MARILYN MANSON Says He Was Surprised To See TWIGGY RAMIREZ Going By His Real Name Again

MARILYN MANSON recently told NYRock.com that he was surprised to see his former bandmate, Twiggy Ramirez, revert to using his real name (Jeordie White) with his current band, A PERFECT CIRCLE. "I really never thought it would happen, but maybe he is trying to find a new identity for himself and wants to go his own way musically," Manson said. "After all, the name Twiggy Ramirez is still very connected to Marilyn Manson and that could be the reason. There was never a doubt that he is a great musician in his own right, but maybe he wants to make it easier for the public to recognize and acknowledge that fact." Regarding Twiggy's departure from the group, Manson said, "Twiggy told me himself that he wasn't happy in the band anymore. He felt creatively worn out and his enthusiasm was gone. So from that point on it was pretty clear that we had to part musically. Twiggy was not only the bass player, he was also a friend and of course I could have tried to persuade him to stay, but I don't think I would have done him or the band any favors. It's important that you like what you do. The way I act and behave, what I do, I do it because my heart is in it. I do it because I like and enjoy it and feel the need to be like I am. If I ever reach that point where I have to do certain things because people expect that from Marilyn Manson, that's it then. Then I'm out. Twiggy felt the same way. I accept it and wish him the very best for whatever he does and that he finds happiness there. We're still friends, but musically we had to go our different ways. We always thought with each new album we can push the band one step further and I still believe that, but sometimes it is quite an effort and it can be hard. There are no hard feelings at all." Read more here.