When I was glancing through this morning stories, I glanced at this ^^ photo and I thought, “Oh, I wonder what Lily Tomlin is up to” and then I moved on to other things. It took me like twenty minutes to realize that this is not a photo of Lily Tomlin. It’s a photo of Marilyn Manson, who got de-Marilyn’d for a guest appearance on his favorite show, Eastbound & Down. Apparently, Marilyn has been a crazy fan-boy of the show and of Danny McBride for years and Marilyn finally scored a guest spot, but he’s playing a proper character. A character who looks like Lily Tomlin.

He is known for his gothic appearance and dramatic stage make-up, but even the most die-hard fans could be forgiven for failing to recognise Marilyn Manson, this week. The 44 year-old singer was photographed on the set of US TV series Eastbound & Down without make-up and sporting seemingly lighter hair. The only clue to his alter ego was a black jumper which he wore while posing for a backstage picture at the show’s HBO studios.

His look is a far cry from the swathes of black leather and whitewash foundation he normally wears. But the rocker is clearly willing to undergo a transformation if it means getting a cameo appearance on the show.

Manson, real name Brian Hugh Warner, is a self-confessed superfan of the series, which tells the story of a former baseball player who returns to his old middle school to teach physical education. For years he has been lobbying to get himself a walk-on role in the series – and, finally, it seems to have paid off.

Although his performance is said to feature in the fourth season of the hit comedy, there is no actual transmission date yet. Hopefully, his appearance will quell his enthusiasm for the show – a love which has seen him attend two of its season launch parties in Los Angeles, California.

Previously, he had even written emails to the show’s star, Danny McBride, in the hope of landing himself a cameo slot. ‘I get weird emails from Marilyn Manson now,’ Danny told MTV in 2010. ‘He sends me weird emails in the middle of the night of what he’s watching on TV, and you can hear him giggling in the background. One time he literally sent me a Peanuts special I guess he was watching, sometimes it’s Eastbound, infomercials, anything.’

[From The Mail]

While I don’t really care for Marilyn, I’m glad that he finally got to visit the set of his favorite show and work with the people he admires so much. It’s always nice when celebrities are super-fans of someone else’s work. Still… he looks like Lily Tomlin. Now we know why he’s always in goth drag. It’s because he looks like a beloved and brilliant lesbian comedienne.

Photos courtesy of Twitter, WENN.