If you've read into the Manson Murders/Manson Saga, you've undoubtedly heard about Paul Watkin's book, My Life With Charles Manson, and just in case you haven't, now's your chance to check it out! Somebody was kind enough to the transcribe the 1979 paperback and convert it into PDF format, and whereas it provides nothing new (or nothing that hasn't already been speculated), it's most definitely a great read. At last check, a used copy of this book goes for anywhere between $75 and $400, and I don't know about you, but that's a tad pricey for a book, especially when it's a story that you already know like the back of your hand, ya dig?
Anyways, if I needed to pick a favorite character from the Manson saga, Paul Watkins would likely be near the top of the list as he seemed like a pretty straight-shooting cat, regardless of the fact that he helped to bolster the prosecution's absurd Helter Skelter theory. More significantly (as far as I'm concerned) he, along with Brooks Poston composed the profoundly amazing music for the 1973 documentary, Manson. In this book, Watkins paints himself as Charlie's right-hand man and integrates himself into the Family with first-hand accounts of shoveling shit, acid laden orgies, and living day to day between Spahn's Movie Ranch, and later Death Valley. His writing style is great, and if you've ever seen him in Manson, he writes exactly how he speaks; slightly aloof, but straight from the hip. It's a shame that he never wrote any other books on his experiences with the Family, and equally upsetting is the fact that he passed away in 1990.
(3mb via DropBox)