John 5 reflected on the creative chemistry he shared with Marilyn Manson, telling Guitar Interactive Magazine in a recent interview how they created “the most aggressive, exciting Manson music” he’s “ever heard.”

When it comes to choosing his jobs, John 5 has a simple philosophy — “I do only join musicians that I’ve loved most of my life,” the guitarist said in late 2025. Indeed, from David Lee Roth to Mötley Crüe nowadays, John 5 seems to fit any band he’s worked with like a glove, and brings a true fan’s passion with him. His time with Marilyn Manson, during which he got his stage name, was no different.

John 5 On Working With Marilyn Manson: ‘When We Started Writing, It All Flowed’

Speaking to Guitar Interactive Magazine in a February 23 interview, John 5 (born John William Lowery), noted how Marilyn Manson was among the artists with whom he immediately felt a “connection” (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar):

“It’s very strange, because working with so many artists over the years, you have a connection. And it’s so hard to explain. It’s just when you have a connection with somebody, like a friend or something, you’re like, ‘Oh, I really get along with this person.’ And Manson is one of those people. We got in the studio. I don’t remember what the song was for, if it was for MTV celebrity death match, or if it was like a single or something, but we got in there, and it all just came together; me and Twiggy [Ramirez, bass] were working, and then he said, ‘Just go nuts.’ And I went nuts with the solo and things like that.”

The relationship didn’t change even as they moved on to more concrete work, as the guitarist said:

“Then, when we started writing, it all flowed. ‘The Fight Song’, ‘Disposable Teens’ [from the 2000 LP ‘Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)’], ‘Mobscene’, ‘The New Shit’ [from 2003’s ‘The Golden Age of Grotesque’]… All these songs just were coming, coming, coming. And it was really, really, it was something else. We were just like, single after single, after single. The record company was like, ‘These are all great!’ We just had a lot of success together. And it’s wonderful.”

He added:

“You know what? I’m gonna tell you a secret. So, so you know, me and Manson are friends, and we got together just to work on some stuff… But nothing for anything [major], it was just like friends getting together, messing around. And I will tell you, I will listen back to that, and it is the most aggressive, exciting Manson music I think I’ve ever heard. It’s unbelievable, and it’s just sitting on my phone.”

You can check out the entire interview below:

John 5 Previously Said Other Members of Marilyn Manson’s Band Were ‘So Mean’ to Him

While John 5 now speaks of his relationship with Manson with great fondness, he noted in November last year how certain members of the band were “mean” to him when he joined:

“I got in the band, and I was at Tony Ciulla’s [Manson’s longtime manager] birthday party… And all the guys are there. Manson was really nice, and all the guys were really nice. And I liked Pogo [Stephen Bier a.k.a. Madonna Wayne Gacy, keyboardist]. I thought Pogo looked really cool and crazy. I really thought Pogo was cool.”

“And I was like, ‘Hey, Pogo! [And he] wouldn’t say anything.’ I thought, maybe he didn’t hear me. ‘Hey, Pogo, how’s it going?’ Nothing. And it’s just me and him. I go, ‘I’m gonna try one more time.’ ‘Hey, Pogo, how you doing today?’ He goes, ‘I’m not gonna say hi to you. You’re only gonna be in the band for six months.’ And it’s just, like… not Manson, but the other guys were so mean to me, and I just wanted nothing but for them to succeed.”