Shirley Manson
Shirley Manson
Shirley Ann Mansonis a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician and actress. She is the lead singer of the alternative rock band Garbage. For much of her international career Manson commuted between her home city of Edinburgh and the United States to record with Garbage; she now lives and works in Los Angeles. Manson gained media attention for her forthright style, rebellious attitude and distinctive voice...
NationalityScottish
ProfessionRock Singer
Date of Birth26 August 1966
CityEdinburgh, Scotland
We wanted to make a record that sounded like we do live, ... We sort of stripped away a lot of the production of this record and tried to make it bare bones.
We were very aware we'd made a record that was quite unusual,
I don't find any kind of tension very productive, ... I find it destructive, actually. I think this record was made despite the mood in our camp, and that something very productive came out of it, which came as a surprise.
We just wanted to make a record that sounded cool. So we stole from hip-hop, we stole from techno and blues and mashed them all up.
I wanted to put out a solo record because I was stuck on a major label and sick of it.
I think they're a little shocked at first. . . . Then they start laughing or grinning or shaking my hand,
How you present yourself is nobody's business but your own. The stylists have an opinion. The hair people have an opinion. The fans and the management have opinions. Ultimately, you have to trust that you are the safe-keeper of yourself.
And then there's all these other creeps that surround your band and suck off you like leeches and try to manipulate you and your business. You have to watch like a hawk. I'm always ready to fight. I see it very much as a battle.
People in day-to-day life tend to skim the surface of things and be polite and careful, and that's not the language I speak. I like talking about feelings, fears and memories, anguish and joy, and I find it in music.
Selling millions of albums is a sign you've infiltrated the culture.
I'm a loud person; I love noise and aggression. I crave contact.
I think a lot of people in their lives feel like they don't fit in, even if it looks like they do. People feel like outsiders even if others think we, the lives we live, have everything. If they are popular or they have everything they are supposed to have. Even then, people still don't feel quite included.
No, I'm not Shirley the girl, I'm the woman on MTV with the big boots.
I know lots of people who've never been lucky enough to get to this stage in their life. And I'm not gonna hide it for anybody.