"I have to paint and write songs, not because I want to win public acknowledgement, but because I have demons in my soul. Sometimes I feel happy moments and want to express them," the musician said in an interview before his concerts in Russia.
Manson, who is known for his songs aimed against religious principles and American mass culture, performs Monday at the Ice Palace in St Petersburg. He will hold a concert in Moscow June 21, his second performance in the Russian capital in the last four years.
"I always wanted to entertain people and if I spend a day without creating anything I sink into depression," said Manson, who was a music critic before the formation of his metal band.
American magazine New York Rock called the singer one of the most interesting and provocative figures of the American rock stage.
According to Manson, he takes an active interest in politics and uses political realities in his work. However, he is against endorsing specific candidates at his concerts.
If everyone attending rock concerts voted, then their candidate would have certainly won. This means that music is more important for people than politics, he said.
In 1999 the American media repeatedly mentioned Manson's name in connection with the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, which claimed the lives of 12 students and one teacher when two teenagers went on a shooting spree before turning the guns on themselves. One of the teenagers liked Manson's music.
