Manson Bassist Ousted

Marilyn Manson and bassist Twiggy Ramirez have parted ways. Ramirez had been with the Manson band for eight years, beginning with its 1994 release Portrait of an American Family, and he co-wrote some of Manson's biggest hits, including "The Dope Show" and "The Beautiful People."

According to a statement by Manson, the split with Ramirez was a result of creative differences over the band's upcoming album, The Golden Age of Grotesque.

"I have spent eight months transforming this band and our new songs into an unstoppable juggernaut, and sadly Twiggy wasn't able to make himself a part of it," Manson said. "Unfortunately, I feel that Marilyn Manson, as a lifestyle, is not where his heart is. So I have decided to let him go his own way, otherwise it wouldn't be fair to us, the music, or especially to the fans. Although you can never replace a best friend like Twiggy, this album and new lineup will redefine anyone's idea of what Marilyn Manson is capable of."

Bassist Tim Skold of KMFDM will fill in for Ramirez on the new record, which Manson has described as a "genius deluge of hardcore guitar-drum violence and reckless electronic-punk vaudeville mixed with Thirties cabaret decadence and Arch-dandy dada."

The record, which is being produced by Manson, Skold and Ben Grosse, is expected this fall.

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Song Stories

“I'm Yours”

Jason Mraz | 2008

Jason Mraz re-emerged after his disappointing second album with this lead single, a Jack Johnson-esque ditty about giving yourself fully to someone else. The success of the reggae-tinged song (it earned two Grammy nods and a spot on the Billboard singles chart for well over a year) was something the folk-pop singer never predicted when he wrote it in 15 minutes at home. "I played a happy-hippie chord progression that would probably work without 50 different Bob Marley songs," he told Rolling Stone. "I thought, 'It's too novelty. This is a nursery rhyme,'" concluding that "you can never guess what's gonna be a hit."

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