This is an illustration I'm especially proud of. It has references to ALL of the songs from WE ARE CHAOS. I started this artwork before the album came out. There was something really strange about it and I want to tell you why: I felt like the album and some lyrics were sometimes made for this illustration. For example, I made a very damaged statue of Manson and once the record came out, I heard the lyrics «I'm just broken and I don't want to be fixed». Huh?! I just illustrated you like that! Broken! Then... The head detached from his body, but still held in his hands...I then discovered the title «Keep My Head Together». And now, the part that shocked me the most. I was working on the chaos theme before the promotion of the album even began. I created my own chaos symbol, which is eight arrows in a radial pattern. I inserted my own MM logo in it. And I had NO idea that the album would be about chaos and named «WE ARE CHAOS»! How crazy is that?! That's why I decided to keep working on it, adding references to all the songs.
That's one of the prints I sent to Manson and Lindsay. This artwork was also in the hands of Manson's merchandising team, in January 2021. But what happened next month (allegations) put an end to this project... So I guess it's time to share it with you today, to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of this pure masterpiece. 2 years after its release, I still listen to this record almost daily.
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REFERENCES TO THE 10 SONGS
- RED BLACK AND BLUE: The bee on the fading rose represents the lyrics «Now I’m a bee, the king bee/And I will destroy every flower»
- WE ARE CHAOS: The red spray paint on the statue. It is supposed to be a statue displayed in a museum, but still, someone would tag it and damage it even more. Representing how chaotic a human being can be, with low values.
- DON’T CHASE THE DEAD: The 2 little skulls with arrows next to Marilyn Manson’s name. «Don’t chase the dead/Or they’ll end up chasing you», hence the arrows that come out of the skulls.
- PAINT YOU WITH MY LOVE: The heart painted in red.
- HALF-WAY & ONE STEP FORWARD: The red sun over a black background. «There’s a crack in everything/That’s how the sunlight gets in»
- INFINITE DARKNESS: The black wavy background.
- PERFUME: The 2 hands behind his back are the Devil’s hands. «Get behind me, Satan»
- KEEP MY HEAD TOGETHER: The head is detached from his body, but still held between his hands.
- SOLVE COAGULA: The tattoos on his hands.
- BROKEN NEEDLE: The needle that is stuck in his heart refers to the title of the song, and it hurts him, hence the red paint running like blood. It then refers to these lyrics «Are you alright?/’Cause I’m not okay»
