Ongoing History Daily: Manson vs. Salt Lake City
Trent Reznor was once known for taking the concept of free expression very seriously. In October 1994, Nine Inch Nails were booked to play a gig in Salt Lake City at a place called The Delta Center. However, the manager of the venue removed opening act Marilyn Manson from the bill on the grounds that the group’s show was too offensive. He was also uncomfortable with the satanic messages on the band’s T-shirts.
Basically, he felt that he was protecting the young people in the audience. Remember: this is the home of the Mormon Church. So, during the Nails’ set, Trent invited the singer of Marilyn Manson up onstage with him—and together, they blasted the promoter, the Delta Center, the mayor of Salt Lake City, and the Mormon Church in general.
As a final act of protest, the two of them ripped up a Book of Mormon and threw the pages into the audience.
If you missed yesterday’s post, it was all about the tough fans of Philadelphia.
And don’t forget to check out my podcast The Ongoing History of New Music where you listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, Stitcher, or wherever you get your on-demand audio.
