True Crime Meets Alternative Rock
When Netflix released Monster: The Ed Gein Story on 3rd October 2025, the streaming platform once again thrust one of America’s most notorious criminals into the cultural spotlight. The third instalment in Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s true crime anthology series stars Charlie Hunnam as the Wisconsin serial killer whose gruesome crimes in the 1950s not only horrified a nation but also fundamentally shaped the horror genre for decades to come. Ed Gein’s influence on popular culture extends far beyond the cinema screen, however, reaching into unexpected corners of American music history through a troubled bassist who bore his name and helped establish one of the most controversial rock bands of the 1990s.
Bradley Mark Stewart, born on 11th September 1969 in Hollywood, Florida, adopted the stage name Gidget Gein when he joined the fledgling band that would become Marilyn Manson. The name represented a deliberate collision of American innocence and depravity, combining the wholesome 1960s surfer girl character Gidget with the surname of the grave-robbing murderer currently trending on Netflix. As the second bassist and co-founder of Marilyn Manson, Stewart became instrumental in shaping the band’s early sound, provocative aesthetic, and theatrical image that would eventually propel them to international notoriety and commercial success. His story intertwines with Ed Gein’s cultural legacy in ways that illuminate how America’s fascination with serial killers permeated not merely cinema but the entire landscape of alternative rock music during a pivotal moment in the 1990s.
Gidget Gein’s Origins and Stage Name
The stage name Gidget Gein embodied the philosophical concept at the heart of Marilyn Manson’s artistic vision. Gidget was originally Kathy Kohner, a real teenager from 1950s California who became a surfing icon despite being barely five feet tall. Her father, Frederick Kohner, immortalised her summer adventures at Malibu Beach in his 1957 novel Gidget: The Little Girl with Big Ideas, spawning films and television series that epitomised carefree, wholesome American youth culture. The nickname itself combined “girl” and “midget”, affectionately bestowed upon her by the male surfers she befriended. Everything about Gidget represented innocence, optimism, and the sunny promise of post-war American prosperity.
Ed Gein represented something altogether different. Born on 27th August 1906 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Edward Theodore Gein endured a difficult childhood marked by an alcoholic father and a domineering, verbally abusive mother who frequently warned him about the immorality of women. When his mother Augusta died in 1945, Gein became a virtual hermit on the family’s secluded farm in Plainfield, Wisconsin, cordoning off the areas of the house his mother had used most frequently and preserving them as something of a shrine. What happened next would earn him the monikers “The Butcher of Plainfield” and “The Plainfield Ghoul” in newspapers across America.
In November 1957, police investigating the disappearance of hardware store owner Bernice Worden arrived at Gein’s farmhouse to find her decapitated body hanging by the heels in his shed. What they discovered inside the house itself was far more horrifying. Furniture upholstered with human skin. Lampshades made from faces. Bowls crafted from skulls. A “woman suit” Gein was constructing from female body parts. Gein confessed to murdering two women and exhuming corpses from local graveyards to create his macabre collection. The details were so shocking that they inspired some of the most iconic characters in horror cinema, including Norman Bates in Psycho, Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs.
By combining these two cultural references, Stewart created a stage persona that embodied the dichotomy Marilyn Manson sought to explore through their music and performances. This naming convention wasn’t unique to Stewart but rather central to the band’s entire concept. Each member adopted a stage name combining a female sex symbol’s first name with a male serial killer’s surname. Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson. Madonna and John Wayne Gacy. The juxtaposition forced audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about the cultural icons they worship and the monsters they fear, suggesting that good and evil coexist not merely in society but within every individual.
The Spooky Kids Take Shape
Gidget Gein was a visible and provocative presence at clubs throughout the area, known for his outrageous appearance and tendency to cause disruption at concerts.
Bradley Stewart’s path to Marilyn Manson began in the South Florida alternative music scene of the late 1980s. He was a visible and provocative presence at clubs throughout the area, known for his outrageous appearance and tendency to cause disruption at concerts. Brian Warner, a journalism student writing music articles for the South Florida lifestyle magazine 25th Parallel, had been interviewing musicians and developing his own artistic vision when he met guitarist Scott Putesky. The two formed Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids in December 1989, initially with Brian Tutunick as bassist under the stage name Olivia Newton Bundy. Tutunick’s tenure lasted merely two shows before Stewart entered the picture.
Warner had observed Stewart being dragged from venues by police and causing scenes at shows, and was intrigued by his chaotic energy. When Warner approached Stewart about joining the band in 1990, Stewart initially declined, insisting he was a guitarist in a hardcore band. After listening to the band’s demo tape and attending a performance, however, Stewart was convinced. He made his debut with Marilyn Manson at a Nine Inch Nails support slot in front of thousands of people despite having learnt only a handful of songs on bass. It was a baptism by fire that set the tone for his turbulent time in the band.
During his tenure from 1990 to 1993, Gidget Gein became far more than merely the bassist for Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids. He was a co-founder who fundamentally shaped the band’s aesthetic, sound, and theatrical approach. His character, style, and reputation became the prototype for what Brian Warner would adapt into the Marilyn Manson ideal. Stewart’s influences from late 1970s culture and his own troubled background informed the band’s provocative stage presence and visual identity. He contributed significantly to the songwriting on what would become the band’s debut album, co-writing numerous tracks including “Lunchbox”, “Organ Grinder”, “Cyclops”, “Dope Hat”, “Get Your Gunn”, “Sweet Tooth”, and “Snake Eyes and Sissies”.
Nothing Records
The band’s theatrical live performances in South Florida clubs gathered them a devoted cult following. Their shows featured outrageous makeup, costumes, and deliberately shocking behaviour that pushed boundaries and provoked controversy at every turn. This approach eventually caught the attention of Trent Reznor, who had recently achieved mainstream success with Nine Inch Nails. Impressed by their music and vision, Reznor signed Marilyn Manson as the first act to his Nothing Records label in 1993, a partnership that would prove instrumental in launching the band to commercial success.
In October 1993, Reznor agreed to rework the production of Marilyn Manson’s debut album, which had initially been recorded with producer Roli Mosimann at Criteria Studios in Miami. The band and Reznor were dissatisfied with the original production, which they felt was too polished and failed to capture the grit of their live performances. The material was re-produced and remixed at various Los Angeles studios, with some recording taking place at 10050 Cielo Drive, the infamous house where members of Charles Manson’s family murdered actress Sharon Tate and others in 1969.
Descent and Dismissal
However, as the band’s profile rose and recording progressed, Gidget Gein’s personal demons intensified catastrophically. He had introduced drugs into the band early on, developing a severe heroin addiction that became increasingly destructive. He began missing rehearsals and even concerts, struggling to perform coherently when he did appear. Multiple times he suffered overdoses that required hospitalisation, narrowly escaping death on several occasions. The addiction was consuming him entirely, and his behaviour was jeopardising everything the band had worked towards.
After four years as a key creative force, Gidget Gein was fired from the band he had helped build, receiving the news whilst still recovering from nearly dying.
On Christmas Eve 1993, whilst the band was in Los Angeles for the album production, Gein was hospitalised after another heroin overdose. Whilst recovering in his hospital bed, vulnerable and at his lowest point, he received a Federal Express message from Marilyn Manson’s attorney informing him that “his services were no longer needed”. After four years as a key creative force, Gidget Gein was fired from the band he had helped build, receiving the news whilst still recovering from nearly dying. The brutality of the dismissal method would later become a source of controversy and resentment.
He was replaced by Jeordie White, who adopted the stage name Twiggy Ramirez, combining model Twiggy with serial killer Richard Ramirez. Interestingly, Ramirez initially adopted an appearance and persona heavily inspired by Gein’s style, and even began dating Gein’s then-girlfriend Jessicka from the band Jack Off Jill, adding insult to injury for the dismissed bassist. Despite his dismissal, Gein received full credit on Portrait of an American Family when it was released on 19th July 1994. Crucially, all the bass parts heard on the album were performed by Gein, not Ramirez, contrary to popular belief that persisted for years. The album achieved Gold certification on 29th May 2003, spawning three singles and establishing Marilyn Manson as one of the most controversial and provocative acts in rock music. Yet the man who had been instrumental in creating that sound and image was no longer part of the band to witness their ascent to mainstream notoriety.
Life After the Band
Following his departure from Marilyn Manson, Gidget Gein relocated to New York, where he formed his own band, Gidget Gein & The Dali Gaggers. The group represented his attempt to continue making music on his own terms, though it never achieved the commercial success of Marilyn Manson. Eventually, Gein returned to Los Angeles and reinvented himself as a visual artist under the moniker “Gollywood”. His artwork focused on celebrity portraits that depicted Hollywood scandals and controversy, executed in a style reminiscent of Kenneth Anger’s infamous exposé Hollywood Babylon. He also created a “Blaxploitation” series that offered both reverent and irreverent commentary on African American cultural representation from minstrel shows through “Black Power” films. His paintings provided scathing, darkly humorous commentary on America’s idol-worshipping culture, demonstrating that his creative vision extended far beyond music.
Gein worked various jobs to support himself, including a particularly macabre occupation as a crime scene cleaner in South Florida.
During this period, Gein worked various jobs to support himself, including a particularly macabre occupation as a crime scene cleaner in South Florida. He was paid twenty dollars per body and required to be on twenty-four hour call, removing the deceased from crime scenes and transporting them to the coroner. This grim work seemed oddly fitting for someone who had taken his stage name from America’s most notorious grave robber, though Gein approached the work professionally and without the sensationalism one might expect.
Reconciliation, Return, Final Years and Tragedy
By 2003, Gein and Manson had reconciled after years of estrangement. Manson expressed interest in Gein’s visual art, and in 2004, one of Gein’s pieces was featured in Marilyn Manson’s music video for “(s)AINT”. Gein himself appeared in the video, marking his return to the Marilyn Manson universe after more than a decade. The video was banned by Interscope Records and had to be released independently through MarilynManson.com. In a 2003 interview, Gein discussed being in contact with Manson about potential collaborations, saying “We are planning art shows together. We’re supposed to do some film work. Music, who knows…” The reconciliation suggested that both men had moved past the acrimony of Gein’s dismissal and could appreciate each other’s artistic contributions, even if the wounds from 1993 had never entirely healed.
During the final years of his life, Gein remained active in film, art, and music projects. He acted in several independent films including The Devil’s Muse in 2007 and appeared in multiple Marilyn Manson music videos. His artwork began appearing in galleries and caught the attention of collectors who appreciated his unique perspective on celebrity culture and American iconography. According to his longtime friend Lenora Claire, he had recently completed a rehabilitation programme and appeared to be making positive strides in his career. He had just secured a book deal, was collaborating with the producer behind Jane’s Addiction’s debut album, and had landed a solo art show at La Luz de Jesus gallery in Los Angeles when tragedy struck. On 9 October 2008 Bradley Mark Stewart was found dead in his Burbank home at the age of thirty-nine. The coroner’s report attributed his death to a heroin overdose, a cruel reminder of the addiction that had plagued him since the earliest days of Marilyn Manson’s rise.
Stewart’s final years had seen him juggling multiple creative pursuits while battling to maintain his sobriety. His work as a crime-scene cleaner in South Florida revealed both a grim pragmatism and an unsettling full-circle moment for a man whose stage name had honoured one of history’s most reviled grave robbers. In that role he earned a reputation for professionalism and discretion, arriving at scenes at all hours to remove the deceased while treating each case with the solemnity it deserved. That same respect and attention to detail informed his later paintings, which often featured Hollywood stars rendered with grotesque, hallucinatory flourishes that challenged viewers to reconsider the nature of fame.
In the years since his passing, Gidget Gein’s contributions to Marilyn Manson’s early sound have continued to receive belated recognition. Music historians and fans alike acknowledge that his bass lines formed the backbone of tracks such as “Lunchbox” and “Get Your Gunn”, while his aesthetic sensibilities helped shape the band’s visual shock tactics. Without Stewart’s input, the polished but soulless demos recorded in Miami might never have evolved into the visceral, confrontational album that caught Trent Reznor’s attention and secured a recording contract with Nothing Records.
A Legacy of Bass and Bone
At the same time Ed Gein’s story has once again captured public fascination thanks to Netflix’s third season of Monster. By dramatizing the twisted life of the Wisconsin killer, the series has reignited debates about the ethical boundaries of true crime entertainment and the reasons why audiences remain transfixed by gruesome real-world tragedies. That a bassist once named in tribute to Ed Gein would find his own legacy intertwined with horror fiction and pop-culture spectacle speaks volumes about the complex interplay between art and atrocity in contemporary media.
Portrait of an American Family endures as a reminder of the energy and vision that Bradley “Gidget Gein” Stewart poured into Marilyn Manson’s early days. His bass lines turned rough sketches into songs that rattled speakers, and his flair for the dramatic helped forge a live show that no one could ignore. Beyond music, his paintings and on-screen cameos reveal an artist constantly pushing against boundaries, curious and unafraid of the dark corners of the imagination. Though Stewart’s battle with addiction ended his life far too soon, the strange bond between his adopted namesake, Ed Gein, and his own creative legacy lives on in the stories his work continues to inspire.
