Rocker Manson Accused of Spitting, Blowing Snot on Woman

Marilyn Manson. (AP)
Marilyn Manson. (AP)
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Rocker Manson Accused of Spitting, Blowing Snot on Woman

Marilyn Manson. (AP)
Marilyn Manson. (AP)

Rocker Marilyn Manson approached a videographer at his 2019 concert in New Hampshire and allegedly spit and blew snot on her, according to a police affidavit released Wednesday.

Manson, whose legal name is Brian Hugh Warner, surrendered last month to police in Los Angeles in connection with a 2019 arrest warrant in the case. The allegations were detailed in the affidavit that released along with the criminal complaint in the case.

Manson is charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault stemming from an alleged incident on Aug. 19, 2019, at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford. The misdemeanor charges can each result in a jail sentence of less than a year and a $2,000 fine if convicted.

An arraignment hearing on the charges will be scheduled for Sept. 2 at Laconia District Court in New Hampshire.

Manson’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

Susan Fountain, a videographer, was in the venue’s stage pit area at the time of the alleged assault. Her company, Metronome Media, was contracted by the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion for the concert season.

According to the affidavit, Manson approached Fountain the first time, put his face close to the camera and spit a “big lougee” at her. She was struck on both hands with saliva.

Manson allegedly returned a second time, covering one side of his nostril and blowing in Fountain’s direction. Fountain put down her camera and went to the restroom to wash her hands and arms that had Manson’s bodily fluids on them.

Manson also has faced abuse accusations — unrelated to the New Hampshire incident — in recent years. He has denied wrongdoing.

In February, actor Evan Rachel Wood publicly accused Manson, her ex-fiancé, of sexual and other physical abuse, alleging she was “manipulated into submission” during their relationship. Months later, “Game of Thrones” actor Esmé Bianco sued Manson in federal court in Los Angeles, alleging sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

The AP generally does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted, but Bianco and Wood have spoken publicly.

In 2018, Los Angeles County prosecutors declined to file charges against Manson over allegations of assault, battery and sexual assault dating to 2011, saying they were limited by statutes of limitations and a lack of corroboration. The accuser in that case was identified only as a social acquaintance of Manson.



‘Piano Lesson’ Premiere in Toronto a Family Affair for Denzel 

(L-R) Producer Denzel Washington, Pauletta Washington, executive producer Kate Washington, actress Danielle Deadwyler, director Malcolm Washington and actor John David Washington attend the international premiere of "The Piano Lesson" at the Princess of Wales theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 10, 2024. (AFP)
(L-R) Producer Denzel Washington, Pauletta Washington, executive producer Kate Washington, actress Danielle Deadwyler, director Malcolm Washington and actor John David Washington attend the international premiere of "The Piano Lesson" at the Princess of Wales theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 10, 2024. (AFP)
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‘Piano Lesson’ Premiere in Toronto a Family Affair for Denzel 

(L-R) Producer Denzel Washington, Pauletta Washington, executive producer Kate Washington, actress Danielle Deadwyler, director Malcolm Washington and actor John David Washington attend the international premiere of "The Piano Lesson" at the Princess of Wales theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 10, 2024. (AFP)
(L-R) Producer Denzel Washington, Pauletta Washington, executive producer Kate Washington, actress Danielle Deadwyler, director Malcolm Washington and actor John David Washington attend the international premiere of "The Piano Lesson" at the Princess of Wales theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 10, 2024. (AFP)

Denzel Washington and his family celebrated the screening in Toronto of Oscar hopeful "The Piano Lesson," the latest Hollywood adaptation of an August Wilson play in which the entire clan was involved.

Washington's son Malcolm makes his feature directorial debut and elder son John David stars in the movie, which tells the story of a family struggling to make peace with its past and confront the legacy of slavery.

Washington himself is a producer of the film, wife Pauletta and daughter Olivia have small roles, and daughter Katia is an executive producer.

"I'm happy, a proud father," Washington said in a Q&A session after the screening.

For 33-year-old Malcolm, who received a warm ovation at the film's conclusion, "this was such a beautiful time for us all to come together, but it became something much bigger than our own family."

"This is a story of ancestry, of lineage, and dealing with the August Wilson canon at all, you're tying yourself into a much larger lineage there."

"The Piano Lesson," written in 1987 and set in the 1930s, is part of Wilson's so-called "Pittsburgh Cycle," a series of 10 plays that aimed to explore the African American experience in the 20th century.

It debuted at the Telluride festival in Colorado before making its way over the border for a splashy international premiere in Canada's largest city. The film will stream on Netflix on November 22.

At the center of the story is an heirloom piano, hand-carved with images of their ancestors and imbued with the family's difficult history.

John David Washington, 40, plays Boy Willie, who wants to sell the instrument to buy land and get ahead, while sister Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) insists that they keep it.

The two actors turn in electrifying performances as they duel over the fate of the piano, while confronting issues of race, spirituality and acceptance of the past.

Deadwyler, who many believe was snubbed for an Oscar nomination for her performance in "Till" (2022), is on nearly every expert's shortlist for a best supporting actress nod this time around, according to awards prediction site Gold Derby.

The film is adapted specifically from a recent Broadway revival of Wilson's play, and retains much of the same cast, including Samuel L. Jackson as the de facto patriarch.

Denzel Washington is no stranger to Wilson's work; this is the third of his plays that he has helped bring to the big screen.

The Oscar winner directed and starred in "Fences" (2016), for which Viola Davis won an Academy Award, and then produced "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," which took home two golden statuettes.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs through Sunday.