Monday, October 29, 2012

Dream a Little Dream of Me

I am currently reading a biogaphy on Cass Elliot called "Dream a Little Dream of Me".
It was written by a British author by the name of Eddi Fiegel in 2005:

In contrast to the TV show, the Bubblegum album was a hit, but Cass's enjoyment of its success was to be short-lived. On August 9, 1969,Cass's friend actress Sharon Tate and three of her friends were savagely murdered at the house Tate and her husband Roman Polanski had been renting on Cielo Drive, just minutes away from Woodrow Wilson. The bodies were riddled with one hundred and two stab wounds and were found surrounded by vast reservoirs of blood. Cass had known Sharon and all three of the other victims: celebrity hairdresser Jay Sebring, Woytek Frykowski, an old school friend of Polanski's, and Frykowski's girlfriend Abigail Folger, heiress to the Folger coffee fortune. (I guess this author forgot about poor Steven Parent, the fourth victim) The openness of Hollywood society at the time had led to a previously unprecedented crossover between the film and rock communities; if you were successful and hip in either one or the other or at least good friends with someone who was, you were just as likely to end up at a film star's house for the evening as  rock star's. Cass's prominence in the upper eccelons of the Los Angeles social scene meant she was friends with rock stars such as Crosby, Nash, Stills, Eric Clapton, plus assorted Beatles and Stones, but also Warren Beatty, Roger Vadim, Jane Fonda, Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate, Mike Sarne, Dennis Hopper, and Peter Fonda.

(I am skipping around, because a lot of it is long-winded and repetitive, but I will add in the parts that were relevant to the Manson thing)

The murders therefore certainly came as just a shock to her. "It scared the hell out of her," remembers Lee Kiefer. "It scared the hell out of all of us cause it was happening right next to us and it pretty much shook up the whole Hollywood scene."

Having regularly played host to some of the less decorous characters on the scene, Cass was subjected to particularly intensive questioning by the police. Apart from having known the victims-Cass was further implicated by association. When the bodies of the victims had been discovered, the police had found the word PIG blurrily scrawled on the wall of the house in blood. John Phillips had informed the police of the widely circulating theory that what had been written was in fact PIC--in reference to Pic Dawson. Some believed this could directly point to his guilt. (I skipped again, because this author didn't have her facts straight, and she goes on to state that Folger and Frykowski used to pick up young guys on Sunset Strip, blah, blah, blah) NEXT...

Eventually, after months of rumor an speculation, both Doyle and Dawson were cleared of suspicion and Charles Manson, a thirty-five-year-old ex-convict, fraud, pimp, and conman with a Jesus fixation, and his "family" of (mostly young and female) followers were revealed as the murderers. (Just to note, this author never mentions Tex) Manson had a talent for attracting the young and dispossessed and he had somehow manage to brainwash his acolytes into accompanying him on his nihilistic quest for supposed salvation and power through murder. Manson and his followers had been frequent visitors to Cass's house, taking advantage, like so many others, of the plentiful food, drugs, and generally laid-back, hospitable atmosphere. But Cass was not the only one who played host to him and his acolytes, unaware of what would ensue. Although in the aftermath of the murders, few woud admit to any link, many prominent figures in the Los Angeles rock community had not only socialized with Manson and company--particularly his harem of young women, who made themselves readily available to anyone who was interested--but developed closer associations with them. As Neil Young later remembered, "A lot of pretty well known musicians around L.A. knew Manson, though they'd probably deny it now. The girls were always around too. They'd be right there on the couch with me, singing a song."





18 comments:

candy and nuts said...

love Mama Cass

Anonymous said...

Me too...

Nice post Ann :)

CarolMR said...

Were Doyle and/or Dawson whipped at a party at Cass' house or is that just a rumor?

beauders said...

it appears that doyle was tied to a tree and whipped at eliot's house. i have also heard he was sodomized by frykowski. of course the vulture press said this happened at a tate's house and she was present.

Staceey L. said...

I LOVE Cass. I've never heard anyone say bad things about her. Yeah, I've heard she was taken advantage of by many people, but I think she was probably just a nice woman. Her voice was beautiful. She and Karen Carpenter are two of my favorites, both gone too soon.

CarolMR said...

Thanks, Beauders. Why did they do this to Doyle?

AustinAnn74 said...

Well, according to the book, Pic Dawson was a real sh*tstain, who deserved to be tied to a tree & beat. He used Cass, and got her hooked on heroin. He eventually died of a heroin overdose later on, in the 70's.

Matt said...

Don't hold back Ann, tell us how you feel!

AustinAnn74 said...

Sorry about the sh*tstain comment. hahaha....Got carried away about Pic Dawson. That book describes him being a really bad person.

louis365 said...

Ann, from your post "and she goes on to state that Folger and Frykowski used to pick up young guys on Sunset Strip, blah, blah, blah) NEXT..." Blah blah? Seems its may be quite true, only it wasn't Folger and Frykowski, it was Sebring and Frykowski.

Unknown said...

Wasn't the sodomization and beating retaliation for Doyle (or Pic) burning them on drugs or something? Not just because he was a general sh*tstain, right?
I will be using the word sh*tstain in a sentence today. That is my goal. :)

AustinAnn74 said...

Heidi, glad you like my word! I had an attorney friend who used to use it quite often to describe individuals he would encounter on the streets of Austin. Sometimes, especially when driving I call them just plain, old STAINS. Use it as much as you would like, and be sure to share with your friends & coworkers too! Have a good day!

AustinAnn74 said...

Well, louis365, I am not the one who wrote the book. I was just sharing what I read. The one who wrote that it was Folger & Frykowski was the author, one Eddi Fiegel. Was this ever proven as a true occurrence? If so, I do apologize for my blah, blah, blah.......

The Surf Bat said...

I know Lee Kiefer pretty well. If anyone has any questions regarding the Manson-Cass connection let me know and I'll ask next time I see him.

The Surf Bat said...

I know Lee Kiefer pretty well. If anyone has any questions regarding the Manson-Cass connection let me know and I'll ask next time I see him.

Jersydevil said...

Lee Kiefer please fill in those of us unfamiliar
With who he is and how he's related to the case

louis365 said...

No Ann, I am not saying it was a proven occurance. It's just, to me, Ms Folger never seemed like the type of person to conduct such acivity. Sebring and Frykowski on the other hand...

rshep said...

No one ever said a bad thing about her (Cass). Except, Roman P. He said she was ( Bad News).