Holy Man


"Well, I can't!
If you have to fix it with a computer,
quantized, pitch corrected, and overly inspected,
then you can't do it,
and I can't get behind that"!

William Shatner/Henry Rollins
I Can't Get Behind That

So, me and this friend of mine made a CD of me.

As alarming as that is, just hear me out.

Anyway,...we had just put the finishing touches on a remake of Ian Dury's "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" and we were sittin' in the kitchen eatin' cold Alfredo that was left on the stove. It was your average Sunday afternoon recording session.

He has a studio in a basement closet and he was recording me for free because he is my friend.

I would find a song I wanted to do and he would find the Midi files...or we would play all the instruments ourselves. The Midi files were so much easier to deal with rather than having to figure out parts and play them.

He would only give me one shot at the vocals though. If there were back up vocals, he would do them himself and then we would eat dinner or somethin'.

The reason for this is because he is a firm believer in the fact that vocals SHOULD me done in one take. Everything after that is a fix when it gets mixed. He is a master at the cut and paste.

I am not a singer. I have no misconceptions about that. I do not want to be a singer. I am a musician,...however, if you're gonna make a CD of just you, then you should have vocals because,...except for Bobby Beausoleil, instrumental music can get kinda boring.

Plus, considering the fact that I was doin' songs by Ian Dury, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits and Frank Zappa, I knew that the material I chose didn't have great singers to begin with,...so I didn't feel too bad about butchering the original songs.

I knew that my talking voice is in the low "D" range and was able to do some justice to Bruce's, "57 Channels and Nothin' On".

Everything else was a crap shoot.

As we were eating the Alfredo, he makes the brash statement that he could make me sound good on a "serious" song. He told me that I could go in there, sing my ass off any way I wanted to, and he would make it right.

I guffawed at such a proclamation.

He bet me.

I went home that night and began to peruse some music that I had that I thought might be a good fit.

I was listening to Dennis Wilson's "Pacific Ocean Blue" on repeat mode,...for about three weeks.

It dawned on me that there was an instrumental version of a song that Denny wrote right before he died. There were no lyrics on his version because the instrumental stood on it's own.

On the very end of the CD, however, there was a version with Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters singing the lyrics that Greg Jakobsen wrote when he re-released the CD in 2008.

I now had an instrumental track,...and a template for the vocals.

Interesting.

I shot both versions over to him via email. He told me to come on over.

I got set up with the headphones and he stuck me behind the wind-screened mic.

He played the Taylor Hawkins version in my ears while putting my vocal track onto the instrumental. He told me to sing away.

I gave it all I had. After I was done, his wife walked into the room holding her nose,...in a subtle attempt to tell me I stink.

I didn't even want to hear the playback. She told me I didn't want to hear the playback. She said nobody should ever hear the playback.

My friend just rolled his eyes and pulled up "Dr. Sclock's Box Of Doom" on his computer. He laid my vocal track in there with the instrumental track underneath.

He then sat at the keyboard in an attempt to garner the key that the song was in. It was A flat minor.

Bogus key, man.

I then watched him pull bits and pieces of my vocals into the right key. He had one hand on the piano with another on the computer mouse.

He brought the thing into key.

I was impressed,...but I didn't like my enunciation and asked if I could do it again. He relented and I did the vocal again,...concentrating more on enunciation rather than key. He then tried to do the same thing,....but it sounded like Kermit the Frog when I was done.

He mixed the original back into it and called it done.

He defied me to find anyone who said it was out of key. I told him I wasn't convinced so he dropped my vocal onto the Taylor Hawkins version and put me in the right channel and Hawkins in the left.

It was in key....although the enunciation does leave a lot to be desired.

He told me it would always be that way,.... because I don't know how to talk.

I couldn't agree more.

As with all CD's, one has to make music videos for each track. Considering that this was a Dennis Wilson/Greg Jakobsen production, I knew it had to deal with Sharon Tate.

Considering the song was called "Holy Man", I felt that the lyrics deal more with the God who scooped her up in those final moments rather than the dregs who brought her there.

At least,...that's the way I see it.

So, there you have it.

A music video of Sharon Tate with lyrics by Greg Jakobsen and music provided by Dennis Wilson,....with me and Taylor Hawkins singin' the vocals.

(see below)



Anyway,....


Comments

CarolMR said…
What do you think of the Official TLB blog run by Col Scott? Why does he hate Vincent Bugliosi so much? Why does he not believe that Manson was behind the murders?
B.J. Thompson said…
Carol, I believe you've asked us this Q several times...

I'm not sure what kind of answer you're looking for...

I believe that everyone has a right to their opinion and quite possibly Col Scott has reasons.

Maybe what you need to do instead of asking us for that answer, is email Col Scott and ask him directly.

If I, MsBurb, ever came across verifiable, documented proof that Charles Manson was NOT culpable in these murders, I would gladly report said on TLB2.

To date, I have none.

As far as liking or disliking VB, well, Prosecutors bring out that kind of love/hate emotions on both sides of the aisle, that is only just natural.

It is my opinion, although I am more than prepared to alter said if any evidence shows to the contrary, that VB prosecuted with the evidence he had at the time of the trial start.

Even he admits that he had wished he had had more background information on the tangential crimes before the first trial began, as that MAY have affected how heavily he relied on the Helter Skelter motive.

A lawyer is only as good as the evidence he has at his disposal and uses only the witnesses he has who have unconditionally offered their assistance to him.

Like I said to you earlier, possibly what you need to do is contact Col Scott directly if a more detailed answer is necessary for you. I'm sorry I can't be any clearer than that, Carol.
CarolMR said…
Thank you, MsBurb, for your reply. I know I have been a pest asking the same question. I have contacted the COL several times over the years and I guess he hasn't really given me an answer that makes sense to me. His whole thing seems to be that Tex Watson was the "leader" on the two nights of murder; so why does Manson get all the blame (according to the COL)? He seems to want Watson to be the face of evil for those two nights, not Manson. But I thought it was Manson who sent Tex and the girls out on those two nights; hence, Manson was the "mastermind" of the murders, for whatever reason. I personally think it was a hit job that Manson was hired for but he didn't want to get his own hands dirty so he sent his family out to do the job. Of course, I have no evidence of this, just theory. And "Helter Skelter" was not thought up by Bugliosi; it was written in the LaBianca home by the killers. I agree with what you said about prosecutors: they work with what they have. Anyway, sorry for asking the same question again. I promise I won't anymore. And thank you again for your gracious reply and your patience with me.
B.J. Thompson said…
To CAROL MR - Carol, it's okay that you want answers - we ALL do! That's why we're investigating these crimes, that because of social and political pressures at that time, the principals, that did the investigating at that time, were so short of time to thoroughly investigate what needed to be.

You must have read my comment wrong. I did NOT mean to say VB invented HS. What I meant to say was that with the evidence VB had at the time of the trial start, HS was the only viable motive that connected all the killings.

IF he had known more about the Crowe debacle and the copycat scenario for Bobby, and by "know", I mean verifiable, court-acceptable evidence, NOT hearsay, the HS motive may NOT have been the paramount one he would have chosen. Although considering that these murders were so far out, IF VB had chosen a banal motive, even IF it was the correct one, I doubt he would have got a blanket conviction on all defendants. VB NEEDED a wacky motive to go with such outrageous crimes, and HS fit the bill perfectly.

I think this MAY be what enrages Col Scott and his followers, that flimsy motives were used to convict Manson and they don't like it one bit. I can sympathize BUT if you are finger-pointed by more than one witness that it was you who masterminded the crimes, and there are weapons used at the scenes which CAN be connected to you , wacky motive or not, you WILL be convicted of said!

As for your scenario that the murders were a "hit", I can honestly say there is no documented evidence of said, and quite honestly, there isn't any because they just weren't ones. I KNOW people point to Voytek's drug deals and Leno's tangential Mafia ties but there is NO UNIFYING LINK to an assassination attempt on both of these homes and their occupants.

It's like believing there was a second gunman in the Grassy Knoll in Dallas when JFK was shot, there are many tantalizing tidbits to suggest said but when it comes right down to the evidence, there just isn't any.

And don't forget, that even within the Mafia or the biker drug cartels, any and ALL "hits" eventually surface and in 40 years, NO ONE has ever come forth with such a tale or corroborating evidence.

Don't worry about asking questions, Carol. I could tell you were honestly concerned but I couldn't offer an answer on someone else's opinion, it would be like you asking the Colonel why MsBurb thinks the way she does...we just can't live in one another's heads, you know.

It's NOT that I refuse to believe that Tex Watson was NOT evil enough to commit these murders but what I can't buy is that the guy was STREET SMART enough to "mastermind" his way out of a paper bag, Carol. He no more had the brains to mastermind those murders and an HS revolt than he had when he screwed up a measly $2,000 drug deal. Tex CANNOT be the king-pin of anything because Tex doesn't have the GREY CELLS! Period!

If you have SPECIFIC doubts or questions, Carol, ask away! That's what we're here for!

I think it just was your oft repeated general concern that I found so difficult to answer. Ask me specifics and I'll tell ya what I know. I do NOT know everything and do NOT profess to be a legal expert but I will give you what information I have so you can judge for yourself...that's why TLB2 exists, to BE HERE for people like you, who want to ask and receive info.!

Thank YOU Carol, for your interest in us!

Cordially, MsBurb
CarolMR said…
Thank you again, MsBurb, for your reply. As for specific questions I may have: 1) Do you think the Tate and LaBianca homes were targeted at random or on purpose? 2) Do you think the LaBiancas had any Mafia connections or were involved in drugs in some way?
3) Do you think "Helter Skelter" was one of the motives of the murder or was the motive getting Bobby out of jail with "copy-cat" killings or were drugs a motive?
B.J. Thompson said…
To CAROL MR,

I'll RESPOND IN THREE PARTS, OKAY, AS MY COMMENTS HERE ARE TOO LONG FOR ONE:

1) 99% of all crimes are connected by locale and/or by victim, so yes, most definitely, the Tate and LaB homes were KNOWN by the criminals ahead of time and were purposely chosen.

I have no doubt that when first broaching the subject, Charlie may have NOT thought of the Tate house right away but was reminded of said by Tex.

I do NOT believe that Charlie meant revenge on Terry, and therefore thought of the Tate house for that, as a) he KNEW Terry had moved to Malibu to live in his Mom's beach house; and b)IF Manson had wanted revenge on someone in particular, I think Dennis Wilson would have been the target BUT the ex-con that Manson was, he KNEW NOT to bite the hands that possibly would feed him, so he would NEVER attack Terry, Dennis nor Gregg Jakobsen, even if he was miffed by their rebuffs, just in case they changed their minds on a record contract.

I believe Tex reminded him of that Cielo home simply because when Manson said to attack "rich pigs", and Tex having been there a minimum of four times, that house would have been the first to come to his mind, as he was anything BUT lucid that day, having taken acid and several hits of speed well before the Tate plans ever were discussed.

The ONLY known to Tex was that I'm SURE Manson told him he owned Manson for that Crow deal debacle, so Tex would have been prepared to act on Manson's behalf at any time after the Crow deal...in other words, Tex would NOT have been surprised when Manson came to him with a request.

The LaB locale was known ONLY to Manson and Linda Kasabian, and possibly Sadie in the Ford that night. And ONLY AFTER Manson couldn't decide on a random hit, did he "settle" for a known one and headed up to Griffith Park, a well known Hippie/party hang-out apart from the Harold True home.

It was just sad luck that the LaB's moved in only less than half a year before this hit. They were NOT, I repeat NOT known to the murderers in any fashion, just that their house was in a locale the killers knew...it could happen to ANY of us, to buy a home (or in Leno's case inherit that home from his Mom) and end up being assaulted because of one's locale and not one's affiliation to anything/anyone.

SEE PART II NEXT...
B.J. Thompson said…
To CAROL MR - PART II:

2) These are the ONLY DOCUMENTED Mafia connections found as per Leno or Rosemary:

a) Lena had once banked (but was NOT a client at the time of the murders) at the Hollywood Bank, which had been proven to possess funds from known Mafia connections - the bank, NOT Leno!

b) In the 60s, ALL horse race tracks (and for sure the Santa Anita track!) were funded or run or manipulated by organized crime, just like the casinos were in Vegas and Atlantic City.

Leno had had $200,000 in betting debts BUT PAID THEM OFF IMMEDIATELY with his family's Gateway grocery chain assets. In other words, he was NEVER in debt to anyone but his own family, so there is NO reason for any Mafia figure to be miffed with Leno because he was a degenerate gambler WHO PAID HIS DEBTS!

He MAY have known Mafia through his race track connections, just because of the locale in which both Leno and they operated but there is NO evidence to suggest that the horses he bought were partnered with the Mafia and NO mafia figure, then or now, has ever come forward to say that there was any affiliation with Leno. This, Carol, IS a RED HERRING. Period.

There are NO known/documented drug/Mafia connections with either Leno nor Rosemary. Period. And beyond that, there has NEVER BEEN any connections made between the LaB's and the Tate residents, ever.
B.J. Thompson said…
To CAROL MR - PART III:

3) Honestly, this is how I feel about the order of events that fateful day on the 8th:

a) I think Manson was NOT, I repeat NOT, the originator of the idea of murder in the Family that day. I think it was the girls - Leslie, Linda, Squeaky and Sandy, and post likely Sadie.

These girls wanted revenge for Bobby's arrest and they broached Manson on this when he returned from San Diego with Stephanie that afternoon at noon.

Then, when Sandy and Mary got arrested for CC fraud at Sears - an errand Manson himself ordered, so he felt directly guilty about this - Charlie had a minor nervous break down at that old oak tree at the creek, put the thought of revenge into fruition and went off in search of Tex, to get him to execute that plan, because Tex owed him one for the Crowe deal.

The Helter Skelter scenario was always present in Manson's paranoid schizophrenic mind but after all these stressors of late, he saw a way to vent his frustration on that part of society which, in his eyes, seemed to be making life worse for him and his Family, ignoring, of course, that it was HE and the actions of HIS Family which caused all his hardship...but narcissistic sociopaths never view their hardships as self-made...it's ALWAYS Us doing bad to Them.

That afternoon was just a perfect storm of murder, a kismet-like unfolding of events, that because this gang was armed and dysfunctional, ended up in the death of innocents. Somebody HAD to pay for the wrongs they were suffering....that's all it was Carol.

I know, pretty boring and simplistic, huh, but when you break down ANY criminal act, they ALL boil down to pretty banal motives and actions.

We, as humans, when we see people of Note murderered ALWAYS seek a greater motive for such an awful crime, for if there IS such a complicated, conspiratoral motive, then we can better understand and accept such an awful set of circumstances. We SEEK a greater, more infamous explanation to alleviate our confusion when in fact, murder is almost always just a plain and boring and base reaction to a plain and boring and base motive or stressor.

Carol, IF you want to know the truth of what happened in the Hinman/TLB murders, let the evidence speak to you, NOT you inject your emotions into the evidence. IF you do that, the evidence WILL tell you the truth every time.
CarolMR said…
Dear MsBurb - Thank you so much for your very thoughtful replies. It will take me a while for everything to sink in and I know I'll have some questions. Just two more questions that have been bothering me for now: I believe that Manson was friends with Joe Drogan, who was an ex-boyfriend of Suzann (Rosemary LaBianca's daughter). They rode in the same motorcycle gang. Do you still believe that the LaBiancas were chosen at random? Do you think Suzann had anything to do with the planning of her parents' murders? I know I'm making things more complicated, but there seem to be far too many coincidences in this case.
B.J. Thompson said…
To Carol MR -

1) What evidence do you have that a) Manson was EVER in a bike gang? (He was friends with some of the members of the SS but never a member of any biker gang that I'm aware); or that b) Drogan ever knew Manson personally?

When Manson went for acid parties at True's home, the LaB's were NOT in that house, and Leno's Mother had vacated it (or died?) sometime before Leno moved back in.

2) Why would Suzan want to kill Leno? Maybe her Mom for the 2 mill she had but even if such a laughable proposition was had, why carved up Leno and hire a rag-tag group of druggies to do the work?

There is NO evidence of which I'm aware that ANYONE in the LaB family had ANY knowledge of Manson or his Family members.

IF you have some, or can show me more specific details to address, I'll be glad to analyze them, Carol.

There are TONS of coincidences in the assassination of JFK too but coincidences not evidence do they make!

Documents, witness testimonies, forensic evidence, Carol, and to date, I have NEVER uncovered ANY validated connection(s) between the LaB's and The Family.
CarolMR said…
Thank you again for your reply. I have read so many books and articles over the years about TLB that I honestly can't say where I heard that Manson has said he knew and rode with Joe Drogan. So, no, I don't have any proof.
I think your theory that it was the girls who came up with the idea of the murders as revenge for Bobby is very interesting. I don't think I've heard anyone say that before.
Several summers ago I read Ed Sanders' THE FAMILY. He suggests (without naming names) that Manson was much more involved with Hollywood celebrities, aside from the Beach Boys and Terry Melcher, than we have been told. What is your opinion of this?
B.J. Thompson said…
Carol MR -

That's the problem with MANY so-called "objective" researched books on any famous subject matter. OFTEN, the authors have agendas, to write and propagate a certain viewpoint, so they will "throw out" ideas without supporting evidence.

What that does is muddy the waters even more than they already are.

Sanders, King, etc had agendas when they wrote those books.

The closest you'll ever get to the truth is any author who has NO agenda by having no need for embellishment for monetary or career reasons. yes, they are few and far between but they do exist.

First person autobiographies are the best of the bunch, as that often leaves the Middle-Man viewpoint out of the storyline.

Beyond that are archives of police departments, newspapers, coroner's offices, etc., and just plain investigation time under one's belt to sniff out the rhetoric from the fact.

The "celebs" Manson would have met...Robert Conrad, etc., would have been through his time with Dennis, as anyone in that time period who was looking for a party often ended up at the Hollywood partier known spots, Dennis, the Mamas & the Papas, etc. And Manson would have been introduced to all and sundry who would have come over to Dennis' for a pool party or just to say hello.

Manson did receive a motorbike owned by Neil Young while he was at Spahn's, and Neil, I believe he met at Dennis'.

That was the ONLY time that Manson met celebs, was while he was living at Dennis', and only because he was "there" and not because he was influential or connected.
Anonymous said…
Yeah,...I'm really diggin' it, man.

I don't think King had too much of an agenda. He wrote very touchingly of his love for Sharon and it echoed my sentiments to a t.

Spot on.

Neil Young looks the way does because he met Manson. Prior to that,....he looked exactly like Spanky with a moustache.

This is a great post, ain't it, gals?

I got 12 comments on this thing!

Wow!

I think that might be a record, B.

...and not one of them actually dealing with the post at hand,...

Hmmm,...

How 'bout that?...
Anonymous said…
Great post, Dan!

You really are musically inclined!

I like it whenyou sing on the blog! You should do it more often!

Love,

Dan
Anonymous said…
Hey Dan!

Do you know you sound just like Dennis Wilson when you sing?

I like your voice alot!

Love,
Dan
Anonymous said…
Why Thank You, Anonymous!

I really enjoyed your comments!

Regards,

Dan
CarolMR said…
Many first-person autobiographers claimed to have been invited to Cielo Drive the night of the murders for a party. But, by the grace of God, they all seemed to decide not to go. Why would all these people lie? Just to involve themselves in the story? Are Hollywood people really THAT self-involved?
B.J. Thompson said…
To Carol MR - My response to you will be on the LATEST POST on the homepage...on the Tex Watson Interviews - Part D, okay?

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