Marilyn Manson Pleads No Contest to Blowing Nose on Videographer, Gets Fine

Musical artist Marilyn Manson, whose legal name is Brian Hugh Warner, waits for the judge to arrive in Belknap Superior Court,Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in Laconia, N.H. (AP)
Musical artist Marilyn Manson, whose legal name is Brian Hugh Warner, waits for the judge to arrive in Belknap Superior Court,Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in Laconia, N.H. (AP)
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Marilyn Manson Pleads No Contest to Blowing Nose on Videographer, Gets Fine

Musical artist Marilyn Manson, whose legal name is Brian Hugh Warner, waits for the judge to arrive in Belknap Superior Court,Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in Laconia, N.H. (AP)
Musical artist Marilyn Manson, whose legal name is Brian Hugh Warner, waits for the judge to arrive in Belknap Superior Court,Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in Laconia, N.H. (AP)

Marilyn Manson was sentenced to 20 hours of community service and a fine on Monday after pleading no contest to blowing his nose on a videographer at a 2019 concert in New Hampshire.

The shock rocker, 54, wanted to appear via video for his hearing on the misdemeanor charge, but the judge required him to be in the courtroom in Laconia, about 30 miles north of Concord, the state capital.

Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault stemming from the encounter with the videographer at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford on Aug. 19, 2019.

Manson pleaded no contest to just the nose-blowing charge in a fully negotiated plea agreement with prosecutors. The prosecutors agreed to dismiss the other charge, which alleged that he spit on the videographer. A no contest plea means Manson is not contesting the charge and does not admit guilt.

Manson was fined a little more than $1,400 as part of the deal, with $200 suspended. He needs to remain arrest-free and notify local police of any New Hampshire performances for two years.

The judge agreed to allow Manson to serve his community service in California. He mentioned to reporters that he might choose to work with people in recovery. Manson has to give proof of his community service by Feb. 4.

According to a police affidavit, Manson approached videographer Susan Fountain in the venue’s stage pit area, put his face close to her camera and spit a "big lougee" at her. She was struck on both hands with saliva. He approached her again later, kneeling and covering one nostril before blowing the other on her arms and hands.

Fountain said via a statement that it "the most disgusting thing a human being could have done."

Manson "blows a significant amount of mucous at Fountain," a police sergeant who reviewed concert video footage said in the affidavit. After that, the camera view changes to another one and you can see Manson "point and laugh at Fountain as she gets down and walks away," the affidavit said.

Monday, Manson walked into the main entrance of the courthouse, through security. He was wearing a suit, dressed head to toe in black, and dark sunglasses. Security staff referred to him as "Mr. Warner," and he identified himself in court as "Brian Warner," using a soft speaking voice.

He otherwise only answered "yes" to the judge’s questions asking if he understood the proceeding, and made no statement. Prosecutor Andrew Livernois said it was his first offense and he had no prior record.

Fountain was not present in court.

Manson initially pleaded not guilty to both charges in 2021. He was scheduled to go to trial in August. His lawyer had said that the type of filming Fountain was doing commonly exposes videographers to "incidental contact" with bodily fluids.

"The defendant’s performance for the past twenty years are well known to include shocking and evocative antics similar to those that occurred here," attorney Kent Barker wrote. "The alleged victim consented to exposing herself to potential contact with sweat, saliva and phlegm in close quarters."

Barker also had said Manson planned to argue that any contact related to spitting or sneezing was unintentional.

If Manson had gone to trial on the charges, each could have resulted in a jail sentence of less than a year and a $2,000 fine if convicted.

Manson emerged as a musical star in the mid-1990s, known as much for courting public controversy as for hit songs like "The Beautiful People" and hit album’s like 1996’s "Antichrist Superstar" and 1998’s "Mechanical Animals."

In May, a California judge threw out key sections of Manson’s lawsuit against his former fiancée, "Westworld" actor Evan Rachel Wood, claiming she fabricated public allegations that he sexually and physically abused her during their relationship and encouraged other women to do the same. He is appealing the ruling.

Manson’s suit, filed last year, alleges that Wood and another woman named as a defendant, Illma Gore, defamed Manson, intentionally caused him emotional distress and derailed his career in music, TV and film.

Several women have sued Manson in recent years with allegations of sexual and other abuse. Most have been dismissed or settled, including a suit filed by "Game of Thrones" actor Esme Bianco.

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly.



Oasis Fans Converge as Mega-tour Kicks Off in UK

Oasis are performing together for the first time since 2009. MIKE CLARKE / AFP
Oasis are performing together for the first time since 2009. MIKE CLARKE / AFP
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Oasis Fans Converge as Mega-tour Kicks Off in UK

Oasis are performing together for the first time since 2009. MIKE CLARKE / AFP
Oasis are performing together for the first time since 2009. MIKE CLARKE / AFP

Tens of thousands of ecstatic Oasis fans descend Friday on Cardiff as the legendary Britpop band kicks off a highly anticipated reunion tour nearly 16 years after last performing together.

The concert at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital will be the first of a 41-date run of gigs spanning the world, including in the United States, Japan, Australia and Brazil, AFP said.

Once-warring brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, their bandmates and UK support acts will play in Cardiff on Friday and Saturday before five hometown gigs in Manchester starting on July 11.

Further sold-out British and Irish concerts will follow at London's Wembley Stadium, Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium and Dublin's Croke Park, before the international leg of their Oasis Live '25 tour.

"All that matters is how the people in that stadium feel," Liam Gallagher, 52, said on social media last week, as months of anticipation reach a climax.

Fans have been sharing their excitement at the first chance to see Oasis play live since 2009 -- or ever -- after it was long seen as a remote prospect following one of music's most acrimonious break-ups.

The band's 1990s gigs are the stuff of legend.

"The feeling is biblical!" fuel tanker driver Sean Campbell, 35, told AFP before attending Friday's gig.

"I've been waiting years for their return. I missed out on going years ago, so this is my first time seeing them live."

Ticket controversy

Oasis, famous for 1990s hits like "Live Forever" and "Wonderwall", announced its comeback tour last August, days before the 30th anniversary of their debut album, "Definitely Maybe".

The Manchester rockers split in 2009, with Noel saying he "simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer".

The Gallagher brothers had maintained a war of words about each other for more than a decade, performing individually over those years but never together.

The surprise announcement that they had finally put aside their feud to reunite sparked an online frenzy for tickets but outrage over sudden price hikes that saw Britain's competition watchdog threaten legal action.

Resale tickets costing thousands of pounds have surfaced, while fans have also been targeted by online scams.

Britain's Lloyds Bank estimated in April that victims had collectively lost more than £2 million ($2.7 million).

The tour is expected to be a boon for the struggling UK economy.

Fans could spend more than £1 billion combined on tickets and outgoings such as transportation and accommodation, Barclays bank estimated in May.

'Rough and ready'

Oasis will be supported in the UK by Richard Ashcroft, frontman of British rock band The Verve, as well as the Liverpool-formed band Cast.

The band has not released the setlist for their opening and other shows, with rampant speculation online over which classic tracks will feature and whether any new material will be performed.

There are also many rumors over the potential for special guests appearances.

Illuminated drones displayed Oasis's classic logo above the Cardiff stadium late Wednesday, in a one-night display adding to the buzz around the tour's kick-off.

Gates open Friday at 5:00 pm (1600 GMT), with the band due on stage just over three hours later after both support acts have played.

The performance will wrap up by 10:30 pm, organizers said.

The stadium, which has a capacity of 74,500 for concerts, is set to have its retractable roof closed for both nights, with an incredible atmosphere expected.

Oasis reportedly began jamming together months ago, before starting rehearsals in London more recently.

The band has reportedly welcomed several new members for the tour, including a keyboard player and drummer.

Writing in the tour program, Noel, 58, reflected on the band's enduring popularity, saying "a new generation recognizes how Oasis wasn't manufactured".

"It was chaotic, and flawed, and not technically brilliant. We were rough and ready guys from a rehearsal room, and people recognized it."