Otep Shamaya and Phoebe Bridgers Share Unsettling Marilyn Manson Encounters
Otep’s Otep Shamaya and singer/songwriter Phoebe Bridgers have shared unsettling accounts of their own experiences with Marilyn Manson.
On Monday, February 1, Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood wrote a post on Instagram in which she said that Manson, her former fiancée, “horrifically abused me for years.” While she has implied in the past that Manson abused her, this was the first time she explicitly mentioned his name. Since then, there’s been a deluge of similar accusations from other women.
Additionally, two former Manson collaborators, Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland and Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor, have both spoken out against the shock rocker. Borland called Manson “a bad fucking guy” and asserted that his victims “are speaking the truth,” while Reznor said that he has “been vocal over the years about my dislike of Manson as a person and cut ties with him nearly 25 years ago.” He also denied, not for the first time, a story from Manson’s memoir, The Long Hard Road Out of Hell, in which the singer claims that he and Reznor plied two women with alcohol and then took advantage of them once they were heavily inebriated.
Shamaya and Bridgers are the latest music industry insiders to come forward with unsettling stories about encounters with Manson. Although neither woman says she was abused by Manson, they both have first-hand accounts of either witnessing abuse or witnessing Manson gloating about his heinous behavior.
First is Shamaya, who says Manson’s current wife, Lindsay Usich, used to call Shamaya’s ex-girlfriend “hysterical because [Manson] was on another drug binge, threatening her life, throwing knives at her that stuck in the wall and verbally assaulting her.” [Shamaya’s statement has been edited slightly for clarity.]
“WARNING: UNPOPULAR OPINION COMNG: Hey everyone, ok, I’ve been getting a lot of requests regarding my thoughts on Manson. I don’t normally discuss personal stuff but since all this evidence is coming out that he’s sexually & physically assaulted a number of women and minors not to mention being a sexist and a Nazi sympathizer, I’ve decided to tell you what I know:
“I was a HUGE fan of his. I even wore his shirt on Ozzfest when ppl were blaming him for Columbine. And I’ve met him many times. We have mutual friends including Gene Simmons’ son, Nick Simmons. Manson even told one of my fans he was afraid of me after [Otep’s 2002 debut album] Sevas Tra was released which I took as a HUGE compliment.
“But then I dated a woman who was friends with his current wife Lindsay (and her twin sister – who’s married to James Iha of A Perfect Circle) and Lindsay used to call our house in the early hours & I was told she was hysterical because he was on another drug binge, threatening her life, throwing knives at her that stuck in the wall & verbally assaulting her. We offered many times to have her come to mine because he would NEVER come face ME with that bullshit (believe it) but sadly she wouldn’t leave him. So, my ex would be calm and talk her down until Manson realized she was on the phone and he whoa’d down.
“But then he started calling in the early hours. I was told he was paranoid, gacked out of his mind, and accusing his wife of cheating with an imaginary person who had blonde hair with a blonde mustache named ‘Don’ who he, I’m told, saw on his security cameras and was ‘fucking his wife.’
“Look. This is heartbreaking for all the women he’s hurt but also for all the fans who always had his back – like ME.
“BUT — He’s not the Luciferian evil everyone thinks he is. He’s just a violent junkie who chooses to bully and, according to reports, physically & sexually attacks women who he thinks are weaker than he is. I say …may he rot. #OTEP”
As for Bridgers, she says that when she was a teenager, Manson told her about his “rape room.” What she thought was a “horrible frat boy” joke at the time is considerably more disturbing in light of these new accusations.
“I went to Marilyn Manson’s house when I was a teenager with some friends. I was a big fan. He referred to a room in his house as the ‘rape room,’ I thought it was just his horrible frat boy sense of humor. I stopped being a fan. I stand with everyone who came forward.
“The label knew, management knew, the band knew. Distancing themselves now, pretending to be shocked and horrified is fucking pathetic.”
Other celebrities have been less condemning of Manson. Sharon Osbourne, who has worked frequently with Manson in the past, claims that “I know nothing about his sexual preferences or the way he treats women,” adding that he was always “respectful” towards her. And Manson’s ex-wife, Dita Von Teese, asserts that “the details made public do not match my personal experience during our 7 years together as a couple,” adding that “Abuse of any kind has no place in any relationship.”
Manson has previously called the accusations against him “horrible distortions of reality.” But the fallout has already been tremendous, with the singer being dropped by his label, Loma Vista, and his agency, CAA. He was also fired from television roles on the programs American Gods and Creepshow.
California State Senator Susan Rubio has requested that the FBI investigate Manson. There has been no word as to whether or not her request has been granted.
On Wednesday, February 3, police reportedly “swarmed” Manson’s home after a friend contacted authorities to say they couldn’t reach the singer and were concerned for his well-being. Although Manson never emerged from his house, a rep for the singer told police he was “fine.”
[via The PRP]
