Shirley Manson
- FaceOff - עימות חזיתי
- Aug 26
- 4 min read
Today its Shirley Manson's turn. Here are some facts about a Scottish musician and actress known as the lead singer of the Scottish-American rock band "Garbage":
(Photo: Fanart.TV)
= She was born in 26 August 1966 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her full name is Shirley Ann Manson.
= Her father was a university lecturer and her mother was a big band singer.
= Shirley Manson was raised in Comely Bank and Stockbridge, Edinburgh. She attended Broughton High School and the City of Edinburgh Music School.
= Her first public performance was in 1970, at age four, singing "Never Smile at a Crocodile" with her older sister in an amateur show held at the local Church.
= From an early age, she learned to play on various instruments: Recorder, clarinet, fiddle, and piano. She also joined a choir and school orchestra and started learning ballet at age seven.
= Manson was bullied at school, causing her to suffer from depression and body dysmorphic disorder and engage in self-injury.
= She wanted to become an actress, but was rejected by the "Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama".
= Manson briefly modeled clothing for Jackie magazine.
= She joined the Scottish rock band "Goodbye Mr Mackenzie" in 1984 as a keyboardist and backing vocalist. Her first release with the band was "Death of a Salesman" released the same year.
= The band’s debut album "Good Deeds and Dirty Rags" was released in 1987 and the single "The Rattler" made the UK top 40.
= Although MCA record label had no desire to further their commitments to "Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie", they expressed interest in recording an album with Manson.
= Manson was signed to "Radioactive" as a solo artist, with the remaining "Goodbye Mr Mackenzie" members performing as her backing band, recording under the name "Angelfish".
= In 1994 "Angelfish" released their self-titled album and single "Suffocate Me".
= The music video for "Suffocate Me" was aired once on MTV's 120 Minutes. Producer and musician Steve Marker caught the broadcast and thought Manson would be a great singer for his band, "Garbage", which also featured producers Duke Erikson and Butch Vig, who produced bands like "Nirvana", "Sonic Youth", and "The Smashing Pumpkins".
= Manson joind "Garbage" in 1994 and the band released their debut album "Garbage" in 1995.
= The album went on to sell over 4 million copies with hit singles like: “Only Happy When It Rains”, "Queer", "Milk" and “Stupid Girl”.
= Manson quickly became the public face of the band with her contralto vocal range, which has been praised as versatile and capable of conveying a range of emotions without being melodramatic.
= In 1996 "Echo & the Bunnymen" had asked Manson to sing on their 1997 "Evergreen" comeback album.
= In 1998 "Garbage" released their second album "Version 2.0" which included successful singles like "Push It", "I Think I'm Paranoid", "Special" and more.
= During the two-year tour in support of "Version 2.0", Manson modelled for Calvin Klein.
= In 1999 "Garbage" recorded the theme song to the James Bond movie "The World Is Not Enough", and Manson became the third Scotswoman to sing a Bond theme after Lulu and Sheena Easton.
= In 2001 "Garbage" released their third album "Beautiful Garbage". The album featured Manson’s most personal lyrics.
= During this period, Manson struggled with vocal issues and had a vocal cyst surgically removed in 2003.
= In 2005 the band released "Bleed Like Me" which included the successful single “Why Do You Love Me”.
= "Garbage" went on hiatus in 2005, but reformed for a benefit show in 2007.
= In 2012 the band ended its 7 years hiatus with the album "Not Your Kind of People.
= The band released its sixth album "Strange Little Birds", in 2016. The album was "Garbage's" first studio album to miss the top 10 in the United Kingdom.
= In May 2016, Manson fell off stage into the pit during a performance at KROQ Weenie Roast, injuring her right hip, which required surgery in January 2023.
= In 2021 "Garbage" released their 7th studio album "No Gods No Masters", which was supported by a tour with Alanis Morissette'.
= In 2025 "garbage" released their 8th studio album "Let All That We Imagine Be the Light". It was recorded between 2022 and 2024 across sessions, partly at Shirley Manson's bedroom.
= From 2019–2021, Manson hosted the music podcast "The Jump with Shirley Manson", interviewing musicians and discussing career-defining moments.
= Manson has an acting carcareer. Among others she appeared in "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" in 2008 as Catherine Weaver.
= Manson also participated in the video game Guitar Hero in 2009.
= In 2019, Manson travelled to Santiago, Chile, to participate documentary telling stories of women who challenged armed conflicts - "Peace Peace Now Now".
= Manson is involved in charity Work, including AIDS awareness, supporting "The Pablove Foundation", and raising funds for earthquake victims in Haiti.
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