Marilyn Manson

Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, painter, writer, and former music journalist. He is known for his controversial stage personality and image as the lead singer of the band of the same name, which he co-founded with guitarist Daisy Berkowitz in 1989 and of which he remains the only constant member. Manson co-headlined with The Smashing Pumpkins on 2015's The End Times tour, and he and Billy Corgan have co-performed a few times.

Corgan and Manson's friendship dates back to the late 1990s, with Corgan serving as an unofficial consultant for the band during the early development stages of Manson's 1998 album Mechanical Animals. After playing a few of the early songs for him, Corgan advised the band that "This is definitely the right direction" but to "go all the way with it. Don't just hint at it," referring to the album's glam rock production style. The album, produced by Manson, Sean Beavan and Michael Beinhorn, was released on September 15, 1998, and went on to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 223,000.

Following the release of Mechanical Animals, the pair's personal and professional relationship soured. A fifteen-year-long feud allegedly stemmed from Corgan writing a "strongly worded" letter to Manson, in which he claimed that actress Rose McGowan – who Manson was engaged to at the time – would "ruin my life and my career if I stayed with her." Manson responded by telling Corgan that "it would be a good marketing idea [to sell] Charlie Brown T-shirts and bald caps at [his] concerts", due to their similarity in appearance.

The pair publicly settled their rift when Manson performed his own "Third Day of a Seven Day Binge" and the Smashing Pumpkin's "Ava Adore" at the Camden Palace Theatre in London on December 5, 2014. They went on to perform the latter track again, when both bands appeared at the Australian music festival Soundwave.