In the early 1990s, Patti Tate, sister of Sharon Tate, was on a public tirade against Guns N Roses frontman Axl Rose for going onstage every night wearing a Charles Manson T-Shirt. Around the same time, I had my own Manson shirt, worn regularly to freak people out.
Mood music:
http://youtu.be/RgfILrd8HjE
Here’s Axl in his shirt:
Here’s me in my shirt:
The picture was taken 20 years ago — 1992 — when I was in a band with the two guys to my right. At the time I was all about shocking people. Shocking people has always been a good way to change the subject — especially when the subject is why you’re suck a fuck up. Of course, wearing the shirt proved I was just that.
I’m not trying to beat myself over this. That’s who I was back then. Plain and simple. We’re all in constant evolution and we go through our good and bad phases.
But my stupidity of the time is hitting me clearer than ever because I just finished reading “Restless Souls: The Sharon Tate Family’s Account of Stardom, the Manson Murders, and a Crusade for Justice,” written by Tate family friend Alisa Statman and Brie Tate, niece of Sharon Tate.
Patti Tate picked up the crusade against the Manson killers and work as a victim’s advocate when her mom, Doris, passed away in 1992. In the book, she recalls seeing Axl in a video on MTV, sporting the infamous T-shirt. Here was a guy reaching millions of kids every day, essentially telling them that Manson was cool, a guy to look up to. I don’t think Axl really believed that. I think he was just going for the shock like me. I also think he covered the Manson song “Look At Your Game” because he simply liked the song and separated it from Manson’s crimes.
But like me, he was barking up the wrong tree.
In the final analysis, I don’t think it’s really possible to separate Manson the murder mastermind from Manson the musician. The music and the murders were geared toward the same cause — starting Helter Skelter, a race war Manson believed was imminent. Manson believed the black man would win the war and be unable to hold the reigns of power afterwards. Then, he and his family would come out of hiding in the desert and take control.
A ridiculous notion to be sure. But that’s what he believed, and at least nine people were brutally murdered over it, including Patti’s sister.
I regret wearing that T-shirt. I’m glad I lost it along the way.
Thank you for this post. Manson is not a hero. I’m so glad you came to understand that. Good luck and best wishes to you.
Manson’s case and life is such a interesting and multi-leveled story. Wearing a T-shirt for the purpose of being provocative, rebellious or edgy is one thing. Wearing a Manson T-shirt because there is so much being pointed to in his “message” (I am referring to his words, and not the D.A.’s or other peoples representation of him) is another. I am thinking about making a Manson T-shirt for myself. It could lead to interesting conversations, hopefully. I can understand how one could be tempted to call him a hero, but I think misunderstood and misplaced should fit way before hero or such. I can also see why a lot of people call him a monster, but that is usually paired with not being interested in the other perspectives, and just wanting to justifiably hate someone. IMO he is a very strong character and he definitely intrigued me and I enjoy the challenge of trying to follow him in interviews. I should state that I have not read any books about him or the murders, just court transcripts and his own words, as well as all the interviews I could find. Anyhow, it is a controversial and wonder-inducing subject. Peace
How one could be tempted to call him a hero?
It was a different world, back then, the early 90’s…
Most of the meatl bands and the early gangsta rappers were all into shock.
We were out of a long recession, and lots of people had lost faith in society…
It was idiotic, wanting to make Manson into some sort of working class hero or something, but it kinda fit with the mood of those days.
I was quite young, back then, and although I didn’t really think it was right, it didn’t have the effect on me that it would have had today, all those Charles Manson t-shirts, Manson song covers, etc.
Maybe we could remember it as pop culture gone bad.
The author of this blog is a gullinle fool if he believes Vincent Bugliosi’s Helter Skelter. You shouldn’t blog about subjects you clearly have no clue about. I have the same Manson shirt by the way. It’s still in great shape. I wore it on Monday.
What?! It’s a damn tshirt. Calm down.
Manson is a genius that the government turned into the boogey man. He never laid a hand on anyone. I have his albums and his face on my wall. Never taking it down.
Maybe you should have researched this stuff before putting the T-shirt on. People who lived through this already knew what you just told us. I worked in a bar back when you wore that shirt and I boycotted you the first time I saw you in it and told everyone I could to do the same. You get no sympathy here. You reap what you see.
Trying to figure out if you were boycotting me back then or Axl Rose. I did my research. The problem is that when you’re in your late teens and early 20s, you sometimes do stupid things.
Next wearing a Sharon Tate shirt will be illegal soon ….So Much Publicity for lawyers to put an end to one day …if it’s not illegal .. then it’s just a personal matter but if people keep harassing over it …it can be classified as harassment …Not Everyone likes Sharon Tate …and not everyone likes Manson …People need to realize that if something is not illegal …what they say means nothing and can’t get by with their like bribery ✌️✌️✌️✌️In My opinion I think they need to band anything and everything that has to do with Manson or Sharon Tate because it’s been nothing but trouble and a contest or competition for people and has caused much publicity …Gee …people …..1969 is History …you are keeping the evil alive by all the drama you offer . .Let it go .. then Maby Sharon can Rest and so can everyone else …Peace ✌️✌️✌️✌️
This is from a parole hearing for Tex Watson in 2011 :
Margaret Dimaria is Jay Sebring’s sister.
MS. MARGARET DIMARIA: it’s so important for my brother, for my parents, and for all the victims to be here today to speak for them because they can’t. After our two older children got through most of their lives and talking to them and dealing with all of this I thought that — we had a 10-year span and then we had another child that — we weren’t supposed to have any more but we had a miracle and it was a very beautiful. And I never thought — I thought there’s so much time. She’s not going to ever have to deal with this I picked her up from school and she was so beside herself and so livid. I said, what’s the matter, and she said, one of the boys in my class had a t-shirt on with Charles Manson and the other guys were saying how cool it was and how great it was, But, for us it was horrible. For young people that don’t know the history they didn’t really know. For some of them he’s an icon. But in the middle of class she said, he isn’t cool — it isn’t good they’re murderers — they murdered my uncle. I would have liked to think that it was over. Our kids are they still go to concerts.
And there, again, they are faced with performers wearing these t-shirts. She was there to have a good time and right in the middle of it, boom, it’s like you are thrown into a block wall. You are hit with something that you don’t expect and you have no choice and it never ends. Never.