MARILYN MANSON LIKES CATS, TIM SKOLD
The ultimate Marilyn Manson fansite, The Heirophant, has a new interview up with the Reverend Manson himself regarding his forthcoming offering Eat Me, Drink Me (which is amazing, by the way- expect a review real soon). The interview features the usual Manson oddities – like the revelation that Manson is a cat person: “I got the phone call that was kind of the final breaking point in my marriage,” Manson recalls in the interview. “I was faced with the concept that I would never see my cats again.” Uh, al-righty then.
But the really interesting part of the interview is when Manson discusses his collaboration with Tim Skold (pictured left with Manson), the producer/bass player who takes over on this album as producer/guitar player. Skold is Manson’s new MVP, and he really earns his stripes on this disc: his songwriting is amazing, his guitar solos, absolutely incredible.
Here’s what Manson has to say about Skold’s contributions to this album:
“I think what I came into was a real collaboration for the very first time… I suppose the easiest way to explain, but not to simplify in any way, the guitar work that Tim does melodically and the creative end of his songwriting is what I would imagine doing if I played guitar… I didn’t have to tell Tim how to be Tim. I’ve never been in the position with a guitar player — especially with John 5 — where you could attach an emotion to a melody.
“I think objectively it may be as simple as the fact that Tim was around me the most last year. I think that he may have just written music that reflected what he saw me going through…
“Tim wanted to get across — I don’t think he wanted to prove himself so much, but I think part of him wanted to prove that he could be a guitar player that people did not imagine, and he truly is. Nobody expected him to play the guitar that he played on this record. I did. I’ve always known. I’ve known him and know what he’s capable of…
“Tim did not want to record the instruments in the way we have done at times in the past, where you’re chopping apart every single note and perfecting everything. Things people see as flaws were left in intentionally.”
Interesting stuff – and it’s unusual to see Manson giving a collaborator so much credit. I’d love to see an interview with Skold himself real soon to get his perspective.
-AR
