LUCIFER RISING

Part 1

Forty years ago, a wannabe rock star, Charles Manson, dispatched his groupies on a murdering rampage. The carnage occurred at a Los Angeles house rented by rock producer, Terry Melcher, Doris Day’s son and Candice Bergen’s boyfriend. 

Manson had met the producer through mutual friend, Beach Boy Dennis Wilson. Wilson and Melcher had promised to record Charlie’s music but had recently gotten cold feet. Charlie sent Dennis a silver bullet. The Beach Boy bought a gun and slept with it. The producer made himself scarce. When the Manson Family arrived at his house, they found that Melcher had fled and that Roman Polanski and his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate had unwittingly moved in. 

The butchery of Tate and her houseguests was the beginning of what Manson called “Helter Skelter,” an apocalyptic race war which he preached had been predicted in the Beatles’ White Album song. He believed that the John, Paul, George and Ringo were the four angels in the apocalyptic book of Revelations. He himself was the fifth, Abedon. 

The career felon and his group had recently moved from their Death Valley camp to a canary-colored house which he called “The Yellow Submarine.” Here they would stay “submerged beneath the awareness of the outside world” while the race war raged. And here Manson worked on his Armageddon soundtrack, LIE – LIFE with the “F” removed –the album which he believed would, with Melcher’s help, eclipse the Beatles. (The Beach Boys would release one of its songs Cease to Exist as Never Learn Not to Love. Years later, Guns and Roses would record another Look at Your Game, Girl.)

- Manson, the abused son of a 16-year-old prostitute, had spent nearly half his life in prison for multiple felonies. Before being released (against his wishes) in 1967, he had told his mentor and fellow con, Alvin “Creepy” Karpis – the leader of the murderous Ma Barker gang – that he would be “bigger than the Beatles.” Creepy, finding that the young man had “a pleasant voice and a pleasing personality,” taught him how to play guitar. Later, in his 1980 memoir, Ma Barker’s hitman wrote: "The history of crime in the United States might have been considerably altered if Little Charlie had been given the opportunity to find fame and fortune in the music industry.” 

Indeed, the prison psychiatrist noted that Manson, “has come to worship his guitar and music,” and that he had “a tremendous drive to call attention to himself.” 

After release from Terminal Island, the aspiring star moved to Los Angeles following a Summer of Love in San Francisco where he established himself as “The God of Fuck.” He considered it an auspicious start.