portrait of this blog's author - by Stephen Blackman 2008
Saturday, August 13, 2022
Sharon Tate - Terry O'Neil :: John Cale 'Leaving It Up To You'
SHARON TATE photographed by TERRY O'NEILL in London, 1968.
There is a quite recent trend among blogs and webpages and sites to share pictures of Sharon Tate in recent years and I approve having done loads myself [ click on the links in the bottom to view my other posts] but I find it fascinating that others and presumably much younger folk are posting her image all over the blogosphere and that is as it should be IMHO and I have no real handle on why that would be.
She is of course highly deserving of our not forgetting her. She is a tragic figure married as she was to Roman Polanski and whilst heavily pregnant with their first child, she returned from Europe to prepare her 'nest' at their rented house in Cielo Drive, Los Angeles seemingly randomly selected by the Manson Family (so called) a disparate bunch of acid freak dysfunctional misbegotten unfortunates who slaughtered all the residents therein (possibly looking for Terry Melcher and then girlfriend Candice Bergen who used to live there and who had knocked Charlie back on a record deal when finally realising he was batshit crazy!) and made particular display of Tate tying her with ropes around her neck and stabbing her multiple times. Clearly pregnant she pleaded with the psychopaths for mercy not the least for her unborn child. It fell on deaf ears and they stuck a fork in her 8 month pregnant belly. Their unborn son the rarely mentioned other victim here
There are photos by Terry O'Neil like the one above that are amongst the most heart breaking I've ever seen showing her purchases of baby clothes and presumably this was the destination for this teddy also see previous posts for details and examples. I cannot she the terrifying sadness they present nor the untold depths of dep[ravity the murederers sank to in killing an unborn child alongside the almost matter of act casualness of the other slaughters. There were it would seem many more that we do not know of . . . . . . . . . .
The year before this horrific she went on record with almost prescient pathos as saying:
“I’m very sensitive to ugly situations. I’m quick to read people, and I pick up if someone’s reacting to me as just a sexy blonde. At times like that, I freeze. I can be very alone at a party, on the set, or in general, if I’m not in harmony with things around me.”
— Sharon Tate, quoted in Screen Stories magazine, 1967.
The Manson Family misguidedly (sic) believed they were striking a blow against the "establishment" little understanding that they were attacking counter culture heroes that they really should have been supporting
When the women followers of Manson were sentenced to the death penalty they laughed and left the court room smiling . . . . . . . . .
Musical connection? I have posted before but John Cale's brilliant song 'Leaving It Up To You' has the most haunting reference to Sharon Tate that sends shivers up my spine every time I hear it still on every playing. It more than many other object d'arts about News Media and how we get our information and watch live as people fly into The Twin Towers or Trumpian Fake News and conspiracy theory madness made me realise the hippie dream was over and we needed to batten down the hatches, watch out for monsters (that are in fact real!) and the belief that drugs did not contain the 'answer' but could distort and destroy all that was good about the counter culture.
Now im depressed it was a horrible killing for no reason something about Helter skelter Charlies plot to begin a race war while he would hangout at the Spahn ranch and than go pick up the pieces. Insane and not even a chance of being viable. But I guess that would also be the definition of insanity. A ill conceived plan carried out by drugged up dumb bitches. It was supposed to have been done by Blacks against Whites to trigger The race war. And still would not have worked. If he would have been in the South it may have caused some trouble since they had pre-existing race problems. Insanity...
Fair point analogkid610 but try not to let it depress you (said he who has been depressed by it since it happened!) but Cale's song helped me feel angry still about it, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood not so much but still, lest we forget, hey? It is worth staying angry for as there are still folks (more now?!) in America especially who still think it worthy of attention in the counter-counter-culture style and think Manson and family were radicals! They weren't, they were society's detritus acid casualties, self damaged with drugs and no moral compass, worth of no attention at all, no creativity, no true spirituality, no talent (see Charlie's songs!) and they think it hip to be pro-Manson Family! Their very presence needs us to still be angry and remember we could all feel safe like Sharon Tate! Keep on keeping on analogkid
Oh . . . . and may thanks for dropping by . . . . .
P.S if you haven't and it just sounds like you maybe haven't but Ed Sanders (he of The Fugs fame) book on the subject is really worth a read amongst the plethora of slasher true crime dross. The Family: The Story of Charles Manson's Dune Buggy Attack Battalion (1971, 1990)
3 comments:
Now im depressed it was a horrible killing for no reason something about Helter skelter Charlies plot to begin a race war while he would hangout at the Spahn ranch and than go pick up the pieces. Insane and not even a chance of being viable. But I guess that would also be the definition of insanity. A ill conceived plan carried out by drugged up dumb bitches. It was supposed to have been done by Blacks against Whites to trigger The race war. And still would not have worked. If he would have been in the South it may have caused some trouble since they had pre-existing race problems. Insanity...
Fair point analogkid610 but try not to let it depress you (said he who has been depressed by it since it happened!) but Cale's song helped me feel angry still about it, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood not so much but still, lest we forget, hey? It is worth staying angry for as there are still folks (more now?!) in America especially who still think it worthy of attention in the counter-counter-culture style and think Manson and family were radicals! They weren't, they were society's detritus acid casualties, self damaged with drugs and no moral compass, worth of no attention at all, no creativity, no true spirituality, no talent (see Charlie's songs!) and they think it hip to be pro-Manson Family! Their very presence needs us to still be angry and remember we could all feel safe like Sharon Tate! Keep on keeping on analogkid
Oh . . . . and may thanks for dropping by . . . . .
P.S if you haven't and it just sounds like you maybe haven't but Ed Sanders (he of The Fugs fame) book on the subject is really worth a read amongst the plethora of slasher true crime dross. The Family: The Story of Charles Manson's Dune Buggy Attack Battalion (1971, 1990)
stay frosty!
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