[A Navy Vet]

"He was a hanger-on type, familiar to most musicians."

Yup, he was a wannabe with no talent. He even hung out with one of the Beach Boys for a short time. I forget which one. Think it was the the youngest who played the drums. Dennis?

[ought-six]

“Yup, he was a wannabe with no talent. He even hung out with one of the Beach Boys for a short time. I forget which one. Think it was the the youngest who played the drums. Dennis?”

Yes, it was Dennis.

[Steely Tom]

He even hung out with one of the Beach Boys for a short time. I forget which one. Think it was the the youngest who played the drums. Dennis?

Al Jardine, I believe. He eventually got close to Brian Wilson, at least for a short time.

[skeeter]

Dennis picked Manson and a couple of his girls hitchhiking and took them back to his place. After awhile Wilson himself had to leave his own home when Manson refused to go.

[YogicCowboy]

It was Dennis Wilson: middle brother, drummer, not youngest (who was Carl, lead guitarist). Charles Manson was a fan of The Beatles and The Beach Boys, and one who took “Helter Skelter” too seriously.

Manson and his so-called Family usurped control of Dennis’s home; Dennis, who was the most wild one in the group (and the surfer who inspired the song craze), fled his own home when he saw how demented and disturbing Manson was. Terry Melcher was indeed a partial witness to what went on.

Reputedly, one of the songs on 20/20 [1969] was originally penned by Manson for The Beach Boys to record: “Cease to Exist”: supposedly a response to what he witnessed of group tension between the others and Brian. Dennis took it, rewrote it, and renamed it, “Never Learn Not to Love”; it was recorded without Manson’s involvement, and he apparently relinquished credit in exchange for cash.

Manson was not without any talent; he was one with very limited talent. He was also a parasite. On the other hand, 20/20 was the beginning of Dennis Wilson’s time to showcase his own talent, which continued on Sunflower and his solo album, Pacific Ocean Blue.

P.S.

I once worked with a woman whose family was targeted by the Family. She was 17 at the time. The FBI was camped outside her home, and she was afraid, thinking they were there because she had smoked cannabis; when they finally came to the door, she found out the truth.