Marilyn Manson photo courtesy gary miller |
by jeff barringer
club kingsnake staff
The
Cleveland Plain Dealer and the
Associated Press are reporting that 14 year old school shooter Asa Coon was wearing a black Marilyn Manson T-Shirt when he went on his rampage, and that he idolized Marilyn Manson. "Students said Monday's fight was over God — Coon told his classmates he didn't believe in God and instead worshiped rocker Marilyn Manson".
No stranger to controversy or lawsuits, it won't be long before the lawyers and media once again set upon the performer in a mis-begotten effort to shift the blame. It's not the first time that music has been made the scapegoat for societies and individuals ills.
Not only has Manson been targeted previously (and wrongly) in the Columbine shootings, performers such as Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer and Judas Priest have all been implicated in wrongful death lawsuits or criminal behavior attributed to their fans. Though the courts have come down in the favor of the artists so far, citing first amendment rights, the mainstream media in general has been less kind.
Is it right to hold artists responsible for the actions of mentally unbalanced fans?