Marilyn (musician)

The 2002 Boy George penned stage musical, Taboo, features Marilyn and other stars of the 1980s. See also: Revolting Cocks. He briefly retired from the industry until 2001 when he began a series of moderately successful club appearances and released a greatest hits album. Ministry's latest album, The Houses of the Molé, was released in 2004. While attempting to record a follow-up album to Despite Straight Lines with famed producer Don Was in Detroit, Michigan, with little record company support, Marilyn's finances were drained to the point of having to work regular jobs outside of music. Longtime bassist Barker left the band in 2003. The resultant media fallout of Marilyn's drug addiction and disputes with Boy George seriously damaged his public career. Ministry's single "Bad Blood" appeared on the soundtrack album of The Matrix and was nominated for a 2000 Grammy award, but for the next several years, label problems prevented much recorded material from being released, except the Sphinctour album and DVD in 2002.

On July 9, 1986, Marilyn along with Boy George's brother Kevin O'Dowd were sentenced at Marylebone Magistrates Court on a charge of possessing heroin. In spite of their growing success, Ministry was derailed by a series of drug problems and arrests, and finally, the suicide of guitarist William Tucker. Despite the initial collaborations between Boy George and Marilyn, the friendship became increasingly strained due to fame and drug-related problems. The three other albums were Filth Pig (1995), Dark Side of the Spoon (1999) and Animositisomina (2003). In November, 1984, Marilyn recorded with other musicians in Band Aid, for the song and video to "Do They Know It's Christmas?". The music video was a hit on MTV, and the full-length Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs was another hit. A moderately successful album Despite Straight Lines was also released in 1985. After several years of touring and recording, Ministry broke into the mainstream in 1991 with "Jesus Built My Hotrod" (co-written by Michael Balch, and Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers).

These singles were naturally more popular in clubs than with radio. Ministry would also inspire and inform the industrial collectives of the 1990s such as Pigface and KMFDM. He also recorded "Cry and Be Free", "You Don't Love Me" and a dozen other 12" and 7" singles between 1983 and 1985, with varying success. Barker released his own material as Lead Into Gold and Jourgensen lent his heavy hand to treating Skinny Puppy's Rabies LP. The lyrics to the song are based on an argument Marilyn had with Boy George. Jourgensen and Barker also formed Lard with Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, Acid Horse with Cabaret Voltaire, 1000 Homo Djs with Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, PTP with Chris Connelly and Pailhead with Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat and Fugazi. Marilyn recorded "Calling Your Name" in November, 1983 and it became one of the biggest selling singles of the 1980s, reaching number 4 on the UK charts, number 3 on the Australian charts, and number 1 in Japan. "Revco," as it was fondly referred to, was essentially the same band plus Belgian vocalist Luc Van Acker.

Marilyn was signed to Mercury Records in 1983. Foremost of these was Ministry's alter ego, the Revolting Cocks. It was only after Culture Club had made a commercial impact with their debut album that record companies were seriously looking for artists with a similar cross-dressing image. Many of these bore Ministry's signature sound and the duo's "Hypo Luxa/Hermes Pan" production imprint. While Boy George went on to form Culture Club in 1981 and secure a recording deal with at first with Epic Records, then Virgin Records, Marilyn was still scouting for a recording contract, recording a demo tape with some assistance from Boy George. Throughout the late 1980s Jourgensen and Barker expanded their ideas beyond Ministry into a seemingly endless parade of side projects and collaborations. Coincidentally Monroe died the same year Peter Robinson was born. Both albums stretched the definition of industrial to include the tight, thick soundscapes formerly occupied by thrash metal, albeit with jackhammer drums, obscure samples and unconventional electronic processing.

He became friends with Boy George during his teenage years and began experimenting with his sexuality and image, adopting the blonde hair, makeup and movements of his idol Marilyn Monroe, hence his stage name Marilyn. The follow-up, The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste was just as acclaimed. He grew up in Hertfordshire, England as part of a musical family and was influenced by the songs of Barbara Streisand, Motown and gospel. The album was a smash success in the underground music scene. Marilyn was born in Kingston, Jamaica. With Paul Barker, William Rieflin, Mike Scaccia and Chris Connelly, Jourgensen recorded The Land of Rape and Honey (1988). Peter Robinson (born November 3, 1962), better known as Marilyn, is a famous cross-dressing singer and musician who reached fame with his song "Calling Your Name" in the 1980s. Though Twitch did not sell well, it set the stage for Ministry's move into industrial music.

Despite Straight Lines (1985). Jourgensen parted ways with bandmate Stephen George and took the band in a new, more hardcore direction for Twitch (1985). The debut album was With Sympathy (1983), but sales were sluggish. The band was formed in 1981 by Alain Jourgensen. Ministry is an industrial rock band of the 1980s and 90s.

Sphinctour (2002). What About Us? - Promo (2001). Tapes of Wrath (2000). In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up - Live! (1990).

3 for One box (2000). Just Another Fix (1995). Box (1983). No "W" (2004).

Bad Blood (1999). Brick Windows (1996). Lay Lady Lay (1995). The Fall (1995).

Just One Fix (1992). N.W.O. (1992). Jesus Built My Hotrod (1991). Burning Inside (1989).

Stigmata (1988). Halloween Remix (1987). Over the Shoulder (1985). The Nature of Love (1984).

All Day (1984). Work for Love (1983). Revenge (1983). I Wanted to Tell Her (1983).

Cold Life (1981). Side Trax (2004). Early Trax (2004). The Houses of the Molé (2004).

Animositisomina (2003). Sphinctour (2002). Greatest Fits (2001). Dark Side of the Spoon (1999).

Filth Pig (1995). Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs (1992). In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (live) (1990). The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste (1989).

The Land of Rape and Honey (1988). Twelve Inch Singles (1987). Twitch (1985). With Sympathy (1983).