Assistant Says Marilyn Manson Abused and Threatened to Kill Wife Lindsay Usich
Dan Cleary, a former assistant to Marilyn Manson who now co-hosts the podcast Rare Form Radio, says he saw the shock rocker physically abuse and threaten to kill his wife, photographer Lindsay Usich.
Clearly made the revelation during an episode of the podcast released to paid subscribers this past Tuesday, February 16. Although he never explicitly named Usich, he shared horrific stories of abuse which he says took place in 2014 and 2015 and involved Manson’s “then-girlfriend” and “now-wife.” The timeline makes it clear he’s referring to Usich.
Said Cleary during the episode:
“I saw some physical abuse as far as like pushing and throwing things at her and a lot of like violent outbursts around her ― breaking things. A lot of mental abuse and name-calling and threats.”
He continued:
“There were times when Manson would tell her that he’s going to kill her and cut her up and that I’m going to bury her in the desert ― me. He would leave the room and I would [tell her], ‘You’re going to be fine. I’m not going to do any of that. Let’s get you to a hotel.’”
This is not the first time Cleary has claimed to have witnessed Manson’s abusive behavior first-hand. In September of 2020, he told Twitter followers:
“I worked directly with Marilyn Manson in 2007-2008 for his touring band when Evan Rachel Wood was with him. She was on tour with us the entire time. Over the course of 1 year he turned her into a different person. He broke her. I didn’t totally realize until later in life.
“I then starting working for him as his personal assistant in 2014-2015. I saw first hand, over & over him being an abusive violent boyfriend to his GF Lindsay. Over the almost 2 year stretch I saw her in tears & him screaming & belittling her more often than I didn’t.
“He would threaten to kill her, cut her up, bury her, embarrass her to the world. Making her cry & fear him made him feel good. He would remind her that she’d be homeless without him and make fun of her learning disabled family member.
“Everyone in his immediate circle knows this. But everyone (including myself) is afraid to say anything because of ‘the code’. It’s frowned upon to tell people’s private business.
“Those of us that stay quiet do it because we were making a living. And it’s hard to find work in music if you can’t keep your mouth shut. But enough is enough. His fans will be angry & not believe it because they don’t want to. I understand that. I’m sorry to them. But it’s true.
“I will also say that a reason I stayed quiet is because of a kind thing he did. On tour in 2007 my stepmom died suddenly. The Manson camp flew me home for a week on their dime & paid me anyway. I will still never forget that & it sincerely meant a lot to me.
“But as I see so many people defending him & calling his accusers liars I’ve just had enough. Believe them, I saw it. I have nothing to gain from this & plenty to lose. There are people in his band/crew that I’m still close to. My apologies to them. But they also know I’m right.
“He is a brilliant musician, an incredibly smart & funny man. But he’s also a mentally & physically abusive drug addict that has the ability to be super kind & emotional. It’s hard to wrap your head around. I’m not asking for him to be ‘canceled’, fuck ALL that cancel stuff.
“My sole focus is for people to not call these women liars. They’re not. Manson gave me a living for a long time, gave me great music as a kid, I appreciate the opportunities. I saw the entire world for the 1st time with him. This was not easy but I had to do it. I stand by it.”
On February 1, Wood — a star of HBO’s Westworld and Manson’s former fiancée — that Manson (born Brian Warner) “horrifically abused me for years.” She elaborated on those accusations a week later, at which point she also said that Usich and someone named Leslee Lane were “conspiring to release photos of me when I was UNDERAGE, after being given large amounts of drugs and alcohol, after Brian performed on Halloween in Las Vegas, to ‘ruin my career’ and ‘shut me up.’”
While Wood has implied in the past that Manson abused her, this has been the first time she explicitly named the shock rocker. Since then, there’s been a deluge of similar accusations from other women.
Manson has called the previous 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 and by his longtime manager, Tony Ciulla, who dropped his client after 25 years of working together.
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.
Otep frontwoman Otep Shamaya shared an unsettling story about Manson over the weekend, as did singer/songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. The actor Corey Feldman has also accused Manson of “decades [of] mental and emotional abuse.”
Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy’s wife and manager, addressed calls to comment on Manson by saying her relationship with him was strictly business and that she wasn’t privy to his personal life.
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.”
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.
[via The Huffington Post]
