do I love? I love the hard stuff. But that’s just because it makes me think it’s 1996 again, which was a good time, nostalgic for different reasons. But I enjoy all of it, honestly. It’s all very musical and fun stuff to play, and I’m honored to be able to play it.”
Watch the full interview below:
