Charles Manson Superstar

A friend found this link on Google video and sent it to me. "Charles Manson Superstar" is a documentary/interview film made by Nikolas Schreck, husband of Zeena LaVey and (at least one-time) member of the Church of Satan. As you can imagine this film has a quite different editorial point of view on Manson and his life. Schreck's stated purpose is an attempt to dispel many of the rumors surrounding Charles Manson and "the Family". I owned a copy of this on VHS for years and I'm glad to get it back. In spite of the sometimes cheesy and all too serious voice over narration, this is probably the best film on Manson I've ever seen. The interview is about as uncensored as you're likely to ever get and Schreck is quite thorough in presenting the story and showing Manson as a multi-dimensional personality rather than the bogeyman he is usually portrayed as in more mainstream interviews and films. He really just lets him talk and the majority of the editing choices seem to be made for continuity rather than to manipulate his words. So, if you've never seen this film I highly recommend it.

"One Mind" Released Under Creative Commons

Apparently the album "One Mind" has now been released under a Creative Commons license. This is the same album that I took down from here about a year ago due to a complaint from Manson Direct who claimed ownership of the album and told me that it was the only one of his records which was "official". I don't really know what to make of this just yet. Here is the article I found and I've embedded a player with the entire album that I also discovered today. I'd call this one of the better of Manson's prison recordings and a damn fine album but go ahead and give it a listen if you haven't already and judge for yourself.

I thought I would make the albums a little more easily accessible here for those of you who may be new visitors to this blog. Below you will find most of the major albums listed with the download links. Of course, these are still posted separately in the archives and by clicking on the months in the sidebar you can find individual posts and reviews for each. There are also some things that I've posted that are not included here such as interviews, anthologies, and albums by people related in some way to Manson. All of these links are still active as of today and include album art where applicable. Just thought I'd put the most popular and definitive albums in one place but feel free to explore here and check out the other albums and videos.

Psychedelic Soul
two disc set of early studio recordings
Part 1

Part 2

Manson Speaks
two disc set of spoken word pieces

Live At San Quentin
one of the most popular prison recording albums

The Family Jams
the complete recordings of the Family sans Charlie produced during the trial
Part 1

Part 2

The Way Of The Wolf
my personal favorite of the prison albums

Commemoration
a very good prison release including classics like "Hallways of the Always"

White Album
the "Lie" album coupled with disc one of the Family Jams

Indestructible Spirit
a compilation I put together as an introduction to Manson's music

Update 4/19

Mutual friends of Charlie have recently given me some info on his condition. Here's what they had to say:

"Mr. Manson was recently released from the prison ACH (Accute Care Hospital) and is back in the SHU (Segregated Housing Unit). We do not have the exact date, however this was confirmed by the CDC.
Although he has recovered from his respiratory problems, Mr. Manson was found guilty on April 11th, 2008 of possesing a "weapon" while in PHU. He was sentenced to 16 months in SHU, also known as "the Hole". This news was confirmed by Mr. Manson’s legal advisor appointed to him through the CDC. We do not know at this time if that 16 month sentence is inclusive of the previous (4) months he has already spent there, or if it is an additional 16 months, making it a total of 20. Once we have confirmed this information, we will let you know.
While in the SHU, Charles may not make telephone calls, or have possession of his guitar. He is allowed to send and receive mail, including letters, cards, photographs, artwork, poetry and post cards. At this time, he requests that you do not send stationery or envelopes, although stamps can always be used. He may receive one book or twenty stamps per letter. As always, Mr.
Manson appreciates receiving your mail!"

The good news is that this indicates that Charlie has recently been allowed his guitar and he's had the ability to make and enjoy his music. I hope he can somehow get us some new recording out here before too very long. It's certainly been too long already.

In other news, I am currently "guest blogger" over at Digital Meltd0wn and I've been posting some good music over there. If you've never been there check it out! It's one of the nicest music blogs on the net and hosted by a good friend of mine. Tons of music there of just about all kinds with a heavy emphasis on psychedelic and 60's punk. I'm using my stint there to post some good ol' rock and roll that fits in with the beautiful changing of the season we've been having. So, stop over and say hi and enjoy the music.

John Moran - The Manson Family - An Opera

A visitor passed this one my way the other day. His blog is called "Twisted Perceptions" and also had some nice stuff by Moondog there for download. This album was written by John Moran, known for his connection with Phillip Glass, and is just what it says it is - a modern opera - including classical instruments, sound effects, guitars, and the vocal talents of Iggy Pop. Very interesting and very good quality production. I would like to have seen the stage performance. Anyway, these are not my links so I can't guarantee their longevity. Check it out, though, as this is another example of how the Manson myth and music continue to influence popular culture. Even though Charlie has fallen out of favor with the media for bigger boogeymen in recent years he was on the front page of CNN today.

Download part 1

Download part 2

Blue and the girls singing

New Player Added

I've added a new mp3 player widget in the sidebar. You can listen to the complete "Indestructible Spirit" compilation I made a few months back. The tracks are a little out of order and I'll try to fix that but, oh well. If you want to download the album it is still on this blog and the link should still be up. If not, let me know. In the meantime check out the new widget and leave a comment and let me know what you think or if you have any requests.