Marilyn Manson Shoots Down Pogo Settlement Claims

Marilyn Manson wants to make sure you know his former keyboardist wasted his time filing that $20 million breach-of-contract lawsuit back in 2007, which, late last week, was settled by lawyers for Manson and Stephen Bier (perhaps better known to fans by his stage names, Pogo and Madonna Wayne Gacy). In fact, Manson wants you to know that Pogo didn't get dime one out of him through the settlement, and that the keyboardist may have even lost money.

According to Manson's camp, the suit was settled for $175,000, but that the shock rocker's insurance coverage will pay that amount not to Pogo, but directly to his attorney. Manson's lawyer, Howard E. King, says Bier will not get any of the proceeds from the suit and that the settlement check will be made payable to Bier's lead attorney to cover the costs of the latter's investment in the case.

King claims the suit should never have been filed, because "after being dismissed from the band, Bier could have focused on resurrecting or attempting to pursue a music career," but "instead, he devoted the last several years to complaining about Manson's alleged spending habits and extravagant behavior to anyone who would listen. The resolution of the bitterly fought case with Bier receiving nothing for his spurious claims is a complete vindication of Manson."

Soon after the settlement became public, Manson took to his MySpace blog to rip into Pogo. "I want to make clear that, aside from the wasted legal fees, in no way did I pay off the person that stood behind a keyboard, pretending to play music other artists in this band wrote," he says. "And I would not piss on Pogo if he was on fire. Thee end. Or is it? Let's wait until all the really bad things I covered up for him are suddenly uncovered. I got a far more severe type of karma for traitors and people that owe me, legally a lot more than what I wasted tolerating your rape of a band you never deserved to be in."