“Hey, Charlie… Black Beard Charlie!”

"One morning (the day after I’d been told that Charlie had warned the girls to “Watch Paul!”), I returned from Spahn’s following an all-night hike. Though totally thrashed, I borrowed Mark Ross’s camper and drove it out to Topanga Canyon. I felt the need to see the ocean. Near the base of the canyon, just before it enters the coast highway, I stopped to buy a cup of coffee. As I pulled into the parking place, I saw I guy get out of his van and trot across the street toward the gas station. He looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure. I rolled down my window and shouted."

“Hey, Charlie… Black Beard Charlie!”

This is the gas station that Paul Watkins was parked at when he spotted Charles Melton, as desribed in his book "My life with Charles Manson". For what it's worth (which is little), it was a Gulf gas station at the time.

Book Report: Love Sex Fear Death (The Inside Story of The Process Church of the Final Judgment)

Feral House, c 2009

The Process has gone through many incarnations since its inception in the early 1960’s: in chron order the group has been known as Compulsions Analysis, The Process, The Process Church of the Final Judgment, The Foundation Church of the Millenium, The Foundation Faith of the Millenium and ultimately Best Friends. Founders Robert and Mary Ann De Grimston were named “suppressive persons” by Scientology’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard for using the E-meter and other Scientology-based techniques. Those familiar with the Manson case will remember a lawsuit that The Process won against Ed Sanders, who was ordered to remove all mention of the Process in later editions of his book, The Family.

Author Timothy Wyllie was an original member who left the group in the mid 70’s. Wyllie was a highly privileged “Inner Processean” (as opposed to a lower ranking Outer Processean or acolyte) who took the name “Father Micah.” He recently wrote and edited a book of memoirs entitled Love Sex Fear Death which is named after some of the early zines which The Process printed and sold as a way to chat up new membership on the streets. Today, Wyllie is mostly interested in what he describes as “non human intelligence.” Initially however, the Process philosophy had to do with rejecting scapegoating and blame in favor of personal responsibility and control over one’s own mind. This is what first attracted Wyllie to the group. Later, The Process became quagmired in an elaborate theology that included Christ, Satan and Lucifer among others (Processean dogs which were mostly German Shepherds were named after these gods), which might change at a moment’s notice upon the whim of Robert “the Messiah” and Mary Ann “the Oracle,” who later became extremely reclusive and known collectively as “the Omega.”

Wyllie does briefly mention some of the purported connections with the Manson Family outlined in Ed Sander’s original book. Specifically, he mentions a Process coffeehouse that existed briefly in Haight Ashbury in 1967, the same year that Charlie met Susan Atkins and Ella Jo Bailey there while living on Cole Street among other places. He also relates how The Process were considered Satanists by the general public and hence lumped in with Anton LaVey’s people with whom Sadie was, of course, very well acquainted. Wyllie is very dismissive of any and all connections as an artifact of the fashionable faux Satanism craze of the late sixties and early seventies. He claims to never have met Charlie or any of the girls to the best of his recollection.

The Process’ social structure and beliefs resembled The Family’s in many ways. Both groups were millenarian and taught that the end of the world was coming very soon. Both stressed the importance of getting back to nature and love for the animals, and both endorsed communal living and communal care of their children. Furthermore, donations from new recruits in a Ponzi-esque scheme also kept both The Process and The Family afloat. Ways that the Process differed from the Family include their prohibition of recreational drugs, tight control over sex and “spiritual” marriage, and an absence of illicit crime like theft, prostitution, rape and/or murder. Also, the tendency of The Process’ leadership was to be extremely reclusive rather than publicity seeking like Charlie. Nevertheless, rank and file Processeans were encouraged to try and recruit celebrity membership and as such encountered numerous celebrities including Abbie Hoffman, Timothy Leary, Miles Davis, Marianne Faithfull, George Clinton, Allen Ginsberg, Jerry Rubin and our friend Paul Krassner.

The remaining members of The Process formed Best Friends Animal Sanctuary which was featured in the National Geographic reality television series Dogtown. Mary Ann Mac Lean nee De Grimston nee De Peyer died on November 14, 2005 in seclusion on the property in Kanab, Utah. She had reportedly been in a comatose state for two years in a home which had been built to resemble an Egyptian Temple (note: Patty wonders if it is still there six years later?). Most of the staff there are no longer Processeans but a few of the old timers can be located by perusing the Best Friends’ online staff directory. Also on their website is a brand new logo: a sweet looking puppy dog face which if examined closely still eerily resembles two “P”s. Compare this with the original Process logo which is purportedly comprised of four "P”s: one pointing in each direction of the compass. (Patty is just dying to say it: oo-EE-oo!)
before>

after>


see http://www.bestfriends.org/ for more info on what is left of The Process and an interesting if not biased mini-history that serves as counterpoint to Wyllie's book.

They will never tell

   

    

Villa Bella Correction?

Ken Writes: "The telephone pole isn't the one that was there. It's a newer type that was put in during the 70's. I'm including an image of the gates right after the murders. As seen here, the pole was on the other side of the entrance than where the one is today."

Hmmmmm.

10066 Cielo Drive: Villa Bella Construction

In 1994, the old house on Cielo Drive was demolished and in its place a mansion named Villa Bella was constructed. Liz recently acquired the following photos of the construction for her readers' information. As most of used to think, the only remnant of 10050 is the telephone pole which Tex scaled to climb the fence on August 9, 1969:

In fact, the address has been changed to 10066 to deter the less determined lookie-loos, of whom there are apparently still many.

Here is a drain that was installed on the approximate spot where Gibby's body was discovered on the front lawn:

The following photos were taken from where the guest house would have stood, looking eastwards toward the main house. The swimming pool that was in between the two was replaced by an "Italian Grotto."

More of the construction in 1994:

If you care to see some quick shots of the exterior and more extended footage shot inside the living room of Cielo in the early nineties, check out Nine Inch Nails' video with Marilyn Manson for "Gave Up" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVpw1SwJRBI

Barker complete with bus on the property. 
Was this the bus that had the
"America Love It Or Leave It" bumper sticker?

Paul Crockett

 

Paul Crockett, Paul Watkins & Brooks Poston

UP DATED~ Charlie and Carl Ruona

http://www.laweekly.com/2008-05-22/news/manson-clan-body-dig-underway/

Thanks to Mr. P for the above article
Also to The Grump for his input.

From the book: "These Canyons are Full of Ghosts:
The Last of the Death Valley Prospectors"
By Emmett Harder

Barker Ranch circa 1940


Pre- Family

Post Family
One thing comes to mind A.T.W.A

Post Fire

The Manson File-Myth and Reality of an Outlaw Shaman

Thanks to AC for the heads up about the release of the updated version of  "The Manson File"  by Nikolas Schreck under a new title "The Manson File-Myth and Reality of an Outlaw Shaman."

Here are a few tidbits from the new book which I found interesting.

"An analysis of Manson’s musical career shows that he was never the spurned wanna-be Beatle of Bugliosi’s ”Helter Skelter” fantasy but a widely admired darling of such rock industry mentors as his close friends Terry Melcher and Dennis Wilson. Wilson’s crucial role in the events leading up to the Hinman-Tate-LaBianca murders is exposed, as are the exact circumstances which led to Manson’s sudden fall from grace in the Summer of ’69 - just when he was poised for Beach Boys-backed superstardom."

"The drug robbery spree instigated by Charles ”Tex” Watson against his criminal rivals is seen to differ radically from the hippie horror story of random murder and race war presented in court and peddled to the public ever since.

 Schreck draws on police evidence and interrogations suppressed during Manson’s trial to unmask the ”Helter Skelter” legend as one of the twentieth century’s most successful cover-ups."

"Jay Sebring’s ”hairdresser to the stars” celebrity is uncovered as a front for organized crime activity rooted in JFK’s White House, Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack, and the Mafia’s brutal grip on American show business."

Below is the link to Shreck's website.  The book appears to be in another language.  There is no mention of where to purchase it either. There is a "shop" button at his site which does not work.

I checked Amazon but found nothing about the re-released version.

http://www.nikolasschreck.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62%3Athe-manson-file-myth-and-reality-of-an-outlaw-shaman&catid=35&Itemid=53

Some history about Nikolas Shreck-  He is married to Zeena LaVey

daughter of Anton La Vey, founder of The Church of Satan.  Zeena is the mother of Stanton LaVey who gave an interview in "Charles Manson Now." 

I found a website about Zeena.  Below is an excerpt from the site.  This website has the only info I could find regarding Schreck's connection to Manson.

Zeena and Nikolas married in 1988; she became the ‘Co-Director

and Alpha Female of the Werewolf Order.’ Zeena, who along

with husband Nikolas staged an event on ‘8/8/88’

celebrating the slaughter of the victims of The Manson Family.

‘The 8/8/88 Celebration's consisted of several Charles Manson movies,

a Survival Research Labs film of a horse skeleton hooked up to various kinds of machinery,

which was interesting, a live performance by the

industrial-dirge band NON and finally a quasi-Fascist Satanic Ritual  involving Anton

LaVey’s large-breasted blonde daughter Zeena LaVey reading aloud from her

fathers books while Felina, Nikolas, Mark and Pauline stood around in

Gestapo uniforms. Unknown or maybe known to them, a more sinister profile

of events had unfolded in that year.

Nikolas Schreck still claims credit for editing ‘The Manson File.’

He was given the job as editor because he worked part-time in a print shop

and told the publisher he would present him with laid-out, type-set and

camera-ready graphic of the work by a certain due date. The due date

came and went and the publisher had to travel to Hollywood and

camp out on Schreck’s doorstep, just to retrieve the source material,

none of which had been worked upon at all.

The publisher himself had to throw the material together and write all

of the text at the eleventh hour. Schreck’s name only renamed on the

project because the book had been announced and the publisher was

none-too-pleased at the prospect of having his own name appear

on this mess that had been tossed together at the last minute.