Charles Manson Interview With Penny Daniels (Complete)

Interview Summary

Filming and Interview Arrangements

The interview opens with a dispute over filming arrangements. Charles Manson says he had agreed with French filmmaker Nick Boogas to receive a copy of the footage and time to make his own recording. Interviewer Penny Daniels explains that she is from Miami’s Inside Story and is not part of that agreement. Manson agrees to proceed but argues with prison staff over who controls the interview and his movements.

Trial, Convictions, and Responsibility

Manson repeatedly says he was denied a fair trial and that the news media shaped public opinion and profited from his case. He calls for the same legal rights as other people and rejects the idea that parole would address his grievances.

He says he is not guilty and denies responsibility for the Tate murders. Asked whether his friends killed the victims, he says he assumes they did if they said so, but insists he did not tell them to. He expresses no remorse, saying he was not involved, and describes his treatment in custody as abusive.

The “Manson Family” and His Influence

Manson disputes the “Manson Family” label, describing the group as friends and a music collective rather than a cult led by him. He says people were drawn to him mainly because of his music and that he did not control their wills. He acknowledges that some friends killed people but denies directing them.

He portrays himself as a lifelong outsider who struggles to fit into conventional society. He says he would rather play guitar, see friends, and work with the land than return to ordinary life.

Environmental Beliefs

Environmental concerns are a major theme in Manson’s account of his beliefs. He describes ATWA as a movement against pollution and in support of protecting air, water, trees, and wildlife. He criticizes deforestation, pollution, corporate power, and materialism, and characterizes money and social status as artificial “games.”

He also frames his environmental mission in religious language, saying that all life is God and that he is a messenger for life.

Personal Life and Prison

Manson gives shifting, often evasive answers about his childhood, prison activities, family relationships, and influence over others. He says he spent time in reform schools from a young age, rejects parts of a published account of his childhood, and says he makes small dolls in prison.

He also claims to run an “underworld,” which he largely explains through relationships with people who trust his word. He says he is in contact with people he considers friends, but not with biological relatives.

Other Topics

The interview addresses Manson’s wearing of an American Nazi Party symbol. He offers an incoherent explanation tied to his years in custody and his views on World War II, while making antisemitic claims and blaming Jews for keeping the war’s legacy alive. He also says he does not judge people by race, though his comments about women and gender are sweeping and contradictory.

Manson rejects the prosecutor’s “Helter Skelter” theory, calling it the prosecutor’s interpretation and describing Helter Skelter as a place in the desert.

Presenters and Contributors

• Penny Daniels — Interviewer
• Dale West
• Charles Manson — Interviewee