“The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles”: Michael Kenneth Williams Stars in New Marilyn Manson Video

Although he’s probably still best known from his role on HBO’s The Wire, actor Michael Kenneth Williams is basically one Pulp Fiction away from turning into his generation’s Sam Jackson — which is to say, he’s in goddamn everything. Last year alone, he had prominent roles in Inherent Vice, Robocop, The Purge: Anarchy, The Gambler, and the final season of Boardwalk Empire. And he has at least three other movies scheduled for release this year. There are hookers who work less than this dude.

Williams’ latest performance comes via this monologue at the beginning of Marilyn Manson’s new video for “The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles”:

“First time I met him I could feel the hounds of Hell on my trail. He walked up to me all slow-like. It got dark, real dark. I couldn’t breathe. Almost said, ‘God DAMN!’ He said, ‘Shhhh. My son. It’s not what you think. I’m The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles.”

Which is both very on-the-nose and quite nonsensical (so Williams was all freaked out because Mephistopheles was really scary, and Mephistopheles attempted to calm him down by confirming that he was, indeed, a horrible demon? Huh?).  But Williams makes it work, in part because he’s a good actor, and in part because he’s got one of this unmistakable voices that just makes shit sound cool pretty much no matter what (you should hear him order breakfast!).

Unfortunately, that’s the extent of Williams’ appearance in, and is the best part of, the clip. After that it becomes typical Manson religious stuff. I think this idea is to equate religion with Mephistopheles, although I would also not be shocked if you told me that Manson just doesn’t actually know who Mephistopheles is.

Watch the video below. The song is on Manson’s latest, Born Villain, which is out now.

[via Metal Injection]