Alongside Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger pathetically begging Hell's Angels beating the shit out of hippies to "cool it" at the disastrous Altamont Free Concert of 1969, Charles Manson is the ultimate symbol of flower-power corroding, fermenting, and rotting until it transformed into the nihilistic sleaze of the 1970s.
Sure, free love, drugs, etc. sounds great on paper. And, honestly, it looks pretty good in practice, too. But what happens when megalomania and mental illness team up with psychedelic libertarianism? A big fucking mess, that's what.
Thankfully, Manson has been locked up in San Quentin Prison ever he was convicted for the heinous murders he orchestrated with his brainwashed goons, The Family.
Every now and then, though, Ol' Charley ends up back on the pop culture radar. Most recently, the cult leader and serial killer was trending on Da Goog for writing a completely incomprehensible letter to perennial goth rocker, Marilyn Manson. This isn't the first time the sick sad world of C. Manson has overlapped with that of the music industry.
After the jump, check out Charlie Manson's Top 5 Musical Moments.
5. Charles Manson Unsuccessfully Attempts to Join the Monkees
What if the second-best Fab Four had added Charlie to their ranks when he was rumored to have auditioned for them? Would they have finally surpassed that other British rock 'n' roll group with a deliberately misspelled animal's name? Since there's no way of knowing, we're going to say "Fuck yes!" Imagine Manson's LIE crossed with More of The Monkees (in Mono).
4. Charles Manson Completely Misunderstands The White Album
If Manson's attraction to Davy Jones and company was actual, it certainly was a byproduct of his delirium-inducing obsession with The Beatles. In fact, central to the Manson mythos is his completely-fucked interpretation of "Helter Skelter," which he believed was a term for the impending Apocalyptic race war that the cult leader and his followers were responsible for starting via a series of ghastly murders. We would hate to hear his interpretation of "Rocky Raccoon."
3. Charles Manson's Debut LP is Released While He is Incarcerated
While embroiled in the infamous trial that would result in spending the rest of his life behind bars, Manson managed to release a full-length album of mostly-acoustic psychedelic pop. The Beach Boys - whose own Dennis Wilson had associations with Manson - reworked "Cease to Exist" into their own "Never Learn Not to Love" Here's the record's recipe: Start with one-whole Van Morrison, stuffed with LSD. Baste in Scientology and fascism. Garnish with a smattering of free-associative pseudo-Occult ideology.
2. Charles Manson's 'Family' Set New Personal Record for Freakouts
While incarcerated, Chuck's minions released an album's worth of songs he wrote but never got a chance to release. This is the creepiest fucking record we have ever heard.
1. Charles Manson is Still Releasing Records
Believe it or not, somebody out there is still releasing Charles Manson records. Oh yeah, somebody's buying 'em too.
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