Originators Of Shock Rock

No, children, Marilyn Manson did not invent Shock Rock. He's part of a long tradition that goes way back - before you were born.

In the beginning, all rock was Shock Rock. The founding fathers - Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bill Haley - were feared and vilified. You can't imagine the uproar Elvis Presley caused. Many feared rock 'n' roll represented the end of civilization.

But soon, rock artists made use of this fear. They used it as part of their creative process. Here are some of the Shock Rock stars who are in a direct line to Marilyn Manson.

Little Richard - He had a pompadour that defied gravity. He wore Day-Glo suits before Day-Glo was invented. He wore makeup. He sang nonsense verse - "a-wop bop a loo-bop a-wop bam boom" - and songs that were vaguely sexual. Now it can be told: "Tutti Frutti," his 1956 hit, was about gay sex. Pat Boone probably did not know this when he covered it.

Jerry Lee Lewis - When he played that rocking piano, he kicked the stool back and let his hair down, literally. His songs smoldered with sexual tension. He married his 13-year-old cousin. He looked and sounded dangerous, and he was. He shot up TVs long before Elvis. He crashed the gates of Graceland and went after Elvis with a gun. One of his wives died mysteriously. Manson is a piker compared to Jerry Lee.

Screamin' Jay Hawkins - He was the first rocker to go for ghoulish theatrics. He arrived onstage in a coffin. He wore all black, including a Batman-like cape. His trademark song: "I Put A Spell On You."

Iggy Pop - He was the first to cut himself and bleed onstage, now part of Manson's act. But with Iggy it was spontaneous - it first happened when he jumped offstage in a nightclub and landed on a table with a lit candle. The shattered glass candleholder cut his chest and the hot wax ran down his bare torso. He was also the first to crowd surf - one night he put his arms out in a crucifixion pose, leaned back and fell onto outstretched hands. From then on, he made it part of his show.

Alice Cooper - Oh, the scandal! A man with a woman's name wearing a dress! It was a gimmick, of course, but Alice played it to the hilt. He was guillotined onstage. He preached rebellion ("School's Out"). He acknowledged teenage sex ("I'm 18"). He made fun of politicians ("Elected"). And he brought showmanship to rock. Almost everything Manson does was stolen from him.

Kiss - They took what Alice had created and ran amok with it. They became live cartoon characters, with gaudy face makeup and sci-fi influenced costumes. They didn't pussyfoot about sex - all their songs were blatantly, unmistakenly about sex, sex, sex. Essentially it was childish, cartoonish and harmless - but parents and authorities fell right in line and condemned Kiss, which prospered from the publicity. What Manson didn't steal from Alice he stole from Kiss. ------------------------------- 1) LITTLE RICHARD - He had a pompadour that defied gravity. He wore Day-Glo suits before Day-Glo was invented. He wore makeup. He sang nonsense verse - "A-wop bo a loo bop a-wop bam boom" - and songs that were vaguely sexual. Now it can be told: "Tutti Frutti," his 1956 hit, was about gay sex. Pat Boone probably did not know this when he covered it. 2) JERRY LEE LEWIS - Whe he played that rocking piano, he kicked the stool back and let his hair down, literally. His songs smoldered with sexual tension. He married his 13-year-old cousin. He looke and sounded dangerous, and he was. He shot up TVs long before Elvis. He crashed the gates of Graceland and went after Elvis with a gun. One of his wives died mysteriously, Manson is a piker compared to Jerry Lee. 3) SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS - He was the first rocker to go for ghoulish theatrics. He arrived onstage in a coffin. He wore all black, including a Batman-like cape. He trademark song: "I Put A Spell On You." 4) IGGY POP - He was the first to cut himself and bleed onstage, now part of Manson's act. But with Iggy it was spontaneous - it first happened when he jumped offstage in a nightclub and landed on a table with a lit candle. The shattered glass candleholder cut his chest and the hot wax ran down his bare torso. He was also the first to crowd surf - one night he put his arms out in a crucifixion pose, leaned back and fell onto outstretched hands. From then on, he made it part of his show. 5) ALICE COOPER - Oh, the scandal! A man with a woman's name wearing a dress! It was a gimmick, of course, but Alice played it to the hilt. He was guillotined onstage. He preached rebellion ("School's Out"). He acknowledged teenage sex (I'm 18"). He made fun of politicians ("Elected"). And he brought showmanship to rock. Almost everything Manson does was stolen from him.