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Why One Radio Station Put Charles Manson On Its New Billboard
How far is too far when it comes to a radio promotion? In these overly-politically correct times, when just about anything you say is likely to offend someone, it's a question they're asking in the New York City-New Jersey area, where one longtime avant guarde station is shaking things up with a new billboard.
It shows Rihanna, Justin Bieber and yes, Charles Manson.
Think that's bad? A video put out by the station, WFMU, the longest running free-form format in the U.S., is asking for donations so they can afford to put up another one. The linked article has a video that suggests what some of them might say. Including one that reads in giant letters, "Four out of five doctors recommend WFMU. The fifth doctor is an asshole."
I can only imagine how that will go over with the soccer moms driving their snowflakes to practice.
Why This Radio Station Just Put Charles Manson on a Billboard It Admits Is ‘Tasteless’ 
- Chrisphen
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Re: Why One Radio Station Put Charles Manson On Its New Billboard
WFMU is one of the greats. I approve of this, but I will stop listening if they become too popular.
- Fitz
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Re: Why One Radio Station Put Charles Manson On Its New Billboard
The thing that impressed me about WFMU was that they archived almost everything. Hopefully they still do.
In terms of unusual match ups for Charles Manson. How about the fact that The Beach Boys rode the evil one into the Billboard Hot 100.
Dennis Wilson had become friends with the infamous one and the Family. Manson and Family however turned on Wilson before the killing spree. They eventually conducted a hostile take over of Dennis' house. At one point The Beach Boy had to provide them all with penicillin and this resulted in what Dennis called "The biggest gonorrhea bill in history." Before relations soured Dennis introduced Manson to other stars such as Neil Young.
During his rock star affiliation Manson penned a song called Cease to Exist which he gave to Dennis who changed the title to Never Learn Not to Love and put it out as the flip side to the Beach Boys's Billboard chart single Bluebirds Over The Mountain. That whole episode rankled Manson who was livid about the title change.
The Dennis quote about gonorrhea stands alongside Al Jardine's quip about the Maharishi, that the only people that made money on the (Beach Boys) tour with the Maharishi were the florists.
Last edited by Fitz (September 20, 2017 11:33 pm)
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Re: Why One Radio Station Put Charles Manson On Its New Billboard
Brilliant. Love it when radio is "in your face" and not-so-pc.
Sadly, my takeaway is they're referencing Marilyn Manson who; a) generally isn't played on a station that also spins Justin and Rihanna, and b) is hardly top of mind as a musician these days.
I would have used Madonna along with a picture of the Virgin Mary.
Also, Manson chose 10050 Cielo Drive as Terry Melcher (Doris Day's son) once lived there and had brushed Chuck's music ambitions aside.
- Fitz
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Re: Why One Radio Station Put Charles Manson On Its New Billboard
Dennis obviously knew before the killing spree that there was something wrong even though he was initially lured by the girls and the drugs. Here is a clip of the group performing Never Learn Not to Love on Mike Douglas in April 1969. No one at the time of course knew what was to come but it you listen to the lyrics carefully there are clues:
Last edited by Fitz (September 21, 2017 5:38 pm)
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Re: Why One Radio Station Put Charles Manson On Its New Billboard
Charlie wrote:
Sweet Jesus, was that horrible. Did Manson actually write that shite, and why on earth did they actually perform it?
Yes. He wrote more songs that didn't make the cut. Many weirdos did, as they do now. Most music of the time was as shitty as it is now.
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Re: Why One Radio Station Put Charles Manson On Its New Billboard
Based on what was happening at the time in 1969 the production of the song is not that unusual. The love your brother vibe was prevalent. The more sinister underpinnings were not grasped and I doubt they could have been predicted. Some were temporarily taken in. Neil Young spoke to Warners head Mo Ostin and asked him to give Manson a contract after he heard him at Dennis' house. Terry Melcher on the other hand was unimpressed from the beginning.
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