1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: Okay, tell me this. What's the connection between the Beach 2 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 1: Boys and mass murderer Charles Manson. I'm Patty Steele. Not 3 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: so good vibrations. Next on the backstory. So most of 4 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: us who paid any attention to the Manson murders in 5 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: the summer of sixty nine know that Charles Manson himself 6 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: claimed it was the Beatles music that inspired him to 7 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: order his followers to commit the murders. In fact, the 8 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:34,480 Speaker 1: definitive book about the killings was called Helter Skelter, after 9 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: a song on the Beatles White album. I read that 10 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: book really chilling. So it was the summer of nineteen 11 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:45,479 Speaker 1: sixty eight. Manson was desperately trying to have a music career. 12 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:50,160 Speaker 1: He briefly met record producer Terry Melcher and decided he'd 13 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 1: stop by the house where he thought he lived, only 14 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: it was by this time being rented by red hot 15 00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: twenty six year old actress Sharon Tate and her movie 16 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: director her husband Roman Polanski. This was about five months 17 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: before the murders. Sharon and a guy who worked at 18 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 1: the house told Manson Melcher had moved away. Ironically, the 19 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:13,960 Speaker 1: house had also been rented before that to another music 20 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: guy Mark Lindsay, lead singer of the sixties pop band 21 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: Paul Revere and the Raiders. But back to this, how 22 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: were the Beach Boys connected to Charlie Well Mostly through 23 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 1: Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson. Dennis was living a California 24 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: fantasy surf son women's success music. I mean Dennis wrote 25 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: good vibrations. The problem is he also loved drugs, and 26 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:47,040 Speaker 1: he was really into that sixties counterculture thing. He was 27 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 1: a true eccentric. He actually torched his wife's car because 28 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 1: he was just impossibly jealous. On the notes for the 29 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: Beach Boys All Summer Long album in nineteen sixty four, 30 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: Dennis wrote, they say I live a fat Maybe I 31 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: just like a fast life. I wouldn't give it up 32 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 1: for anything in the world. It won't last forever, but 33 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:12,359 Speaker 1: the memories will. Dennis loved living on the edge, and 34 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,919 Speaker 1: that's what drew him to Charlie Manson. The two became 35 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 1: pals after Dennis picked up a couple of Manson family followers. 36 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:24,399 Speaker 1: They were very young women, and he was fascinated by them, 37 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: so much so that he invited Manson and seventeen of 38 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: his female family members to live in his house after 39 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: they showed up unannounced. They wound up staying for at 40 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:40,359 Speaker 1: least six months. Ironically, most of the family members had 41 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: the same issues as Dennis, who had been physically abused 42 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:47,080 Speaker 1: by his dad, which left him scarred for life. Charlie 43 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: Manson took advantage of broken people. Dennis actually worked with 44 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: Manson on his music. He said he saw some potential 45 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 1: in him. But eventually Manson's really abusive and hypnotic hold 46 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:03,800 Speaker 1: of his followers started to freak Dennis out. He began 47 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: to see the darkness, but he didn't really know how 48 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:10,639 Speaker 1: to escape. He told friends he'd seen Manson murder somebody. 49 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:14,640 Speaker 1: The Manson family used his credit cards, they totaled his 50 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:18,959 Speaker 1: Mercedes as well as his Ferrari. And get this, there 51 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 1: were by this time about twenty Manson followers living in 52 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: Dennis's house, and there was a lot of group sex. 53 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 1: They literally all wound up with gonorrhea, including Dennis himself. 54 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: Now he put the bill for repeated penicillin shots for 55 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: everybody in the house It's all in the house, which 56 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: got wildly expensive. In fact, those crazy six months wound 57 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: up costing Dennis, who was just twenty five years old, 58 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: way over one hundred thousand dollars, so it was time 59 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: to go right Except instead of them going, Dennis took 60 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: off without telling him, He just moved to another house, 61 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: simply left them behind. The house he'd left them in 62 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: was a rental and was finally up months later. By 63 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 1: the time the family left, they had stolen almost everything 64 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 1: Dennis had in the house. But then Charlie found out 65 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: where he lived, and he left a note for Dennis saying, 66 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: you can't get away from me. Get some chills down 67 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 1: your spine on that right. Well, it got worse when 68 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,839 Speaker 1: the Beach Boys adapted one of Charlie's songs, changed it up, 69 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:26,599 Speaker 1: chorded it, and gave him no credit. Charlie was furious. 70 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 1: He found Dennis and pulled a single bullet out of 71 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:34,480 Speaker 1: his pocket. Dennis said, what's that? Charlie answered, you see this, 72 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:37,840 Speaker 1: this is a bullet. Every time you look at it, 73 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:40,720 Speaker 1: I want you to think how nice it is that 74 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 1: your kids are still safe. Dennis, a hothead himself, immediately 75 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 1: beat the heck out of Manson. Not long after, Charlie 76 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:53,479 Speaker 1: and the family began to plan the Tate La Bianca murders. 77 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:58,599 Speaker 1: It was the following summer August eighth, nineteen sixty nine, 78 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:02,479 Speaker 1: Manson family members, under orders from Charlie, went back to 79 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 1: the house Charlie had visited the past March. They broke 80 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:09,960 Speaker 1: in and tortured and murdered Sharon Tate, who was pregnant 81 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:12,800 Speaker 1: at the time, at her four friends, and the next 82 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: night the Labiancas, a husband and wife who lived nearby. 83 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:20,680 Speaker 1: It changed Dennis's life. He said he was so frightened 84 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:24,599 Speaker 1: he couldn't even think about testifying against the family in court. 85 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:28,279 Speaker 1: Dennis Wilson never got over his connection to the murders. 86 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:32,560 Speaker 1: For over a decade after the summer of nineteen sixty nine, 87 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:35,719 Speaker 1: he continued to get death threats from Manson family members 88 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: who weren't in prison, telling him You're next. He handled 89 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 1: it the way he handled all his problems, alcohol and drugs. 90 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:48,039 Speaker 1: His bandmate Mike Love called him a drugged out, no 91 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:53,680 Speaker 1: talent parasite. Dennis just couldn't recover His mental illness, addictions 92 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:57,679 Speaker 1: and inner pain took a horrific toll. By nineteen eighty, 93 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: just thirty six years old, he was in the middle 94 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 1: of a nasty divorce from the third of his four wives. 95 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 1: They were on his yacht and he absolutely exploded, throwing 96 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 1: her jewelry and other stuff into the water at Marina 97 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,000 Speaker 1: del Rey. By the last year of his life, he 98 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: was even worse. He'd lost his voice, he couldn't remember 99 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 1: how to play the drums, and he was now homeless. Finally, 100 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:25,560 Speaker 1: December twenty eighth, nineteen eighty three, Dennis drowned at Marina 101 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:28,839 Speaker 1: del Rey while diving in the water to try and 102 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,840 Speaker 1: find the stuff he'd thrown overboard three years earlier. Doctor 103 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 1: say he suffered a blackout in the water. It was 104 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 1: an ironically sad life for Dennis Wilson, a guy who 105 00:06:41,080 --> 00:07:01,800 Speaker 1: made such beautiful, feel good music. Steele. The Backstory is 106 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 1: a production of iHeartMedia and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer 107 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 1: is Doug Fraser. Our executive producer is Steve Goldstein of 108 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:12,960 Speaker 1: Amplify Media. We're out with new episodes twice a week. 109 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to The Backstory. The pieces of history 110 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:18,240 Speaker 1: you didn't know you needed to know.