BIOGRAPHY

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Since first picking up a guitar at the age of 13, musician/songwriter Jeordie "Twiggy" White has developed a style and stage presence all his own to become one of the more versatile players on the scene today. Influenced by the likes of Motley Crue, Van Halen, Metallica and Iron Maiden, he spent the better portion of his youth in the Ft. Lauderdale area, where he quickly embraced South Florida's burgeoning music scene. By time he was 15, he had joined his first band, The Ethiopians.

Though it wasn't long before The Ethiopians had gone their separate ways, Jeordie was ready to take it to the next level. While still in his senior year of high school, he landed his first substantial and ultimately life-changing gig with local thrash/hard alternative favorites Amboog-A-Lard, first as rhythm guitarist and later switching to bass. The band's huge popularity on the local club circuit allowed opportunities for them to share the stage with internationally known acts such as Anthrax, Exodus, The Ramones, Savatage and Saigon Kick. In June of 1992, Amboog-A-Lard captured awards in five categories at the 1st Annual South Florida Slammie Awards, with White taking home the award for Best Rhythm Guitarist. It was with the band's 1993 release, A New Hope, that his talents as a songwriter first became evident. He takes sole credit for composing the music for the album's title track, as well as "Medicine Man", "A Matter Of Honor", and "Do Or Do Not."

It was during his time with Amboog-A-Lard that he first crossed paths with Brian Warner, aka Marilyn Manson, controversial frontman of Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids, who themselves were becoming serious contenders on the Ft. Lauderdale scene. Finding common ground in their mutual love of 80's metal and 70's hitmakers such as The Bee Gees and Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, the two became fast friends, collaborating together in several side projects until the departure of bassist Gidget Gein in December 1993 allowed for Jeordie to officially join forces with the Manson clan. Jeordie White became "Twiggy Ramirez", in homage to the 1960's British supermodel Twiggy and the infamous "Night Stalker" serial killer Richard Ramirez. His first show with the band took place on January 1, 1994 at the Squeeze nightclub in Ft. Lauderdale.

While contributing marginally to the 1995 EP Smells Like Children (most notably the track "Scabs, Guns and Peanut Butter", which he wrote and performed), it was on the band's 1996 multi-platinum Antichrist Superstar that Jeordie truly emerged as an integral part of the creative process, the driving musical force behind Manson's powerful lyrics. If Brian Warner was the heart of Marilyn Manson, Jeordie had become the soul. Writing the majority of the album's music, he was also called upon to pick up the slack when guitarist Daisy Berkowitz left the band midway through the recording process -- many of the tracks feature Jeordie not only on bass, but on lead and rhythm guitar as well. With Nine Inch Nails visionary Trent Reznor handling production, the band hunkered down for several months in Reznor's home base of New Orleans to write and record. The ensuing debauchery and chaos are clearly reflected in the finished product's dark lyrics and relentlessly pounding music. Jeordie once described this full initiation into the world of Marilyn Manson as "one of the most painful things ever to do."

1998's critically acclaimed Mechanical Animals mirrored a new phase in the Manson saga, specifically the band's relocation to Los Angeles and induction into the world of celebrity and rock stardom. Taking a hands-on approach in the studio and again switching between bass, lead, rhythm and acoustic guitar, Jeordie reached back in time to the music that had inspired his idols -- David Bowie, the Stooges and Queen -- to weave a tale reflecting the darker side of fame and fortune. The album was a marked departure from the style of the band's previous efforts, incorporating a more melodic sound reminiscent of 1970's glam rock and disco.

Cultivating musical styles from both Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals, 2001's Holy Wood (In The Shadows Of The Valley Of Death) was recorded live at the reputedly haunted Houdini Mansion in the Hollywood Hills. Jeordie cites The Beatles' "White Album" as having influenced a more unconventional approach to the making of the record and in addition to playing guitar and bass, he had a chance to experiment with keyboards and drum loops as well. While some of the album reflects the backlash the band suffered after being made the media's scapegoat for the Columbine High School shootings in 1999, it mostly takes aim at a dysfunctional society's overall obsession with violence, religion and celebrity.

Many fans were shocked and dismayed when it was announced in May of 2002 that Jeordie had left Marilyn Manson. Fueled by a desire to explore new creative paths and expand his musical horizons, one of Jeordie's first post-Manson projects was a collaboration with Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme and an eclectric assortment of fellow musicians on Homme's "Desert Sessions" series. A subsequent encounter with A Perfect Circle drummer Josh Freese at a New Year's Eve party led to White's taking over as the band's bassist in early 2003. Referred to by some as "art rock with gothic elements", A Perfect Circle was founded by Paz Lenchantin and Billy Howerdel in 1997, featuring Tool's Maynard James Keenan on vocals. Though most of the music had been written for the band's second album, Thirteenth Step, before Jeordie came on board, he fully participated in the recording process and contributed to the writing of both "Crimes" and "The Package". An extensive world tour following the album's release paid tribute to Jeordie's competence and versatility as he tackled APC's more complex musical arrangements in a live setting. Brian Davis of internet radio station KNAC proclaimed Jeordie to be a "key element in the evolution and growth of the band's sound" with the bass serving as a "cornerstone and driving element in the music."

With A Perfect Circle going on indefinite hiatus at the conclusion of their tour in 2004, Jeordie continued to keep himself busy with a multitude of other projects. Artists he has worked with in the studio include Melissa Auf Der Maur, Dead Celebrity Status and UNKLE. From March 2005 until September 2007, Jeordie handled bass and guitar duties as part of the Nine Inch Nails touring lineup, playing to sold out audiences around the world several times over. Although he did not have a creative role in the studio with NIN, he credits his time with them as having given him more discipline as a performer and helping him to "turn the page and make a clean sweep of the past".

Additionally, Jeordie has teamed up with desert rock mainstay and long-time Queens of the Stone Age collaborator Chris Goss to form the nucleus of Goon Moon, who thus far have have released two records -- the 2005 EP I Got A Brand New Egg Layin' Machine and 2007's Licker's Last Leg. Jeordie has stated that there are "no rules" when it comes to making music with Goon Moon and this is clearly evidenced in both releases, with the influences running the gamut from folk to goth to 60's psychedelia and even a touch of swing. In addition to his musical abilities, this project also showcases for the first time Jeordie's talents as a both a lyricist and lead vocalist.

Things came full circle when, in the latter part of 2007, a chance meeting at a Hollywood nightspot rekindled the long dormant friendship between Jeordie and Manson, which ultimately resulted in Jeordie's highly anticipated return to the band for the final leg of Manson's "Rape Of The World" U.S. tour in January 2008. The creative fire now fully ignited, the pair returned to the studio at the conclusion of the tour with keyboardist/programmer Chris Vrenna for the better part of a year, Jeordie once more reprising his crucial role as lead songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. The end result, The High End of Low, was released in May of 2009 and again highlights Jeordie's diverse musical background, from the country-tinged "Four Rusted Horses" to the Zeppelinesque dirge of "I Want To Kill You Like They Do In The Movies". The ensuing world tour saw Jeordie put aside his trademark bass to take on the more demanding role of lead guitarist, as well as contributing back up vocals on many of the live tracks.

While Jeordie now considers Marilyn Manson his "home base" he continues to work on various side projects, and plans to write and record again with Goon Moon as soon as time allows.

An up-to-date and comprehensive listing of Jeordie's accomplishments can be found in the Body of Work section of this website.