The day that etched Charles Manson into the mind of the world’s collective consciousness was Friday, August 8th, 1969. That was the fateful weekend when Manson’s alleged cult named the “Manson Family” slaughtered seven people. It wasn’t the first time the group had committed murder, nor would it be the last, but the events of that weekend are why Charlie Manson will be remembered as the devil incarnate. A real-life boogeyman capable of untold evil. A maniacal puppet master carved a swastika in his head with a razor blade.

Washington Post, August 20th
5 myths about Manson
Myth number 2: Manson was a Hippie

When the Family was indicted on murder charges, the Los Angeles Times labeled the group a “hippie clan,” and the tag has become an immutable part of the way we see them. In “Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood,” the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio sneeringly dismisses the Manson girls as “hippies.” And a new book on Manson, “Hippie Cult Leader,” also suggests that he shared the movement’s flower-power ethos. But that was about it!

But as we’ve reached 50 years since four followers from the cult that was later dubbed his “Family,” butchered seven people over the course of two nights in August, the story of why this all happened has started to shift with regard to the complicated mythology behind the motive that was officially given for his and his minions’ most infamous crimes.
And it’s not as if the motive detailed in court—the triggering of “Helter Skelter”—was some sort of logical answer as to why and how these murders took place, either.
Time Magazine, July 26th

But, says James Buddy Day, a true-crime TV producer and author of the new book Hippie Cult Leader: The Last Words of Charles Manson, everyone involved in the crimes had a slightly different take on what happened. While researching the book, Day conducted interviews with Manson — who was still serving a life sentence — during the year leading up to Manson’s death on Nov. 19, 2017, at the age of 83, and is thus believed to be the last person to interview the infamous criminal at length.

Inside Hook August 8th

“I wrote him a bunch of letters and didn’t think in a billion years he’d call,” Day tells InsideHook. “Maybe I’d get a letter back or something. And then, out of the blue, he just called me this one time. The first time he called me, I thought he would never call again and that it would just be a story to tell at parties. Then he called again. And then he called again, and it became a reality that I could do this documentary and that he would contribute to it.” “And that even today, two years removed from his death, Manson’s story — however twisted and grim — continues to endure even two years after his death.”

“He was aware of U.S. politics. I don’t recall ever speaking to him about Trump, but he definitely talked about Obama, who he wasn’t a fan of,” Day says. “Manson was raised in the Deep South in the Ohio River Basin … [And much later, in prison] he carved a swastika on his forehead. He kind of adopted a racist persona to align himself with people in prison who could protect themselves. He was definitely a bigot in that sense.”

More about the book

For 50 years the legendary Manson Family Murders have fascinated and mortified all. No one could understand why such brutal acts of cold-blooded murder could have taken place in Hollywood and that women played a key role. Manson was an enigmatic drifter who could draw in a group of people into his web of deceit and evil that eventually led to the brutal Tate and then Labianca murders. The prosecution would go on to spin what was considered the de-facto theory behind the murder spree and the world bought into the “Helter Skelter” conspiracy. They needed a way to convict Manson for murder even though they had no evidence against him for the murders.
Now for the first time, Documentary film producer and author James Buddy Day takes readers through a more rational and believable set of reasons for the murders. In 2017 Buddy Day produced the award-winning Documentary The Final Words which brought together some of the true motivations of Manson and his followers. With first account interviews, it becomes apparent that revenge and making others complicit while freeing a “brother” (Bobby Beusoleil) are more likely to have been the motives behind the murders.

The myth behind “A Race War” as forwarded by Bugliosi the prosecuting attorney and originator of the now famous book “Helter Skelter” was hatched well before the trial was set to take place. Why? Because the prosecution could not convict Manson for murder based on the evidence as it presented itself. Yes, Helter Skelter was at one of the crime scenes which is the lead prosecutor hired an author to write a book about the trial prior to going to court. And what does that say about getting a fair trial based on the facts of the case in the American justice system? Was this a Noble justice case?

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Categories: Voice over Work