“The God of Fuck” | 1968, September
Bobby hit the road and left Leslie at Spahn Ranch with “The Wizard.” Leslie saw something in Charlie Manson, and she saw that Bobby saw something in him. The sex was uninhibited, but she was still surprised when she saw Bobby giving Charlie a blow job. Charlie called himself “The God of Fuck,” and was supposed to be such a great lover that women had to beware of heart attack. Leslie wasn’t too impressed with his prowess, and they only had sex a few times—Charlie wanted to leave her for Bobby. Charlie was a musician, ambitious, and Bobby was connected and gifted and might be useful.
Charlie was older: 34, but he was a youthful person, only 5″3″ and with a young mindset—partly because he’d spent most of his life in state custody and jail. Two years before, he’d gotten parole. He’d actually asked to stay in prison, the only home he knew, but when he ended up in the Haight—the Summer of Love—he fell right in, playing his folksy, prison guitar, and living off petty crime. His rap was a mish-mash of prisonyard, Scientology, Gnosticism, Buddhism, Christianity, astrology, California cult, Satanism—whatever was going around. He played his music in the Tenderloin District, and gathered devotees.
Some of the people at Spahn were familiar to Bobby; Susan “Sadie Mae Glutz” Atkins had lived in San Francisco, and like Bobby, had been involved in Anton LaVey’s Church of Satan. Charles “Tex” Watson, new to Spahn, was a former High School BMOC, star athlete and over-achiever; he’d left Texas, dropped out of college, and given up his mod lifestyle as a wig salesman and dope dealer. Tex was trying to prove himself by building a house on Spahn.
Charlie knew how to keep everyone fed and jobless. And he was almost a rockstar. Traveling California, he and the women, “the Witches of Mendocino,” had hooked up with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. By August, they were all living at Wilson’s house, driving his cars, and hanging out with his friends, some of them famous, and some of them powerful. Charlie knew all the big name people and Angela Lansbury’s kids were around; the daughter, 14, carried a note from her mom saying it was ok. Dennis and Charlie churned out recordings in Dennis’s home studio. Neil Young was impressed by Charlie, and talking to industry people about record deals.
Leslie: “You couldn’t meet a nicer group of people.”
09.01 The Manson group purchases a school bus and paints it black. They drive the bus while the paint is wet, and the bus, festooned with flotsam, has a felty appearance. 04 In the Congo, an army coup deposes President Maseba-Debat. 06 Mattel’s Hot Wheels hit toy stores. 06 In Atlantic City, New Jersey, women liberation groups protest the Miss America Pageant. The press release reads: “This year, reality will liberate the contest auction-block in the guise of “genyooine” de-plasticized, breathing women. … It should be a groovy day on the Boardwalk in the sun with our sisters. In case of arrests, however, we plan to reject all male authority and demand to be busted by policewomen only. (In Atlantic City, women cops are not permitted to make arrests—dig that!)” 06 Swaziland gains independence from the United Kingdom. 08 Huey Newton, leader of the Black Panther Party, is convicted of the voluntary manslaughter of an Oakland policeman. 09 Arthur Ashe is the first black person to win the U.S. Open. 11 Responding to a statement made by the Black Unity party, which began, “The Brothers are calling on the Sisters not to take the pill,” the “Black Sisters” write “black sisters decide for themselves whether to have a baby or not to have a baby.” 11 The Beach Boys record a version of Manson’s song “Never Learn Not to Love.” 11 U.C. Berkley offers non-credit lectures by Eldridge Cleaver. The State, led by Governor Ronald Reagan, refuses to pay Cleaver, and threatens to withhold the University’s annual budget. 16 Richard Nixon belts out “Sock it to Me!” tagline of the television show “Laugh-In.” 18 Amidst protests, the Mexican Army occupies Mexico City University. 24 Premiere of the television cop show “Mod Squad.” 28 “Hey Jude” goes #1 on the U.S. charts. 30 The 900th U.S. military aircraft is shot down over North Vietnam.