Marilyn Manson in his own words: Click here to buy his autobiography, "The Long Hard Road Out of Hell," at BARNES & NOBLE

Manson's softer side made its debut with the release of his second album, "Mechanical Animals," in 1998. He adopted an even more feminine look, complete with "breasts," added a touch of glam-rock and created music reminiscent of Ziggy Stardust vibes. Would you balk at playing early David Bowie in your family sedan? If you're not sure, take a look at these tame lyrics:

In space the stars are no nearer
They just glitter like a morgue
And I dreamed I was a spaceman
Burned like a moth in a flame

But a lot of fans, lustful for the old ripping guitar and hellish lyrics, are pissed at the new incarnation. In an Alternative Press interview, Manson said of the new album:

Making "Mechanical Animals" was, for me, like stepping foot in the world for the first time. I felt very vulnerable. I got involved in a relationship and fell in love, I think for the first time. And I started to feel empathy for other people. It wasn't so much I found God or became a pussy ... nothing like that. I just found the balance I'd always preached about.

I'm not sure where Marilyn Manson's next metamorphosis will lead him. In concert he adopts a multitude of alter egos, from a spidery sheer body-stockinged marionette to a police officer to a gargantuan circus creature on stilts. He prances across the stage in a metallic glam outfit, is debonair mimicking Fred Astaire in a fedora and overcoat, and eerie as an evangelist preaching from a podium. His show is more Broadway extravaganza than macabre satanic ritual. Tortured animals and bizarre sex acts were nowhere to be seen.

I'm not saying Manson is an angel or a particularly good role model for my kids. In his book, he describes his hedonistic rock star life, complete with drugs, groupie sex and lots of money to burn. But what do I care? I look to Manson for entertainment, not instructions on life. There are some songs I don't play around my kids, 3 and 7 years old, because of their profane or scary lyrics. On the other hand, if as teenagers they chose to listen to this stuff, I definitely would not censor it, but I'd use it as a launching ground for conversation about Manson and his intentions.

I expose my children to a host of musicians I love besides Manson -- Frank Sinatra, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Billie Holiday. They all express themselves in unique ways, but I don't hold their lives up as examples. The work and life of an artist are separate. Some may argue that Frank Sinatra is perhaps more saintly than Manson. Yes, he sang quiet love songs instead of lyrics like "the God of Fuck." Yes, he wore snappy two-piece suits instead of transparent catsuits, but that doesn't mean he was someone you'd want to hang out with. With his connections to the mob, I'd be a lot more afraid of meeting Sinatra in a dark alley than Manson any day.

That's what Manson does for me, and I suspect for a lot of teenagers as well. After a harrowing day of carpooling screaming kids, there's nothing like a blast of Manson to dissolve my stress and frustration. Perhaps songs of alienation and danger are so popular among teens because they speak to the intense feelings of that age. But do they have the power to warp innocent kids into killers? I don't think so. If anything, I would maintain rock 'n' roll has prevented more acts of violence than it's caused. Who hasn't cried along to a song and felt better afterwards?

I appreciate Manson's imagery and grant him full poetic license. If we can suspend our disbelief when watching theater or movies, viewing art or reading books, then we can certainly do it when listening to music. As Manson writes in his book:

The important thing to me is we've written good songs that people will remember and sing. We've infiltrated into the mainstream in a way that they don't want and I think that is a work of art in itself.

I, for one, am singing.
salon.com | May 28, 1999

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