Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts.

Today we’re tracing Charles Manson’s life from his birth to a teenage con artist, through multiple stints in reform schools and prisons, and finally to San Francisco circa 1967, where Manson began to try out his guru act on the local hippie kids, and started to form the “family” that he’d eventually migrate with to Los Angeles. We’ll explain how Manson cobbled together a dogma and worldview from a number of disparate sources — including pimps he met in prison, the devout Christians in his family, San Francisco activists The Diggers, Dale Carnegie and Scientology — and describe how and why he was an appealing figure to young women floating around the Bay Area in the late 1960s.  

“Manson girls” Pat Krenwinkle, Susan Stkins and Leslie Van Houten.

Show notes:

This week, we welcome a very special guest: Nate DiMeo, the creator of the wonderful history podcast, The Memory Palace. Nate will be playing Charles Manson throughout this season. Check out Nate’s podcast on iTunes or at the above link, and follow him on Twitter @thememorypalace.

The main sources for this episode are the same as those noted last week, plus Can’t Find My Way Home: America in the Great Stoned Age, 1945-2000, By Martin Torgoff

 Discography:

Album Tag Song by Dennis Wilson

Slim Fitting by Glass Boy

OLPC by Marco Raaphorst

Scubba Adventure by Apache Tomcat

The Last Ones by Jahzzar

La Hacienda by Apache Tomcat

She’s Leaving Home by The Beatles

Make a Wish (For Christmas) by Lee Rosevere

Don’t Be Square (Be There) by Adam and the Ants