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The Manson File: Myth and Reality of an Outlaw Shaman
Summing up 25 years of Nikolas Schreck's research into the Charles Manson phenomenon, this Book of Revelations illuminates unknown dimensions of Manson as philosopher, musician, Gnostic mystic, Mafia fall guy, revolutionary, and friend, lover and drug dealer to 1960s Hollywood's best-known rock stars and movie idols.
The first comprehensive study of Manson's life, times, crimes, and thought, this is the ultimate guide to the Manson mysteries, portraying the human being behind the media-created monster's many masks.
Drawing on police evidence suppressed during Manson's trial, Schreck exposes the "Helter Skelter" legend as one of the twentieth century's greatest cover-ups, unveils the hidden Mafia drug-dealing background of the "Manson murders" and traces the underworld connections linking the victims to their killers. The author's recent conversations with Manson and others directly involved in the psychedelic era's apocalypse allow the true story kept secret for decades to be told at last.
Jacket design artist/graphic designer and all chapter plates by Zeena Schreck. "Easter Monday Audience with the Underworld Pope: Charles Manson Interviewed and Decoded" is Zeena's full transcript with introduction and annotations of the raw footage of Nikolas Schreck's interview to his documentary, Charles Manson Superstar.
The first comprehensive study of Manson's life, times, crimes, and thought, this is the ultimate guide to the Manson mysteries, portraying the human being behind the media-created monster's many masks.
Drawing on police evidence suppressed during Manson's trial, Schreck exposes the "Helter Skelter" legend as one of the twentieth century's greatest cover-ups, unveils the hidden Mafia drug-dealing background of the "Manson murders" and traces the underworld connections linking the victims to their killers. The author's recent conversations with Manson and others directly involved in the psychedelic era's apocalypse allow the true story kept secret for decades to be told at last.
Jacket design artist/graphic designer and all chapter plates by Zeena Schreck. "Easter Monday Audience with the Underworld Pope: Charles Manson Interviewed and Decoded" is Zeena's full transcript with introduction and annotations of the raw footage of Nikolas Schreck's interview to his documentary, Charles Manson Superstar.
991 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1988
55 people are currently reading
3289 people want to read
About the author
Nikolas Schreck
10 books612 followersAmerican writer, musician, film-maker, and spiritual teacher whose work focuses on magic, mysticism, mythology and the macabre. Schreck is married to Zeena Schreck (Formerly LaVey) the daughter of the founder of the Church of Satan, Anton Lavey
Together with his wife he founded the Sethian Liberation Movement and wrote books about sex magic, portrayal of Satan in cinema and Charles Manson.
He is also the founder of the gothic-industrial band Radio Werewolf, which was active from 1984 to 1992.
Together with his wife he founded the Sethian Liberation Movement and wrote books about sex magic, portrayal of Satan in cinema and Charles Manson.
He is also the founder of the gothic-industrial band Radio Werewolf, which was active from 1984 to 1992.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
January 8, 2022
There has always been a war between poor powerless people and the rich and powerful. It gets expressed in a whole variety of paranoid fantasies and delusions, the latest of which is QAnon. They were the people who made a ridiculous attempt to Stop the Steal on 6 January last year. When you ask who QAnon is and what they believe you get some truly off the wall answers. I was listening to a BBC (aka Main Stream Media) series about the history of this group. It begins with an obsession with the Clintons and exfoliates into a conviction that the elite of American politics, the ruling class, are Satan-worshipping paedophiles, murderers and blood-drinking cannibals. Kind of hard to imagine any sane person would entertain such notions, but it’s widespread in the current Republican Party.
On 3 January 2022 Ipsos polled Republican party members and found two thirds believe the election of Biden was a colossal fraud. Whatever judges and courts have said about the many challenges to the result in various states, doesn’t matter. There is no proof you could bring to convince anyone that there aren’t Satanists in Washington or that Biden won the election.
So we get to a disturbing realisation that we are living in what someone called “the eclipse of reason”. There is a moment when the floor drops away and you realise that the actual fundamental ideas of reason, proof, logic and truth are paper-thin in many people’s minds. A QAnon or a Charlie Manson can tear reason, proof, logic and truth to tatters easily. Manson was a great spinner of paranoid fantasies, one of which was the coming Helter Skelter race war which (maybe) the murders were done to kickstart. Or maybe the murders were done because Charlie, a little old scroungy nobody who eats out of a garbage can, that nobody wants, that was kicked out of the penitentiary, that has been dragged through every hellhole you can think of (in his own words) hated those rich Hollywood types so much.
FANTASY AS METAPHOR
But one guy explained it this way : he said that the baby-eating Satanist paedophile stuff is a metaphor, it’s actually not to be taken literally. It’s an expression of hatred of the powerful by the powerless. If you can buy that, it’s a way of being able to avoid thinking that many people these days have taken leave of their senses.
MORE PARANOID FANTASIES
You don’t have to look far in history to find lots of other conspiracy fantasies. There was the witch craze in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion mania of the 20th century, more recently the Satanic Abuse panic of the 1980s. Every cult invents its own enormously powerful enemies, like the Branch Davidians in Waco and the People’s Temple in Guyana. Conspiracy theories about the JFK assassination are so elaborate that it turns out the only guy who wasn’t guilty was Lee Harvey Oswald. I was thinking as I listened to the BBC series how different I was to these paranoid types, but then I remembered a review I wrote in 2010 of a novel called The Privileges by Jonathan Dee:
I believe that whatever disasters strike this small blue planet of ours, global warming, a new pandemic, whatever, the rich will not only sail though unaffected, they’ll hardly notice what’s killing the rest of us. … The rich are in the process of spinning off into their own sealed world where nothing , no revolutions, no catastrophes, no diseases, can touch them anymore. They live longer than us, they’re taller, they’re more intelligent and obviously more beautiful. If they’re not, they fix it,
That’s pretty paranoid!
THIS BOOK
Is an excellent collection of Manson’s gibberings and the deluded ramblings of his followers.
SOME OTHER RELEVANT BOOKS
The Malleus Maleficarum By Heinrich Kramer (1485)
The Pursuit Of The Millennium Revolutionary Millenarians And Mystical Anarchists Of The Middle Ages By Norman Cohn (1957)
The Paranoid Style in American Politics by Richard Hofstadter (1964)
The Underworld Trilogy (American Tabloid (1995) The Cold Six Thousand (2001) Blood’s A Rover (2009) by James Ellroy
Making Sense Of The Alt-Right By George Hawley (2017)
Pedophilia & Empire: Satan, Sodomy, & The Deep State: Tracing The Ruling Elite’s Pedophile Bloodlust For Children From Antiquity To Today By Joachim Hagopian (2017)
On 3 January 2022 Ipsos polled Republican party members and found two thirds believe the election of Biden was a colossal fraud. Whatever judges and courts have said about the many challenges to the result in various states, doesn’t matter. There is no proof you could bring to convince anyone that there aren’t Satanists in Washington or that Biden won the election.
So we get to a disturbing realisation that we are living in what someone called “the eclipse of reason”. There is a moment when the floor drops away and you realise that the actual fundamental ideas of reason, proof, logic and truth are paper-thin in many people’s minds. A QAnon or a Charlie Manson can tear reason, proof, logic and truth to tatters easily. Manson was a great spinner of paranoid fantasies, one of which was the coming Helter Skelter race war which (maybe) the murders were done to kickstart. Or maybe the murders were done because Charlie, a little old scroungy nobody who eats out of a garbage can, that nobody wants, that was kicked out of the penitentiary, that has been dragged through every hellhole you can think of (in his own words) hated those rich Hollywood types so much.
FANTASY AS METAPHOR
But one guy explained it this way : he said that the baby-eating Satanist paedophile stuff is a metaphor, it’s actually not to be taken literally. It’s an expression of hatred of the powerful by the powerless. If you can buy that, it’s a way of being able to avoid thinking that many people these days have taken leave of their senses.
MORE PARANOID FANTASIES
You don’t have to look far in history to find lots of other conspiracy fantasies. There was the witch craze in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion mania of the 20th century, more recently the Satanic Abuse panic of the 1980s. Every cult invents its own enormously powerful enemies, like the Branch Davidians in Waco and the People’s Temple in Guyana. Conspiracy theories about the JFK assassination are so elaborate that it turns out the only guy who wasn’t guilty was Lee Harvey Oswald. I was thinking as I listened to the BBC series how different I was to these paranoid types, but then I remembered a review I wrote in 2010 of a novel called The Privileges by Jonathan Dee:
I believe that whatever disasters strike this small blue planet of ours, global warming, a new pandemic, whatever, the rich will not only sail though unaffected, they’ll hardly notice what’s killing the rest of us. … The rich are in the process of spinning off into their own sealed world where nothing , no revolutions, no catastrophes, no diseases, can touch them anymore. They live longer than us, they’re taller, they’re more intelligent and obviously more beautiful. If they’re not, they fix it,
That’s pretty paranoid!
THIS BOOK
Is an excellent collection of Manson’s gibberings and the deluded ramblings of his followers.
SOME OTHER RELEVANT BOOKS
The Malleus Maleficarum By Heinrich Kramer (1485)
The Pursuit Of The Millennium Revolutionary Millenarians And Mystical Anarchists Of The Middle Ages By Norman Cohn (1957)
The Paranoid Style in American Politics by Richard Hofstadter (1964)
The Underworld Trilogy (American Tabloid (1995) The Cold Six Thousand (2001) Blood’s A Rover (2009) by James Ellroy
Making Sense Of The Alt-Right By George Hawley (2017)
Pedophilia & Empire: Satan, Sodomy, & The Deep State: Tracing The Ruling Elite’s Pedophile Bloodlust For Children From Antiquity To Today By Joachim Hagopian (2017)
April 9, 2022
"I got the vibes. I got the vibes from Charlie."
~~ Karl Fleming, Newsweek
Over 50 years removed from the Tate/LaBianca murders, the public imagination still reserves a special place for Charles Manson as the embodiment of evil in miniature: an impish mastermind of murder not proven to have personally killed anyone but to have directed his followers to do so. His iconic status has been helped along by an endless supply of books, movies and TV documentaries that emphasize his manic, magnetic persona while revelling in the gory details of "his" crimes. Most of these books and movies take a decidedly anti-Manson stance, but there are those that can be broadly interpreted as pro-Manson. Some paint him as wholly innocent whereas others offer dubious justifications. I've yet to read/see one that makes much sense.
The Manson File is one of the pro-Manson takes, and it's a doozy. This is a work that tries to portray Manson as an inspired philosopher and a visionary musical artist, presenting in support of its thesis ample evidence that he really wasn't. Whereas a cynic might suggest that the likes of Terry Melcher and Dennis Wilson found themselves in Manson's orbit on account of his proximity to young, promiscuous girls, The Manson File insists that Manson was a muse and an inspiration to them (in fairness, The Beach Boys did trick up one of his songs). It then presents us with a collection of Manson's execrable songs and poetry. "You be the judge," the book says. I judge him to be pretty lacking in talent. I judge that the Hollywood types who associated with Manson and his girls wanted to get their rocks off.
If you've been exposed to the sensational appearances of Manson and his followers on trashy TV talk shows then you can probably excuse the authors of this book for thinking there might be something to Manson's way of thinking. Put Manson in a room with Geraldo Rivera and he'll come out of it looking like the sane one. Have his followers defend him in front of a braying audience and they'll look like the rational ones. Give them some blank pieces of paper and they'll produce, well.. this. The chapter titled "The Philosophy" is a collection of Manson's boilerplate observations and theorising that the authors don't even attempt join up in a coherent way. I don't really blame them; it would be an impossible task.
Manson is a ten-a-penny philosopher at best but he does come out with a few bangers:
"In your world you can take a pen and write on a piece of paper and destroy 200,000 people and it's okay because you don't have to see it."
"Prison's in your mind ... Can't you see I'm free?"
Right on.
For a book that (not without cause) denigrates as fiction such entries into the Manson canon as Vincent Bugliosi's Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders and Ed Sanders' The Family , The Manson File demands some suspension of disbelief from its readers. We are told that Walt Disney once owned the LaBianca house (I couldn't find proof of this) and encouraged to believe that the opening of the Disney Haunted Mansion ride on the same weekend as the murders is of relevance somehow. "Psychedelicized witnesses" are cited in support of claims that Manson was able to perform miracles such as regrowing his own severed penis and reanimating corpses. There's some numerology thrown in too. It's this kind of insanity that almost makes the book worth reading.
The book's apparently ingenuous devotion to Manson is almost cute. Alas, this has a side to it that goes beyond mere edginess and naiveté. Manson didn't just like to refer to himself as Jesus... He also described Hitler that way too. Something of a white supremacist himself, Manson was fond of the swastika and featured it on both his forehead and in his artwork (sampled in the book). He subscribed to conspiracy theories about nefarious Jews controlling the world and media. The book doesn't critique any of this, simply reproducing it without comment. Oh, and it features pro-Manson contributions from American Nazi Party leader George Lincoln Rockwell. Yikes.
One of my GR friends, rightly disappointed with Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties , responded to my recommendation of Jeff Guinn's excellent Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson by saying thanks, but they'd had their fill of crazy Charlie. I should be so lucky. Personally, I can't get enough of Manson media and, for all its flaws, The Manson File has irresistible treasures for the hooked. The extemporaneous speech Manson gave at his trial is reproduced in full and is impressive in its own, meandering way. A handful of fables written by Manson are included, proving he was a much better storyteller than songwriter or poet. Finally, an overview of books, movies and TV shows about the Manson family will expand the wishlists of any Mansonphiles, provided they can take the author's critical appraisals with a pinch of salt.
3 stars for a silly, fascinating book.
January 11, 2012
Although originally released in 1988, Nikolas Schreck essentially re-wrote what was the original book entitled "The Manson File." At nearly 5 times as long as the first printing of the 1988 book, the original texts are nothing but mere footnotes/appendix for the new material in this ambitious and obsessively constructed Manson masterpiece. Although I have written jokes at Schreck's expense in the past, I must admit that "The Manson File: Myth and Reality of an Outlaw Shaman" is easily the most important and comprehensive work ever written on Manson, the so called family, and everything/everyone in between. For those interested in the cryptic history of Hollywood and their alliance with the mafia, the book also exposes many Sunset Boulevard secrets that make Kenneth Anger's "Hollywood Babylon" seem like a flattering press kit. The book also covers Manson's religious views/mysticism, metapolitics, celebrity, and complex Weltanschauung.
This book also includes the full written transcripts from Schreck's 1988 meeting with Manson (that was featured in Schreck's documentary "Charles Manson Superstar"), "The Bugliosi File" (copies of news articles about the Italian-American conman's crimes), subversive collages by Zeena Schreck (aka LaVey) and an extensive discography of Manson's music.
Needless to say, "The Manson File: Myth and Reality of an Outlaw Shaman" is the most imperative book to own for those interested in the man Manson and his eternal kampf. Indubitably, this brilliant academic tome is Schreck's magnum opus.
This book also includes the full written transcripts from Schreck's 1988 meeting with Manson (that was featured in Schreck's documentary "Charles Manson Superstar"), "The Bugliosi File" (copies of news articles about the Italian-American conman's crimes), subversive collages by Zeena Schreck (aka LaVey) and an extensive discography of Manson's music.
Needless to say, "The Manson File: Myth and Reality of an Outlaw Shaman" is the most imperative book to own for those interested in the man Manson and his eternal kampf. Indubitably, this brilliant academic tome is Schreck's magnum opus.
May 20, 2013
I just finished this heavy, 900+ pager & I wish there was another 900 pages to go. Yes, it was that good. Schreck's writing is pretty flawless. He is not afraid to throw humor as well as sarcasm into this very serious study of the eternally-flawed "Manson Murders". He waxes eloquent on Manson's philosophy and ecology-based ideals while careful not to slip into a worshipful tone. This tome is enlightening and daring. Read it with an open mind and you will find your head spinning with new facts about the case that, to this day, remains (surprisingly) open. There are so many twists and turns here that you will need to put on your best thinking cap to take it all in. That said, it is a remarkably easy book to read and follow. I was-and still am-thoroughly impressed with Schreck's efforts to look into the admittedly questionable case of the Tate/La Bianca murders' motives and the ridiculous notion of the Helter Skelter theory. I recommend this over all other books about the case, the "Family" and Manson himself.
December 12, 2008
Probably the only out and out pro-Manson book that has ever been published. Contributers range from Manson sympathizers to out and out "family" members in essays and art. The good bulk of this book however is straight from Charles Manson himself. Interviews, quotes, transcripts of court and parole hearings, poetry and fiction written by Charles Manson, even artwork by him. The Manson File is probably the best book you can get to learn anything about Manson and his philosophy.
April 28, 2012
Finally an objective book which gives a voice to those who have been demonised by the media for decades. The more I research this case the clearer it becomes that Manson was the patsy used to try to end the counter culture of the 60's. Anyone with a true interest in this case will be gripped. !0 out of 10.
June 7, 2012
Stunning book and by the far best unbiased book out their on the man and the case. Forget Vincent Bugliosi's pulp-fiction 'Helter Skelter' and in all honesty, the only two books worth reading on this issue are this 2011 edition of Schrecks Manson File is is fully updated and explanded to over 900 pages and Marlin Marynick's Charles Manson Now.
I cannot recommended this book HIGHLY enough.
I cannot recommended this book HIGHLY enough.
October 8, 2013
I feel like this was more of a scrap book than actual attempt at scholarly research. Better books on Manson (in my humble opinion) would include The Family, Shadow Over Santa Susana, and even the Bugliosi book. All of these books offer a more even handed account of the thinking behind Manson's philosophy of environmentalism and strange racial dialectical ism, as well as the actual events surrounding Spahn Ranch and the Tate-LaBianca murders. A dear friend of mine let me borrow all three of those books many years ago. When I think about why I have read so much about ol uncle Charlie, I suppose it's mostly morbid fascination. I'm also a sucker for a good American horror story. It's got all the ingredients: Hollywood players, gutter folks, motorcycle gangs, dune buggies, rock 'n' roll, a cadre of murderous hell cats, and Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. This book did have some interesting pro ATWA (air trees water animals) art work and some rare letters of Manson discussing his often self contradictory thinking, but all in all I just didn't care for the unabashedly pro Manson outlook. I think Schreck borders on hero worship, even when discussing Manson's loose affiliation with the Ayrian brotherhood or his assertion that Hitler was Jesus returning and that we all should have embraced his vision. Pardon me, but what the fuck!? My friend said it best, if they let Manson out today, he'd go right back to it! Some people are too dangerous to be free. As much as I dig the man's music, I'm glad he's San Quentin's most famous resident. Oh yeah, there is a funny excerpt of Neil Young praising Manson (before the murders); talking about what an amazing guy he was-a mystic, a visionary. Woah. Strange times indeed.
May 1, 2023
My original review is based on the original 1988 edition. Once my new one ships, I will be able to revise.
Revised Ultimate Edition review: This is a well written book filled with valuable information. The book itself is 8.5x11, with about 400 pages (double column). the only issue I have with the book is the lack of an index (I keep a notebook handy while reading, so I would jot down page numbers that reference the subjects that interest me the most).
The original Manson File from the 1980s featured some of Charlie's writings, philosophy, a short section on Squeaky and Sandy, a short section on the books and films that had sprung from the case. The crimes were not dealt with at all. This book goes way beyond the original File in so many ways.
There is a lot of information to unpack in this book- all of the Hollywood connections, the criminal enterprises, the bizarre and relentless coincidences connecting all of the people involved together. Manson's thought process and influences, his personality, the people he encountered- it is all dealt with here.
There is an lengthy dissection of what really happened on the two infamous nights of murder. It doesn't get bogged down in forensic details, but rather, it goes into great detail regarding the motives and timelines. It is most definitely not what you read happened in Helter Skelter.
This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the case. After reading it, you will understand why the case still holds people's interest today
Revised Ultimate Edition review: This is a well written book filled with valuable information. The book itself is 8.5x11, with about 400 pages (double column). the only issue I have with the book is the lack of an index (I keep a notebook handy while reading, so I would jot down page numbers that reference the subjects that interest me the most).
The original Manson File from the 1980s featured some of Charlie's writings, philosophy, a short section on Squeaky and Sandy, a short section on the books and films that had sprung from the case. The crimes were not dealt with at all. This book goes way beyond the original File in so many ways.
There is a lot of information to unpack in this book- all of the Hollywood connections, the criminal enterprises, the bizarre and relentless coincidences connecting all of the people involved together. Manson's thought process and influences, his personality, the people he encountered- it is all dealt with here.
There is an lengthy dissection of what really happened on the two infamous nights of murder. It doesn't get bogged down in forensic details, but rather, it goes into great detail regarding the motives and timelines. It is most definitely not what you read happened in Helter Skelter.
This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the case. After reading it, you will understand why the case still holds people's interest today
July 14, 2012
This was great! Very informative. If you want to know the truth read this and listen to what he says in interviews. Even if he acts in a way that would make you think hes crazy. we can all act this way and are all capable of what he is. Now we need to understand that what we're told on the news is b.s
We have to look into all of this ourselves.
And heres a good book to start with :)
We have to look into all of this ourselves.
And heres a good book to start with :)
July 15, 2012
by far the best book ever written about charles manson. it unveils the truth about what really happened and turns down all the myths that have been going around this case. nikolas schreck goes back and rewrites history. amazing book!
April 1, 2008
I don't really have anything original to say about this. I'm only likely to add my voice to an already pretty substantial chorus of babble. This might be the most fair-minded compilation of Manson-related materials that I know of. I'd certainly recommend it over Bugliosi's "Helter Skelter" (wch I can't remember if I 've read but I've seen him on TV & that was disgusting enuf) or even over Ed Sanders' "The Family".
The people who compiled this know the subject. There's 'ephemera' here that only a dedicated researcher wd've found. The editors have obviously found more truth & wisdom in what Manson had to say than the mainstream press cd ever admit. Lt. Calley served a light sentence for the My Lai massacre & went on to a lucrative career as a jeweler. Manson's still in jail. That isn't justice.
Manson sd in his testimony of November 19, 1970: "I have killed noone and I have ordered noone to be killed." I believe him. Nonetheless, people were killed & the killers were part of a group that Manson was a leader of. Lt. Calley DID kill people & DID order people to be killed. He was part of a group that had a slew of leaders but these were all 'good citizens' - all the killing was done in the interests of the ruling elites so it's all A-OK.
Manson testified: "I am whatever you make me, but what you want is a fiend; you want a sadistic fiend because that is what you are." I agree w/ him. I agree w/ much of what Manson says - mainly in his observations about society & his role in relationship to it. Manson: "My philosophy comes from underneath the boots and sticks and clubs they beat people with who come from the wrong side of the tracks."
Manson is quoted here as saying or writing: "If I were boss I would take your toys - no cars no lights no power plants no electricity". It's the "If I were boss" part of this that bothers me. People who have fantasies of being the "boss" are people who want the power. Regardless of the value of Manson's ecological philosophy, I don't trust ANYONE who wants to be boss.
The tragedy here isn't just that the Tate-LaBianca murders happened. A further tragedy is that if Manson had been rich or a 'good citizen' he wd've never gone to jail. The tragedy is that if Manson had been less beaten down & more aware of just how much society wanted him & the Family to be fiends he might've succeeded in staying out of the trap. Manson's philosophy is worth studying but I wish he'd had more of the psychopathfinder in him, more of the inclination to use his energy to keep away from being "the fiend", to change this society in more subtly subversive ways.
Instead, too many disorienting drugs, too much alienation, too much hate, too much being trapped in being scapegoated results in people like prosecutor Bugliosi making his name & fortune off vicious murders & being able to point the finger of guilt at the outsider while he stays safely inside the society that created that outside w/ a viciousness rarely acknowledged.
I wish the Family members had never murdered anyone. I wish Manson had had someone produce his music. It certainly deserves it as much as many a more 'successful' pop musician's music does. But this just ain't what happened & it's too late to change it now.
The people who compiled this know the subject. There's 'ephemera' here that only a dedicated researcher wd've found. The editors have obviously found more truth & wisdom in what Manson had to say than the mainstream press cd ever admit. Lt. Calley served a light sentence for the My Lai massacre & went on to a lucrative career as a jeweler. Manson's still in jail. That isn't justice.
Manson sd in his testimony of November 19, 1970: "I have killed noone and I have ordered noone to be killed." I believe him. Nonetheless, people were killed & the killers were part of a group that Manson was a leader of. Lt. Calley DID kill people & DID order people to be killed. He was part of a group that had a slew of leaders but these were all 'good citizens' - all the killing was done in the interests of the ruling elites so it's all A-OK.
Manson testified: "I am whatever you make me, but what you want is a fiend; you want a sadistic fiend because that is what you are." I agree w/ him. I agree w/ much of what Manson says - mainly in his observations about society & his role in relationship to it. Manson: "My philosophy comes from underneath the boots and sticks and clubs they beat people with who come from the wrong side of the tracks."
Manson is quoted here as saying or writing: "If I were boss I would take your toys - no cars no lights no power plants no electricity". It's the "If I were boss" part of this that bothers me. People who have fantasies of being the "boss" are people who want the power. Regardless of the value of Manson's ecological philosophy, I don't trust ANYONE who wants to be boss.
The tragedy here isn't just that the Tate-LaBianca murders happened. A further tragedy is that if Manson had been rich or a 'good citizen' he wd've never gone to jail. The tragedy is that if Manson had been less beaten down & more aware of just how much society wanted him & the Family to be fiends he might've succeeded in staying out of the trap. Manson's philosophy is worth studying but I wish he'd had more of the psychopathfinder in him, more of the inclination to use his energy to keep away from being "the fiend", to change this society in more subtly subversive ways.
Instead, too many disorienting drugs, too much alienation, too much hate, too much being trapped in being scapegoated results in people like prosecutor Bugliosi making his name & fortune off vicious murders & being able to point the finger of guilt at the outsider while he stays safely inside the society that created that outside w/ a viciousness rarely acknowledged.
I wish the Family members had never murdered anyone. I wish Manson had had someone produce his music. It certainly deserves it as much as many a more 'successful' pop musician's music does. But this just ain't what happened & it's too late to change it now.
July 15, 2012
This Book is essential to ALL people wanting to know the truth about Charles Manson,read with an open mind.
Schreck has done an amazing amount of research and written a masterpiece.
BUY IT,READ IT!.
Schreck has done an amazing amount of research and written a masterpiece.
BUY IT,READ IT!.
April 19, 2022
Schreck is a con man ,a self proclaimed expert , horrible musician that takes advantage by selling books then taking years to actually /if ever get them to people who ordered them .Has buyers use friends and family to send money for said book ,so buyer has no recourse against him. Crooked !
August 16, 2012
The best of the books I have read about Manson.
Most other authors seemed primarily concerned with making money (Bugliosi, Sanders, etc) or fell into the trap of using sensationalism even though their original works were, before editing, probably fairly good (Marynick, Emmons.)
Schreck seems to have remained completely academic in this work, and perhaps because he chose not to use a large scale publisher, managed to protect it from unnecessary fiction designed to make the work "exciting" (inaccurate.)
Most other authors seemed primarily concerned with making money (Bugliosi, Sanders, etc) or fell into the trap of using sensationalism even though their original works were, before editing, probably fairly good (Marynick, Emmons.)
Schreck seems to have remained completely academic in this work, and perhaps because he chose not to use a large scale publisher, managed to protect it from unnecessary fiction designed to make the work "exciting" (inaccurate.)
April 7, 2013
Helpful for the completist looking for obscure material about Manson. Suffers from sloppy presentation and puerile pro-Manson stance. Sure to be the bible for poseurs trying to show how edgy they are.
October 21, 2017
Esta obra resume más de veinticinco años de investigación a cargo de Nikolas Schreck sobre el fenómeno de Charles Manson en 991 páginas repletas de información valiosísima y perfectamente documentada.
Este Libro de las Revelaciones de San Nikolas ilumina dimensiones desconocidas de Manson como filósofo, músico, místico gnóstico, cabeza de turco de la Mafia, revolucionario, amigo, amante y camello de las estrellas del rock y del cine más famosas del Hollywood durante la década de los 60.
Nos quedamos atóntios con los sugerentes e hipnóticos collages de Zeena Schreck que ilustran cada uno de los Siete Sellos de este primer estudio exhaustivo de la vida de Manson, así como de sus delitos y pensamiento.
La densidad de datos e información hacen de The Manson File: Myth and Reality of an Outlaw Shaman la guía definitiva de los misterios de Manson, retratando al ser humano que se esconde tras las innumerables máscaras monstruosas creadas por los medios.
Charles Manson, el último chamán de Occidente, ambiguo y misterioso, pilar central para sus amigos al mismo tiempo que marginado y temido, cambiaformas, rebelde y embaucador que, como Orfeo, fue desmembrado por las ménades.
Basándose en las pruebas policiales silenciadas durante el juicio de Manson, Schreck desenmascara la leyenda de 'Helter Skelter' como uno de los mayores encubrimientos del siglo veinte, desvelando el siniestro panorama del tráfico de drogas de la Mafia en torno a los "asesinatos de Manson" y establece la relación entre las víctimas y sus asesinos siguiendo el rastro de ese submundo.
Las conversaciones del autor con Charlie así como con otros personajes implicados directamente en la Era del Apocalipsis Psicodélico permiten que la verdadera historia mantenida en secreto durante décadas sea por fin contada.
Esta obra magnánima es absolutamente imprescindible para entender cómo el Sistema usa la mentira sin ningún tipo de problema moral para justificar sus intereses.
Este Libro de las Revelaciones de San Nikolas ilumina dimensiones desconocidas de Manson como filósofo, músico, místico gnóstico, cabeza de turco de la Mafia, revolucionario, amigo, amante y camello de las estrellas del rock y del cine más famosas del Hollywood durante la década de los 60.
Nos quedamos atóntios con los sugerentes e hipnóticos collages de Zeena Schreck que ilustran cada uno de los Siete Sellos de este primer estudio exhaustivo de la vida de Manson, así como de sus delitos y pensamiento.
La densidad de datos e información hacen de The Manson File: Myth and Reality of an Outlaw Shaman la guía definitiva de los misterios de Manson, retratando al ser humano que se esconde tras las innumerables máscaras monstruosas creadas por los medios.
Charles Manson, el último chamán de Occidente, ambiguo y misterioso, pilar central para sus amigos al mismo tiempo que marginado y temido, cambiaformas, rebelde y embaucador que, como Orfeo, fue desmembrado por las ménades.
Basándose en las pruebas policiales silenciadas durante el juicio de Manson, Schreck desenmascara la leyenda de 'Helter Skelter' como uno de los mayores encubrimientos del siglo veinte, desvelando el siniestro panorama del tráfico de drogas de la Mafia en torno a los "asesinatos de Manson" y establece la relación entre las víctimas y sus asesinos siguiendo el rastro de ese submundo.
Las conversaciones del autor con Charlie así como con otros personajes implicados directamente en la Era del Apocalipsis Psicodélico permiten que la verdadera historia mantenida en secreto durante décadas sea por fin contada.
Esta obra magnánima es absolutamente imprescindible para entender cómo el Sistema usa la mentira sin ningún tipo de problema moral para justificar sus intereses.
September 5, 2009
Click here for my conversation with Michael Channels, currently in contact with Manson: http://www.mightymercury.com/home/277...
I found this last week checking behind my bookcase for something, and realized I'd never finished reading it. It's the most authentic overview of Manson's whole trip, equal parts foolish/evil/whatever and sensible--for instance he seems to have always had a deeply-rooted concern for the environment and ecology (sensible), but he also believes Hitler was Christ and Nazis were just trying to "bring order to the world" so he has some unsavory hangups, too. This book delves more deeply into the particulars of his occult orientation--he apparently experienced witchcraft and psychic phenomena on a regular basis, believing himself to be possessed at times by the spirit of 16th century Italian heretic Giordano Bruno. Also freaky is its revelation of his extensive contacts with celebrities of the period (including Elvis, Peter Sellers and Yul Brynner), not just The Beach Boys. Especially interesting for the curious.
Please click here:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-83...
I found this last week checking behind my bookcase for something, and realized I'd never finished reading it. It's the most authentic overview of Manson's whole trip, equal parts foolish/evil/whatever and sensible--for instance he seems to have always had a deeply-rooted concern for the environment and ecology (sensible), but he also believes Hitler was Christ and Nazis were just trying to "bring order to the world" so he has some unsavory hangups, too. This book delves more deeply into the particulars of his occult orientation--he apparently experienced witchcraft and psychic phenomena on a regular basis, believing himself to be possessed at times by the spirit of 16th century Italian heretic Giordano Bruno. Also freaky is its revelation of his extensive contacts with celebrities of the period (including Elvis, Peter Sellers and Yul Brynner), not just The Beach Boys. Especially interesting for the curious.
Please click here:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-83...
August 18, 2012
Essential reading for those who want to have as much information about the case as possible at hand. Not one detail is glossed over or left out- sometimes a retelling of a short event is summed up with 20 or 30 pages of details.
Also has some nice illustrations and a collection of material from Manson himself, including a transcript of the entire 1988 interview for the authors film on the subject.
Also has some nice illustrations and a collection of material from Manson himself, including a transcript of the entire 1988 interview for the authors film on the subject.
July 16, 2012
Unlike most of the books about Manson it doesn't just focus on the man himself (or the case) but goes into hundreds of pages of detail about his various hollywood/ mafia connections.
One of only three good books on the subject- one of the others is ironically the other Manson File by Nikolas Schreck as well!
One of only three good books on the subject- one of the others is ironically the other Manson File by Nikolas Schreck as well!
April 28, 2012
Finally a more fair and balanced account about Charles Manson and his alleged deeds, brainwashing et cetera.
This book doesn't rely on the phantasy of the author. It sticks to the fact and doesn't revert to the weird theories other authors have done.
This book doesn't rely on the phantasy of the author. It sticks to the fact and doesn't revert to the weird theories other authors have done.
August 19, 2012
The author does a fantastic job portraying the case in such a light that it was at once comprehensive and yet comprehensible.
SOme of the material by Manson was the usual ranting hobo rubbish, but most of the rest of the book was amazing.
SOme of the material by Manson was the usual ranting hobo rubbish, but most of the rest of the book was amazing.
November 24, 2012
Just a rehash of old information
Though I can't fault the book it was written in 89 Still proved disappointing Looking forward to the updated version though pricey it's 900 plus pages compared to this version at a mere 197 pages
Though I can't fault the book it was written in 89 Still proved disappointing Looking forward to the updated version though pricey it's 900 plus pages compared to this version at a mere 197 pages
April 29, 2012
It was recommended to me by a friend and I simply loved this book!
August 2, 2012
One of the best books I ever read. I loved the details about Manson in the psychedelic and post-hippie eras, sixties fans would love this book.
March 23, 2020
Plenty of things to learn from this book that are ignored by more mainstream accounts of Manson and his family. Schreck respected Manson enough to not twist his words, and provides a book featuring many articles by Manson and even some by Fromme and Good. Schreck’s own input in the book is also very interesting - and it’s clear he spent a lot of time researching.
January 9, 2025
Review to come! But definitely recomended.
December 3, 2025
This book is crazy. All of it is true. None of it is true.
June 19, 2013
This obsessively researched volume is well worth the somewhat high retail price. An eyeopening page-turner. Though the author admits there is no final word to be had on the Manson phenomenon, he does a DAMN fine job explaining the mysteries and obscured truths of the case. Perhaps my highest praise is that, after reading Schreck's book, I'm thinking of selling off many of my other Manson-related books. Which, in effect, gives him the final word.
July 16, 2012
Well worth purchasing- over 900 pages long so a but daunting (and the language used is sometimes dense) but it was a great book nonetheless.
A revision, essentially, of the 1988 Manson File by the same author- treats Charles Manson less like a loony fascist than an academic subject- which was a breath of fresh air!
A revision, essentially, of the 1988 Manson File by the same author- treats Charles Manson less like a loony fascist than an academic subject- which was a breath of fresh air!
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