Charles Manson Did Unthinkable Things in Jail - Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo recounts meeting Charles Manson in county jail, describing him as a small, poor man who could hypnotize inmates to simulate drug highs. Trejo explains that Manson was able to manipulate vulnerable, broken people both in prison and later with his followers.
Summary
Danny Trejo shares his personal experience meeting Charles Manson in county jail, painting a very different picture from the media portrayal. He describes Manson as a small, scrawny man around 5'4" or 5'5" who was so poor he used string as a belt and looked like a bum. Despite his unimposing appearance, other inmates discovered Manson could hypnotize people, so they protected him by letting him sleep in front of their cell. Trejo recounts how Manson hypnotized him and other cellmates to experience drug highs without any actual substances - first marijuana, then heroin. The hypnosis was so effective that Trejo and another inmate experienced physical symptoms like red eyes and vomiting, exactly as they would from real heroin use. One cellmate couldn't be hypnotized into a heroin high because he had never experienced it before, and Manson explained that the mind needs to know how to react for the hypnosis to work. Trejo notes that Manson was in jail for petty theft and wasn't considered dangerous at the time. He explains Manson's later success in manipulating his followers by describing how Manson targeted vulnerable, broken women in Oakland and San Francisco who had been abused by pimps. These women were already primed for someone to rescue them, making them susceptible to viewing Manson as a messiah figure when he appeared with a bus and drugs.
Key Insights
- Charles Manson was physically unimposing at around 5'4" or 5'5", scrawny, and so poor he used string as a belt, contrary to his media portrayal
- Manson could hypnotize inmates to experience authentic drug highs including physical symptoms like red eyes and vomiting without any actual substances present
- Manson's hypnosis only worked if the person had previous experience with the drug, as the mind needs to know how to react for the hypnosis to be effective
- Manson was in jail for petty theft and wasn't considered dangerous or significant at the time
- Manson targeted vulnerable, broken women in Oakland and San Francisco who had been abused by pimps, making them susceptible to viewing him as a messiah figure
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] so you met charles manson in prison didn't you what was that story he tells us in the county jail but let me tell charlie wasn't the guy that you saw on the tv specials all right he was a ah god he was like five foot four or five foot five a little scrawny he was poor kind of like a bum really he he had a he had a uh a string for a belt he tied his [0:31] pants with a string because he could afford a belt you know and and everybody else we dressed you know cool ironed our pen and uh and so the some of the prisoners were gonna take advantage of…
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