A decade into his music career, rock's latest bogey man says it's not necessarily easier for him in 2004 than it was in 1994.

"It depends on how I look at it," Marilyn Manson says in a Canadian newspaper exclusive with the Sun leading up to Tuesday's release of his greatest hits collection, Lest We Forget.

"People always want to say, 'Oh, you're not scary anymore.' And I always say, 'I was never trying to be scary.' I felt like a cartoon character -- The Grinch mixed with Willy Wonka and Faust. As much as I feel people needed that Michael Moore movie -- both of them (Fahrenheit 9/11, Bowling For Columbine) -- people needed me to show kids that art isn't that boring stuff in museums, that it's the fun stuff that we like to do. Don't be afraid to call it art. Don't be ashamed."

On this particular day -- snorfling up a storm due to a nasty head cold, while seated on one of two white couches in a completely white L.A. hotel room -- the shock-rocker has a newly acquired mohawk.

"I was going for the Christian Dior runway model mixed with death rock," he deadpans.

In the past, Manson's unusual goth-meets-glam look -- jet-black hair, white face makeup, red lipstick, shaved eyebrows, one milky eye and colourful costumes, mixed with his dark lyrics, industrial-glam-rock sound and a provocative stage show (including ripping apart a copy of the Book of Mormon while in Salt Lake City) -- brought attacks from the religious/conservative right in the U.S.

It didn't help that he was a self-proclaimed Satanist.

And particularly problematic was his "theory about Christ being the first rock star/celebrity, you know, because he had the first merchandise," as Manson reminds me again during this interview.

But he found a freedom-of-speech ally in cinematic agitator Moore, who interviewed him at length after the high school shooting tragedy at Columbine, where the two young killers were targeted as Manson fans.

"I think people really changed their opinion, especially after seeing the bit in Bowling For Columbine," says Manson, 35. "(When) people come up to me and say, 'I didn't know that you were so smart,' it's not that much of an insult. If they say it in that way, (they're) sort of too dumb to know that their compliment is an insult, and I always say, 'I didn't know you were that f---ing stupid."

Still, Manson says his preference is for Moore's followup, Fahrenheit 9/11.

"I just found it to be much more relevant. I liked Bowling For Columbine, but I wish he would have followed through with some things 'cause it started to become Bowling For Canada to me in a way. He talked about Canada so much. And I really wanted him to talk about parents.You know, he talked to one of the victims' parents but I really would have liked to have seen him talk to the killers' parents. I don't think anyone's tried. I don't think I've ever seen them in the press once. And I find that peculiar."

Manson isn't sure whether Fahrenheit 9/11 will change the course of the coming U.S. election. Frankly, he's apathetic about its outcome to begin with.

"In some ways, I don't care and I know that's very irresponsible, but look who you're talking to," he says. "I just don't believe in politics. Maybe that's because my dad went to Vietnam, he came back, and was treated like s--t. He never had a bad attitude. He had severe post-traumatic stress syndrome. We just recently, for the first time in 20 years, talked about it. And it's one of those things where I think if you are being patriotic, be an artist, that's what you've got to be, make sure your opinion's heard."

Manson claims to be completely uninvolved in the election system.

"I've never voted. And that movie (Fahrenheit 9/11) made me want to vote. But I can't say that I'm interested in John Kerry. I don't really know that much about him that makes me excited.

Still, Manson liked the fact that some elements of the recent Democratic National Convention were mirrored in the video for the greatest hits collection's new single, a cover of Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus, a clip that he co-directed.

"When I'm out holding the baby, there's a balloon drop. But by chance the crew only managed to drop half the balloons," he says. "I didn't realize that (basically the same thing happened at) the Democratic convention. I think that was God's way of saying, 'I like you, Marilyn Manson, you're not such a bad guy.' I'm just going to give you this little gift.' "

Manson's cover of Personal Jesus follows his earlier covers of the Eurythmics hit Sweet Dreams and Soft Cell's Tainted Love.

But for the man whose 1996 album AntiChrist Superstar landed him on the cover of Rolling Stone, Personal Jesus seems, well, more personal.

"Somebody made the mistake of trying to put me into some sort of rehabilitation centre because they thought I was kind of losing it. I think it was probably (that I was consuming) too much absinthe ... that scared everyone," Manson says, explaining in a roundabout way how he chose the Depeche Mode track. "But it was just one of those situations where I needed a vacation."

Instead, he says he made the mistake of seeing a psychiatrist. Once. "I especially don't believe in psychiatrists that talk about God," he continues.

"So all the talk about Jesus (that had) sunk into me and ... I heard (Personal Jesus) on the radio and I realized that it had sort of the swing of (his own songs) Rock Is Dead and Beautiful People, sort of the swagger that we like to use. I saw the song (as being) about relationships. I saw it in one way like my fiancee having to bear the cross of all of my problems or me having to barter myself for things because that's what I believe in."

Manson said he did think about whether it might be too soon for him to have a greatest hits release and that the concept itself might not actually apply to him.

"For me, it's sort of a messed-up collection, more than a greatest hits, because a lot of the songs weren't really hits as much as they were bubbling underneath the mainstream. And I think it's a time where I need to remind people that there's a very strong musical element to Marilyn Manson."

In fact, Manson has already started writing for his next studio album and has eight new songs recorded -- including a tribute to Andy Warhol -- after filling about 45 notebooks with random ideas while on tour.

"I hate taking time off, but we started writing immediately when we got home (while) doing Personal Jesus. And a great trigger for us was we were invited to go see (David) Bowie. I'd never met him and, of course, he's a big idol of mine. Just seeing him play and getting the goosebumps (was inspiring).

"And just two days earlier, I had said to everyone, genuinely, 'I'm not sure if I want to do this anymore, because I'm having a great time acting (see sidebar), and I feel that musically, the more successful you become, the more marginal you become.

"My old theory of being subversive through the mainstream, it works, but I don't know how much it works anymore because the world is so much bigger and kids are going senile because they're saturated with too much information, too soon."