page_title: I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)
section_title: Critical reception
hierarchical_section_title: I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me) / Critical reception
caption_attribution_description: Robert Christgau at the Experience Music Project Pop Conference
context_page_description: "I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released as the second single from their third studio album, Mechanical Animals. It was written by the band's eponymous frontman, along with bassist Twiggy Ramirez and then-guitarist Zim Zum, and was produced by Manson and Michael Beinhorn. A glam rock song inspired by drugs, television, and religion, the track features a gospel choir and a guitar solo by Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction.
  The song garnered a mostly positive response from music critics, who complimented its catchiness and memorability. Critics noted similarities between "I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)" and the music of David Bowie, particularly his song "Fame", as well as the work of Manson's contemporaries. The song's stance on drugs garnered differing interpretations; some critics felt it glamorized drug use, while others saw it as anti-drug. Its music video was directed by Paul Hunter, and features an androgynous Manson attached to a cross made of television sets and a series of vignettes.
context_section_description: Kenneth Partridge of Billboard included "I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)" on his list of the "15 Best Songs About Drugs", alongside tracks like Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Women ♯12 & 35" (1966), Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" (1967), and The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face" (2015). Partridge described the track's message as "a conservative parent’s worst nightmare." Stereogum's Joseph Shafer rated the track fourth on his list of the ten best Marilyn Manson songs, calling it "the most humorous and infectious" of Mechanical Animals' "choice cuts". Exclaim!'s Liisa Ladouceur praised the song's "shiny production and sleazy swagger," saying that it remained memorable years after its release. Robert Christgau deemed "I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)" and "The Dope Show" the catchiest songs on Mechanical Animals.
  Sputnikmusic's Simon K. described "I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)" and "Rock Is Dead" as album highlights that "you’ll find yourself humming...for days." Chad Childers of Loudwire praised Navarro's "slick" guitar solo and wrote "the song has remained a favorite among Manson fans over the years." Similarly, Brad Miska of Bloody Disgusting said that "I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)" is one of the songs from Mechanical Animals that Manson's fans find the most memorable. MTV's Gil Kaufman saw the song as part of a revival of glam rock that took place in the 1990s. According to Kaufman, other examples of this revival included Spacehog's "In the Meantime" (1995), the title track of Hole's Celebrity Skin (1998), and  Todd Haynes' Velvet Goldmine (1998), a film about an Iggy Pop-esque rock singer.
  Writing for the Houston Press, Kristy Loye deemed "I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)" one of Manson's greatest hit songs. Lorainne Ali of Rolling Stone called it a "cacophony of voices chanting the title on top of guitar work by Dave Navarro". Ali went on to praise Manson's vocal performance, saying "surprisingly, he sounds pretty good." Entertainment Weekly's David Browne panned the title of the song for attempting to be shocking. Annalee Newitz of Salon said that the track was one of the album's "bad judgment blips", writing that "'I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me),' with its misplaced soul backing vocals and Billy Squire-esque  [sic] sound, made it onto the album for entirely mysterious reasons."
caption: Robert Christgau praised "I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)".
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