The Blogbooks

7 Things You Didn't Know About Charles Manson (PHOTOS)

There is far more to the life of Charles Manson than anyone could have imagined. Much of what has previously been believed isn't true.
By 

Author

Author
|
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

There is far more to the life of Charles Manson than anyone could have imagined. Much of what has previously been believed isn't true. Manson lied about almost everything in his background, and there is also much more to the nights of the notorious Tate and LaBianca murders than has ever been revealed. For almost three years I followed Charles Manson's path, from a small West Virginia factory town across America to the fabled mansions of Los Angeles, and all along the way I found new sources of critical information - including Manson's sister and cousin, prison cellmates, musicians and street preachers and free clinic doctors and even the court bailiffs chained to Manson during the trial made famous in Helter Skelter.

The Manson who emerges in this new book is anything but a bloodthirsty lunatic. Instead, Manson is revealed as a gifted, calculating psychopath who used everyone he encountered for his own evil ends, Amazingly, the same traits Manson exhibited on two terrible nights in August 1969 were on full display even as a first grader: Six-year-old Charlie conned girls in his class into beating up a boy he didn't like, and afterward claimed that the girls were doing what they wanted to - he wasn't to blame.

Manson's story is also the tale of the late 1960s in America, a time of tremendous cultural confusion and social chaos. In Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson, his life plays out against the backdrop of race riots, war protest marches, and the evolution of rock music into the shaper rather than the reflection of youth. Manson's goal in life was to become more famous than the Beatles, and when his dream was thwarted by music industry giants who found his talent lacking, he was determined to wreak revenge. That homicidal urge was exacerbated by Manson's fear of Black Panther reprisal after a drug deal gone wrong, and his preaching to his followers about a looming, apocalyptic race war that would result in Manson and his followers ruling the world.

There's new information on virtually every page; The real story of Charles Manson's life a is even more fascinating than the mythology.

7 Things You Didn't Know About Charles Manson
(01 of07)
Open Image Modal
New information provided by Manson's sister Nancy and cousin Jo Ann proves that he lied almost completely about his childhood. He was not illegitimate, his mother was not a prostitute (though she did jail time for robbery), and as a boy little Charlie was indulged rather than abused. But from his first days in elementary school, he exhibited the same tendencies toward violence and corrupting gullible acquaintances that would define him for the rest of his life. (credit:Jo Ann Collection)
(02 of07)
Open Image Modal
While in prison, Manson participated in a Dale Carnegie course and later used the techniques he learned there to recruit and control his "Family" of young men and women. Manson's supposedly mystical ability to read minds and make others do his bidding was cribbed directly from How to Win Friends and Influence People. He also stole ideas from Scientology and passages from the Bible.
(03 of07)
Open Image Modal
Manson's ambition was to become a rock star who was more successful and famous than the Beatles. He wormed his way into the entourage of Beach Boy Dennis Wilson, but the audition tapes he recorded at Wilson's brother Brian's home studio were unimpressive and no recording deals were forthcoming. When Wilson rewrote the lyrics to a song Manson wrote, then gave himself composing credit when the Beach Boys recorded the tune, Manson vowed revenge. (credit:Getty)
(04 of07)
Open Image Modal
Manson's followers thought Charlie came up with the idea of rummaging through grocery store trash bins for their daily meals, but in fact he took the idea from charity workers in Haight-Ashbury. The young women in the Manson Family also traded sexual favors to store clerks in exchange or food. Manson himself gobbled candy bars by the dozen. (credit:Courtesy of the Photo Collection at the Los Angeles Public Library)
(05 of07)
Open Image Modal
At Spahn Ranch on the outskirts of Los Angeles, the Manson Family lived on a TV/movie set and rebuilt stolen cars turned into dune buggies. They planned to move to the Mojave Desert to wait out the race war that Manson predicted. Afterward, they believed that they would emerge from a bottomless pit in the desert to rule the world. (credit:ourtesy of the Photo Collection at the Los Angeles Public Library)
(06 of07)
Open Image Modal
After his followers slaughtered Sharon Tate and four others, Manson did not think they had left behind a scene horrific enough to trigger a race war. So on the same night, he returned to the Tate mansion to rearrange furniture and bodies for maximum visual effect. (credit:AP Images)
(07 of07)
Open Image Modal
Even before his final arrest, Manon informed his followers that, if taken into custody, he would put on a "Crazy Charlie" act to convince his captors that he was insane. More than 40 years later, Lslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel agree that he's still doing it - the only time, in their experience, that Charles Manson has ever told the truth. (credit:Courtesy of the Photo Collection at the Los Angeles Public Library)

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip