A Cryptoscatological Exploration of the Manson Mythos

 

In light of Errol Morris' underwhelming Netflix documentary, CHAOS: THE MANSON MURDERS, I feel compelled to recommend a half-dozen books that explore the Manson Mythos with greater flair and originality than Morris manages to dredge up in his scant ninety-six minute film. I've presented the books here in reverse-chronological order...

1. DENNIS WILSON AND CHARLIE MANSON by Jack Skelley (Fred & Barney Press, 2021). From the author of the legendary underground novel FEAR OF KATHY ACKER comes this fascinating chapbook that explores how a random encounter between Beach Boys musician Dennis Wilson and ex-con reprobate Charlie Manson sets into motion a series of tragic events that lead to an infamous Hollywood killing spree and the death of the entire 1960s. Based on documented research, this peculiar psychodrama weaves in passages of Skelley's psychedelic verse, the centerpiece of which is "Rise," an apocalyptic sermon told from the point of view of Manson himself.

2. WIDOW OF THE AMPUTATION & OTHER WEIRD CRIMES by Robert Guffey (Eraserhead Press, 2021). Yes, indeed, I've humbly included my own book on the list! The title story of this Wonderland Award-nominated collection of four novellas is an experimental supernatural horror story that combines historical settings with touches of absurdist humor to create a character study of a psychopathic outsider manipulated by forces he can never hope to understand. The narrative involves Charles Manson kidnapping the severed head of Mary Magdalene and follows his subsequent descent into the Land of the Dead located just beneath Devil’s Hole in Death Valley, California. Over the course of this condensed epic we witness a most unusual prison break in which Manson succeeds in busting out of Corcoran Penitentiary thanks to fifty-one photographs of the Death Valley sky hanging on the cracked walls of his Maximum Security cell, the theft of Mary Magdalene’s severed head by sentient spiders made of twine, the bloody murder of the storytelling coyotes of Badwater, California, the ritual sacrifice of two astronauts on the surface of the moon, a midair pursuit involving two talking ravens from Norse mythology, and Manson’s aforementioned climactic expedition into the subterranean kingdom of Mictlan, Lord of the Dead. The mythologies of various cultures (Mayan, Norse, Hopi Indian, Christian, and others) collide in this on-the-road pilgrimage involving gods, demigods, animal familiars, and all-too-human madmen. 

3. CHAOS: CHARLES MANSON, THE CIA, AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE SIXTIES by Tom O'Neill and Dan Piepenbring (Back Bay Books, 2019). This is the source material upon which Errol Morris' Netflix documentary is ostensibly based. Unlike the film, however, O'Neill and Piepenbring's 521-page book includes a plethora of compelling evidence pointing toward the disturbing notion that Manson's California misadventures were being actively subsidized and supported by Friends in High Places, including MK-Ultra scientist Louis Jolyon West. This books adds an impressive amount of evidence to a theory first proposed by Mae Brussell (known to some as the "Queen of Conspiracies") way back in 1971 when the Manson Family trial was still unfolding. See this previous CryptoPost for more information about both Brussell and Manson.

4. THE SHADOW OVER SANTA SUSANA: BLACK MAGIC, MIND CONTROL, AND THE MANSON FAMILY MYTHOS by Adam Gorightly (Creation Books, 2009). Before the 2019 publication of CHAOS, there were only two essential Charles Manson books, and Adam Gorightly's THE SHADOW OVER SANTA SUSANA was one of them. You can't really get a full picture of what went down on Cielo Drive in August of 1969 without reading Ed Sanders' THE FAMILY, Gorightly's THE SHADOW OVER SANTA SUSANA, and O'Neill and Piepenbring's CHAOS (in that order). A standout chapter in Gorightly's book is "Rosemary's Baby," which covers previously obscure information regarding the late 1960s Hollywood milieu Rosemary LaBianca and her husband were orbiting just prior to their murders.

5. COLUMBO: THE HELTER SKELTER MURDERS by William Harrington (Forge Books, 1994). When I visited the Museum of Death in Los Angeles during the summer of 2019, I was surprised to discover William Harrington's second Columbo novel (the first one, THE GRASSY KNOLL, focused on the JFK assassination) featured prominently in the Charles Manson room among a small selection of Manson-Family-related nonfiction volumes. In this media tie-in mystery novel, Lt. Columbo finds himself coming face-to-face with Charlie himself after discovering the slogans "HEALTER SKELTER, "POLITICAL PIGGY," and "ALL PIGGYS DIE! DIE! WHO NEXT?" scrawled in blood at a violent crime scene revolving around the murder of a rich L.A. department store owner, Arlene Khoury, and her lover, Steve Heck. Not only do we learn that Columbo testified at the Manson trial, but Charlie was so familiar with the rumpled detective that he even dreamed up a special nickname for him ("Cisco"). About halfway through the novel, Columbo interviews Charlie in Folsom Prison during which the convicted murderer sings the detective a little song:

"Always wanted to be an apostle.

Always knew I'd make it if I tried.

Now I'm gonna retire and write a gospel,

So people will remember when we've die-ied."

One wonders what Peter Falk (the Emmy Award-winning actor who portrayed Lt. Columbo over a period of thirty-five years) made of this novel's salacious plot, particularly since Manson once gave a gossipy interview to a mid-1970s tabloid called THE HOLLYWOOD STAR in which he claimed that Falk himself partied with his harem of girls back during the Family's SoCal heyday. Other Hollywood luminaries named in that particular interview included Yul Brynner, Neil Diamond, Jane Fonda, Elvis Presley, Peter Sellers, and Nancy Sinatra.

6. THE FAMILY: THE STORY OF CHARLES MANSON'S DUNE BUGGY ATTACK BATTALION by Ed Sanders (E.P. Dutton, 1971). Ed Sanders, longtime member of The Fugs, began investigating the Manson Family only a few months after the Tate/LaBianca murders went down in August of 1969. As a lifelong lyricist, Sanders wrote his notes in verse and began referring to himself as "an investigative poet." Over the course of his two-year-long odyssey, Sanders tracked down various Manson-related occult societies and criminal gangs based in Los Angeles, including all the material witnesses to the murders themselves. Sanders' investigation inspired a slew of conspiratorial and parapolitical texts that followed, but it's always illuminating to go back to the original. I recommend tracking down the first hardcover edition (pictured above), since subsequent versions were censored as a result of a defamation lawsuit brought against the publisher by the Process Church of the Final Judgement. 

DEAD MONKEY RUM: The Perfect Spring Break Read!

Even as you read these words, hordes of libido-fueled college students are swarming toward Cancún, Miami, Cabo San Lucas, and similar sun-drenched locations to celebrate Spring Break. Foremost on their young minds is the perennial question: Which Robert Guffey book should I bring to the beach? The obvious answer to this difficult conundrum is the Rondo Award-nominated novel DEAD MONKEY RUM, which is best appreciated with a tropical drink in one hand and a melodic Les Baxter score drifting in the background as the azure Pacific laps at the nearby seashore. Directly below, you will see a photograph of the author enjoying the first day of his Spring Break by reimmersing himself in DEAD MONKEY RUM while relaxing on the Lanai just outside the Enchanted Tiki Room with a generous serving of Dole Whip resting in his left hand. You might be wondering why he would bother reading this book when he already knows exactly what's going to happen. The truth is, DEAD MONKEY RUM never loses its luster even after the 33rd reread! So let's all help start a brand new American tradition and carry a copy of DEAD MONKEY RUM to your Spring Break destination this year! MAHALO, boys and girls!

 

PRAISE FOR DEAD MONKEY RUM:

"A remarkable rush of entertainment and thrills."

--Alan Moore (V for Vendetta and Watchmen) 

 

"Robert Guffey's fantastic novel, DEAD MONKEY RUM, will at least bring your brain out of a coma, if not get your imagination off the couch. This is a thinly masked tribute/adventure to the late Stanislaw Szukalski and his boundless imagination. This book is a mental gymnasium."

-- Robert Williams (Visual Addiction, Hysteria in Remission, and Through Prehensile Eyes)

 

"A fantastically rich and entertaining piece of work with an original sharp edge."

 -- Jim Woodring (writer/artist of Weathercraft, The Frank Book, and One Beautiful Spring Day)

 

"Stanislaw Szukalski would love DEAD MONKEY RUM. This novel is addictive like a heavy drug. Make space in your calendar to read it all."

-- Irek Dobrowolski (director of the Netflix documentary, Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski)

 

 "Yetis, Tiki Gods, Cryptozoology, and rum-filled adventure! Sign me up and tell me when the ship sails! I'm recommending this Robert Guffey novel to all my friends, family, and foes to take their minds completely off whatever they are thinking about. Wonderful."

-- Loren Coleman (Mysterious America, The Field Guide to Lake Monsters and Sea Serpents, The Field Guide to Bigfoot, Curious Encounters, and 40 other books - Director of the International Cryptozoology Museum)

 
"DEAD MONKEY RUM succeeds at being a pursuit thriller, with suspense and tension as the monkey and Stephanie evade their cryptid enemies, and comedy as the two exchange jabs at each other. It is cinematically fast. DEAD MONKEY RUM should be adapted to a [...] Ralph Bakshiesque animated film where both the zaniness of the narrative and the latent satire would really flourish."

-- Exotica Moderne

 

"One of the weirdest romps you'll ever read."

-- Fortean Times

 

UNBOXING DEAD MONKEY RUM:

PSI INHIBITOR

From Chris Melore's 2-28-25 DAILY MAIL article entitled "Scientists Discover All Humans Can Read Minds... and How You Can Tap Into Telepathic Abilities":

Researchers in Canada uncovered that parts of the brain actually act as a 'psi inhibitor' - meaning it suppresses the natural psychic, telepathic, and clairvoyant abilities people have but don't know about.

When scientists turned off this 'filter' - by inducing reversible brain lesions in the frontal lobes of volunteers - it enhanced the patients' psi abilities, allowing them to influence objects with their minds.

'Psi' is a phenomenon that includes telepathy (mind-mind connections), clairvoyance (perception of future events or distant objects), precognition (knowing what will happen before it does), and psychokinesis (moving objects with your mind).

The filter was turned off by a process called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which uses a non-invasive device to send magnetic waves to specific brain regions.

In experiments, volunteers with these brain lesions developed the power to change the outcomes of a Random Event Generator (REG) with their minds - moving the arrow on a computer screen which was choosing 0s and 1s at random.

Lead researcher Morris Freedman of Baycrest Health Sciences said these findings, 'are potentially transformative for the way we view interactions between the brain and seemingly random events.'

The brain filter discovery may, 'significantly advance research in the area of psi, helping to bring this phenomenon into the realm of mainstream science,' Dr. Freedman added.

To read the entire article, click HERE.

The Monroe Institute & the CIA's Gateway Program

From Ellyn Lapointe's 1-14-25 DAILY MAIL article entitled "I Was in Gifted Classes as a Kid in the 90s... Here's Why I Think It Was a Secret CIA Program":

Americans who were part of 'gifted and talented' education programs in the 1980s and 1990s believe they were part of a secret government intelligence program.

The Gifted And Talented Education program (GATE) provides students with advanced curriculum and activities to foster creativity and critical thinking skills.

But many former students believe they were actually part of a secret CIA initiative to test the supernatural abilities of children with above average intelligence.

One woman, who claimed to be part of the program in the 1990s, shared a workbook she purportedly used during class, showing she was cracking codes and learning Russian.

'The stuff I found in there — I'm like, what were you training us for?' she said.

Some former GATE students argued that the program was tied to the CIA's Gateway Program that was developed in the 1980s to explore the limitations of human consciousness using sound, meditation and other techniques.

A document released by the CIA explains that these recordings typically featured a series of 'non-verbal audio patterns' masked by sounds like crashing waves or wind blowing through the trees.

Many alumni of GATE programs recalled being subjected to the same audio 'tests' at school [...].

This audio was developed by the Monroe Institute for the CIA's Gateway Program. Those who claim that it was used on them in schools believe that the agency was 'exploring psychic phenomena in children.'

To read the entire article, click HERE.

A CRYPTO BIRTHDAY MESSAGE!!!

Are those salacious internet rumors true? Yes, according to all available evidence, it is now my BIRTHDAY! Last year, various and sundry admirers sent me such commonplace gifts as a genetically-engineered strain of the Zika virus, a severed clavicle formerly belonging to a leading member of the little-known but ruthless Punta Allen Cartel, and a vintage 1941 Captain Midnight decoder badge. What can one do with such ephemeral objects? Very little! If you want to do something truly special, why not consider voting for me in the 23rd Annual Rondo Awards? Did you know that ANYONE can vote in the Rondo Awards? My first short story collection CRYPTOPOLIS & OTHER STORIES (seen below, for some strange reason, inside a hallway of the Haunted Mansion) has been nominated in the "BEST FICTION" category.  YOU CAN VOTE FOR CRYPTOPOLIS & OTHER STORIES IN 3 EASY STEPS...

1. Copy-and-paste the ballot below into an e-mail.
 
2. Choose CRYPTOPOLIS & OTHER STORIES in the BEST CLASSIC MONSTER FICTION category.
 
3. Then email to David Colton (taraco@aol.com) by midnight on April 20th, 2025.

Don’t forget to include your name in the e-mail!

--START COPYING--

12) BEST CLASSIC MONSTER FICTION:
— CRYPTOPOLIS AND OTHER STORIES, by Robert Guffey (Lethe Press, softcover, 370 pages, $23). Stories of ancient horrors taking new shapes, magics, and religions.

--END COPYING--

A Thousand Thank You's!!!

CRYPTONECROLOGY: Jessica Aber, R.I.P.

From Ronny Reyes' 3-23-25 NEW YORK POST article entitled "Jessica Aber, US Attorney Found Dead at 43, Was in Charge of High-profile Cases Targeting CIA Leaks, Russian Fraud":

The former US Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia who was found dead Saturday morning had been in charge of some of the biggest cases targeting leaks in the CIA and Russian nationals carrying out fraud in America.

Officials are investigating Jessica Aber’s cause of death after the 43-year-old was discovered unresponsive at her home by Alexandria Police Department officers just before 9:20 a.m. Saturday morning.

Prior to her resignation in January as President Trump took office, the Biden-nominated attorney saw one of her biggest wins in court when ex-CIA analyst Asif Rahman, 34, pleaded guilty to leaking top secret documents about Israel’s plan to strike Iran last year [...].

Aber also led the case against Eleview International Inc., a Virginia-based company whose two senior executives were accused of running “three different schemes to illegally transship sensitive American technology to Russia,” according to the Department of Justice.

Executives Oleg Nayandin, 54, and Vitaliy Borisenko, 39, were accused in November of illegally shipping out more than $6 million worth of goods, including telecommunications equipment, to Russia through ports in Turkey, Finland and Kazakhstan as a means to bypass US sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

The case came just two months after Aber secured indictments against two Russian nationals accused of fraud and money laundering.

Sergey Ivanov and Timur Shakhmametov, who had a $10 million reward for their arrests, were allegedly behind one of the largest money laundering operations online that “catered to major cybercrime marketplaces and ransomware groups, and to prolific hackers responsible for some of the largest data breaches targeting critical U.S. financial infrastructure,” according to the Secret Service.

To read the entire article, click HERE.

Censorship Corner: 2025 TX SB13

From Christine Sanchez's 3-23-25 SPECTRUM NEWS article entitledTexas Senate passes bill to control which books are allowed in school libraries Texas Senate passes bill to control which books are allowed in school librariesTexas Senate passes bill to control which books are allowed in school librariesTexas Senate passes bill to control which books are allowed in school librariesTexas Senate passes bill to control which books are allowed in school lib"Texas Senate Passes Bill to Control Which Books Are Allowed in School Libraries":

The Texas Senate passed a bill this week that would leave decisions on a school library’s catalog mainly up to parents and board members instead of librarians.

Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, authored Senate Bill 13, which would create school advisory boards made up of parents that are appointed by school board members.

SB 13 would allow school boards to determine the types of books that make it into school libraries. It’s part of a growing movement among Republican politicians to pass control of what is taught in schools to parents.

The bill heads to the Texas House next.

Book bans have gained momentum across the U.S. in recent years. A report from PEN America says Texas ranked third in the nation in book bans, banning 538 books from 12 districts in the 2023-2024 school year. Florida and Iowa followed.

To read the entire article, click HERE.