It was 2009. The air smelled like hairspray and electronic pop was just starting to get weird. Lady Gaga was everywhere, brandishing a "disco stick" and turning subway stations into high-fashion runways. Then, out of nowhere, the "Antichrist Superstar" himself showed up.
The Lady Gaga Marilyn Manson connection is one of those pop culture glitches that feels like a fever dream now. You might remember the headlines, or maybe you just remember the vaguely unsettling feeling of seeing a goth icon and a pop princess in the same frame. Honestly, it wasn't just a photo op. They actually got in the studio together.
The LoveGame Remix That Actually Happened
People always ask if they ever really worked together or if it was just some weird Internet rumor. It’s real. Manson hopped on a remix of Gaga's hit "LoveGame," specifically the "Chew Fu Ghettohouse Fix."
If you haven't heard it, it’s exactly what you’d expect: heavy, grinding, and a little bit dirty. Manson’s gravelly voice chanting about a "disco stick" is something you can't un-hear once you’ve experienced it.
How did this even happen?
Basically, it started at a Rolling Stone photoshoot in May 2009. Manson reportedly wandered onto the set with a bottle of absinthe in his hand. He wasn't there for a meeting; he was just... there. He saw Gaga’s setup—the leather, the cameras, the Warhol-esque vibe—and he was hooked. He told the magazine at the time that he was impressed by her paparazzi shots, saying she looked the way a rock star should look.
💡 You might also like: Is Randy Parton Still Alive? What Really Happened to Dolly’s Brother
He didn't see a pop singer. He saw a kindred spirit in the world of performance art.
Why the Aesthetic Match Worked (and Why It Didn’t)
On paper, they’re total opposites. He’s the guy who scared parents in the 90s; she’s the woman who sang "Just Dance." But if you look closer, they were both pulling from the same playbook.
- Shock Value: Both used fashion as a weapon to make people look twice.
- Persona Over Reality: Neither ever really "turned it off" for the cameras.
- The Bowie Influence: Both have credited David Bowie as their North Star for reinventing their image constantly.
Manson was actually pretty vocal about his respect for her, even if he wasn't exactly bumping The Fame in his car. In a 2012 interview with Digital Spy, he admitted he had a hard time liking her music because it wasn't his "style," but he defended her artistry. He said she was "very smart" and "not selling out."
It’s a weirdly wholesome endorsement from a man who once made a career out of being the world's boogeyman.
He did have one critique, though. He felt her constant costume changes made her "ephemeral." He preferred a more permanent, singular identity, whereas Gaga wanted to be a new person every Tuesday.
📖 Related: Patricia Neal and Gary Cooper: The Affair That Nearly Broke Hollywood
The Fallout and the Silence
You don’t hear much about Lady Gaga Marilyn Manson these days. The silence is loud.
As the 2010s rolled on, Gaga moved toward jazz with Tony Bennett and Hollywood stardom with A Star Is Born. Manson, meanwhile, became embroiled in a series of serious legal battles and allegations of abuse starting around 2021.
Gaga has a history of distance when it comes to past collaborators who face controversy. We saw it with R. Kelly; she eventually removed "Do What U Want" from streaming platforms and apologized for the collaboration. With Manson, there was no massive anthem to delete—just an obscure remix that mostly lives on YouTube and old "The Remix" CDs.
She hasn't spoken about him in years. Most fans have followed suit. It’s become a "blink and you missed it" moment in pop history.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception? That they were "best friends" or planning a full album together.
👉 See also: What Really Happened With the Death of John Candy: A Legacy of Laughter and Heartbreak
Rumors swirled in 2009 that Gaga would appear on a remix for Manson's album The High End of Low. It never materialized. They were two artists who occupied the same orbit for a few months, shared an interest in the macabre, and then drifted into completely different universes.
Gaga went for the Oscars. Manson went back to the shadows.
Actionable Insights for the Pop Historian
If you’re trying to track down the history of this era, here is how to actually find the "lost" media:
- Check the International Tracklists: The "LoveGame" remix featuring Manson isn't on every version of her albums. It's most common on the international releases of The Remix (2010).
- Look for the Photoshoot BTS: The Rolling Stone behind-the-scenes footage from 2009 is the only place you'll see their chemistry in action.
- Differentiate the Remixes: Don't confuse the Manson remix with the "Space Cowboy" or "Robots to Mars" versions. The Manson one is distinctly darker and slower.
Understanding the Lady Gaga and Marilyn Manson connection is really about understanding 2009. It was a time when pop music was desperate to be "dangerous" again, and Gaga was the only one brave enough to invite the wolf into the house. Whether that aged well is up to you, but the music still exists as a time capsule of a very specific, very weird moment in time.