I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in "Cheers & Jeers".
OK, you've been warned - here is this week's tomfoolery material that I posted.
CHEERS to Bill and Michael in PWM, our Laramie, Wyoming-based friend Irish Patti and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES— an exhibition entitled The Red Studio— reuniting six of Henri Matisse’s works for the first time since they were together in that very studio along with archival materials (including photographs and letters) — is at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC through September 10th.
YOUR WEEKEND READ #1 is this essay from former Labor secretary Robert Reich— noting the difference between the January 6th committee and the 1973 Senate Watergate committee, including this look at the ranking GOP member who famously asked, “What did the president know and when did he know it?”
Republican senators didn’t threaten to take away Howard Baker’s seniority or his leadership position. The Tennessee Republican Party didn’t oust him. Nixon didn’t make threatening speeches about him. Baker received no death threats, as far as anyone knows.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Chicken the Cat— an English kitteh who is such a comfort to an eleven year-old boy struggling with autism … that she is one of three finalists in the "Furr-ever Friends" category (in Britain’s annual National Cat Awards), with winners to be announced on August 4th.
YOUR WEEKEND READ #2 is this is this lengthy essay from twenty-five years ago: as a William F. Buckley-led cruise for National Review (off the Alaskan coast) invited a then-columnist for The Nation (Eric Alterman) to attend as (seemingly) a token liberal. Humorous, yet would have sounded conspiratorial for the time … today, less so.
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Flash the Cat— a California kitteh who was rescued from a condominium fire and — after spending the last week in a veterinarian ICU due to smoke inhalation — is recovering nicely.
BRAIN TEASER— try this Quiz of the Week from the BBC ...… and the usually easier, less UK-centered New York Times quiz.
CHEERS to the news that a Broadway theater will be re-named after Lena Horne— interestingly, her daughter noted that the theater currently is named after NY Times critic Brooks Atkinson, whose review of a 1939 play was unfavorable except for Lena Horne: whom he predicted would become a star.
YOUNGER-OLDER BROTHERS?— former Pittsburgh, PA mayor Bill Peduto and retired NHL player, coach and broadcaster Mike Milbury.
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… next week will mark the fifty-second anniversary of the beginning of the Charles Manson trial — and those too young to recall — or who have not read Helter Skelter— may not know of his obsession with The Beatles ... a bizarre sidelight to a bizarre crime family.
The book was published in 1974 and there was a 20th anniversary reprinting with a new Afterword by the author (where he updated the story and indicated that some unclear matters in 1974 ... were now resolved).
I had a work-study job (while attending community college) at a public library, when that book first came out. We had an enormous Reserve List for that book so that — when it finally was exhausted — I took a copy home one Saturday at 6:00 PM when it was a rainy, cold, bleak weekend.
After dinner I began reading it .... drawn-in, yet frustrated by all of the names (real and aliases) and was ready to give-up after fifty pages. Yet something drove me on .... and I had to force myself to go to sleep at 3:00 AM. The next day - still raining - I wound-up finishing all 550+ pages by evening.
The book told of Manson's musical stylings - with a musicologist listening to some primitive tapes of his work and pronounced him a "moderately talented amateur":
"Somewhere along the line, Manson picked up a pretty good guitar beat. Nothing original about the music. But the lyrics are something else. They contain an amazing amount of hostility ('You'll get yours yet,' etc.). This is rare in folk songs, except in the old murder ballads, but even there it is always in the past tense ... Very spooky."
Manson and his Family — who were able to offer celebrities drugs, sex and all sorts of household duties — enticed the (newly-divorced) Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson, who got entangled with them far too long. In the end, he said: "I'm the luckiest guy in the world because I got off … only losing my money."
Those who are familiar with the case know that Manson saw himself as the Second Coming of Jesus Christ: with a plan to (a) try to create a race war, (b) which the black race would win, eliminating the white race, (c) well, except for Manson and his followers, who had escaped to Death Valley and (d) emerge after the war to lead the world, as blacks would be unable to handle the reins of power (due to inexperience).
Charles Manson believed that The Beatles were speaking to him through their music, and especially in their White Album from 1968. And he named his plot for world domination after one song, Helter Skelter. But other songs had meaning for him, too: here they are, with key lyrics and Manson's twisted interpretations:
Honey Pie - "Come and show me the magic of your Hollywood song". To Manson, the Beatles knew Christ had returned and was living in Los Angeles.
Rocky Raccoon - Manson was sure this was a reference to the black man, who found "Gideon's Bible" ... looking for the Second Coming.
Blackbird - "Take these broken wings and learn to fly ... you were only waiting for this moment to arise". Manson did not see this as a nod to civil rights …. no, he was certain that this was a call for a race war.
Piggies - George Harrison's song was telling blacks to give "the piggies" (white establishment) a "damn good whacking". And the line about piggies eating bacon with "knives and forks" led to one murder victim of Manson's family with a knife and fork left in his body.
Revolution I - in the semi-acoustic album cut (not the hard-rock single), the lyrics talked about a revolution leading to destruction, "Don't you know that you can count me out .... (in)" - in which Manson felt the Beatles were once ambivalent .... yet, now favored the revolution.
Revolution 9 - a montage of various sounds (no melody or lyrics) which Manson interpreted as being about Chapter 9 of the Book of Revelation - an account of Armageddon .... which the prosecutor allowed … just might sound like this.
Interestingly, the Beatles knew the director Roman Polanski, the husband of the film star Sharon Tate (one of those who were indiscriminately murdered by Manson's family) ... and thus, they knew Sharon Tate (less well). All have said that they were horrified to learn that their songs were used by a mass murderer, and the author noted that George Harrison (unlike Lennon & McCartney) was unwilling to allow permission to quote his lyrics directly in the book, making it necessary to use snippets and indirect references.
Let's close with the critical song, itself.
Helter Skelter - this provided the buzz-phrase for Manson's plot, though Paul McCartney wrote this song about an amusement park ride (and nothing more).