Podcast appearances and mentions of benedict canyon

Benedict Canyon. What isn't haunted about this place? Actress Elke Sommer and her husband at the time, Joe Hyams, moved into their Benedict Canyon Drive mansion in 1964. Not long after they unpacked their boxes, they became aware of strange things happening in the house. Some were subtle, but others woke them up in the middle of the night. The couple tried cleansing the house, but ended up running from the home after a mysterious fire erupted. They never lived in the house again. Join us for the story of the Elke Sommer haunting. The Moment in Oddity features the Black Banquet and This Month in History features the passing of Melitta Bentz.  Check out the website: http://historygoesbump.com Show notes can be found here: https://historygoesbump.blogspot.com/2025/05/hgb-ep-589-elke-sommer-haunting.html   Become an Executive Producer: http://patreon.com/historygoesbump Music used in this episode:  Main Theme: Lurking in the Dark by Muse Music with Groove Studios (Moment in Oddity) "Vanishing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (This Month in History) "In Your Arms" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Outro Music: Happy Fun Punk by Muse Music with Groove Studios Other music used in this episode: Title: "The Gate" Artist: Tim Kulig (timkulig.com) Licensed under Creative Commons By Attribution 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0997280/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

A trip to Benedict Canyon and Cielo Drive to visit David Oman and the Oman House where paranormal activity from that fateful night in 1969 abounds.https://ghostsofcielodrive.com/https://houseattheendofthedrive.com/SHOW OVERVIEW:Website: thescarymovieproject.comGet your horror movie fix with filmmaker and horror junkie Matt Lolich, as he reviews and deep dives into horror movies and other spooky topics!Now with spoilerier spoilers!https://youtu.be/Ecu-jfZNgrw

Today on Part Two of our conversation about silent film stars Harold Lloyd and Mildred Davis on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we continue our conversation with Suzanne Lloyd, their granddaughter who was raised as their daughter. Last week we laid the groundwork on the life and legacy of one of the silent era's greatest comedians. This week, we discuss the life Suzanne led in the family's Green Acres 16 acre estate in Benedict Canyon. Harold seemed to have a way with money and he indulged all his passions with abandon. Although retired when Suzanne was growing up, Harold remained very active in his passions. Be it photography, the Shriners hospital, the estate itself or even his passion for bowling with Howard Hughes, we get into it all. Topics discussed in this episode include: Harold's passion for Stereo, Rick Nelson, TV director Richard Correll, Debbie Reynolds, the Blacklist, Paul McCartney & Wings, Disneyland, the Rolling Stones, Marilyn Monroe, Roddy McDowell, Harmon Kardon audio and more. Along the way we discuss 3-D photography, pipe organs and an almost ridiculous obsession with Christmas and Christmas trees you have to hear to believe. But we get into it, oh yes we do! We pick up our conversation with Suzanne mid-interview as we compare Ernie Kovacs to Harold Lloyd on this episode, of this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Everyone has a story. Enjoy.  

On the morning of August 9, 1969, the bodies of actress Sharon Tate and four other people were discovered at the sprawling Benedict Canyon home of Miss Tate and her husband, film director Roman Polanski. The victims had all been brutally murdered. The next day, the bodies of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were discovered at their home in Los Feliz. They had been murdered in a similar, gruesome fashion.In 1939, young Charlie Manson's mother Kathleen is arrested in Charleston, West Virginia and jailed for robbery. After her release, she is unable to control her son and has him sent to the Gibault School for Boys in Indiana. Charlie runs away after only ten months. Then, after being arrested for burglary, he is given a second chance when a kindly judge sends him to the famous Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. After just four days, he escapes from there as well.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the morning of August 9, 1969, the bodies of actress Sharon Tate and four other people were discovered at the sprawling Benedict Canyon home of Miss Tate and her husband, film director Roman Polanski. The victims had all been brutally murdered. The next day, the bodies of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were discovered at their home in Los Feliz. They had been murdered in a similar, gruesome fashion.In 1939, young Charlie Manson's mother Kathleen is arrested in Charleston, West Virginia and jailed for robbery. After her release, she is unable to control her son and has him sent to the Gibault School for Boys in Indiana. Charlie runs away after only ten months. Then, after being arrested for burglary, he is given a second chance when a kindly judge sends him to the famous Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. After just four days, he escapes from there as well.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the morning of August 9, 1969, the bodies of actress Sharon Tate and four other people were discovered at the sprawling Benedict Canyon home of Miss Tate and her husband, film director Roman Polanski. The victims had all been brutally murdered. The next day, the bodies of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were discovered at their home in Los Feliz. They had been murdered in a similar, gruesome fashion.In 1939, young Charlie Manson's mother Kathleen is arrested in Charleston, West Virginia and jailed for robbery. After her release, she is unable to control her son and has him sent to the Gibault School for Boys in Indiana. Charlie runs away after only ten months. Then, after being arrested for burglary, he is given a second chance when a kindly judge sends him to the famous Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. After just four days, he escapes from there as well.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the morning of August 9, 1969, the bodies of actress Sharon Tate and four other people were discovered at the sprawling Benedict Canyon home of Miss Tate and her husband, film director Roman Polanski. The victims had all been brutally murdered. The next day, the bodies of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were discovered at their home in Los Feliz. They had been murdered in a similar, gruesome fashion.In 1939, young Charlie Manson's mother Kathleen is arrested in Charleston, West Virginia and jailed for robbery. After her release, she is unable to control her son and has him sent to the Gibault School for Boys in Indiana. Charlie runs away after only ten months. Then, after being arrested for burglary, he is given a second chance when a kindly judge sends him to the famous Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. After just four days, he escapes from there as well.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the morning of August 9, 1969, the bodies of actress Sharon Tate and four other people were discovered at the sprawling Benedict Canyon home of Miss Tate and her husband, film director Roman Polanski. The victims had all been brutally murdered. The next day, the bodies of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were discovered at their home in Los Feliz. They had been murdered in a similar, gruesome fashion.In 1939, young Charlie Manson's mother Kathleen is arrested in Charleston, West Virginia and jailed for robbery. After her release, she is unable to control her son and has him sent to the Gibault School for Boys in Indiana. Charlie runs away after only ten months. Then, after being arrested for burglary, he is given a second chance when a kindly judge sends him to the famous Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. After just four days, he escapes from there as well.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the morning of August 9, 1969, the bodies of actress Sharon Tate and four other people were discovered at the sprawling Benedict Canyon home of Miss Tate and her husband, film director Roman Polanski. The victims had all been brutally murdered. The next day, the bodies of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were discovered at their home in Los Feliz. They had been murdered in a similar, gruesome fashion.In 1939, young Charlie Manson's mother Kathleen is arrested in Charleston, West Virginia and jailed for robbery. After her release, she is unable to control her son and has him sent to the Gibault School for Boys in Indiana. Charlie runs away after only ten months. Then, after being arrested for burglary, he is given a second chance when a kindly judge sends him to the famous Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. After just four days, he escapes from there as well.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the morning of August 9, 1969, the bodies of actress Sharon Tate and four other people were discovered at the sprawling Benedict Canyon home of Miss Tate and her husband, film director Roman Polanski. The victims had all been brutally murdered. The next day, the bodies of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were discovered at their home in Los Feliz. They had been murdered in a similar, gruesome fashion.In 1939, young Charlie Manson's mother Kathleen is arrested in Charleston, West Virginia and jailed for robbery. After her release, she is unable to control her son and has him sent to the Gibault School for Boys in Indiana. Charlie runs away after only ten months. Then, after being arrested for burglary, he is given a second chance when a kindly judge sends him to the famous Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. After just four days, he escapes from there as well.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

THE CHARLES MANSON EFFECT Charles Manson was born Charles Wilson Milles Maddox on November 12, 1934, to Kathleen Maddox, a 16-year-old girl alcoholic prostitute. In 1945 she married William Manson a low level petty theif and in short order the marriage ended. Little Charlie was placed in a boys reform school at the age of 12. Rejected in his attempts to return to his mother, Charles was soon living on the streets and getting by through petty crime. Still just a teenager, in 1951, Manson began spending time in prison. Early on, before he discovered the benefits of being a “model” prisoner, he was considered dangerous. He would eventually spend half of the first 32 years of his life behind bars. When he wasn't incarcerated, he also attended reform schools. Manson was described by probation reports as suffering from a “marked degree of rejection, instability, and psychic trauma” and “constantly striving for status and securing some kind of love.” Other descriptions included “unpredictable” and “safe only under supervision.” His various offenses included pimping and passing stolen checks, and in 1961, he was sent to McNeil Island prison in Washington State for 10 years. It was while he was incarcerated that Manson learned how to read music and play the guitar. He was released from prison on March 21, 1967, and moved to San Francisco. The Manson Family Cult “The Family” was a group of around 100 followers of Manson who shared his passion for an unconventional lifestyle and habitual use of hallucinogenic drugs, such as LSD and magic mushrooms. The Manson Family eventually moved from San Francisco to a deserted ranch in the San Fernando Valley. Manson's followers also included a small, hard-core unit of impressionable young girls. They began to believe, without question, Manson's claims that he was Jesus and his prophecies of a race war. Charles Manson and "Helter Skelter" Manson was influenced not only by drugs, but also by art works and music of the time, most notably The Beatles song “Helter Skelter” from their 1968 White Album. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders was later the title of a best-selling book about Manson and his crimes. Paul McCartney has said that the playground slide in “Helter Skelter” was a metaphor for the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Manson, however, interpreted the song's lyrics as incitation to begin a race war. He turned to the album and lyrics to justify his scheme and guide his followers to murder. The Manson Family—including Manson and his young, loyal disciples—is thought to have carried out some 35 murders. Most of their cases were never tried, in part for lack of evidence. The perpetrators had also already been sentenced to life for brutally killing seven people—actor Sharon Tate and wealthy supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, among them—on back-to-back nights in August 1969. On August 9, 1969, Manson gathered a group of followers to carry out his massacre among Hollywood's elite and “beautiful people.” The first of Manson's victims was murdered at the home director Roman Polanski had rented, located at 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, an area just north of Beverly Hills. Polanski was away in London shooting a film, and four soon-to-be victims had just returned home from dinner when they were attacked. Although Manson himself took no part in the actual killings, he directed four of his most obedient followers—Charles “Tex” Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Linda Kasabian—to the address and directed them to kill everyone. According to one of the Family member's statements, the Polanski household had been targeted because it represented the showbiz world that had rejected Manson. Charles Manson died in prison on November 19, 2019 One Week after his 83rd Birthday. November 12, 1934,  

High in the hills above Los Angeles, nestled in the trees of Benedict Canyon, sits a 1930 Craftsman-style house that was once home to one of Hollywood's biggest stars. From the outside, the looks like a picturesque movie set. But the truth about 9820 Easton Drive is anything but perfect.Follow me on TikTok @autumnsodditiespodcastInstragram @autumnsoddcastPatreon at Autumn's OdditiesSOURCESPlatinum Girl: The Life and Legends of Jean Harlow; by Eve Golden

Join paranormal investigators Mark and Barbara Nelson as they share their chilling psychic investigative experiences with a home connected to the Sharon Tate/Charles Manson murders and uncover the dark secrets of the famed Jaws House. But beware, as they delve deeper into the supernatural, they discover a malevolent spirit that threatens to tear them apart. Can they find a way to banish the evil and restore harmony in their lives? Find out in this gripping episode of The Meditation Conversation. In this episode, you will be able to: Discover the fascinating world of paranormal investigations and psychic abilities, and unlock the secrets of the unexplained. Understand the impact that electromagnetic energies can have on your intuition and sleep, and learn techniques to harness and enhance your intuitive abilities. Dive into thrilling stories and experiences from real-life paranormal investigations, and unravel the mysteries of the supernatural. Explore the energy and history of the Benedict Canyon region, a haunted hotspot filled with intriguing tales and legends. Learn the importance of spiritual protection and establishing a strong connection to navigate the paranormal realm with confidence and safeguard against negative energies. Mark and Barbara Nelson are a prominent husband and wife duo in the field of paranormal investigations. Mark, a psychic medium, discovered his abilities following the tragic murder of his father. Barbara brings her own psychic sensitivity and extensive knowledge of paranormal investigating equipment to their work. Together, they have collaborated on popular television shows like Ghost Hunters, Haunted History, and Paranormal Witness, showcasing their expertise and experiences in the field. In this episode, Mark and Barbara Nelson discuss their journey into the world of the paranormal and share captivating stories from their investigations. You will gain a deeper understanding of paranormal phenomena and learn techniques to protect yourself from negative energies. Join us as we delve into the intriguing realm of the supernatural with the Nelsons on the Meditation Conversation. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:15 - Introduction 00:03:23 - Mark's Psychic Abilities 00:06:16 - Psychic DNA 00:09:03 - Benefits of Psychic Work 00:09:57 - Psychic Joke 00:15:37 - Vivid Dreams and Psychic Science 00:16:33 - The Impact of Technology on Dreams 00:18:39 - Psychotronics and Consciousness 00:21:04 - Sharon Tate Investigation 00:25:26 - Energy in Benedict Canyon 00:31:31 - Surrounding in White Light 00:32:23 - The Jaws House Investigation 00:35:31 - The Forgotten Protection 00:38:01 - The Black Dahlia Murder 00:42:28 - Possession and Exorcism 00:47:57 - Exploring a Soundproof Basement 00:48:37 - Uncovering the Purpose of the Basement 00:50:15 - Theories on Paranormal Activity 00:53:21 - Good and Evil Energies 00:54:42 - Corrupting Ordinary People Resources Try Quantum Upgrade: Get a free seven-day trial of Quantum Upgrade, a service that delivers a high frequency quantum field to harmonize your energy, balance your body, boost performance, and shield yourself from harmful EMF frequencies. https://quantumupgrade.io/?ref=MeditationConversation Listen to Daniel Scranton's episode: Check out episode number 285 of The Meditation Conversation featuring Daniel Scranton, where he discusses the importance of holding a high vibration and being untouchable. 285. Journey to Expanded Consciousness: Channeling with Light Language and Toning - Daniel Scranton Dive into Mark and Barbara's work: https://www.marknelsonmedium.com/ Use Mark's protection prayer: Mark shares a prayer he uses to invoke protection. Listen to the episode to learn the prayer and how it can help you psychically protect yourself. Embrace your psychic DNA: Recognize that everyone has psychic abilities and intuition. Embrace and trust your own psychic DNA and intuition when you feel it. Be open to messages: If you start receiving messages or hearing things, be open to them and explore what they might mean. Trust your instincts and embrace the possibility of developing your psychic talents. Explore psychotronics: Learn more about psychotronics, the science that studies the psychic abilities and DNA antenna within each person. Understand that we have everything we need within us.

A court filing accuses an OC judge and former prosecutor of leading a criminal cover-up. Plans for a luxury hotel in Benedict Canyon are killed. An update on local landfills, including one in Castaic that smells terrible. Plus, more. Support The L.A. Report by donating now at LAist.com/join and by visiting https://laist.com.Support the show: https://laist.com

Did you know there is a major stand off between a powerful developer and the L.A. City Council regarding a 450 million dollar Luxury resort and residential development, smack dab in the Santa Monica Mountains?! I didn't! It's been brewing for going on 8 years, and it's been seemingly happening in the shadows. Tune into this saga as I go over the facts and details, and peak under the hood into the workings of how these projects come to life... or if the Government has anything to do with it... Don't! This is the battle for Benedict Canyon.  

The L.A. City Council halts a controversial luxury hotel project in Benedict Canyon. Beverly Hills sues striking hotel workers over noise complaints. Mayor Karen Bass wants to buy a hotel to make more temporary housing — the city council weighs in this week. Plus, more. Support The L.A. Report by donating now at LAist.com/join and by visiting https://laist.com.Support the show: https://laist.com

Tropical Storm Hilary could grow into a hurricane before heading for San Diego and L.A., so what can we expect? Another flash mob robs another high-end store in L.A., the third in a week. And a very L.A. showdown over an ultra-luxury hotel in Benedict Canyon. Plus, how you can stay at Ashton Kutcher's house for free. 

This week, Council member Katy Young Yaroslavsky lost her bid to block a controversial development in Benedict Canyon. And on Mother's Day, Los Angeles political firebrand Gloria Molina died after a battle with cancer. Her influence has left its mark in City Hall and in the community that continues to mourn the trailblazer. "Inside the Issues: The Podcast" hosts Alex Cohen and Sara Sadhwani discuss her political legacy and why her purity made her so special. And a look at why LA Mayor Karen Bass is unconcerned that the City Council is weighing in on her budget. Bass also traveled to Sacramento to lobby for more money for her homelessness budget. Then, Gov. Gavin Newsom's explanation of why the state budget has grown to $31.5 billion. And former LA Mayor Eric Garcetti is back as ambassador to India. He sent his first dispatch from India and it was pure Eric Garcetti.

KFI's Blake Troli has the latest on a proposed Bulgari hotel in Benedict Canyon. The current writers' strike has affected late night talk shows. Strippers at a North Hollywood dive bar will unionize. iPhones will soon be able to replicate your voice after 15 minutes of training.

A judge's ruling threatens to upend the cash bail system; Addressing mental health is the focus of a new effort in LA's Twin Towers Jail; A controversial hotel project in Benedict Canyon remains on track. Support The L.A. Report by donating now at LAist.com/joinSupport the show: https://laist.com

Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot comes on the show to talk about what is going on at the Southern Border now that Title 42 has expired. More on Title 42 no longer being in place. Steve Gregory comes on the show to give an update on the shooting in the Benedict Canyon area a few months ago. LA County Health released their latest homeless death numbers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Video Edition, Please Click and Subscribe Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUDb4KAuiRI&t=14s Imagine you are an 8-year-old introvert informed by your father that you will spend the afternoon at a famous actor's house—a famous actor you've never met! In fact, this famous actor from Hollywood's golden age will be your babysitter. From the spooky car ride up a narrow driveway in Benedict Canyon to the creaky opening of the front door that reveals an elderly James Cagney, you are captivated! The star of The Public Enemy, Yankee Doodle Dandy, White Heat, Mister Roberts, and many other Hollywood classics is nothing like you'd expect. He's not brash; he's not a killer; he isn't loud and he doesn't sing and dance. He is quiet and gentle and full of imagination. In one afternoon away from the pressures of a perfectionist father, you relax and fall under the spell of a wonderful babysitter who makes you feel special and encourages you to enter an imaginary world where leprechauns come to life and owls speak to you from the trees. Hours later, you leave James Cagney's house changed from a timid child into an enthusiastic young man who's infused with self-confidence and ready for life's next adventure. Ryan Cassidy is the youngest of the Cassidy brothers and is often placed into context with brothers David Cassidy (half-brother), Shaun Cassidy and Patrick Cassidy or parents Shirley Jones and the late Jack Cassidy. At first, Ryan was unswayed by the lure of show business and considered a career in law enforcement. Johnny Ray Miller, a native of Canton, Ohio, has been an aficionado of the Partridge Family television program and their recorded music from the show's beginnings. Miller is a concert and theatre producer, actor and director.

We're baaack! After a week off for traveling, we are dropping a much needed new episode for you! This one is a little different. We started out researching one ghostly starlet only to end up also talking about another! Jean Harlow and Paul Bern's home proved to only have vague rumblings of something haunted...but one of those rumblings came from Sharon Tate. Someone who is often talked about as also haunting Beverly Hills. So, how are Jean and Sharon connected? Are they really hanging out in ther afterlife near Benedict Canyon? Listen to find out!We'd appreciate it if you took a moment to help our podcast by rating and reviewing on apple and NOW on Spotify! Don't forget to check our show notes for our social links! Definitely check out our Instagram (@hauntedorhoaxpod). We post all photos and videos talked about in the show there!Haunted or Hoax Social Medias:WebsiteInstagramTwitterFacebookSources for this Episode:TELEVISION & MEDIA:https://youtu.be/bpDTujyDmdI?t=265GHOST HUNTERS - S 3 EP 12GHOST ADVENTURES - S 8 EP 1WEBSITES:https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/31-days-of-halloween/a-twisted-history-at-10050-cielo-drive-the-sharon-tate-house/https://afsb.org/hollywood-hauntings-at-the-bern-harlow-house-in-beverly-hills/http://www.panicd.com/encyclopedia/ghost-of-sharon-tate.htmlhttps://www.lastmovieoutpost.com/hollywoods-haunted-homes-and-hangouts/ 

There is a new Peace and Healing Center. More on the shooting in the Benedict Canyon area. David Kadin comes on the show to talk about a call to put a stop to short term rentals in the Benedict Canyon area. An update on reparations.

This week on the Scoop, we dive into the Oscars investigation on their “inclusive award procedures,” where woke Hollywood is still set on criminalizing white actors for their work. We move on to dissecting the hypocrisy of billionaires and their anti-fossil fuel agenda, and question the conversation around sustainable aviation fuel. We then discuss the UK's LGB Alliance's legal dispute with the LGBT Alliance over the legal and societal definition of what men and women are, and we even act out part of the court transcript. Lastly, we discuss the media's hypocrisy about the shooting in Benedict Canyon, CA, and share a brownie recipe from the legendary actress Katharine Hepburn. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ap-scoop/message

More on the shooting in the Benedict Canyon area over the weekend. More on the Half Moon Bay and Monterey Park shootings. Gas is going up again. Who was "Dr. Feel Good". **The John and Ken Show can be heard live on KFI-AM640 from 1p-4p PST, or you can podcast the show anywhere you listen to podcasts at any time you want!**

Blake Troli comes on the show to talk about the shooting at a short term rental property in the Benedict Canyon area. More on the shooting in the Benedict Canyon area. Snapchat is being investigated for fentanyl sales on the social media platform. Philadelphia Eagles fans got rowdy after winning the NFC Championship yesterday and Sam Bankman-Fried's parents used their home to bail out their son. **The John and Ken Show can be heard live on KFI-AM640 from 1p-4p PST, or you can podcast the show anywhere you listen to podcasts at any time you want!**

There was a shooting at a party at a short-term rental property in Benedict Canyon over the weekend. A trifecta of Tesla stories! Bill Gates told an Australian news show that he only had dinner with Jeffrey Epstein. **The John and Ken Show can be heard live on KFI-AM640 from 1p-4p PST, or you can podcast the show anywhere you listen to podcasts at any time you want!**

Wayne Resnick is back! He and Jennifer Jones Lee accompany Bill for Handel on the News. The trio discuss news topics that include: Victims have been identified in the Benedict Canyon shooting that left 3 people dead, the Congressional Black Caucus has requested a meeting with President Biden regarding police reform, and Memphis has disbanded its police unit after the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols.

The Top Local Stories Of The Day

Following their deep dive on 10050 Cielo Drive—the Beverly Hills home where Sharon Tate and four others were brutally murdered on August 9th, 1969—Alyssa and Hadley sit down with Scott Michaels, whose Dearly Departed Tours provided true crime fans with a one-of-a-kind look at the dark side of Hollywood for almost two decades. The conversation begins where the co-hosts left off: Is it possible that all of Benedict Canyon, where both 10050 Cielo Drive and the Harlow/Bern house were located, is cursed? Scott shares his thoughts, including a list of peculiar deaths and tragedies that have befallen Benedict Canyon residents over the years. Scott also shares his own experiences driving a tour bus on Cielo Drive and visiting the Oman House, as well as his book recommendations for anyone interested in learning more about the Tate-LaBianca Murders and what happened when he brought a piece of stone from 10050 Cielo Drive into his own home.  CREDITS Alyssa Fiorentino - Co-host & Producer Hadley Mendelsohn - Co-host & Producer Jessy Caron - Producer Jacob Stone - Sound Editor & Mixer Ian Munsell - Assistant Audio Engineer & House Beautiful Lead Video Editor James Scully - Pre-production Advisor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we travel back to the life and times of Harold Lloyd, famous silent film star with decades of Hollywood history, in addition to being the Dunne's first landlord when they arrived in California in 1957.  Also included: a dip into Benedict Canyon and a few of its famous players. Harold had some very swell neighbors like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and David O. Selznick.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part 2 of 2.  On the morning of August 9, 1969, a housekeeper arrived at her job to find a horrific scene. There were five dead bodies in the home on 10050 Cielo Drive on Benedict Canyon in Beverly Hills. The victims were actress Sharon Tate and several of her friends, as well as a teenager who had been visiting the house's caretaker. Scrawled on the front door in blood was one word: PIG. The following night, a wealthy couple was brutally massacred in their LA home. There were several more words written in blood on the walls of the couple's home, most notably a phrase on the refrigerator that read “Helter Skelter”. This made seven brutal murders in less than 48 hours. It wasn't long before investigators connected the two attacks, along with an earlier murder, tracing them all back to a cult-like group called the family. The family was led by a single individual, who exhibited control over all of them. The man was Charles Manson. Investigators had a hard time believing that one man could have such an influence over others that they would murder for him, yet after meeting Manson, they learned that he was no ordinary person.  **ALL OF THE TRIGGER WARNINGS**  Murder, brutality, torture, murder of a pregnant woman, sexual assault of adults and children, drug use, racism, and cults.  Hang with us: Follow Us on Instagram Like Us on Facebook Join our Case Discussion Group on Facebook Get Killer Queens Merch Bonus Episodes Support Our AMAZING Sponsors: Hello Fresh: Go to HelloFresh.com/killerqueens16 and use code killerqueens16 for 16 free meals across 7 boxes AND 3 free gifts! BetterHelp: Our listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/Queens. Prose: Prose is the healthy hair regimen with your name all over it. Take your FREE in-depth hair consultation and get 15% off your first order today! Go to Prose.com/QUEENS. © 2022 Killer Queens Podcast. All Rights Reserved Audio Production by Wayfare Recording Music provided by Steven Tobi Logo designed by Sloane Williams of The Sophisticated Crayon

Part 1 of 2. Want Part 2 right away??? Join our Patreon to get it a week early! Plus you get all of our past episodes ad-free as well!a On the morning of August 9, 1969, a housekeeper arrived at her job to find a horrific scene. There were five dead bodies in the home on 10050 Cielo Drive on Benedict Canyon in Beverly Hills. The victims were actress Sharon Tate and several of her friends, as well as a teenager who had been visiting the house's caretaker. Scrawled on the front door in blood was one word: PIG. The following night, a wealthy couple was brutally massacred in their LA home. There were several more words written in blood on the walls of the couple's home, most notably a phrase on the refrigerator that read “Helter Skelter”. This made seven brutal murders in less than 48 hours. It wasn't long before investigators connected the two attacks, along with an earlier murder, tracing them all back to a cult-like group called the family. The family was led by a single individual, who exhibited control over all of them. The man was Charles Manson. Investigators had a hard time believing that one man could have such an influence over others that they would murder for him, yet after meeting Manson, they learned that he was no ordinary person. **ALL OF THE TRIGGER WARNINGS** Murder, brutality, torture, murder of a pregnant woman, sexual assault of adults and children, drug use, racism, and cults.  Hang with us: Follow Us on Instagram Like Us on Facebook Join our Case Discussion Group on Facebook Get Killer Queens Merch Bonus Episodes Support Our AMAZING Sponsors: Lumi: Microdose is available nationwide. To learn more about microdosing THC just do a quick search online or go to Microdose.com and use code: QUEENS to get free shipping & 30% off your first order. Credit Karma: Ready to apply? Head to creditkarma.com/loanoffers to see personalized offers. Prose: Try your own custom hair supplements and you'll get 15% off! Get yours at Prose.com/QUEENS. Best Fiends: Download your new favorite getaway, BEST FIENDS, for FREE today on the App Store or Google Play. You'll even get $5 worth of in-game rewards when you reach Level 5. © 2022 Killer Queens Podcast. All Rights Reserved Audio Production by Wayfare Recording Music provided by Steven Tobi Logo designed by Sloane Williams of The Sophisticated Crayon

Jay Cheel's career in non-fiction filmmaking has focused mostly on character-based portraits of quirky, passionate obsessives, realized in a highly cinematic style. His debut feature Beauty Day premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as part of their Canadian Front Programming Series. The film was also an official selection at the Hot Docs International Film Festival and was nominated for a Genie Award in 2012. His second feature How to Build a Time Machine premiered at Hot Docs and went on to screen at AFI Docs, the Rotterdam International Film Festival, and DOC NYC. His latest is Cursed Films, a five-part documentary series produced for AMC Networks and Shudder. The show focuses on the legends surrounding some of Hollywood's most troubled horror film productions and has gone on to become the highest-rated documentary series on the platform.   Topics Discussed In This Episode: Jay's short film Twisted Him being exposed to horror films at a young age Recognizing the importance of a director in a film production at a young age What piqued Jay's original interest in entering film as a career His podcast Film Junk, which holds a Guinness World Records for the longest-running film podcast His short film Beauty Day Creating deep interpersonal connections with crew members on a film set The need for control as it relates to artistic pursuits How Jay's perspective of curses has changed while working on the Cursed Films project How the film, The Exorcist, negatively impacted the cultural lexicon by reinforcing the existence of the devil Predatory capitalism Personal tragedies that happened for Jay while filming Cursed Films The importance of providing context in a documentary project The Manson murders The murders and tragedies that have occurred in Benedict Canyon in LA Ethical decisions they had to make regarding what scenes to show in Cannibal Holocaust Naive actors getting involved in Cannibal Holocaust, and Carl Gabriel Yorke signing on without reading the script People / Artists Mentioned: John Carpenter (Filmmaker) Lidia Yuknavitch (Writer) Gary Oldman (Actor) Robert Deniro (Actor) Tim Burton (Director) Bill Pullman (Actor) Steve Rash (Director) Judy Garland (Actor) Lorna Luft (Actor) Roman Polanski (Director) Dianne Lake (Writer / Former Manson Family Member) Julian Wasser (Photographer) Ruggero Deodato (Director) Andrei Tarkovsky (Director) Cursed Films Episodes Mentioned: Twilight Zone: The Movie The Exorcist The Wizard of Oz (S2 E1) Rosemary's Baby (S2 E2) Stalker (S2 E3) The Serpent and the Rainbow (S2 E4) Cannibal Holocaust (S2 E5) TV Shows + Films Mentioned: The Day After (1983) The Thing (1982) Big Trouble in Little China (1986) They Live (1988) Prince of Darkness (1987) Be Kind Rewind (2008) American Movie (1999) Ed Wood (1994) Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1977) Weekend (1967) Andrei Rublev (1966) artistdecoded.com jaycheel.com instagram.com/jaywesleycheel twitter.com/JayCheel

Hollywood stylist Lily Walker is gunned down at a stop sign. LAPD Detectives Ricky Morales and TJ Jaruszalski question those who had a beef with her...including Khloé Kardashian. As they prosecute designer Jill Jennings - a former friend who slept with her husband - prosecutors Joe Dekker and NYC-transplant Connie Rubirosa learn her beef with Lily goes further back than anyone suspected. We're talking about Dick Wolf's failed attempt to transplant the show to the west coast. We're looking at Law & Order: LA season 1 episode 12 "Benedict Canyon." We're joined by five-time guest Sarah D. Bunting.This episode takes cues from the story of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen.

In this week's episode, we investigate the mysterious 1932 death of filmmaker Paul Bern, and explore the history of his Benedict Canyon home. The Harlow-Bern House would become significant to Dominick years later, when his friend Jay Sebring, who owned it at the time when he suffered his terrible fate at the hands of the Manson Family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode one hundred and thirty-nine of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Eight Miles High” by the Byrds, and the influence of jazz and Indian music on psychedelic rock. This is a long one... Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on "Winchester Cathedral" by the New Vaudeville Band. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources No Mixcloud this time, as there were multiple artists with too many songs. Information on John Coltrane came from Coltrane by Ben Ratliffe, while information on Ravi Shankar came from Indian Sun: The Life and Music of Ravi Shankar by Oliver Craske. For information on the Byrds, I relied mostly on Timeless Flight Revisited by Johnny Rogan, with some information from Chris Hillman's autobiography. This dissertation looks at the influence of Slonimsky on Coltrane. All Coltrane's music is worth getting, but this 5-CD set containing Impressions is the most relevant cheap selection of his material for these purposes. This collection has the Shankar material released in the West up to 1962. And this three-CD set is a reasonable way of getting most of the Byrds' important recordings. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript This episode is the second part of a loose trilogy of episodes set in LA in 1966. We're going to be spending a *lot* of time around LA and Hollywood for the next few months -- seven of the next thirteen episodes are based there, and there'll be more after that. But it's going to take a while to get there. This is going to be an absurdly long episode, because in order to get to LA in 1966 again, we're going to have to start off in the 1940s in New York, and take a brief detour to India. Because in order to explain this: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Eight Miles High"] We're first going to have to explain this: [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "India (#3)"] Before we begin this, I just want to say something. This episode runs long, and covers a *lot* of musical ground, and as part of that it covers several of the most important musicians of the twentieth century -- but musicians in the fields of jazz, which is a music I know something about, but am not an expert in, and Hindustani classical music, which is very much not even close to my area of expertise. It also contains a chunk of music theory, which again, I know a little about -- but only really enough to know how much I don't know. I am going to try to get the information about these musicians right, but I want to emphasise that at times I will be straying *vastly* out of my lane, in ways that may well seem like they're minimising these musicians. I am trying to give just enough information about them to tell the story, and I would urge anyone who becomes interested in the music I talk about in the early parts of this episode to go out and find more expert sources to fill in the gap. And conversely, if you know more about these musics than I do, please forgive any inaccuracies. I am going to do my best to get all of this right, because accuracy is important, but I suspect that every single sentence in the first hour or so of this episode could be footnoted with something pointing out all the places where what I've said is only somewhat true. Also, I apologise if I mispronounce any names or words in this episode, though I've tried my best to get it right -- I've been unable to find recordings of some words and names being spoken, while with others I've heard multiple versions. To tell today's story, we're going to have to go right back to some things we looked at in the first episode, on "Flying Home". For those of you who don't remember -- which is fair enough, since that episode was more than three years ago -- in that episode we looked at a jazz record by the Benny Goodman Sextet, which was one of the earliest popular recordings to feature electric guitar: [Excerpt: The Benny Goodman Sextet, "Flying Home"] Now, we talked about quite a lot of things in that episode which have played out in later episodes, but one thing we only mentioned in passing, there or later, was a style of music called bebop. We did talk about how Charlie Christian, the guitarist on that record, was one of the innovators of that style, but we didn't really go into what it was properly. Indeed, I deliberately did not mention in that episode something that I was saving until now, because we actually heard *two* hugely influential bebop musicians in that episode,  and I was leaving the other one to talk about here. In that episode we saw how Lionel Hampton, the Benny Goodman band's vibraphone player, went on to form his own band, and how that band became one of the foundational influences for the genres that became known as jump blues and R&B. And we especially noted the saxophone solo on Hampton's remake of "Flying Home", played by Illinois Jacquet: [Excerpt: Lionel Hampton, "Flying Home"] We mentioned in that episode how Illinois Jacquet's saxophone solo there set the template for all tenor sax playing in R&B and rock and roll music for decades to come -- his honking style became quite simply how you play rock and roll or R&B saxophone, and without that solo you don't have any of the records by Fats Domino, Little Richard, the Coasters, or a dozen other acts that we discussed. But what we didn't look at in that episode is that that is a big band record, so of course there is more than just one saxophone player on it. And one of the other saxophone players on that recording is Dexter Gordon, a musician who was originally from LA. Those of you with long memories will remember that back in the first year or so of the podcast we talked a lot about the music programme at Jefferson High School in LA, and about Samuel Browne, the music teacher whose music programme gave the world the Coasters, the Penguins, the Platters, Etta James, Art Farmer, Richard Berry, Big Jay McNeely, Barry White, and more other important musicians than I can possibly name here. Gordon was yet another of Browne's students -- one who Browne regularly gave detention to, just to make him practice his scales. Gordon didn't get much chance to shine in the Lionel Hampton band, because he was only second tenor, with Jacquet taking many of the solos. But he was learning from playing in a band with Jacquet, and while Gordon didn't ever develop a honk like Jacquet's, he did adopt some of Jacquet's full tone in his own sound. There aren't many recordings of Gordon playing solos in his early years, because they coincided with the American Federation of Musicians' recording strike that we talked about in those early episodes, but he did record a few sessions in 1943 for a label small enough not to be covered by the ban, and you can hear something of Jacquet's tone in those recordings, along with the influence of Lester Young, who influenced all tenor sax players at this time: [Excerpt: Nat "King" Cole with Dexter Gordon, "I've Found a New Baby"] The piano player on that session, incidentally, is Nat "King" Cole, when he was still one of the most respected jazz pianists on the scene, before he switched primarily to vocals. And Gordon took this Jacquet-influenced tone, and used it to become the second great saxophone hero of bebop music, after Charlie Parker -- and the first great tenor sax hero of the music. I've mentioned bebop before on several occasions, but never really got into it in detail. It was a style that developed in New York in the mid to late forties, and a lot of the earliest examples of it went unrecorded thanks to that musicians' strike, but the style emphasised small groups improvising together, and expanding their sense of melody and harmony. The music prized virtuosity and musical intelligence over everything else, and was fast and jittery-sounding. The musicians would go on long, extended, improvisations, incorporating ideas both from the blues and from the modern classical music of people like Bartok and Stravinsky, which challenged conventional tonality. In particular, one aspect which became prominent in bebop music was a type of scale known as the bebop scale. In most of the music we've looked at in this podcast to this point, the scales used have been seven-note scales -- do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti- which make an octave with a second, higher, do tone. So in the scale of C major we have C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and then another C: [demonstrates] Bebop scales, on the other hand, would generally have an extra note in, making an eight-note scale, by adding in what is called a chromatic passing note. For example, a typical bebop C major scale might add in the note G#, so the scale would go C,D,E,F,G,G#, A, B, C: [demonstrates] You'd play this extra note for the most part, when moving between the two notes it's between, so in that scale you'd mostly use it when moving from G to A, or from A to G. Now I'm far from a bebop player, so this won't sound like bebop, but I can demonstrate the kind of thing if I first noodle a little scalar melody in the key of C major: [demonstrates] And then play the same thing, but adding in a G# every time I go between the G and the A in either direction: [demonstrates] That is not bebop music, but I hope you can see what a difference that chromatic passing tone makes to the melody. But again, that's not bebop, because I'm not a bebop player. Dexter Gordon, though, *was* a bebop player. He moved to New York while playing with Louis Armstrong's band, and soon became part of the bebop scene, which at the time centred around Charlie Christian, the trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie, and the alto sax player Charlie Parker, sometimes nicknamed "bird" or "Yardbird", who is often regarded as the greatest of them all. Gillespie, Parker, and Gordon also played in Billy Eckstine's big band, which gave many of the leading bebop musicians the opportunity to play in what was still the most popular idiom at the time -- you can hear Gordon have a saxophone battle with Gene Ammons on "Blowing the Blues Away" in a lineup of the band that also included Art Blakey on drums and Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet: [Excerpt: Billy Eckstine, "Blowing the Blues Away"] But Gordon was soon leading his own small band sessions, and making records for labels like Savoy, on which you can definitely hear the influence of Illinois Jacquet on his tone, even as he's playing music that's more melodically experimental by far than the jump band music of the Hampton band: [Excerpt: Dexter Gordon, "Dexter Digs In"] Basically, in the late 1940s, if you were wanting to play bebop on the saxophone, you had two models to follow -- Charlie Parker, the great alto saxophonist with his angular, atonal, melodic sense and fast, virtuosic, playing, or Dexter Gordon, the tenor saxophonist, whose style had more R&B grease and wit to it, who would quote popular melodies in his own improvisations. And John Coltrane followed both. Coltrane's first instrument was the alto sax, and when he was primarily an alto player he would copy Charlie Parker's style. When he switched to being primarily a tenor player -- though he would always continue playing both instruments, and later in his career would also play soprano sax -- he took up much of Gordon's mellower tone, though he was also influenced by other tenor players, like Lester Young, the great player with Count Basie's band, and Johnny Hodges, who played with Duke Ellington. Now, it is important to note here that John Coltrane is a very, very, big deal. Depending on your opinion of Ornette Coleman's playing, Coltrane is by most accounts either the last or penultimate truly great innovator in jazz saxophone, and arguably the single foremost figure in the music in the last half of the twentieth century. In this podcast I'm only able to tell you enough about him to give you the information you need to understand the material about the Byrds, but were I to do a similar history of jazz in five hundred songs, Coltrane would have a similar position to someone like the Beatles -- he's such a major figure that he is literally venerated as a saint by the African Orthodox Church, and a couple of other Episcopal churches have at least made the case for his sainthood. So anything I say here about him is not even beginning to scratch the surface of his towering importance to jazz music, but it will, I hope, give some idea of his importance to the development of the Byrds -- a group of whom he was almost certainly totally unaware. Coltrane started out playing as a teenager, and his earliest recordings were when he was nineteen and in the armed forces, just after the end of World War II. At that time, he was very much a beginner, although a talented one, and on his early amateur recordings you can hear him trying to imitate Parker without really knowing what it was that Parker was doing that made him so great. But as well as having some natural talent, he had one big attribute that made him stand out -- his utter devotion to his music. He was so uninterested in anything other than mastering his instrument that one day a friend was telling him about a baseball game he'd watched, and all Coltrane could do was ask in confusion "Who's Willie Mays?" Coltrane would regularly practice his saxophone until his reed was red with blood, but he would also study other musicians. And not just in jazz. He knew that Charlie Parker had intensely studied Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, and so Coltrane would study that too: [Excerpt: Stravinsky, "Firebird Suite"] Coltrane joined the band of Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, who was one of those figures like Johnny Otis, with whom Vinson would later perform for many years, who straddled the worlds of jazz and R&B. Vinson was a blues shouter in the style of Big Joe Turner, but he was also a bebop sax player, and what he wanted was a tenor sax player who could play tenor the way Charlie Parker played alto, but do it in an R&B setting. Coltrane switched from alto to tenor, and spent a year or so playing with Vinson's band. No recordings exist of Coltrane with Vinson that I'm aware of, but you can get an idea of what he sounded like from his next band. By this point, Dizzy Gillespie had graduated from small bebop groups to leading a big band, and he got Coltrane in as one of his alto players, though Coltrane would often also play tenor with Gillespie, as on this recording from 1951, which has Coltrane on tenor, Gillespie on trumpet, with Kenny Burrell and two of the future Modern Jazz Quartet, Milt Jackson and Percy Heath, showing that the roots of modern jazz were not very far at all from the roots of rock and roll: [Excerpt: Dizzy Gillespie, "We Love to Boogie"] After leaving Gillespie's band, Coltrane played with a lot of important musicians over the next four or five years, like Johnny Hodges, Earl Bostic, and Jimmy Smith, and occasionally sat in with Miles Davis, but at this point he was still not a major musician in the genre. He was a competent, working, sideman, but he was also struggling with alcohol and heroin, and hadn't really found his own voice. But then Miles Davis asked Coltrane to join his band full-time. Coltrane was actually Davis' second choice -- he really wanted Sonny Rollins, who was widely considered the best new tenor player around, but he was eventually persuaded to take Coltrane. During his first period with Davis, Coltrane grew rapidly as a musician, and also played on a *lot* of other people's sessions. In a three year period Coltrane went from Davis to Thelonius Monk's group then back to Davis' group, and also recorded as both a sideman and a band leader on a ton of sessions. You can get a box set of his recordings from May 1956 through December 1958 that comes to nineteen CDs -- and that's not counting the recordings with Miles Davis, which aren't included on that set. Unsurprisingly, just through playing this much, Coltrane had grown enormously as a player, and he was particularly fascinated by harmonics, playing with the notes of a chord, in arpeggios, and pushing music to its harmonic limits, as you can hear in his solo on Davis' "Straight, No Chaser", which pushes the limits of the jazz solo as far as they'd gone to that point: [Excerpt: Miles Davis, "Straight, No Chaser"] But on the same album as that, "Milestones", we also have the first appearance of a new style, modal jazz. Now, to explain this, we have to go back to the scales again. We looked at the normal Western scale, do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do, but you can start a scale on any of those notes, and which note you start on creates what is called a different mode. The modes are given Greek names, and each mode has a different feel to it. If you start on do, we call this the major scale or the Ionian mode. This is the normal scale we heard before -- C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C: [demonstrates] Most music – about seventy percent of the melodies you're likely to have heard, uses that mode. If you start on re, it would go re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do-re, or D,E,F,G,A,B,C,D, the Dorian mode: [demonstrates] Melodies with this mode tend to have a sort of wistful feel, like "Scarborough Fair": [Excerpt: Simon and Garfunkel, "Scarborough Fair"] or many of George Harrison's songs: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "I Me Mine"] Starting on mi, you have the Phrygian mode, mi-fa-so-la-ti-do-re-mi: [demonstrates] The Phrygian mode is not especially widely used, but does turn up in some popular works like Barber's Adagio for Strings: [Excerpt: Barber, "Adagio for Strings"] Then there's the Lydian mode, fa-so-la-ti-do-re-mi-fa: [demonstrates] This mode isn't used much at all in pop music -- the most prominent example I can think of is "Pretty Ballerina" by the Left Banke: [Excerpt: The Left Banke, "Pretty Ballerina"] Starting on so, we have so-la-ti-do-re-mi-fa-so -- the Mixolydian mode: [demonstrates] That mode has a sort of bluesy or folky tone to it, and you also find it in a lot of traditional tunes, like "She Moves Through the Fair": [Excerpt: Davey Graham, "She Moved Thru' The Bizarre/Blue Raga"] And in things like "Norwegian Wood" by the Beatles: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Norwegian Wood"] Though that goes into Dorian for the middle section. Starting on la, we have the Aeolian mode, which is also known as the natural minor scale, and is often just talked about as “the minor scale”: [demonstrates] That's obviously used in innumerable songs, for example "Losing My Religion" by REM: [Excerpt: REM, "Losing My Religion"] And finally you have the Locrian mode ti-do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti: [demonstrates] That basically doesn't get used, unless someone wants to show off that they know the Locrian mode. The only vaguely familiar example I can think of is "Army of Me" by Bjork: [Excerpt: Bjork, "Army of Me"] I hope that brief excursion through the seven most common modes in Western diatonic music gives you some idea of the difference that musical modes can make to a piece. Anyway, as I was saying, on the "Milestones" album, we get some of the first examples of a form that became known as modal jazz. Now, the ideas of modal jazz had been around for a few years at that point -- oddly, it seems to be one of the first types of popular music to have existed in theory before existing in practice. George Russell, an acquaintance of Davis who was a self-taught music theorist, had written a book in 1953 titled The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization. That book argues that rather than looking at the diatonic scale as the basis for music, one should instead look at a chord progression called the circle of fifths. The circle of fifths is exactly what it sounds like -- you change chords to one a fifth away from it, and then do that again and again, either going up, so you'd have chords with the roots C-G-D-A-E-B-F# and so on: [demonstrates] Or, more commonly, going down, though usually when going downwards you tend to cheat a bit and sharpen one of the notes so you can stay in one key, so you'd get chords with roots C-F-B-E-A-D-G, usually the chords C, F, B diminished, Em, Am, Dm, G: [demonstrates] That descending cycle of fifths is used in all sorts of music, everything from "You Never Give Me Your Money" by the Beatles: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "You Never Give Me Your Money"] to "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor: [Excerpt: Gloria Gaynor, "I Will Survive"] But what Russell pointed out is that if you do the upwards cycle of fifths, and you *don't* change any of the notes, the first seven root notes you get are the same seven notes you'd find in the Lydian mode, just reordered -- C-D-E-F#-G-A-B . Russell then argued that much of the way harmony and melody work in jazz could be thought of as people experimenting with the way the Lydian mode works, and the way the cycle of fifths leads you further and further away from the tonal centre. Now, you could probably do an entire podcast series as long as this one on the implications of this, and I am honestly just trying to summarise enough information here that you can get a vague gist, but Russell's book had a profound effect on how jazz musicians started to think about harmony and melody. Instead of improvising around the chord changes to songs, they were now basing improvisations and compositions around modes and the notes in them. Rather than having a lot of chord changes, you might just play a single root note that stays the same throughout, or only changes a couple of times in the whole piece, and just imply changes with the clash between the root note and whatever modal note the solo instrument is playing. The track "Milestones" on the Milestones album shows this kind of thinking in full effect -- the song consists of a section in G Dorian, followed by a section in A Aeolian (or E Phrygian depending on how you look at it). Each section has only one implied chord -- a Gm7 for the G Dorian section, and an Am7(b13) for the A Aeolian section -- over which Davis, Cannonball Adderley on alto sax, and Coltrane on tenor, all solo: [Excerpt: Miles Davis, "Milestones"] (For the pedants among you, that track was originally titled "Miles" on the first pressings of the album, but it was retitled "Milestones" on subsequent pressings). The modal form would be taken even further on Davis' next album to be recorded, Porgy and Bess, which featured much fuller orchestrations and didn't have Coltrane on it. Davis later said that when the arranger Gil Evans wrote the arrangements for that album, he didn't write any chords at all, just a scale, which Davis could improvise around. But it was on the album after that, Kind of Blue, which again featured Coltrane on saxophone, that modal jazz made its big breakthrough to becoming the dominant form of jazz music. As with what Evans had done on Porgy and Bess, Davis gave the other instrumentalists modes to play, rather than a chord sequence to improvise over or a melody line to play with. He explained his thinking behind this in an interview with Nat Hentoff, saying "When you're based on chords, you know at the end of 32 bars that the chords have run out and there's nothing to do but repeat what you've just done—with variations. I think a movement in jazz is beginning away from the conventional string of chords ... there will be fewer chords but infinite possibilities as to what to do with them." This style shows up in "So What", the opening track on the album, which is in some ways a very conventional song structure -- it's a thirty-two bar AABA structure. But instead of a chord sequence, it's based on modes in two keys -- the A section is in D Dorian, while the B section is in E-flat Dorian: [Excerpt: Miles Davis, "So What"] Kind of Blue would become one of the contenders for greatest jazz album of all time, and one of the most influential records ever made in any genre -- and it could be argued that that track we just heard, "So What", inspired a whole other genre we'll be looking at in a future episode -- but Coltrane still felt the need to explore more ideas, and to branch out on his own. In particular, while he was interested in modal music, he was also interested in exploring more kinds of scales than just modes, and to do this he had to, at least for the moment, reintroduce chord changes into what he was doing. He was inspired in particular by reading Nicolas Slonimsky's classic Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns. Coltrane had recently signed a new contract as a solo artist with Atlantic Records, and recorded what is generally considered his first true masterpiece album as a solo artist, Giant Steps, with several members of the Davis band, just two weeks after recording Kind of Blue. The title track to Giant Steps is the most prominent example of what are known in jazz as the Coltrane changes -- a cycle of thirds, similar to the cycle of fifths we talked about earlier. The track itself seems to have two sources. The first is the bridge of the old standard "Have You Met Miss Jones?", as famously played by Coleman Hawkins: [Excerpt: Coleman Hawkins, "Have You Met Miss Jones?" And the second is an exercise from Slonimsky's book: [Excerpt: Pattern #286 from Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns] Coltrane combined these ideas to come up with "Giant Steps", which is based entirely around these cycles of thirds, and Slonimsky's example: [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "Giant Steps"] Now, I realise that this is meant to be a history of rock music, not jazz musicology theory time, so I promise you I am just hitting the high points here. And only the points that affect Coltrane's development as far as it influenced the music we're looking at in this episode. And so we're actually going to skip over Coltrane's commercial high-point, My Favourite Things, and most of the rest of his work for Atlantic, even though that music is some of the most important jazz music ever recorded. Instead, I'm going to summarise a whole lot of very important music by simply saying that while Coltrane was very interested in this musical idea of the cycle of thirds, he did not like being tied to precise chord changes, and liked the freedom that modal jazz gave to him. By 1960, when his contract with Atlantic was ending and his contract with Impulse was beginning, and he recorded the two albums Olé and Africa/Brass pretty much back to back, he had hit on a new style with the help of Eric Dolphy, a flute, clarinet, and alto sax player who would become an important figure in Coltrane's life. Dolphy died far too young -- he went into a diabetic coma and doctors assumed that because he was a Black jazz musician he must have overdosed, even though he was actually a teetotal abstainer, so he didn't get the treatment he needed -- but he made such a profound influence on Coltrane's life that Coltrane would carry Dolphy's picture with him after his death. Dolphy was even more of a theorist than Coltrane, and another devotee of Slonimsky's book, and he was someone who had studied a great deal of twentieth-century classical music, particularly people like Bartok, Messiaen, Stravinsky, Charles Ives, and Edgard Varese. Dolphy even performed Varese's piece Density 21.5 in concert, an extremely demanding piece for solo flute. I don't know of a recording of Dolphy performing it, sadly, but this version should give some idea: [Excerpt: Edgard Varese, "Density 21.5"] Encouraged by Dolphy, Coltrane started making music based around no changes at all, with any changes being implied by the melody. The title song of Africa/Brass, "Africa", takes up an entire side of one album, and doesn't have a single actual chord change on it, with Dolphy and pianist McCoy Tyner coming up with a brass-heavy arrangement for Coltrane to improvise over a single chord: [Excerpt: The John Coltrane Quartet: "Africa"] This was a return to the idea of modal jazz, based on scales rather than chord changes, but by implying chord changes, often changes based on thirds, Coltrane was often using different scales than the modes that had been used in modal jazz. And while, as the title suggested, "Africa" was inspired by the music of Africa, the use of a single drone chord underneath solos based on a scale was inspired by the music of another continent altogether. Since at least the mid-1950s, both Coltrane and Dolphy had been interested in Indian music. They appear to have first become interested in a record released by Folkways, Music Of India, Morning And Evening Ragas by Ali Akbar Khan: [Excerpt: Ali Akbar Khan, "Rag Sindhi Bhairavi"] But the musician they ended up being most inspired by was a friend of Khan's, Ravi Shankar, who like Khan had been taught by the great sarod player Alauddin Khan, Ali Akbar Khan's father. The elder Khan, who was generally known as "Baba", meaning "father", was possibly *the* most influential Indian musician of the first half of the twentieth century, and was a big part of the revitalisation of Indian music that went hand in hand with the growth of Indian nationalism. He was an ascetic who lived for music and nothing else, and would write five to ten new compositions every day, telling Shankar "Do one thing well and you can achieve everything. Do everything and you achieve nothing". Alauddin Khan was a very religious Muslim, but one who saw music as the ultimate way to God and could find truths in other faiths. When Shankar first got to know him, they were both touring as musicians in a dance troupe run by Shankar's elder brother, which was promoting Indian arts in the West, and he talked about taking Khan to hear the organ playing at Notre Dame cathedral, and Khan bursting into tears and saying "here is God". Khan was not alone in this view. The classical music of Northern India, the music that Khan played and taught, had been very influenced by Sufism, which was for most of Muslim history the dominant intellectual and theological tradition in Islam. Now, I am going to sum up a thousand years of theology and practice, of a religion I don't belong to, in a couple of sentences here, so just assume that what I'm saying is wrong, and *please* don't take offence if you are Sufi yourself and believe I am misrepresenting you. But my understanding of Sufism is that Sufis are extremely devoted to attaining knowledge and understanding of God, and believe that strict adherence to Muslim law is the best way to attain that knowledge -- that it is the way that God himself has prescribed for humans to know him -- but that such knowledge can be reached by people of other faiths if they approach their own traditions with enough devotion. Sufi ideas infuse much of Northern Indian classical music, and so for example it has been considered acceptable for Muslims to sing Hindu religious music and Hindus to sing songs of praise to Allah. So while Ravi Shankar was Hindu and Alauddin Khan was Muslim, Khan was able to become Shankar's guru in what both men regarded as a religious observance, and even to marry Khan's daughter. Khan was a famously cruel disciplinarian -- once hospitalising a student after hitting him with a tuning hammer -- but he earned the devotion of his students by enforcing the same discipline on himself. He abstained from sex so he could put all his energies into music, and was known to tie his hair to the ceiling while he practiced, so he could not fall asleep no matter how long he kept playing. Both Khan and his son Ali Akhbar Khan played the sarod, while Shankar played the sitar, but they all played the same kind of music, which is based on the concept of the raga. Now, in some ways, a raga can be considered equivalent to a mode in Western music: [Excerpt: Ali Akbar Khan, "Rag Sindhi Bhairavi"] But a raga is not *just* a mode -- it sits somewhere between Western conceptions of a mode and a melody. It has a scale, like a mode, but it can have different scales going up or down, and rules about which notes can be moved to from which other notes. So for example (and using Western tones so as not to confuse things further), a raga might say that it's possible to move up from the note G to D, but not down from D to G. Ragas are essentially a very restrictive set of rules which allow the musician playing them to improvise freely within those rules. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the violinist Yehudi Mehuin, at the time the most well-known classical musician in the world, had become fascinated by Indian music as part of a wider programme of his to learn more music outside what he regarded as the overly-constricting scope of the Western classical tradition in which he had been trained. He had become a particular fan of Shankar, and had invited him over to the US to perform. Shankar had refused to come at that point, sending his brother-in-law Ali Akbar Khan over, as he was in the middle of a difficult divorce, and that had been when Khan had recorded that album which had fascinated Coltrane and Dolphy. But Shankar soon followed himself, and made his own records: [Excerpt: Ravi Shankar, "Raga Hamsadhwani"] The music that both Khan and Shankar played was a particular style of Hindustani classical music, which has three elements -- there's a melody instrument, in Shankar's case the sitar and in Khan's the sarod, both of them fretted stringed instruments which have additional strings that resonate along with the main melody string, giving their unique sound. These are the most distinctive Indian instruments, but the melody can be played on all sorts of other instruments, whether Indian instruments like the bansuri and shehnai, which are very similar to the flute and oboe respectively, or Western instruments like the violin. Historically, the melody has also often been sung rather than played, but Indian instrumental music has had much more influence on Western popular music than Indian vocal music has, so we're mostly looking at that here. Along with the melody instrument there's a percussion instrument, usually the tabla, which is a pair of hand drums. Rather than keep a steady, simple, beat like the drum kit in rock music, the percussion has its own patterns and cycles, called talas, which like ragas are heavily formalised but leave a great amount of room for improvisation. The percussion and the melody are in a sort of dialogue with each other, and play off each other in a variety of ways. And finally there's the drone instrument, usually a stringed instrument called a tamboura. The drone is what it sounds like -- a single note, sustained and repeated throughout the piece, providing a harmonic grounding for the improvisations of the melody instrument. Sometimes, rather than just a single root note, it will be a root and fifth, providing a single chord to improvise over, but as often it will be just one note. Often that note will be doubled at the octave, so you might have a drone on both low E and high E. The result provides a very strict, precise, formal, structure for an infinitely varied form of expression, and Shankar was a master of it: [Excerpt: Ravi Shankar, "Raga Hamsadhwani"] Dolphy and, especially, Coltrane became fascinated by Indian music, and Coltrane desperately wanted to record with Shankar -- he even later named his son Ravi in honour of the great musician. It wasn't just the music as music, but music as spiritual practice, that Coltrane was engaged with. He was a deeply religious man but one who was open to multiple faith traditions -- he had been brought up as a Methodist, and both his grandfathers were ministers in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, but his first wife, Naima, who inspired his personal favourite of his own compositions, was a Muslim, while his second wife, Swamini Turiyasangitananda (who he married after leaving Naima in 1963 and who continued to perform as Alice Coltrane even after she took that name, and was herself an extraordinarily accomplished jazz musician on both piano and harp), was a Hindu, and both of them profoundly influenced Coltrane's own spirituality. Some have even suggested that Coltrane's fascination with a cycle of thirds came from the idea that the third could represent both the Christian Trinity and the Hindu trimurti -- the three major forms of Brahman in Hinduism, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. So a music which was a religious discipline for more than one religion, and which worked well with the harmonic and melodic ideas that Coltrane had been exploring in jazz and learning about through his studies of modern classical music, was bound to appeal to Coltrane, and he started using the idea of having two basses provide an octave drone similar to that of the tamboura, leading to tracks like "Africa" and "Olé": [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "Olé"] Several sources have stated that that song was an influence on "Light My Fire" by the Doors, and I can sort of see that, though most of the interviews I've seen with Ray Manzarek have him talking about Coltrane's earlier version of "My Favourite Things" as the main influence there. Coltrane finally managed to meet with Shankar in December 1961, and spent a lot of time with him -- the two discussed recording an album together with McCoy Tyner, though nothing came of it. Shankar said of their several meetings that month: "The music was fantastic. I was much impressed, but one thing distressed me. There was turbulence in the music that gave me a negative feeling at times, but I could not quite put my finger on the trouble … Here was a creative person who had become a vegetarian, who was studying yoga, and reading the Bhagavad-Gita, yet in whose music I still heard much turmoil. I could not understand it." Coltrane said in turn "I like Ravi Shankar very much. When I hear his music, I want to copy it – not note for note of course, but in his spirit. What brings me closest to Ravi is the modal aspect of his art. Currently, at the particular stage I find myself in, I seem to be going through a modal phase … There's a lot of modal music that is played every day throughout the world. It is particularly evident in Africa, but if you look at Spain or Scotland, India or China, you'll discover this again in each case … It's this universal aspect of music that interests me and attracts me; that's what I'm aiming for." And the month before Coltrane met Shankar, Coltrane had had a now-legendary residency at the Village Vanguard in New York with his band, including Dolphy, which had resulted not only in the famous Live at the Village Vanguard album, but in two tracks on Coltrane's studio album Impressions. Those shows were among the most controversial in the history of jazz, though the Village Vanguard album is now often included in lists of the most important records in jazz. Downbeat magazine, the leading magazine for jazz fans at the time, described those shows as "musical nonsense" and "a horrifying demonstration of what appears to be a growing anti-jazz trend" -- though by the time Impressions came out in 1963, that opinion had been revised somewhat. Harvey Pekar, the comic writer and jazz critic, also writing in DownBeat, gave Impressions five stars, saying "Not all the music on this album is excellent (which is what a five-star rating signifies,) but some is more than excellent". And while among Coltrane fans the piece from these Village Vanguard shows that is of most interest is the extended blues masterpiece "Chasin' the Trane" which takes up a whole side of the Village Vanguard LP, for our purposes we're most interested in one of the two tracks that was held over for Impressions. This was another of Coltrane's experiments in using the drones he'd found in Indian musical forms, like "Africa" and "Olé". This time it was also inspired by a specific piece of music, though not an instrumental one. Rather it was a vocal performance -- a recording on a Folkways album of Pandita Ramji Shastri Dravida chanting one of the Vedas, the religious texts which are among the oldest texts sacred to any surviving religion: [Excerpt: Pandita Ramji Shastri Dravida, "Vedic Chanting"] Coltrane took that basic melodic idea, and combined it with his own modal approach to jazz, and the inspiration he was taking from Shankar's music, and came up with a piece called "India": [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "India"] Which is where we came in, isn't it? [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Eight Miles High"] So now, finally, we get to the Byrds. Even before "Mr. Tambourine Man" went to number one in the charts, the Byrds were facing problems with their sound being co-opted as the latest hip thing. Their location in LA, at the centre of the entertainment world, was obviously a huge advantage to them in many ways, but it also made them incredibly visible to people who wanted to hop onto a bandwagon. The group built up much of their fanbase playing at Ciro's -- the nightclub on the Sunset Strip that we mentioned in the previous episode which later reopened as It's Boss -- and among those in the crowd were Sonny and Cher. And Sonny brought along his tape recorder. The Byrds' follow-up single to "Mr. Tambourine Man", released while that song was still going up the charts, was another Dylan song, "All I Really Want to Do". But it had to contend with this: [Excerpt: Cher, "All I Really Want to Do"] Cher's single, produced by Sonny, was her first solo single since the duo had become successful, and came out before the Byrds' version, and the Byrds were convinced that elements of the arrangement, especially the guitar part, came from the version they'd been performing live – though of course Sonny was no stranger to jangly guitars himself, having co-written “Needles and Pins”, the song that pretty much invented the jangle. Cher made number fifteen on the charts, while the Byrds only made number forty. Their version did beat Cher's in the UK charts, though. The record company was so worried about the competition that for a while they started promoting the B-side as the A-side. That B-side was an original by Gene Clark, though one that very clearly showed the group's debt to the Searchers: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better"] While it was very obviously derived from the Searchers' version of "Needles and Pins", especially the riff, it was still a very strong, original, piece of work in its own right. It was the song that convinced the group's producer, Terry Melcher, that they were a serious proposition as artists in their own right, rather than just as performers of Dylan's material, and it was also a favourite of the group's co-manager, Jim Dickson, who picked out Clark's use of the word "probably" in the chorus as particularly telling -- the singer thinks he will feel better when the subject of the song is gone, but only probably. He's not certain. "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better", after being promoted as the A-side for a short time, reached number one hundred and two on the charts, but the label quickly decided to re-flip it and concentrate on promoting the Dylan song as the single. The group themselves weren't too bothered about their thunder having been stolen by Sonny and Cher, but their new publicist was incandescent. Derek Taylor had been a journalist for the Daily Express, which at that time was a respectable enough newspaper (though that is very much no longer the case). He'd become involved in the music industry after writing an early profile on the Beatles, at which point he had been taken on by the Beatles' organisation first to ghostwrite George Harrison's newspaper column and Brian Epstein's autobiography, and then as their full-time publicist and liner-note writer. He'd left the organisation at the end of 1964, and had moved to the US, where he had set up as an independent music publicist, working for the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and various other acts in their overlapping social circles, such as Paul Revere and the Raiders. Taylor was absolutely furious on the group's behalf, saying "I was not only disappointed, I was disgusted. Sonny and Cher went to Ciro's and ripped off the Byrds and, being obsessive, I could not get this out of my mind that Sonny and Cher had done this terrible thing. I didn't know that much about the record business and, in my experience with the Beatles, cover versions didn't make any difference. But by covering the Byrds, it seemed that you could knock them off the perch. And Sonny and Cher, in my opinion, stole that song at Ciro's and interfered with the Byrds' career and very nearly blew them out of the game." But while the single was a comparative flop, the Mr. Tambourine Man album, which came out shortly after, was much more successful. It contained the A and B sides of both the group's first two singles, although a different vocal take of "All I Really Want to Do" was used from the single release, along with two more Dylan covers, and a couple more originals -- five of the twelve songs on the album were original in total, three of them Gene Clark solo compositions and the other two co-written by Clark and Roger McGuinn. To round it out there was a version of the 1939 song "We'll Meet Again", made famous by Vera Lynn, which you may remember us discussing in episode ninety as an example of early synthesiser use, but which had recently become popular in a rerecorded version from the 1950s, thanks to its use at the end of Dr. Strangelove; there was a song written by Jackie DeShannon; and "The Bells of Rhymney", a song in which Pete Seeger set a poem about a mining disaster in Wales to music. So a fairly standard repertoire for early folk-rock, though slightly heavier on Dylan than most. While the group's Hollywood notoriety caused them problems like the Sonny and Cher one, it did also give them advantages. For example, they got to play at the fourth of July party hosted by Jane Fonda, to guests including her father Henry and brother Peter, Louis Jordan, Steve McQueen, Warren Beatty, and Sidney Poitier. Derek Taylor, who was used to the Beatles' formal dress and politeness at important events, imposed on them by Brian Epstein, was shocked when the Byrds turned up informally dressed, and even more shocked when Vito Paulekas and Carl Franzoni showed up. Vito (who was always known by his first name) and Franzoni are both important but marginal figures in the LA scene. Neither were musicians, though Vito did make one record, produced by Kim Fowley: [Excerpt: Vito and the Hands, "Vito and the Hands"] Rather Vito was a sculptor in his fifties, who had become part of the rock and roll scene and had gathered around him a dance troupe consisting largely of much younger women, and also of himself and Franzoni. Their circle, which also included Arthur Lee and Bryan MacLean, who weren't part of their dance troupe but were definitely part of their crowd, will be talked about much more in future episodes, but for now we'll just say that they are often considered proto-hippies, though they would have disputed that characterisation themselves quite vigorously; that they were regular dancers at Ciro's and became regular parts of the act of both the Byrds and the Mothers of Invention; and we'll give this rather explicit description of their performances from Frank Zappa: "The high point of the performance was Carl Franzoni, our 'go-go boy.' He was wearing ballet tights, frugging violently. Carl has testicles which are bigger than a breadbox. Much bigger than a breadbox. The looks on the faces of the Baptist teens experiencing their grandeur is a treasured memory." Paints a vivid picture, doesn't it? So you can possibly imagine why Derek Taylor later said "When Carl Franzoni and Vito came, I got into a terrible panic". But Jim Dickson explained to him that it was Hollywood and people were used to that kind of thing, and even though Taylor described seeing Henry Fonda and his wife pinned against the wall by the writhing Franzoni and the other dancers, apparently everyone had a good time. And then the next month, the group went on their first UK tour. On which nobody had a good time: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Eight Miles High"] Even before the tour, Derek Taylor had reservations. Obviously the Byrds should tour the UK -- London, in particular, was the centre of the cultural world at that time, and Taylor wanted the group to meet his old friends the Beatles and visit Carnaby Street. But at the same time, there seemed to be something a little... off... about the promoters they were dealing with, Joe Collins, the father of Joan and Jackie Collins, and a man named Mervyn Conn. As Taylor said later "All I did know was that the correspondence from Mervyn Conn didn't assure me. I kept expressing doubts about the contents of the letters. There was something about the grammar. You know, 'I'll give you a deal', and 'We'll get you some good gigs'. The whole thing was very much showbusiness. Almost pantomime showbusiness." But still, it seemed like it was worth making the trip, even when Musicians Union problems nearly derailed the whole thing. We've talked previously about how disagreements between the unions in the US and UK meant that musicians from one country couldn't tour the other for decades, and about how that slightly changed in the late fifties. But the new system required a one-in, one-out system where tours had to be set up as exchanges so nobody was taking anyone's job, and nobody had bothered to find a five-piece group of equivalent popularity to the Byrds to tour America in return. Luckily, the Dave Clark Five stepped into the breach, and were able to do a US tour on short notice, so that problem was solved. And then, as soon as they landed, the group were confronted with a lawsuit. From the Birds: [Excerpt: The Birds, "No Good Without You Baby"] These Birds, spelled with an "i", not a "y", were a Mod group from London, who had started out as the Thunderbirds, but had had to shorten their name when the London R&B singer Chris Farlowe and his band the Thunderbirds had started to have some success. They'd become the Birds, and released a couple of unsuccessful singles, but had slowly built up a reasonable following and had a couple of TV appearances. Then they'd started to receive complaints from their fans that when they went into the record shops to ask for the new record by the Birds, they were being sold some jangly folky stuff about tambourines, rather than Bo Diddley inspired R&B. So the first thing the American Byrds saw in England, after a long and difficult flight which had left them very tired and depressed, especially Gene Clark, who hated flying, was someone suing them for loss of earnings. The lawsuit never progressed any further, and the British group changed their name to Birds Birds, and quickly disappeared from music history -- apart from their guitarist, Ronnie Wood, who we'll be hearing from again. But the experience was not exactly the welcome the group had been hoping for, and is reflected in one of the lines that Gene Clark wrote in the song he later came up with about the trip -- "Nowhere is there love to be found among those afraid of losing their ground". And the rest of the tour was not much of an improvement. Chris Hillman came down with bronchitis on the first night, David Crosby kept turning his amp up too high, resulting in the other members copying him and the sound in the venues they were playing seeming distorted, and most of all they just seemed, to the British crowds, to be unprofessional. British audiences were used to groups running on, seeming excited, talking to the crowd between songs, and generally putting on a show. The Byrds, on the other hand, sauntered on stage, and didn't even look at the audience, much less talk to them. What seemed to the LA audience as studied cool seemed to the UK audience like the group were rude, unprofessional, and big-headed. At one show, towards the end of the set, one girl in the audience cried out "Aren't you even going to say anything?", to which Crosby responded "Goodbye" and the group walked off, without any of them having said another word. When they played the Flamingo Club, the biggest cheer of the night came when their short set ended and the manager said that the club was now going to play records for dancing until the support act, Geno Washington and the Ramjam Band, were ready to do another set. Michael Clarke and Roger McGuinn also came down with bronchitis, the group were miserable and sick, and they were getting absolutely panned in the reviews. The closest thing they got to a positive review was when Paul Jones of Manfred Mann was asked about them, and he praised some of their act -- perceptively pointing to their version of "We'll Meet Again" as being in the Pop Art tradition of recontextualising something familiar so it could be looked at freshly -- but even he ended up also criticising several aspects of the show and ended by saying "I think they're going to be a lot better in the future". And then, just to rub salt in the wound, Sonny and Cher turned up in the UK. The Byrds' version of "All I Really Want to Do" massively outsold theirs in the UK, but their big hit became omnipresent: [Excerpt: Sonny and Cher, "I Got You Babe"] And the press seemed to think that Sonny and Cher, rather than the Byrds, were the true representatives of the American youth culture. The Byrds were already yesterday's news. The tour wasn't all bad -- it did boost sales of the group's records, and they became friendly with the Beatles, Stones, and Donovan. So much so that when later in the month the Beatles returned to the US, the Byrds were invited to join them at a party they were holding in Benedict Canyon, and it was thanks to the Byrds attending that party that two things happened to influence the Beatles' songwriting. The first was that Crosby brought his Hollywood friend Peter Fonda along. Fonda kept insisting on telling people that he knew what it was like to actually be dead, in a misguided attempt to reassure George Harrison, who he wrongly believed was scared of dying, and insisted on showing them his self-inflicted bullet wounds. This did not go down well with John Lennon and George Harrison, both of whom were on acid at the time. As Lennon later said, "We didn't want to hear about that! We were on an acid trip and the sun was shining and the girls were dancing and the whole thing was beautiful and Sixties, and this guy – who I really didn't know; he hadn't made Easy Rider or anything – kept coming over, wearing shades, saying, "I know what it's like to be dead," and we kept leaving him because he was so boring! ... It was scary. You know ... when you're flying high and [whispers] "I know what it's like to be dead, man" Eventually they asked Fonda to get out, and the experience later inspired Lennon to write this: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "She Said, She Said"] Incidentally, like all the Beatles songs of that period, that was adapted for the cartoon TV series based on the group, in this case as a follow-the-bouncing-ball animation. There are few things which sum up the oddness of mid-sixties culture more vividly than the fact that there was a massively popular kids' cartoon with a cheery singalong version of a song about a bad acid trip and knowing what it's like to be dead. But there was another, more positive, influence on the Beatles to come out of them having invited the Byrds to the party. Once Fonda had been kicked out, Crosby and Harrison became chatty, and started talking about the sitar, an instrument that Harrison had recently become interested in. Crosby showed Harrison some ragas on the guitar, and suggested he start listening to Ravi Shankar, who Crosby had recently become a fan of. And we'll be tracking Shankar's influence on Harrison, and through him the Beatles, and through them the whole course of twentieth century culture, in future episodes. Crosby's admiration both of Ravi Shankar and of John Coltrane was soon to show in the Byrds' records, but first they needed a new single. They'd made attempts at a version of "The Times They Are A-Changin'", and had even tried to get both George Harrison and Paul McCartney to add harmonica to that track, but that didn't work out. Then just before the UK tour, Terry Melcher had got Jack Nitzsche to come up with an arrangement of Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue": [Excerpt: The Byrds, "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (version 1)"] Nitzsche's arrangement was designed to sound as much like a Sonny and Cher record as possible, and at first the intention was just to overdub McGuinn's guitar and vocals onto a track by the Wrecking Crew. The group weren't happy at this, and even McGuinn, who was the friendliest of the group with Melcher and who the record was meant to spotlight, disliked it. The eventual track was cut by the group, with Jim Dickson producing, to show they could do a good job of the song by themselves, with the intention that Melcher would then polish it and finish it in the studio, but Melcher dropped the idea of doing the song at all. There was a growing factionalism in the group by this point, with McGuinn and to a lesser extent Michael Clarke being friendly with Melcher. Crosby disliked Melcher and was pushing for Jim Dickson to replace him as producer, largely because he thought that Melcher was vetoing Crosby's songs and giving Gene Clark and Roger McGuinn free run of the songwriting. Dickson on the other hand was friendliest with Crosby, but wasn't much keener on Crosby's songwriting than Melcher was, thinking Gene Clark was the real writing talent in the group. It didn't help that Crosby's songs tended to be things like harmonically complex pieces based on science fiction novels -- Crosby was a big fan of the writer Robert Heinlein, and in particular of the novel Stranger in a Strange Land, and brought in at least two songs inspired by that novel, which were left off albums -- his song "Stranger in a Strange Land" was eventually recorded by the San Francisco group Blackburn & Snow: [Excerpt: Blackburn & Snow, "Stranger in a Strange Land"] Oddly, Jim Dickson objected to what became the Byrds' next single for reasons that come from the same roots as the Heinlein novel. A short while earlier, McGuinn had worked as a guitarist and arranger on an album by the folk singer Judy Collins, and one of the songs she had recorded on that album was a song written by Pete Seeger, setting the first eight verses of chapter three of the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes to music: [Excerpt: Judy Collins, "Turn Turn Turn (To Everything There is a Season"] McGuinn wanted to do an electric version of that song as the Byrds' next single, and Melcher sided with him, but Dickson was against the idea, citing the philosopher Alfred Korzybski, who was a big influence both on the counterculture and on Heinlein. Korzybski, in his book Science and Sanity, argued that many of the problems with the world are caused by the practice in Aristotelean logic of excluding the middle and only talking about things and their opposites, saying that things could be either A or Not-A, which in his view excluded most of actual reality. Dickson's argument was that the lyrics to “Turn! Turn! Turn!” with their inflexible Aristotelianism, were hopelessly outmoded and would make the group a laughing stock among anyone who had paid attention to the intellectual revolutions of the previous few decades. "A time of love, a time of hate"? What about all the times that are neither for loving or hating, and all the emotions that are complex mixtures of love and hate? In his eyes, this was going to make the group look like lightweights. Terry Melcher disagreed, and forced the group through take after take, until they got what became the group's second number one hit: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Turn! Turn! Turn!"] After the single was released and became a hit, the battle lines in the group hardened. It was McGuinn and Melcher on one side, Crosby and Dickson on the other, with Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke, and Gene Clark more or less neutral in the middle, but tending to side more and more with the two Ms largely because of Crosby's ability to rub everyone up the wrong way. At one point during the sessions for the next album, tempers flared so much that Michael Clarke actually got up, went over to Crosby, and punched Crosby so hard that he fell off his seat. Crosby, being Hollywood to the bone, yelled at Clarke "You'll never work in this town again!", but the others tended to agree that on that occasion Crosby had it coming. Clarke, when asked about it later, said "I slapped him because he was being an asshole. He wasn't productive. It was necessary." Things came to a head in the filming for a video for the next single, Gene Clark's "Set You Free This Time". Michael Clarke was taller than the other Byrds, and to get the shot right, so the angles would line up, he had to stand further from the camera than the rest of them. David Crosby -- the member with most knowledge of the film industry, whose father was an Academy Award-winning cinematographer, so who definitely understood the reasoning for this -- was sulking that once again a Gene Clark song had been chosen for promotion rather than one of his songs, and started manipulating Michael Clarke, telling him that he was being moved backwards because the others were jealous of his good looks, and that he needed to move forward to be with the rest of them. Multiple takes were ruined because Clarke listened to Crosby, and eventually Jim Dickson got furious at Clarke and went over and slapped him on the face. All hell broke loose. Michael Clarke wasn't particularly bothered by being slapped by Dickson, but Crosby took that as an excuse to leave, walking off before the first shot of the day had been completed. Dickson ran after Crosby, who turned round and punched Dickson in the mouth. Dickson grabbed hold of Crosby and held him in a chokehold. Gene Clark came up and pulled Dickson off Crosby, trying to break up the fight, and then Crosby yelled "Yeah, that's right, Gene! Hold him so I can hit him again!" At this point if Clark let Dickson go, Dickson would have attacked Crosby again. If he held Dickson, Crosby would have taken it as an invitation to hit him more. Clark's dilemma was eventually relieved by Barry Feinstein, the cameraman, who came in and broke everything up. It may seem odd that Crosby and Dickson, who were on the same side, were the ones who got into a fight, while Michael Clarke, who had previously hit Crosby, was listening to Crosby over Dickson, but that's indicative of how everyone felt about Crosby. As Dickson later put it, "People have stronger feelings about David Crosby. I love David more than the rest and I hate him more than the rest. I love McGuinn the least, and I hate him the least, because he doesn't give you emotional feedback. You don't get a chance. The hate is in equal proportion to how much you love them." McGuinn was finding all this deeply distressing -- Dickson and Crosby were violent men, and Michael Clarke and Hillman could be provoked to violence, but McGuinn was a pacifist both by conviction and temperament. Everything was conspiring to push the camps further apart. For example, Gene Clark made more money than the rest because of his songwriting royalties, and so got himself a good car. McGuinn had problems with his car, and knowing that the other members were jealous of Clark, Melcher offered to lend McGuinn one of his own Cadillacs, partly in an attempt to be friendly, and partly to make sure the jealousy over Clark's car didn't cause further problems in the group. But, of course, now Gene Clark had a Ferrarri and Roger McGuinn had a Cadillac, where was David Crosby's car? He stormed into Dickson's office and told him that if by the end of the tour the group were going on, Crosby didn't have a Bentley, he was quitting the group. There was only one thing for it. Terry Melcher had to go. The group had recorded their second album, and if they couldn't fix the problems within the band, they would have to deal with the problems from outside. While the group were on tour, Jim Dickson told Melcher they would no longer be working with him as their producer. On the tour bus, the group listened over and over to a tape McGuinn had made of Crosby's favourite music. On one side was a collection of recordings of Ravi Shankar, and on the other was two Coltrane albums -- Africa/Brass and Impressions: [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "India"] The group listened to this, and basically no other music, on the tour, and while they were touring Gene Clark was working on what he hoped would be the group's next single -- an impressionistic song about their trip to the UK, which started "Six miles high and when you touch down, you'll find that it's stranger than known". After he had it half complete, he showed it to Crosby, who helped him out with the lyrics, coming up with lines like "Rain, grey town, known for its sound" to describe London. The song talked about the crowds that followed them, about the music -- namechecking the Small Faces, who at the time had only released two single

In this week's episode of Living in the Sprawl: Southern California's Most Adventurous Podcast, host Jon Steinberg shares his list of top ten fascinating Southern California movies inspired by actual events. His list includes: "Indictment: The McMartin Trials" in Manhattan Beach, "The Bling Ring" in Calabasas, "Hollywoodland" in Benedict Canyon, "I Want to Live" in Burbank, "The Onion Field"in Bakersfield, "Star 80" in West Los Angeles, "Jennifer's Body" in Arroyo Grande, "The Entity" in Mar Vista, "Changeling" in Mira Loma and "Erin Brockovich" in Hinkley.Instagram: @livinginthesprawlpodcastEmail: livinginthesprawlpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: www.livinginthesprawlpodcast.comCheck out our favorite CBD gummy company...it helps us get better sleep and stay chill. Use code "SPRAWL" for 20% off.  https://www.justcbdstore.com?aff=645Check out Goldbelly for all your favorite US foods to satisfy those cravings or bring back some nostalgia. Our favorites include Junior's Chessecakes from New York, Lou Malnati's deep dish pizza from Chicago and a philly cheesesteak from Pat's. Use the link https://goldbelly.pxf.io/c/2974077/1032087/13451 to check out all of the options and let them know we sent you.Use code "SPRAWL" for (2) free meals and free delivery on your first Everytable subscription.Support the podcast and future exploration adventures. We are working on unique perks and will give you a shout out on the podcast to thank you for your contribution!Living in the Sprawl: Southern California's Most Adventurous Podcast is on Podfanhttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/sprawl  Looking to start a podcast? Buzzsprout is the best and easiest way to launch, promote and track your podcast...trust me, I did a lot of research beforehand. Let Buzzsprout know we sent you, support the show and get a $20 Amazon gift card when you sign up.  https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1735110Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/livinginthesprawlpodcast)

Whither the European Union?The reasons for voting in favor of the 2016 Brexit were many and varied, but with some hindsight, it is hard to deny that voters frustrated with the workings of the E.U. had a basis for their grievances. Just look at the gas crisis that is making life in the E.U. unbearable for millions of people.An article by Laurence Norman in the Wall Street Journal's October 14 edition, “Gas Crisis Prompts Fresh Proposals from E.U.,” quotes energy commissioner Kadri Simson calling the crisis an unusual situation and maintaining that E.U. energy policies over the last 20 years have worked well. But the article details how the European Commission is grasping for solutions to deal with the tripling of wholesale gas prices within E.U. borders and the concomitant spike in inflation, which jeopardizes the economic recovery everyone has been hoping for as the continent tries to move on from the Covid pandemic.A New Direction for New YorkMayoral candidate Eric Adams once again has refused to mince words or tiptoe around an issue of growing concern to New Yorkers: the scourge of shoplifting that has left entire shelves bare in some stores, drugstores in particular, and about the need to back law enforcement unequivocally, a brave stance to take in this age of rabid anti-police activism and hysterical rhetoric.An article in the New York Post on October 14, “Mayoral hopeful Eric Adams talks tough against NYC shoplifting spike,” quotes Adams saying that once he takes office, his administration will adopt an aggressive stance toward the crime wave plaguing New York. He plans to visit precincts in person and reiterate his strong support for the police. Adams spoke partly in response to public concerns aroused by repeat offenders like the so-called Man of Steal, who police have arrested no fewer than 57 times this year, including 46 arrests for retail theft.Curtains for DurstRobert Durst, the real estate heir suspected in crimes that provided tabloid fodder and inspired both a feature film and a six-part HBO documentary, is unlikely ever to be a free man again. Evan Symon's October 15 article in The California Globe, “Robert Durst Receives Life Sentence in LA Superior Court Ruling,” details the outcome of a lengthy proceeding complicated by the Covid pandemic and concerns about the health of the wheelchair-bound 78-year-old defendant. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark Windham has sentenced Durst to spend the remainder of his life in prison, with no chance of parole, for the murder of Susan Berman, whose body police found in her Benedict Canyon home on December 24, 2000. Evidence implicating Durst in the crime included letters with the same misspellings that Durst had made in other correspondence. Durst is also on camera in the HBO documentary confessing to having committed murders. And more...

Alyssa shares the story of Los Angeles's infamous Harlow/Bern House, a 1930 Craftsman that was once home to Hollywood starlet Jean Harlow and her MGM executive husband, Paul Bern. Two short months after the couple tied the knot, Bern was found dead in their home at 9820 Easton Drive in Benedict Canyon. Though his death was ruled a suicide, rumors have been circulating Hollywood for years suggesting Bern was actually murdered and that studio executives covered it up to protect Harlow's career. Strangely, the next person to own the home also suffered an untimely death at the hands of the Manson Family. The co-hosts discuss a controversial interview from a 1970 issue of Fate Magazine that suggests the ghost of Paul Bern appeared in the home to warn the new occupants about a looming violent tragedy. Unsure of whether or not the house is haunted, cursed, or just a figure of Hollywood legend, Alyssa and Hadley connect with celebrity paranormal investigator Bridget Marquardt to find out what happened when she visited the home herself (39:33). Marquardt, who starred in E's 2005 reality series The Girls Next Door, also shares stories about Hugh Hefner's ghost visiting her in a “dream” (50:23), seeing a full apparition in her bedroom at the Playboy Mansion (53:48), and the scariest encounter a guest has shared with her on her podcast, Ghost Magnet with Bridget Marquardt (59:52). TW: SuicideCONTRIBUTORSHost/Producer: Alyssa FiorentinoHost/Producer: Hadley MendelsohnProducer: May TsehaySound Engineer: Josh Caldwell

On Christmas Eve of 2000, Los Angeles police were called to the home of journalist and author Susan Berman. Susan’s neighbors had become worried when they noticed that her back door was open, and that her dogs were running loose in their Benedict Canyon neighborhood. Inside the home, police found the body of 55-year-old Berman, who had been killed by a single bullet wound to the back of the head. Police initially suspected that Susan Berman, the daughter of Las Vegas mob boss Davie Berman, had been the victim of a hit. But the case went cold, and it wasn’t until fifteen years later that police arrested and charged the first suspect in her murder: Susan’s long-time friend, Robert Durst. More than 20 years after her murder, Susan Berman and her loved ones may finally have justice. Send us an email at feedback@ccspod.com! And follow us on Twitter, @theccspod!Our recommendations for this episode: -the Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil https://bit.ly/3shXneD -the book Say Nothing https://amzn.to/2Zxky8m Sources:-Kary Antholis, Jury Duty: The Trial of Robert Durst. Crime Story Media. -Charles Bagli, “Mobster’s Daughter, Writer, Murder Victim: Woman at Center of Durst Trial.” New York Times, December 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/26/nyregion/robert-durst-susan-berman.html -Susan Berman, Easy Street: The True Story of a Mob Family. Dial Press, 1981. -Lisa DePaolo, “Who Killed the Gangster’s Daughter?” New York Magazine, 2001. https://www.vulture.com/2015/02/susan-berman-the-jinx.html -Cheryll Glotfelty, “Susan Berman: Writer of Las Vegas and Murdered Mob Princess.” Nevada Historical Society Quarterly, Winter 2006. http://epubs.nsla.nv.gov/statepubs/epubs/210777-2006-4Winter.pdf -HBO, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. 2015. -Cathy Scott, “Cold Case: Friends and family have a strong sense of who killed Susan Berman. So why do the authorities seem so lost?”Las Vegas City Life, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040927202211/http://lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2004/02/25/cover_story/cover.txt -Cathy Scott, Murder of a Mafia Daughter: The Life and Tragic Death of Susan Berman. Barricade Books, 2002. -Richard Winton, “Robert Durst arrives in L.A. to face murder trial; first court appearance is Monday.” LA Times, November 2015. https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-robert-durst-murder-trial-20161104-story.html -Ned Zeman, “The Fugitive Heir.” Vanity Fair, March 2015. https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2015/03/robert-durst-murders-wife-susie-berman -This American Life episode #76, “Mob,” Act 2: “Gangster’s Daughter.” September 1997. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/76/mob/act-two-0 -March 2015 search warrant for Robert Durst’s Houston home. Available via LA Times: https://documents.latimes.com/search-warrant-robert-dursts-houston-home/ -Forbes estimate of the Durst family’s net worth https://www.forbes.com/profile/durst/?sh=6155068e3773

THE OMAN HOUSE & TATE/MANSON MURDERS, 51ST ANNIVERSARY The Oman House in Beverly Hills, as seen on Ghost Hunters, My Ghost Story, Paranormal Witness, Haunted History, Ghost Adventures, and other television shows. It is a private residence open that sometimes is open for tours. 18 years ago, David Oman moved to a new home just 150 feet from 10050 Cielo Drive, the house in Benedict Canyon where Sharon Tate and four other people were murdered by the Manson family on August 9, 1969. The mansion where the murders took place had been torn down in 1994, though a different house was later built on site. Five years after the home was razed, Oman's father purchased a nearby plot for $40,000, and together they built a house on it.  During construction, workers would complain of unusual activity around the house such as voices, footsteps, and shadow figures when no one was around the property.   After David moved into his new home, Oman woke from a deep sleep at 2 a.m. to find “a full-body apparition at the bottom of his bed pointing towards the driveway which leads to the murder site.” He tells me, “There was no sound. He gestured three times and then just disappeared.”  Since then Oman has dedicated his time and efforts to record and document his experiences.  He has even gone as far as opening his home to skeptics, thrill-seekers, paranormal teams, and investigators.   Join me, Tammie, as I investigate the house and Cielo Dr. on the 51st anniversary of the murders.  Tune in to listen to the chilling EVPs that I collected during my interview and investigation at the Oman House. The Oman House​  Friday, August 21st & Saturday, the 22nd 2020 #LIVE STREAM EVENT For tickets to this event CLICK HERE For more information about The Oman House and future live streams and tours click here.     

Hollywood legend, JEAN HARLOW married PAUL BERN, who also worked for MGM at the time. Together they shared a house in BENEDICT CANYON and their marriage was anything but bliss.  The house still survives, but its new owners experienced PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. Could JEAN HARLOW have returned asking for help?

Incest, rape, torture, a pig in a cupboard & murder are just a few words to describe the Brooks family from Findlay, Ohio. In this episode, Falon covers the heartbreaking story of Vera Jo Reigle. Vera was held as a slave, beaten, tortured and ultimately killed by the family who she not only trusted, but loved. The Brooks family only needed Vera for one thing- to give birth to a baby girl, which she did- and later named her Willadean. Her short life and murder will forever leave a scar in this little Ohio town.**THIS EPISODE CONTAINS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC CONTENT** We rap up the episode with the story of The Curse of Benedict Canyon. High on the top of a mountain overlooking Beverly Hills California, sits a patch of land once priced at $1 Billion dollars- marked down to $100,000-yet no one wants to live there...but why? Could it be that the infamous Manson murders took place just a short stroll away? Or is there something more sinister dwelling deep within the 90210 zip code? Listen & find out! Sources for this episode include: "Goodnight Sugar Babe": The Murder of Vera Jo Reigle documentary. (You can watch NOW on Amazon Prime!!) Wikipedia, Red Handed Podcast & Lit Up Paranormal Podcast.  Thanks for your support! Happy Holidays! -DAP

In this episode Jill discusses some of the macabre history in one of Beverly Hills most exclusive areas known as Benedict Canyon. From multiple murders, mysterious suicides and unusual happenings, this hot spot may be the result of a negative vortex complex located on the property of Paul Bern and Jean Harlow's old home on Easton Drive. Some say the canyon is cursed. Jill says it is certainly creepy.

*** SPOILER ALERT in second half of the show ***Heading into the Thanksgiving holiday, here's a replay episode from one of our most popular shows. With a title that suggests the opening of a child's storybook, Quentin Tarantino revisits the Hollywood of 1969 and that summer night 50 years ago when members of the Manson family set out for Benedict Canyon with murder in their hearts. The grisly slayings on Cielo Drive — including that of a very pregnant Sharon Tate — cast a long shadow over the romance of the ‘60s counterculture. Tarantino has said that Charles Manson's ability to manipulate and control his followers still seems "unfathomable" to this day.In "Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood," the writer and director takes the occasion to revel in the details of the era, complete with commercials, TV shows, songs, radio news and famous locations and restaurants around Los Angeles. But Tarantino also offers up a study of actors — their anxieties, insecurities and the pride they take in their performances. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the fictional actor Rick Dalton, and Brad Pitt as his stunt double, along with Margot Robbie as the very real Sharon Tate, the film is more emotional and personal than other Tarantino movies.In fact, Tarantino — who grew up in Los Angeles — has called "Once Upon a Time" his "Roma."Mark Olsen (@IndieFocus) talks with Times film critics @KennethTuran and @JustinCChang, as well as film reporter @jenyamato and special guest Julia Turner (@JuliaTurner), Deputy Managing Editor of Entertainment and Arts.

When David Oman woke up in 1999 to his Los Angeles real estate developer father finding a lot in the newspaper for $40,000, he thought it was a typo. Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, on the edge of Beverly Hills. It was the former address of Hollywood royalty like like Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, and … Continue reading 269 – The Haunting of David Oman: Sharon Tate and The House At The End of Cielo Drive → The post 269 – The Haunting of David Oman: Sharon Tate and The House At The End of Cielo Drive appeared first on See You On The Other Side.

When David Oman woke up in 1999 to his Los Angeles real estate developer father finding a lot in the newspaper for $40,000, he thought it was a typo. Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, on the edge of Beverly Hills. It was the former address of Hollywood royalty like like Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, and … Continue reading 269 – The Haunting of David Oman: Sharon Tate and The House At The End of Cielo Drive → The post 269 – The Haunting of David Oman: Sharon Tate and The House At The End of Cielo Drive appeared first on See You On The Other Side.

Want to hear the rest of Young Charlie right now and ad-free? Join Wondery+ today for instant access to all 6 episodes, plus more from your favorite Wondery shows. During checkout, enter promo code charlie to get your first month of access free: wondery.com/plusOn the morning of August 9, 1969, the bodies of actress Sharon Tate and four other people were discovered at the sprawling Benedict Canyon home of Miss Tate and her husband, film director Roman Polanski. The victims had all been brutally murdered. The next day, the bodies of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were discovered at their home in Los Feliz. They had been murdered in a similar, gruesome fashion.In 1939, young Charlie Manson’s mother Kathleen is arrested in Charleston, West Virginia and jailed for robbery. After her release, she is unable to control her son and has him sent to the Gibault School for Boys in Indiana. Charlie runs away after only ten months. Then, after being arrested for burglary, he is given a second chance when a kindly judge sends him to the famous Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. After just four days, he escapes from there as well.

*** SPOILER ALERT*** Spoilers start at 15:08.With a title that suggests the opening of a child's storybook, Quentin Tarantino revisits the Hollywood of 1969 and that summer night 50 years ago when members of the Manson family set out for Benedict Canyon with murder in their hearts. The grisly slayings on Cielo Drive — including that of a very pregnant Sharon Tate — cast a long shadow over the romance of the ‘60s counterculture. Tarantino has said that Charles Manson's ability to manipulate and control his followers still seems "unfathomable" to this day.In "Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood," the writer and director takes the occasion to revel in the details of the era, complete with commercials, TV shows, songs, radio news and famous locations and restaurants around Los Angeles. But Tarantino also offers up a study of actors — their anxieties, insecurities and the pride they take in their performances. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the fictional actor Rick Dalton, and Brad Pitt as his stunt double, along with Margot Robbie as the very real Sharon Tate, the film is more emotional and personal than other Tarantino movies.In fact, Tarantino — who grew up in Los Angeles — has called "Once Upon a Time" his "Roma."Mark Olsen (@IndieFocus) talks with Times film critics @KennethTuran and @JustinCChang, as well as film reporter @jenyamato and special guest Julia Turner (@JuliaTurner), Deputy Managing Editor of Entertainment and Arts.Deep spoilers involving the end of the film start at 15:08. Come back and listen to our writers' analysis once you've seen "Once Upon a Time."

Welcome to the Martini Minute, this is what's new in the world of luxury: Cher’s sprawling 14-acre Beverly Hills compound, which also counted Eddie Murphy and Walmart shopping center construction mogul Raul Walters as previous owners, is back on the market for $48 Million. Two years ago, this storied compound off L.A.’s famed Benedict Canyon was listed for $85 million, but the asking price is now down to $48 million.

David Oman is the owner and resident of the Oman House, one of the most famous haunted houses in America. Located in Benedict Canyon of Los Angeles, only footsteps away from the site where the Manson Family brutally murdered actress Sharon Tate and her friends, the Oman House has been featured on every major ghost hunting show. David talks about the history of his home, the Manson Murders and the various paranormal experiences he and his friends have experienced in his home.

Welcome to the second episode of Ghost Magnet and we're incredibly excited to have Scott Michaels on the show. Scott Michaels is known for his Dearly Departed Tragical History Tour and YouTube channel and is one of Los Angeles' best known haunted historians. In this episode we're talking about what some call The Curse of Benedict Canyon, one of Los Angeles most haunted regions. From the Manson Murders to a string of horrirfic events, you'll know the stories and be shocked on how closes these locations are together. You're going to love Scott Michaels! All that plus Lisa Morton with this week's Ghost Report, this week on Ghost Magnet with Bridget Marquardt.  #DearlyDepartedTours #DavidOman #BenedictCanyon #Haunted #Paranormal #MansonMurders #GirlsNextDoor #GirlsNextLevel

Join celebrity paranormal investigator, Bridget Marquardt, as she explores the hauntings, orbs and mysteries of Manson, murder and suicide epicenter Benedict Canyon with her special guest Scott Michaels  (Owner/Operator of "Dearly Departed Tour and Artifact Museum") and features expert Lisa Morton’s “Ghost Report.” Bridget, star of E!’s “The Girls Next Door” and The Travel Channel’s “Bridget’s Sexiest Beaches” is embarking on a search for signs of the afterlife at some of the world’s most iconic haunted historical locations. A self-described “Ghost Magnet” she interviews others who’ve also been the catalyst for ghostly sightings, spectral contacts and poltergeist activity. When, where, and how did they realize they had this spiritual magnetism? What’s it like living with the specters of the dead? Bridget investigates all this and more in her weekly podcast! Bridget Marquardt Bio Bridget Marquardt is best-known to television audiences and pop-culture connoisseurs as the sweet and brainy star of E! Networks’ wildly popular reality show “The Girls Next Door.” After moving out of the Playboy mansion in January 2009, Marquardt began hosting “Bridget’s Sexiest Beaches,” a sixteen-episode series on The Travel Channel in which she traveled the globe searching for the world’s best surf, sand, and sun in countries including Croatia, Jamaica, Thailand, Spain, Australia, and the United States. Marquardt recently designed a signature line of watches for famed jeweler Pascal Mouawad, and is currently working on a pilot for a new reality series based on her entrepreneurial pursuits and post-mansion adventures. @BridgetMarquardt on instagram @Bridget on Twitter @BridgetMarquardt on Facebook About SCOTT MICHAELS Dearly Departed Tours’ founder Scott Michaels is the authority on the Dark Side of Hollywood. His Dearly Departed Tour is a multimedia Hollywood bus tour like no other. Explore cases like Manson, Janis, Whitney and Michael, and lesser-known celebrities with even more spectacular exits. Tours include see the final resting places of Marilyn, Natalie, Farrah and more. Peppered with crime scene photographs and audio clips (including 911 calls), the tour has earned its consistent 5-star ratings. His Artifact Museum is also a must see for Ghost Magnet fans.  http://www.twitter.com/ladeathtrip  @dearlydepartedtours www.dearlydepartedtours.com  Lisa Morton is a screenwriter, author, anthologist, and the editor of the acclaimed Ghosts: A Haunted History. She is a six-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, a recipient of the Black Quill Award, and winner of the 2012 Grand Prize from the Halloween Book Festival. A lifelong Californian, she lives in North Hills, California, and can be found online at www.lisamorton.com . Her new book “Ghost Stories: Classic Tales of Horror and Suspense” with acclaimed horror anthologists Leslie S. Klinger will be released in April 2, 2019 by Pegasus Books.  

On February 16, 1959, authorities arrived at the home of George Reeves at 1579 Benedict Canyon in Los Angeles with his fiancee Leonore Lemmon. Reeves was dead with a bullet hole in head. His body was naked and sprawled on the bed. The coroner ruled his death a suicide, but was it? Many people think he was murdered. A suicide doesn't seem logical based on all the evidence associated with this story. Listen to this episode and come to your own conclusion about the late actor. To read my columns, please visit www.Clermontsun.com or my website at www.themarcabe.com. You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter, and if you are interested in sponsoring my podcast and column, please click on this link: http://www.themarcabe.com/donations.html

There's a house that sits on Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon that has an array of paranormal activity. It's best known as The David Oman House and its located just 200 ft from where the Sharon Tate and Manson Murders took place in 1969. In 2014 David Oman produced and co-wrote a movie documentary about the paranormal activity that has been going on in his house. It’s called The House at The End of the Drive. Since producing this film, Oman feels that the spirits have really reached out to him. One of those spirits is the ghost of Sharon Tate. On today's episode, Hollyweird Paranormal traveled to the Benedict Canyon to tour The Oman House and interview David Oman himself.  Tune in to find out what we experienced before and during our recording session with David.  You don't want to miss it! For more info on David Oman's film, then click on the link below House at the end of the Drive For more info on tours and to learn more about The Oman House then click on the link below to find out The Oman House    

Upon the advent of the 49th anniversary of the tragic 'Manson Murders', historic Benedict Canyon site homeowner DAVID OMAN will be on-air LIVE with The Ghost Host Sophia Temperilli on LiveParanormal.com, THIS SATURDAY 8/4, 12pm PST, 3pm EST, 8pm primetime U.K. GMT!!  Listen and chat LIVE!!

The date is June 16th, 1959 LAPD arrives at 1579 Benedict Canyon to find George Reeves, AKA, Superman with a gunshot wound to the head.  Investigators immediately labeled his death as a suicide, however, many close to Reeves believe that his death was a murder.   Could there have been a Lex Luthor hiding in his bedroom that night? Or could it have been depression that became TV superman’s kryptonite?  What are the strange occurrences causing tenants of his former home to move out immediately?  This is the true crime and paranormal aftermath of Superman, George Reeves. We discuss George Reeve's life, dirty Hollywood industry insight, suspects and the paranormal. If you love Hollyweird Paranormal , we’d love for you to subscribe, rate, and give a review on iTunes. IT REALLY HELPS US OUT A LOT AND IT HELPS US BECOME A LITTLE MORE VISIBLE. CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF HOLLYWEIRD PARANORMAL?  THEN STALK US ON INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK @HOLLYWEIRDPARANORMAL & TWITTER @HWPPODCAST.  HAVE A STORY FOR OUR LISTERNER  STORIES EPISODE?  THEN EMAIL US AT HOLLYWEIRDPARANORMAL@GMAIL.COM CATCH UP WITH OUR PAST EPISODES ON ITUNES, BLUBRRY, STITCHER, SOUNDCLOUD, GOOGLEPLAY & PODKNIFE

On the morning of August 9, 1969, the bodies of actress Sharon Tate and four other people were discovered at the sprawling Benedict Canyon home of Miss Tate and her husband, film director Roman Polanski. The victims had all been brutally murdered. The next day, the bodies of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were discovered at their home in Los Feliz. They had been murdered in a similar, gruesome fashion.In 1939, young Charlie Manson’s mother Kathleen is arrested in Charleston, West Virginia and jailed for robbery. After her release, she is unable to control her son and has him sent to the Gibault School for Boys in Indiana. Charlie runs away after only ten months. Then, after being arrested for burglary, he is given a second chance when a kindly judge sends him to the famous Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. After just four days, he escapes from there as well.New to Hollywood & Crime? Subscribe here: smarturl.it/hollywoodandcrimeThank you to our sponsors:Zip Recruiter - Learn how to hire smarter and try it for free when you visit them here: www.ZipRecruiter.com/LACrimeBombas: Get 20% off your first purchase of socks when you visit them here: www.Bombas.com/hollywoodMeUndies: Get 20% off and free shipping on your first order when you visit them here:www.MeUndies.com/LACrimeFab Fit Fun: Get $10 your first box when you use code LACRIME at:www.fabfitfun.com We'd like to hear from you. Find us on Twitter @HollywoodNCrime or Facebook.com/HollywoodAndCrimePodcast or give us a call at 424-224-5711 and please complete a quick survey at www.wondery.com/survey

Teddy and Courtney go all the way next door to hunt down this episode's expert, Scott Michaels, the founder of Dearly Departed Tours in LA. Together, they rank the top eight most shocking deaths in Hollywood history, covering such topics as the Benedict Canyon curse, Jayne Mansfield's death car, and the four most terrifying words in the English language: "sex with Prince Charles." Please learn more about Scott and his business at dearlydepartedtours.com, or follow him on Twitter @LADeathTrip!

Jackie Kong is a director, producer, and screenwriter known for irreverent comedy and over-the-top horror films. In 1983, she made her feature film debut as director with the low-budget drive-in horror film The Being, which starred Martin Landau and Jose Ferrer. In 1984, she followed up by directing and co-writing the breakout comedy Night Patrol, featuring Linda Blair, about a Los Angeles policeman moonlighting as a stand-up comedian. Kong received a Platinum Video award from the RIAA for Night Patrol, which became a college-party film staple. Night Patrol was a major worldwide theatrical success, setting the stage for Kong to direct the comedic cult horror film Blood Diner, released in 1987. Kong added her comedic flair to Blood Diner, changing the traditional horror film into a gore fest with outrageous effects and comedy, ultimately pioneering a new sub-genre of horror film. It is now one of the most beloved horror films of all time. The fact that Blood Diner was directed by a woman blew audience' and critics' minds. She followed that with another comedy, The Underachievers. Kong's films are always irreverent, inventive, shocking, and funny. Weirdly, she enjoyed making the horror films much more than the comedies. "Making a monster movie was actually more fun than making a comedy," she says. "People watched the comedies and because they're laughing, think it must have been so much fun, when in fact that was harder work than making a monster movie. There's something about getting everyone in makeup and costumes and creating a hyper reality, that's so much more fun. Both are tough crowds to surprise."Writer/director/producer Jackie Kong made a handful of enjoyably low-budget pictures throughout the 80s. She was born on June 14 in Hanford, California and grew up in Benedict Canyon above Beverly Hills.  She was recently awarded in the top 10 Women Horror Directors!

  A haunted house should loom out of the darkness, its windows boarded up, ghosts and dust as the only occupants. But horror dwells inside two beautifully decorated homes in the Benedict Canyon of Beverly Hills. While its name means “heaven” in Spanish, 10050 Cielo Drive was nothing but Hell for the five victims brutally murdered by Charles Manson’s “Family” within its walls. Some say their spirits still haunt the area, having taken up residence in the nearby Oman House.   Two men, film director David Oman and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, have turned the blood-soaked history of Cielo Drive into a booming source of revenue. Both men show signs of struggling with their own inner demons – are the spirits still trapped within their homes disturbed and vengeful at the business created around their murders, or is it the morality of the situation haunting the living?   Episode Highlights: History of the Oman House David Oman: homeowner, movie director, and tour guide Dr. Barry Taff investigates Trapped spirits in the Oman House Charles Manson & The Family The Tate Murders on Cielo Drive Trent Reznor on 10050 Cielo Drive   Resources: David Oman’s interview with Dread Central   The House at the End of the Drive (2014 Film)   The Oman House website for tour tickets, seances, and merchandise Listen to Dr. Taff’s radio interview with Dark Matter: “The Entity Hauntings, Poltergeists, & the Manson Murders” “Gave Up” Nine Inch Nails music video The Long Hard Road Out of Hell by Marilyn Manson   Enjoyed this episode? Please support Pleasing Terrors by rating, reviewing, and subscribing on Itunes.   Please visit Pleasing Terrors, Charleston’s best ghost tour, on Facebook and Twitter!  

Visit us at www.paranormalunderground.net! In this episode of Paranormal Underground Radio, world-renowned parapsychologist Dr. Barry Taff joins us for a third visit. Dr. Taff fills us in on his many investigations at the Cielo Drive house in Benedict Canyon, which is in the northern edge of Beverly Hills. The house is home to intense paranormal activity.Dr. Taff worked out of UCLA’s former parapsychology laboratory from 1969 through 1978 as a research associate. During his 37-year career, he has investigated more than 4,000 cases of ghosts, hauntings, poltergeists and conducted extensive studies in telepathy and precognition, which led to the development of the initial protocols and methodologies for what was later termed “remote viewing.” He was also himself investigated as a psychic subject in 1969. One of the cases Dr. Taff investigated in 1974 gained international fame as the book and motion picture, The Entity, starring Barbara Hershey, released by Fox in 1983. Dr. Taff served as technical advisor on The Entity, as well as being represented in the film by the character of “Gene Kraft.” Air Date: September 12, 2013 Topic: Paranormal Theory, Paranormal Investigation, Parapsychology Guest: Dr. Barry Taff Hosts: Karen Frazier, Rick Hale Producer: Cheryl Knight