Shirley Manson

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Shirley Manson
Manson performing in November 2002.
Manson performing in November 2002.
Background information
Birth name Shirley Ann Manson
Born August 26, 1966 (1966-08-26) (age 41)
Origin Edinburgh, Scotland
Genre(s) Rock, Alternative Rock
Occupation(s) Musician, lyricist, songwriter and model
Instrument(s) Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar
Years active 1982 - present
Label(s) Radioactive Records
Associated acts Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie
Angelfish
Garbage

Shirley Ann Manson (born August 26, 1966) is a Scottish musician and the lead vocalist of the band Garbage.

She began her career in Edinburgh in the early 1980s, most notably performing backing vocals and keyboards for local band Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie before fronting side-project Angelfish whilst signed as a solo artist. Having seen Manson in an Angelfish video on MTV, Garbage invited Manson to record with them as the band's lead singer. [1]

With Garbage on hiatus after four successful studio albums, one greatest hits compilation and over 14 million record sales [2], Manson will embark on a solo career and release her own record in 2008.

Shirley Manson has been announced as being cast on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles as series regular Catherine Weaver, CEO of Cyberdyne Systems, for the second season.[3]

Contents

[edit] Early life

Shirley Manson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1966 to John and Muriel Manson, a geneticist and former big band singer respectively.[4] She was named after an aunt who was named after Charlotte Brontë's novel Shirley.[5] She was born middle-child between older sister Lindy-Jayne and younger sister Sarah, and was brought up in the Stockbridge area of the city.[6] Manson learned to play the piano at age seven, and later attended the City of Edinburgh Music School, the music department of Broughton High.[4] She also was a Brownie and was a member of the Girl Guides.[7]

While at Broughton, Manson became an active member of its drama group, acting in plays such as The American Dream and The Wizard of Oz.[6] Manson was bullied due to her red hair and large eyes. This led her to depression and drove her to self-injury: she carried a sharp object in the laces of her boots and cut herself when she felt stress, depression, or anxiety.[8]

Manson was bullied until she associated herself with a rebel crowd, and played truant for most of her final year at school.[6] She also began to experiment with drugs: smoking cannabis and sniffing glue, drinking, shoplifting, and once broke into Edinburgh Zoo.[9] Manson's first job was voluntary work in a local hospital's cafeteria, then as a breakfast waitress at a local hotel before spending five years as a shop assistant for Miss Selfridge, beginning on the make-up counter.[9] Manson was eventually moved into stockrooms for her attitude to customers. Despite her own feelings towards her look, Manson also briefly modeled clothing for Jackie magazine.[10]

[edit] Music career

Manson became a regular on Edinburgh's clubbing scene, and, equipped with free samples from Miss Selfridge, was well known as the hair stylist for a number of local bands.[11] She sang with The Wild Indians and performed backing vocals with Autumn 1904, but had moved on by the time either act put out any work.[11]

[edit] Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie

At a local theatre group, Manson was approached by Martin Metcalfe, of Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie, to join his band. Manson initially became romantically involved with Metcalfe, but remained in the group after their split and became a prominent member, playing keyboards, singing backing vocals and was very involved in the business side of the group. Manson's first release with the Mackenzies was a YTS release of "Death of a Salesman" in 1984.[11]

Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie's distributor, MCA Records, expressed interest in putting out a record with Manson and signed her in February 1993 as a solo artist to circumvent the Mackenzie's existing deal (though MCA kept several members of the band as backing musicians).[11][12] Her solo contract obligated Manson to deliver at least one album and, at the sole option of Radioactive, up to six additional albums. [13]

[edit] Angelfish

Angelfish recorded their album Angelfish in Connecticut with Talking Heads' Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, with a single release of "Suffocate Me" in June 1993 on the Wasteland label. The album followed in February 1994 with second single "Heartbreak To Hate", and was well received on college radio.[11] Angelfish toured U.S., Canada, France, Belgium and alongside Vic Chesnutt, co-supported Live on a tour of North America. Around the time of these dates MTV's 120 Minutes aired the band's video for "Suffocate Me". Producer and musician Steve Marker had seen the airing and thought Manson would be a great singer for his band, Garbage, which also featured producers Duke Erikson and Butch Vig but had no lead, but were set on having a woman as their singer.[14]

[edit] Garbage

Vig invited Manson to Smart Studios to sing on a couple of tracks. After a dreadful audition, she returned to Angelfish.[14] At the end the Live tour, Angelfish imploded and Manson returned to Smart for a second try. She began to work on the then-skeletal origins of some songs and the band invited her to become a full-time member of the band and finish the album.[14] In August 1994, Radioactive gave their permission for Manson to work with Garbage.[13]

The band's debut album Garbage was released in August 1995, and went on to sell over 4 million copies, buoyed by a run of high charting singles including "Only Happy When It Rains" and "Stupid Girl". Manson quickly became the public face of the band over the course of a tour that took the band through to the end of 1996.

Manson became the band's chief song-writer for the follow up record Version 2.0 which equaled the success of the band's debut record after its May 1998 release. During the two year tour in support of the record, Manson modeled for Calvin Klein and the group recorded the theme song to James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough, becoming the third Scotswoman to sing a Bond theme after Lulu and Sheena Easton.

For the recording of Garbage's third record throughout 2000, Manson became one of the first high-profile artists to write a blog online, while she decided to improve her guitar playing for the band's next tour. Their third album, beautifulgarbage, featured Manson's most forward and heartfelt lyrics to date. The album did not sell as well as its predecessors, however Garbage performed a successful world tour in support of it.

Manson's lyrics became more overtly political for Garbage's fourth record, 2005's Bleed Like Me, which after the surprise success of lead-in single Why Do You Love Me, posted some of the band's highest chart positions upon release. Garbage began an extended hiatus in October of 2005.

Garbage reformed to play a tribute show in 2007, as well as record some new tracks for greatest hits album Absolute Garbage. Vig has said the band may reform in 2008, with the goal of recording a fifth album.

[edit] Solo

Throughout 2006 and 2007, Manson has kept busy recording a solo record, collaborating with songwriter Paul Buchanan, US rock musicians Jack White, Billy Corgan[15] and Beck,[16] producer and keyboardist Greg Kurstin[17] and James Bond soundtrack composer David Arnold.[18] Garbage drummer and former Nirvana/Smashing Pumpkins producer Butch Vig is also co-writing and producing for her album which is due for release 27th May 2008.[19]

During this time Manson has also worked with Eric Avery on a duet for his debut album,[20] with Debbie Harry on a duet,[21] and also played a dominatrix in the promotional video for She Wants Revenge's single "These Things".[22]

Recently, Shirley expressed to an interviewer during her charity event in Scotland for MAC Viva Glam that she was ready to release the album. The execs at Warner heard them and declared it to be too "noir" for them, which she mistakenly took as a compliment. She is still at work for her solo debut which will be coming out later on this year.


Manson sings on the track "The Trouble Im In" with Gavin Rossdale (of Bush) on his debut solo album "WANDERlust".The album is available everywhere now.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie (credited with backing vocals and keyboards)

  • Good Deeds and Dirty Rags (1988)
  • Fish Heads and Tails (1989)
  • Hammer and Tongs (March 4, 1991)
  • Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie (1992) (US release)
  • Five (1993)

Angelfish (lead vocals and guitar)

Garbage (songwriter, lead vocals, and guitar)

Solo

[edit] Other appearances

A duet cover version of Human League's "Don't You Want Me" recorded in January 2004 [24] with Marilyn Manson remains unreleased.[25]

[edit] Charity work

In 2002, Manson became an ambassador for the M•A•C AIDS Fund, fronting a two-year campaign alongside Elton John and Mary J. Blige, beginning with the launch of the VIVAMAC IV lipstick, in which all proceeds of the sale of the lipstick goes to charity. In 2007, the campaign had raised over $100 million U.S. dollars; and as a former ambassador for the campaign, Manson was allowed to present $100,000 to a charity of her choice. She donated it to Waverley Care.

Shirley Manson was made patron of Edinburgh-based HIV charity Waverley Care in 2002. She hosted a fund raiser auction on January 4, 2004 at Edinburgh's Prestonfield House which raised £45,000, including the sale of a Fender guitar owned by Manson, which itself raised £1,050. Manson accepted a cheque for £51,000 on behalf of Waverley Care from the M•A•C AIDS Fund on April 10, 2008 at Harvey Nichols Edinburgh store.[26]

In 2007, Manson fronted a poster campaign for PETA, holding the carcass of a fox under the headline "Here’s the rest of your fur coat". PETA Europe approached Manson to front the campaign, which included heavy use in Edinburgh, her home town, Manson stated "I felt like I had a chance to add my voice to the dissent against the way animals can be treated all over the world by all persons." Manson followed up her concern for animal welfare by adopting a rescue dog.[26]

[edit] References

  1. ^ 153 F.Supp.2d 462 RADIOACTIVE, J.V., Plaintiff, v. Shirley MANSON, Defendant. No. 01 Civ.1948(SAS). United States District Court, S.D. New York. (July 29, 2001)
  2. ^ ""Tell Me Where It Hurts" promo CD PR sticker (issued June 2007)" (Retrieved - 2007-12-05)
  3. ^ [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i3f3a21456cba6a5134fdc18e657a7af0 Shirley Manson cast in 'Sarah Connor' Garbage lead singer to be regular on 'Terminator' series]. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  4. ^ a b "No Place Like Home For Shirley". Heritage.Scotsman.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
  5. ^ Ginger Spice, The Face, 1998-02-01 
  6. ^ a b c Barrell, Tony (2002-09-22), Relative Values, Sunday Times, <http://www.geocities.com/boylikearose/articles-suntim-sep.html>. Retrieved on 5 December 2007 
  7. ^ Interview with Shirley Manson, Select, 1999 
  8. ^ Ro, Ronin (2000-05-30). Garbage's Shirley Manson Admits To "Cutting". MTV.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
  9. ^ a b Interview with Shirley Manson, FHM, 1998-09-01 
  10. ^ Shirley Manson opens her mouth. Q (1999-03-01). Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
  11. ^ a b c d e Interview with Shirley Manson, Record Collector, 1997-02-01 
  12. ^ Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie "Hammer And Tongs" {album notes}, 2005 re-issue 
  13. ^ a b 153 F.Supp.2d 462 RADIOACTIVE, J.V., Plaintiff, v. Shirley MANSON, Defendant.,
    1. 01 Civ.1948(SAS) United States District Court, S.D. New York. (2001-07-29).

[edit] External links

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