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| Birth Name(s) : Shirley Anne Manson |
Date of Birth: August 26, 1966 |
| Status:
Married
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Partner:
Eddie Farrel |
| Profession:
Musician |
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Full Shirley Manson Biography
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland on August 26th 1966. The lead of Garbage, Shirley Manson lived a rather difficult life. Her family which included an older and younger sister as well as a Big Band singer for a mother and a professor of animal breeding and poultry genetics as a father, Shirley's family was in no way poor. Yet despite growing up in good home, Shirley was not a very happy little girl. Like most red heads, Shirley was teased relentlessly at school. To make matter worse, kids found her eyes to be protruding and found countless names to make fun of her for that too. Some of the times, she would return home bloody and bruised. This would result in her developing a nervous anxiety and subsequently turned the once happy little girl into a depressed suicidal.
During her teenage years, the poor bullied soul began to lash out, dressing awkwardly, drinking, smoking cigarettes & hanging out with kids much older then herself. She was going through a difficult phase of self hatred. She began to cut herself & lost her virginity at the young age of 15. Needless to say her school grades went down the drain.
At the age of sixteen, she joined her boyfriend's rock band, Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie as a backup singer and a keyboardist. The band lasted around ten years before it broke up. Soon after that she joined another band called Angelfish. The band had a few hits that made it to MTV but in general they weren't all that good. The band broke up & Shirley was without a band.
She later auditioned for Garbage & the band mates were stunned by her talent. Butch had seen saw her on MTV and wanted to meet her. They knew she was the one for them.
Garbage was an imminent success & currently has three albums to its name. While she still deals with self acceptance, Shirley is definitely not the sad little girl from her past. Currently she is married to Scottish artist, Eddie Farrell. The two keep in contact via e-mail while she is on tour. |
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Additional Shirley Manson Biography
Shirley Ann Manson (born August 26, 1966) is a Scottish musician, the lead vocalist of the band Garbage.
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Manson is the second of three daughters. She has an older sister, Lindy-Jayne and a younger sister, Sarah. Her mother is a former big band singer and her father is a geneticist who was a part of the faculty that cloned Dolly the Sheep. At age seven, Shirley began learning the piano, later attending the City of Edinburgh Music School where she also joined the school's theatre group.
At school, she was regularly bullied because of her red hair and large green eyes. She sometimes returned home after school bloody and bruised from being beaten up. The incessant teasing and bullying led her into a deep depression and drove her to self-harm. Also as a result of the bullying, she dropped out of school and began working at Miss Selfridge in central Edinburgh..
Manson is anti-fur, and has participated in PETA's “Here’s the rest of your fur coat” ad campaign.
Her first experience with music was with the bands Autumn 1904 and Wild Indians. When she was 16, Shirley joined Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie, with whom she sang backup vocals and played the keyboards. She remained in the band for a decade until they split in 1992. After the split, Shirley and two other members of the band formed Angelfish; this time she was the lead singer. Angelfish released a self-titled album and one single, 'Suffocate Me'.
Shirley has cited Siouxsie Sioux from the post-punk band Siouxsie & the Banshees as a main influence on her and wrote the foreword of the official Siouxsie and the Banshees biography in 2003.
After seeing 'Suffocate Me' on MTV, Steve Marker was impressed and wanted Shirley to front his band Garbage. After two auditions, Shirley became the lead singer in 1994.
Manson immediately set about rewriting the lyrics to the band's already written songs. The resulting collaborative efforts became Garbage, the band's debut album, which would go on to sell 5 million copies worldwide, earning double-platinum certifications in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia. The album produced hit singles and breakthrough hits such as "Queer", "Stupid Girl", "Only Happy When It Rains" and "Vow".
By the time their second album, Version 2.0, was being recorded in the band's own studio, Manson had become the band's primary lyricist. But she was still regarded by many as simply the face of Garbage. As a regular musical contributor and guitarist (her orange Fender Stratocaster is named 'Rita'), she felt great disappointment at the general perception of her role in the group.Manson performing in 2002.
After her brief role as a model for Calvin Klein and the confidence that composer David Arnold had shown her while co-producing the theme for James Bond film "The World Is Not Enough", Shirley began to write more self-reflective lyrics, which ended up on the band's third album, beautifulgarbage.
Garbage briefly dissolved in 2003 due to infighting. After resolving their problems, they reformed to record their fourth album, Bleed Like Me, which was released in April 2005. The album reached the top 5 in the US, and overall sold well around the world.Manson performing with Garbage in 2005.
As of October 2005, Garbage is on an indefinite hiatus; the band had been constantly producing and promoting albums and touring for the past decade. According to Manson, the current situation between the band's members is "good."
On May 20, 2007 Virgin Media premiered the newest video "Tell Me Where It Hurts" directed by Sophie Muller. On July 17th, 2007, 'Absolute Garbage' the compilation CD which spans 10 years of songs, will feature a DVD and a CD of remixes; as well as the newest single "Tell Me Where It Hurts".
While Garbage were on hiatus, Manson began working on her first proper solo album and is due for release in the first half of 2008 following the 2007 release of Garbage's greatest hits retrospective Absolute Garbage and prior to the band regrouping to begin work on its fifth album. Much of the work on the album took place during Garbage's self-imposed year and a half long hiatus period.
Manson has collaborated with a number of people on the project including fellow Scottish songwriter Paul Buchanan, US rock musicians Jack White, Billy Corgan and Beck, producer and keyboardist Greg Kurstin and James Bond soundtrack composer David Arnold, with whom in 1999 she, as part of Garbage, had co-produced and performed the title theme to The World Is Not Enough. Garbage drummer and former Nirvana/Smashing Pumpkins producer Butch Vig is also co-writing and producing for her album.
Producer Barb Morrison of Brooklyn based production team Super Buddha revealed in October that the team are working with Manson and Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry. The team produced Harry's 2007 album Necessary Evil, but it is unknown whether the track will appear on Manson's record or a future Harry release.
Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie (credited with backing vocals and keyboards)
- Good Deeds and Dirty Rags (1988)
- Fish Heads and Tails (1989)
- Hammer and Tongs (1991)
- Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie (1992) (US release)
- Five (1993)
Garbage (Songwriter, lead vocals and guitar)
- Garbage (1995)
- Version 2.0 (1998)
- beautifulgarbage (2001)
- Bleed Like Me (2005)
- Absolute Garbage (2007)
Singles: "Vow" | "Subhuman" | "Only Happy When It Rains" | "Queer" | "Stupid Girl" | "Milk" | "#1 Crush" |
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