Oct 14, 2026 · 1 hr 35 min · 16 segments
**309# The Manson family | from the summer of love to murder — part 1** In 1969, California was supposed to be the land of peace, love and freedom. But in the hills outside Los Angeles, Charles…
He didn't work a lot.
Didn't either, did he? Yeah, I mean, the hills surrounding Los Angeles is a small group of young people gathered around a man who believed that he understood the world better than anybody else.
He spoke about freedom, he talked about rejecting social rules, preaching the strange mixture of apocalyptic ideas and personal philosophy.
It's quite enticing.
I think people kind of got on board with it and the loyalty from people was pretty strong around him.
The man in question, if you've not already guessed, if we've not already told you, is Charles Manson.
Pretty wealthy business.
He wasn't a wealthy businessman, I should say.
He wasn't a wealthy businessman, but he wasn't a celebrated musician.
He wasn't a politician or charismatic in that way.
And he spent much of his adult life in prison and had little formal education.
He was basically trying to make a career in music, but managed to just basically persuade a group of people to, you know, form and organize their lives around him.
Yeah.
Essentially.
Yeah.
Basically surrendering their independence and eventually participate in acts that, you know, would be considered appalling acts of violence.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, you know, the story often like kind of, you know, reduces to a few kind of, you know, familiar images.
Do you know what I mean? Like kind of like hippies, communes, you know, that type of thing.
But, you know, the Manson family was kind of like a bit more to it than that, weren't they?
Yeah, yeah.
Well, especially him because he never had that name until then.
He didn't work a lot.
Didn't either, did he? Yeah, I mean, the hills surrounding Los Angeles is a small group of young people gathered around a man who believed that he understood the world better than anybody else.
He spoke about freedom, he talked about rejecting social rules, preaching the strange mixture of apocalyptic ideas and personal philosophy.
It's quite enticing.
I think people kind of got on board with it and the loyalty from people was pretty strong around him.
The man in question, if you've not already guessed, if we've not already told you, is Charles Manson.
Pretty wealthy business.
He wasn't a wealthy businessman, I should say.
He wasn't a wealthy businessman, but he wasn't a celebrated musician.
He wasn't a politician or charismatic in that way.
And he spent much of his adult life in prison and had little formal education.
He was basically trying to make a career in music, but managed to just basically persuade a group of people to, you know, form and organize their lives around him.
Yeah.
Essentially.
Yeah.
Basically surrendering their independence and eventually participate in acts that, you know, would be considered appalling acts of violence.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, you know, the story often like kind of, you know, reduces to a few kind of, you know, familiar images.
Do you know what I mean? Like kind of like hippies, communes, you know, that type of thing.
But, you know, the Manson family was kind of like a bit more to it than that, weren't they?
Yeah, yeah.
Well, especially him because he never had that name until then.
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