Jailhouse Rock?: Charles Manson Reaches Out to Phil Spector

When Rock Daily reported last month that famed producer and convicted murderer Phil Spector was being moved to Corcoran, California's California Substance Abuse and Treatment Facility, we noted that neighboring Corcoran State Prison is the home of musician and infamous Helter Skelter cult leader Charlie Manson. Apparently the proximity generated a creative spark: According to the New York Post's Page Six, Manson reached out to the "Wall of Sound" producer seeking a behind-bars musical meet-up. Earlier this year, Spector was found guilty of second-degree murder in a retrial of the death of actress Lana Clarkson and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison. Manson was convicted of murder and conspiracy in 1971.

"A guard brought Philip a note from Manson, who said he wanted him to come over to his [lockup]. He said he considers Philip the greatest producer who ever lived," Spector's wife Rachelle — a colorful personality who often bickered with the judge during Phil's murder trials — told Page Six. "It was creepy. Philip didn't respond." Added Spector's publicist Hal Lifson, "I think Manson wants to glean some musical advice from Phil, who was a '60s music god with his 'Wall of Sound.' But Phil's like, 'I used to pick up the phone and it was John Lennon or Celine Dion or Tina Turner, and now Charles Manson is trying to get a hold of me!' "

In related news, to mark the 40th anniversary of the Manson family murders, the History Channel will air a two-hour special titled Manson on September 7th, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The broadcast will feature the first interview in 20 years with Linda Kasabian, a member of the Manson Family who served as the driver during the Tate-LaBianca murders in 1969. Kasabian later served as a witness for the prosecution.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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