Charles Manson: the many strange pop culture influences of the cult leader Charles Manson, the cult leader who became synonymous with evil, has died at the age of 83. But not before […]

Charles Manson, the cult leader who became synonymous with evil, has died at the age of 83.

But not before leaving an indelible stain on pop culture.

As a songwriter and musician, Manson collaborated with the Beach Boys and had his own lyrics adapted by several artists in the years following his spree of terror in the 1960s.

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Taken from the Beach Boys’ 1969 track ‘Never Learn Not to Love’, the following line is adapted from the Manson-penned song ‘Cease to Exist’:

“Cease to resist, come on say you love me.”

The changing of ‘cease to exist’ to ‘cease to resist’ allegedly drew the ire of Manson, who had formed a friendship with Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson.

During an interview with the Record Mirror, prior to the Manson Family murders, Wilson refers to “a guy named Charlie” who was treated like a guru by his followers.

“[He’d] recently come out of jail after 12 years,” said Wilson. “He drifted into crime, but when I met him I found he had great musical ideas. We’re writing together now. He’s dumb, in some ways, but I accept his approach and have learnt from him.”

Wilson would provide Manson with contacts that offered him a route to stardom, including producer Terry Melcher, whose former house was the site of the Sharon Tate murders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ihTE5cxUCQ

Melcher himself was allegedly the target of these murders after a fall-out with Manson, but the producer had recently moved out of the 10050 Cielo Drive address.

Manson and Wilson’s relationship broke down in August 1968 after the former threatened the Beach Boys musician with a bullet.

According to long-term Beach Boys collaborator Van Dyke Parks, Manson showed Wilson the bullet and said “every time you look at it, I want you to think how nice it is your kids are still safe”.

A furious Wilson is said to have severely beaten Manson, before severing all contact with the wild-eyed criminal.

Manson’s musical legacy

At the height of his notoriety in 1970, an album titled LIE containing Manson’s own work was released by renowned producer Phil Kaufman.

An All Music review of the album drew comparisons between Manson and musicians Cat Stevens and Jim Croce.

The same review notes Manson’s overriding feeling of isolation:

“People Say I’m No Good typifies Manson’s wistful if stubborn response to a lifetime of being ostracized and alienated. “It also contains language implying that young people know more about life than mature adults; he would still be using this line years later as a mature adult playing his guitar inside the lockup at San Quentin.”

The lyrics of Manson would be reinterpreted by several other acts throughout the years.

Guns ‘N’ Roses recorded Manson’s Look at Your Game, Girl and included it as the 13th track on their 1993 album ‘The Spaghetti Incident?’.

Further re-imaginings of the criminal’s work include a cover by infamous punk rocker GG Allin of Garbage Dump, and a cover by Back to The Future actor Crispin Glover of I’ll Never Say Never To Always.

Manson’s notorious exploits have also provided inspiration for musical stars.

Rock performer Brian Warner adopted the stage name Marilyn Manson in 1989, an amalgamation of the names Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson; one representing good, the other evil.

Even Leicester rock band Kasabian took their name from one of the Manson Family’s member’s, Linda Kasabian. She became a witness for the prosecution during the Tate-LaBianca murder trial.

Manson on screen

Manson’s pop culture references haven’t been limited to music, with various incarnations of the cult leader featuring in serial dramas and comedies.

A caricature of his character appears in South Park during the episode Merry Christmas: Charlie Manson as a prisoner with the inmate number 06660 – a reference to his alleged satanism.

While in 2015, the comedy Manson Family Vacation focused on the pilgrimage of two brothers to the sites of Manson family murder sites.

Just weeks before his death, Charles Manson remained a figure of morbid curiosity for filmmakers, being portrayed in an episode of American Horror Story: Cult, with flashbacks to the murders of Tate and her friends also featuring.

This curiosity looks set to endure long after his death, with Quentin Tarantino’s next project reportedly set to focus on the 1969 murders which first launched Manson into the media spotlight and sealed his place in pop culture history.