Marilyn Manson is pretty much a hard rock and metal photographer’s dream subject and so Perou, the artist who has photographed him consistently on tour, in public and for the press over the last 20 years, ought to be pretty happy with himself. Over the years, the pair have built up something of a rapport, which is documented this month in the cheerily titled Marilyn Manson By Perou: 21 Years In Hell. Ahead of the book’s release, Perou has shared annotated captions for some of the most compelling images of Manson, including stories of accidental drug-addiction rumours, near-crushings by elephants in the desert and LAPD helicopters tracking them after they let off explosives for a shoot.
And as for what Manson himself has to say? “Just because you have a fucking Instagram page does not make you Perou.” A ringing endorsement if ever there was one – so read on.
Perou: [This is] from the first press session we shot in Amsterdam. Manson is wearing one of my friend Whitaker Malem’s pieces. Every time I photographed Marilyn Manson [over] more than 22 years, he was different, always evolving, no repetition, never dull, and usually up for trying something creative and unexpected.
This was from the first shoot and [the] first time I met Marilyn Manson in LA. I was shooting an Easter cover for Time Out magazine. Prior to this, I’d been listening to [Manson’s cover of] “Rock ‘N’ Roll Nigger” [by Patti Smith] as loud as it would go, driving round London with the T-tops off my 1982 Transam. We talk about this first meeting in the book. He wasn’t what I was expecting. Maybe I wasn’t what he was expecting. Something clicked, though, and it wasn’t just the shutter of my camera.
This is from a press session in 2017, shot in the studio and pleasingly used as huge banners for live shows. We’d shot another version of this on the roof of Manson’s managers’ house in the Hollywood Hills and let rip with some black smoke grenades. We were soon visited by an LAPD helicopter checking out what we were doing. We had to hide the machine guns and wave politely.
Another press session in LA, 2003. We both love a good hat: my bowler comes from Lock & Co on St James’s Street [in London], who made the first bowler hats. I don't know where Manson got this one. I’ve got a good story about Grace Jones and one of my hats… for another time.
In 2007 we had a terrible shoot together. In fact, it was so bad, we didn't speak to each other for a few years after it. These were shot in a gallery space Manson had for a while in East Hollywood and he hated the pictures. Subsequently, he's said these are some of his favourite pictures we’ve done; their reception at the time was more to do with his state of mind and we talk at length about this in the book.
See the Lonely Island song "Sax Man"…
We talk about this trip to Moscow in the book too: such a nutty time. This is Manson in Red Square. On this tour, we’d sometimes go off on our own for an evening photo safari, with just his bouncer and a driver and take pictures around whatever city we were in.
After having to bribe my way out of Moscow I promised myself never to return to Russia and I haven't since. It’s a longer story: buy the book.
On set of the video for “mOBSCENE” in the Californian desert, 2003, just before Manson narrowly avoided death by elephant. I’m wearing a flight suit with a patch that reads “I like to watch”. I used to wear that suit a lot more often, until I was sitting in the reception of Flaunt magazine and the UPS delivery courier moved in a little too close and whispered, "I like to be watched.”
This was from the album artwork shoot for Heaven Upside Down. I broke my knee skiing in France a few days before I flew to LA to shoot this and I was shooting anti-clotting drugs into my stomach. I left a needle in the studio toilets and rumour went round Manson was doing drugs in there. I had to let it be known it was me.
Marilyn Manson By Perou: 21 Years In Hell (Reel Art Press, £50) is out on 23 June.
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