Marilyn Manson started out as a journalist. When the Columbine shooting happened, people blamed Manson and his music for influencing the shooters of the tragic incident. Manson never spoke out during the coverage of the shooting.
He felt that it would give the shooters exactly what they wanted, which was media attention. He didn’t want to give them that, because it was a horrific event. He later explained his silence and expressed his sadness over the events at Columbine.
He doesn’t see his music as suicidal or dark, but the kind of music that shows it is possible to come out of dark depression and suicidal thoughts.
He was reluctant to speak about his reasons for keeping silent, because even though the tragedy happened years ago, he didn’t like giving the media attention to it. He only briefly spoke of Columbine and his part of the story.