The macabre life and legacy of Gidget Gein, Marilyn Manson's original bass guitarist
In short: Bradley Mark Stewart, known as Gidget Gein, co-founded Marilyn Manson and defined its early sound. After a public firing due to heroin addiction, he transitioned from rock stardom to working for a medical examiner, eventually becoming a central figure in the underground UnPop art movement before his untimely death.
Born in 1969, Bradley Mark Stewart grew up in Hollywood, Florida, in an environment he described as chaotic, marked by a stepfather who worked as a birthday clown. His stage name, Gidget Gein, was a deliberate fusion of a fictional character and the notorious serial killer Ed Gein. This fascination with the grotesque followed him into his musical career, where he joined Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids in 1989. As the band gained fame under the guidance of Trent Reznor, Gein's heroin addiction intensified, leading to his dismissal on Christmas Eve 1993 while he was hospitalized for an overdose.
Following his departure, Gein pursued various creative outlets, including his band Gidget Gein and the Dali Gaggers and a stint as a 'bag boy' for the south Florida medical examiner. This role, which involved cleaning up after the deceased, deeply influenced his later artistic output. He eventually returned to Los Angeles in 2004, where he became a prominent figure in the 'UnPop' and 'GaGa' art movements. His mixed-media work, branded as GOLLYWOOD, explored themes of pop culture, blaxploitation, and transgender identity, often utilizing grotesque imagery to challenge conventional aesthetics.
Gein's relationship with his former band remained complex. In 2003, he collaborated with Marilyn Manson on the music video for '(s)AINT', a project so graphic that Interscope Records refused to associate with it. Despite his creative activity, Gein struggled with long-term sobriety. In October 2008, he died of a heroin overdose in Los Angeles. His legacy persists through his art, which remains displayed in galleries like Hyaena Art Gallery, and a memorial plaque at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery that bears the simple, enduring slogan, 'Luv is GG'.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Gidget Gein
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