Marilyn Manson, “Mechanical Animals”
Marilyn Manson, Mechanical Animals (1998)
Nothing/Interscope Records
Photographer: Joseph Cultice
Designer: Paul Brown
Marilyn Manson’s 1998 album artwork for Mechanical Animals gained as much acclaim as it did controversy when it was unleashed on the world, and it’s easy to see why. When Manson was at the top of his game, he unveiled the artwork to his third studio album of himself as an androgynous figure, with prosthetic breasts, pale white skin, and six fingers.
Long hours of makeup and prosthetics were used to created for the art, photographed by Joseph Cultice. Manson was completely naked and covered head to toe in body paint. This character, which he named Omega, was meant to represent sexlessness and vulnerability.
In addition to the main album cover, there is a second, less obscene cover in the reverse side of the album booklet. This acts as an album cover for Manson’s fictitious band, Omega and the Mechanical Animals. In the long out of print vinyl edition of the record, the album is essentially split in two, with half of the tracks belonging to Marilyn Manson and the other half belonging to Omega. Manson sang of love and alienation, while Omega sang of sex and drug use.
Even more fascinating are the amount of messages hidden within the booklet of the album, designed by Paul Brown. The booklet and disc were housed in a blue jewel case. In the booklet, yellow text would be revealed when pressed up against the jewel case, such as a URL for the now defunct comawhite.com. Other quotes include:
“In the end I became them and I led them/ After all none of us really qualified as humans/ We were hardworn, automatic and as hollow as the ‘o’ in God/ I reattached my emotions cellular and narcotic/ From the top of Hollywood it looked like space/ Millions of capsules and Mechanical Animals/ A city filled with dead stars and a girl I called Comawhite/ This is my Omēga.”
The album art struck a major chord with several retailers in the late ’90s. Stores such as Target and Kmart required Manson’s prosthetic breasts to be covered with a sticker and put a Parental Advisory label on it, while Walmart refused to carry the album altogether due to it’s content.
Fun fact: the prosthetic breasts worn by Manson on the cover are now owned by his longtime friend, Johnny Depp.
