14 DAY TRIAL // There’s a very good reason why they say Marilyn Manson is the ultimate shock rocker. Not a stranger to featuring blood showers (literally) and, at times, unspeakable acts of cruelty in his videos, together with some of the most unlikely instances, Manson has recently premiered the official video for his latest single off “The High End of Low” album, “Running to the Edge of the World.”
As LA Weekly also points out, the last part of the video is the closest modern audiences get to a snuff film, circulating on the Internet under the guise of an official music video. In fact, the last part is also the one that has already caused some outrage with US magazines and celebrity blogs, with many saying that, with it, Manson seems to be encouraging domestic violence.
Fans beg to differ though: just like action movies seemingly glorify violence, but don’t actually do so, the same could be concluded about Manson’s video. The bottom line is that this video too, just like these films, is a work of fiction. As such, some fans believe, it stands on its own like a genuine work of art, presenting violence in its purest form as the random act perpetrated out of a broken heart, when reason no longer fits in the equation.
“Running to the Edge of the World” is the “ballad” of the recently released album, and it speaks of the moment when love is gone and nothing – not even hate – can fill the void left behind. It was presumably written shortly after the rocker broke up from Evan Rachel Wood, wherefrom the bitter accents on the track. The video doesn’t actually start until the 4-minute mark; but, when it does, it does so in the most gruesome manner.
The first 4 minutes of the video consist of nothing else than a close-up on Manson’s face as he seems to want to hide behind a veil or something like it. He’s in pain, clearly, and there are sequences in which he seems to be on the verge of crying. He’s also angry and resentful – after the 4-minute mark, viewers too learn why, as they become privy to a heinous and brutal crime committed by Manson himself. Fans call the video “art,” critics still hold their own on that he’s just taken things somewhat too far.
Here is where you can see Marilyn Manson’s video for “Running to the Edge of the World” in full. *Be advised that it contains images of strong violence that might be considered offensive.