[link]

Manson's video for "Heart-Shaped Glasses," starring his then-girlfriend, Evan Rachel Wood.

AT the time of their relationship (mid-2007) when Manson was 38 and ERW was at the tender age of 19, there was of course a lot of controversy. None of the tabloids, however, actually admitted to what the controversy was REALLY about; the tattooed, lipsticked, black-wearing gothcore rocker in a relationship with the wholesome, innocent, and very, very blonde movie actress. People were afraid of Manson corrupting this innocent woman, who was practically a child.
Well, Evan Rachel Wood wanted to be corrupted.
First it was the matching heart-shaped tattoos (complete with David Bowie lightning bolts down the center-visible in a few frames in the music video on ERW's upper thigh). Then Evan started stepping out in black lace ensembles, seen with Manson at numerous Hollywood events donning heavy eye make-up, blood red lips, and jet black hair.
Some complained that Manson was conforming her into a Dita Von Teese-esque character, not letting Evan be Evan.
But I am almost completely sure that Evan was Evan...maybe even more so than she had ever been in her life before Manson, when she dated the cute but shallow actors that defined her professional career but never her romantic one.
Why have I spent so much time thinking about this? I don't really know. I'm not even that big of a Manson fan. I picked up a few tracks recommended to me by my ex-boyfriend and enjoyed all of them, but only a few really spoke to me. Marilyn Manson himself is shocking, but he means to be. His appearance is the physical manifestation of what he wants his music to come across as; frightening, dark, leaving an impression.
No, the reason I bring up this past Hollywood romance (but with recent sightings of Manson and ERW together, is it really that far into the past?) is a simple one.

Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel Wood are, in my opinion, the happiest, sexiest, and best-fitting couple that has ever hit the tabloids.
Manson opened up Evan's world to one she had never set foot in before. When you see pictures of them, you can instinctively sense how happy and in love they are. Evan is crazy about the goth, "shock-rock" look, and her newfound morbidity, paired with the carnal sexual tension that she and Marilyn share, makes this couple absolutely brilliant together.
Yeah, maybe I secretly wish I was dating Marilyn Manson, or a rocker of the same caliber (but, really, who's at the same caliber as Manson???). I want to be shocking and alarming and intensely dark and beautiful. Most of all, I want a relationship with the romance that Manson and ERW have. I want someone who will look scary and intimidating to everyone else but who will be the most charming and caring person in the world to me.

A couple of times, I've gotten close, most recently with a tattooed, pierced (oh, fyi; tongue piercings are incredible) guy who was four years older than me. He intimidated me to no end, but those rare times when his soft and sensual side showed through...they made the whole relationship worth it. I've written about him a few times, in poetry and prose, never mentioning him by name but describing him to the last detail. He had a powerful influence on me; in a way, I suppose, he was my muse. In a different way, he still is.

I'll leave those of you still reading with this quote, spoken by Evan Rachel Wood after the filming of the video whose link is at the top of this entry:

"At the end of the video, we're kissing and it's raining blood – and for me, that was one of the most romantic moments of my entire life."

Marilyn, Evan...you're perfect for each other.