Did you ever hear about that time Charles Manson auditioned for the Monkees? Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? That's because it is.


On a recent episode of Gilbert Gottfried's podcast, Monkees member Mickey Dolenz confessed that it was just a joke that got interpreted as fact. Manson never actually auditioned for the goofy music group.

"I just made a joke. 'Everybody auditioned for the Monkees, Stephen Stills, Paul Williams and Charlie Manson!'" Dolenz said. "And everybody took it as gospel. And now it's an urban myth!"


But if that wasn't enough, there's actually a dispute about the origins of this strange story. Back in 1999 another member of the Monkees claimed credit. Davy Jones, who died in 2012, said that he started the Manson rumor. Still another version claims that a famous radio DJ from Los Angeles swore that he saw Manson there.

How do we know he wasn't? Manson was in prison when the auditions were held in 1965. He'd been picked up for everything from stealing cars to forging checks in the 1950s and 60s. In 1965 he was serving time for violating his probation.

Whoever started the urban myth, the thing spread like wildfire. How common was this tale? It even showed up in newspapers and books as accepted fact. Below, the March 27, 1986 edition of the San Bernardino County Sun.


Face-swapped photo via Getty