Podcast episode introduction…

• Welcome to the Massari Files podcast with your hosts Toby and Harper.
• In today’s episode, we will talk about the Manson Family, how it came to be, and the outcome of the cult.
• Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

• Charles Manson founded the Manson Family in 1968.
• born Charles Milles Maddox in Cincinnati, Ohio, on 12 November 1934, the illegitimate son of 16-year-old Kathleen Maddox. Shortly after his birth, his mother married William Manson and her son took his stepfather's name.
• His mother was an alcoholic and when, in 1939, she was jailed after robbing a petrol station, Manson was placed in the care of his aunt and uncle.
• Starting at the age of 9, he spent much of his life in juvenile reformatories or prison for crimes, such as petty larceny, armed robbery, burglary, and auto theft
• His ultimate goal, ever since he first heard the Beatles on a prison radio, was to become the most famous musician on earth
• Following Manson's release from prison in 1967, he moved to San Francisco where he attracted a small but devoted following from the city’s bohemian culture
• Fuelled by considerable quantities of drugs, notably LSD, Manson set himself up as something of a guru, peddling a mixture of beliefs and the teachings of numerous cults. He convinced a series of adoring female followers that he was Christ. Manson was very manipulative and he knew the impact of drugs, so he very carefully avoided taking them himself and then handed out those drugs to the girls and never, never got himself stoned in front of them, because he wanted to be in control,”

Cult Ideals:

• The Manson Family was a communal religious cult dedicated to studying and implementing Manson's eccentric religious teachings that were drawn from science fiction and the occult and fringe psychology.
• Manson had developed an interest in the Beatles White Album. He believed that the album emanated with race-baiting undertones. He specifically took inspiration from the song, Helter Skelter, he alleged that he interpreted the song as a call to racially divisive action. He hoped a race war would lead Blacks and Whites to kill one another, with Blacks eventually leading themselves to destruction.
• He convinced his followers that if they didn’t commit the murders, black people would rule the nation and kill or enslave them
• Manson wanted to manipulate the police into thinking that black organizations like the Black Panthers, a group against police brutality, were responsible for the murders.