Why put "An American Myth" in the title, then do absolutely nothing to debunk it? Instead we get the same old codswallop that is Bugie's insufferably implausible Helter Skelter theory repeated ad nauseum/ad infinitum. You know, the one he hawked to stroke his tumescent ego (way bigger than Charlie's) and sell millions of books. Sure this latest documentary has style for miles, but there is a shocking paucity of substance and substantiation. Awfully good to hear from the somewhat enlightened members of "the Family" like Gypsy Share and the immensely talented Bobby Beausoleil (listen to the music he recorded on instruments made from scratch in the hoosegow, Charlie wishes he had that kind of innate talent). Also, it was cool to see interview footage of the lone surviving Golden Penetrator, Gregg Jakobson, too. Aside from those three, just forget about it. A murderer's row of sleepy-looking talking heads telling you nothing new. Perpetuating a L.I.E. Here's a book you should read if you are thirsty for a new angle, seismic revelations, a complete paradigmatic shift in your perception of this eternally titillating mystery (yes, it still is a mystery, even if we already know how it happened and who did what to whom, the nagging why still lingers). Read Tom O'Neill's incredible and damn brave book, CHAOS. It's a true game changer. Much like Jonestown, it was all a C.I.A. MK-ULTRA mind control experiment gone awry. Find out how a semi-illiterate, hapless conman like Manson learned how to control an entire phalanx of malodorous, feckless hippies and turn them into merciless, reckless killers via LSD and ego negation. I was shocked that O'Neill did not appear on this show. He solved the riddle. Debunked the myth. And before you brand me with the label Conspiracy Theorist rather than Whistleblower, know that many actual family members of the victims, such as Sharon's sister, Debra are fellow proponents of Tom's book, too. It just makes more sense than the absurd White Album theory. Plus it isn't a grave disservice to the victims who are honored rather than blamed. The violence is abstracted rather than glorified in gory detail. The truth of CHAOS comes down fast, but it's miles above Helter Skelter.
