Rocker Marilyn Manson made a surprise visit to Instructor Robert Main's Art and Society class on November 22, 2004. He and the class discussed matters concerning the role of the artist, artistic expression and creativity, the nature of mass art and the culture industry, Marilyn Manson's appearance in Michael Moore's documentary film, Bowling for Columbine, art and controversy, artistic integrity, his own development as a rocker, painter, and celebrity, and much more. A crew from MTV was on hand to film the event, segments of which premiered December 6th on the mtvU network to 700 member colleges and universities and 6 million students. Candids of the class are below.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Philadelphia Inquirer, Tue, Nov. 23, 2004
Rocker philosophizes in Temple visit
There was shock involved, all right.
By Patrick Kerkstra
Inquirer Staff Writer
Like any good substitute teacher, Marilyn Manson - the self-proclaimed "Antichrist superstar" - strode to the front of the Temple University classroom, wrote his name on the chalkboard, and underlined it authoritatively.
Then he plunked a bottle of red absinthe onto the lectern and wondered aloud whether he could share the liqueur with the shocked students sitting before him.
His surprise appearance yesterday was orchestrated and filmed by MTV's college network, known as mtvU. Manson's spin as a philosophy professor was the latest in a regular network feature that has included Sen. John Kerry, Snoop Dogg, and Jesse Jackson.
As the undergraduate Art & Society class filed in - with students warily eyeing the cameras and MTV crew - the regular instructor, Rob Main, fed them excuses about a taped teacher evaluation and quickly distributed a quiz to head off uncomfortable questions.
It worked. The students gasped when Manson - decked out in a black suit, shirt and tie, platform shoes with a chrome toe box, his trademark dark lipstick and bulbous sunglasses - entered with a small entourage.
"Oh my god, it's Marilyn Manson," one student said, and the class burst into applause.
The routine with the blackboard aside, Manson quickly established that he did not plan to be a typical substitute.
"I'm not Edward James Olmos," he said, referring to the actor who starred in the 1987 film Stand and Deliver .
But the absinthe stayed in the bottle, and for an hour Manson led the class on a rambling but fascinating tour of his controversial political opinions and religious beliefs, as well as his definition of art and the shortcomings of the mass media.
"I'm not someone who doesn't respect religion," Manson said in response to a student question. "But I don't care for the way religion is used to manipulate people."
He said later: "We create our own gods. We create our own devils."
Manson's comments were mild compared to many he made in the 1990s, when he was at his most popular and his most controversial. Religious and civic groups frequently picketed his concerts.
But as he spoke with students, Manson was fairly reserved, frequently waxing appropriately philosophical.
"Art, for me, is a question mark. I don't think it should ever be an answer," he said.
As the conversation moved toward questions of censorship and the social responsibility of entertainers, one student challenged Manson to imagine himself as a father. How would Manson decide what music and media were appropriate to expose his children to?
Manson replied emphatically that he was not ready to have children.
Temple was selected, an mtvU spokesman said, partly because of its diversity and partly because the Art & Society class seemed a good match for Manson.
Main, the instructor, had added some reading selections to the syllabus to intellectually prepare the students for the visit.
"I'd like to say we do something like this every week," said Philip Alperson, dean of the philosophy department. "Philosophy is an academic discipline, but it's a discipline that's rooted in the real world."
The Temple students, who appeared to be raptly interested throughout the class, said they enjoyed the chance to hear from an artist such as Manson, even though many of them were not fans.
Before yesterday's visit, sophomore Bisi Dean thought Manson "was psycho."
"I watched some of his videos, and I didn't know where he was coming from."
By the end of the hour, she had changed her mind.
"He's a good man," she said.
The hourlong taping probably will boil down to a four- or five-minute segment, an mtvU spokesman said.
It is scheduled to premiere at noon on Dec. 6 and repeat throughout the week on the mtvU network.
Contact staff writer Patrick Kerkstra at 610-313-8111 or pkerkstra@phillynews.com .
For further information on the Department's "Art and Society" course, on other philosophy courses, or on the major or minor in philosophy, please contact our Director of Undergraduate Studies, Professor Paul Crowe, at pcrowe@temple.edu.