Marilyn Manson

In 1994, before most of America knew who the hell he was, Marilyn Manson told Westword that people who go to extremes "have to be ready to deal with the consequences. And I'm ready." Lucky thing, since his eager courting of controversy made him both a twisted role model for disaffected youths and a convenient scapegoat for societal ills like the Columbine massacre, for which he initially earned blame despite little or no evidence that the shooters cared about him one way or the other. Inspiring such admiration and animosity over the long haul is well nigh impossible, though, and with his sales figures heading south, Manson tried to moderate his image on last year's Eat Me, Drink Me. While the results didn't send cash registers into overdrive, he isn't giving up; his date with Ours this week marks his second stop in Denver since the CD's release. Manson may not seem too extreme anymore, but he's still ready.