7/27/2019 The Devil’s in the Slide 21 - Elusive Stardom

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-devils-in-the-slide-21-elusive-stardom 1/2

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The Devil’s in the Slide: Elusive Stardom

Perhas indi!ative o" his state o" mind immediately a"ter release, #anson re!eived several "irearms "rom

a "ormer$%ailmate, and oted to thro& them into the San 'ran!is!o (ay instead o" sellin) them or usin)them "or bur)laries* When this old %ail$buddy "ound out about this, #anson e+lained to him, -oo.,

Danny, i" /’d have sold those )uns, they’d have been used %ust li.e you &ere lannin) to use them*

1s say as it sounds, one has to !onsider the ossibility that #anson had serious ambition as a otential

 o star, and had an e+e!tation o" ma.in) it* oin) ba!. to rison, ese!ially ri)ht out o" the )ate, didn’t

aeal to him anymore3this "rom an inmate &ho "ou)ht a)ainst his release* 1s &e &ill see, in manyinstan!es, #anson, &ho li.e most !roo.s understood the nuan!es o" !riminal la&, deliberately a!ted in

&ays desi)ned to .ee him out o" rison durin) this t&o$year stint*

#anson’s belie" in ossible su!!ess had somethin) )oin) "or it that most delusions do not share* 4e hadnumerous !onta!ts &ithin not only the musi! industry, but the movie bi5 as &ell* When the oli!e raided

Sahn an!h in Setember 76, they "ound Susan 1t.ins’ !elebrity hitlist, &hi!h in!luded the names o"

many notables alon) &ith their addresses and unlisted telehone numbers* 1dam ori)htly &rites that#anson’s initial !onta!t &ith the s!reen &orld !ame "rom rostitutin) himsel" out to a &ell$.no&n

a!tor, &hom #anson re"erred to simly as 9#r* (*’ 1t the time, #r* ( starred in a oular television

series shootin) out o" niversal Studios* #anson !laimed to have then e+anded his servi!es to in!lude#r* (’s &i"e in three$&ay se+, and then brin)in) his harem over to servi!e a number o" studio brass*

#anson &as !onsulted on a "e& movies* Some rodu!ers aroa!hed him &ith the idea o" his "amily

ma.in) a i!ture* While #anson thou)ht it mi)ht be !ool to have the )an) retend to be dune bu))ymarauders, or somethin) e;ually violent, the "ilmma.ers usually had somethin) else in mind, most li.ely

the ramant dei!tion o" liberal dru) use and ramant se+* What "inally emer)ed "rom this &as a

do!umentary shot be"ore the Tate$-a(ian!a murders by obert 4endri!.son and -a&ren!e #erri!.*

eleased in 7<= as  Manson, it "eatures !oious "oota)e and intervie& &ith to "amily members, amon)them Paul Wat.ins, #ary (runner, Steve ro)an and (ru!e Davis*

Some have se!ulated that many o" #anson’s !elebrity !onta!ts !ame "rom his len)thy asso!iation &ith a

 rivate residen!e .no&n by many names, but ultimately re"erred to as The Siral Stair!ase, lo!ated in

Toan)a >anyon* That #anson hun) out there "or t&o months !an’t really be disuted* 1"ter all, his)rou’s distin!tive s!hool bus sat ar.ed outside that lon)* The Siral Stair!ase attra!ted its "air share o"

!elebs, be!ause o" it toleran!e o" the under)round .in. s!ene3a s!ene so e+li!it that #anson admitted

that it sho!.ed him* While one !an reasonably assume that #anson and his eole met some o" the

)litterati at this arti!ular house, &e &ould have to se!ulate on &hom* ?im #orrison and other memberso" the Doors "re;uently !ome to mind, as do members o" the #amas and the Paas, and -ove* Some say

that #anson also rubbed shoulders &ith the li.es o" ?ay Sebrin), Peter Sellers and @ul (renner there* (utthere’s nothin) to say de"initely &ho they mi)ht have met at the Siral Stair!ase*

We do .no& that #anson made his most imortant sho&bi5 !onta!t throu)h Patri!ia Aren&in.el* While

hit!hhi.in) &ith another )irl, Aren&in.el )ot a ride "rom (ea!h (oys drummer Dennis Wilson* She later)o another ride "rom him* Bn one or both o" these rides, Aren&in.el o""ered se+, and Wilson a!!eted it*

'or #anson, the "leetin) !onta!t bet&een Wilson and Aren&in.el &as as )ood as an invite* While the

(ea!h (oys &ere out er"ormin), #anson simly !ommandeered his house* When Wilson returned, to

7/27/2019 The Devil’s in the Slide 21 - Elusive Stardom

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-devils-in-the-slide-21-elusive-stardom 2/2

"ind his house o!!uied, #anson burst out o" the ba!. door, assured Wilson that he &ould neither harm

nor rob him, and introdu!ed him to !arnal deli)hts "rom a bevy o" nubile youn) &omen* /t didn’t ta.e

mu!h "or the drummer to "all under the sell o" e+treme se+ and doe #anson o""ered*

Wilson oened u doors "or #anson &ithin the musi! bi5, rimarily throu)h re) ?a!obson and throu)h

?a!obson’s asso!iate, re!ord rodu!er Terry #el!her* #el!her visited #anson at Sahn an!h, and &asthorou)hly imressed &ith the seemin)ly harmonious !ommunal ase!ts o" li"e &ith the sliies* Bver

the ne+t "e& months, #el!her, ?a!obson and Wilson &ould hel #anson set u studio times andmusi!ians* Wilson, &ho ubli!ly re"erred to #anson as 9the Wi5ard’ at this time, !onvin!ed the (ea!h(oys to re!ord one o" #anson’s son)s, >ease to E+ist Cre$titled Never -earn Not to -ove*

'or)ettin) "or a se!ond the identity o" the er"ormer Cand the !reey lyri!s, there’s a lot o" ositive

thin)s that / !ould say about #anson’s er"orman!e and son)&ritin)* 4e demonstrates a very interestin)aroa!h to rhythm that’s reminis!ent o" (lind -emon ?e""erson and other bluesmen o" the 720s*

There’s brilliant use here o" metri!al shi"tin) and elision, and other te!hni!al oints that musi!ians &ould

see in ea!h other’s &or.s*

What’s really !urious to me is the (ea!h (oys’ rendition o" the son)* Thin. o" it &hat you &ill, you !an

still a)ree that the band &ent to the nth de)ree &ith this in terms o" e""ort* They &ent into "ull rodu!tionmode on the son), and did the best &ith it that they most li.ely !ould* /n other &ords, they too. the son)

;uite seriously* Perhas it heled some that #anson allo&ed Dennis to a""i+ his name as a !o$&riter, even

thou)h it did bother >harlie that the )rou de!ided to !han)e the title*

Bbviously, #anson’s arrest and trial )ave the (ea!h (oys reutation a bla!. eye* Dennis Wilson had lost

;uite a bit more "rom his asso!iation &ith 9the 'amily*’ 4e lost some rese!t amon) his !ollea)ues,

ese!ially a"ter #anson’s reeated .ni"e threats, and his shootin) o" (ernard >ro&e* What’s &orse, thesliies literally ate him out o" house and home, e+haustin) the "ortune he had a!!rued as a ro!. star,

leavin) the (ea!h (oy so destitute that he !ouldn’t ay his rent or utility bills* 1nd i" that &eren’t bad

enou)h, !avortin) &ith #anson’s 9)irls’ le"t Dennis &ith a !ase o" the !la*

(ut as bad as the (ea!h (oys had it, an even bi))er o i!on &ould re!eive notoriety by )ettin) su!.ed

into the #anson vorte+*

Sour!e: htt:+dell*blo)sot*!om200877devils$in$slide$elusive$stardom*html