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The free-love hippie commune is officially gone and in Part Two of our Charles Manson deep dive, things take a horrifying turn.

This week, we’re continuing Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes with Episode Two, “The Devil’s Business.”

Manson’s control over the Family is getting darker, Tex Watson is desperate to prove himself, harder drugs have entered the picture, and the group’s bizarre “creepy crawls” are just the beginning.

Then everything escalates.

We get into the murder of Gary Hinman, Manson’s increasingly unhinged obsession with starting Helter Skelter, and the horrific events that led to the murders of Sharon Tate and her friends, followed just one night later by the LaBianca murders.

And somehow, while Los Angeles is terrified that seemingly random killers are on the loose, law enforcement is missing connections that feel painfully obvious in hindsight.

We’re talking cult psychology, manipulation, drugs, murder, the Manson Family’s descent into violence—and asking one very interesting question:

If Charles Manson had actually gotten the record deal he desperately wanted, would any of this have happened?

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses murder, sexual assault, abuse of minors, drug use, and graphic violence.

🎧 This is Part Two of our Charles Manson documentary deep dive. Next week, we’re wrapping up Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes with Episode Three.

If you love true crime documentaries, cult stories, Netflix documentary reviews, criminal psychology, and two best friends trying to make sense of stories that absolutely do NOT make sense… welcome to the circus. 🎪

⭐ Follow This Is My Circus on Apple Podcasts and leave us a five-star review to help more people find the show!

Send us Fan Mail

This week, we’re diving into Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes and somehow the Charles Manson story is even more disturbing, bizarre, and completely unhinged than we realized.

We went into this thinking we knew the basics: Charles Manson, the Manson Family, Sharon Tate, Helter Skelter, cult leader, murders. We were NOT prepared for everything that came before it.

In Part One, we’re getting into how Manson found vulnerable young women and pulled them into his “family,” the manipulation and control happening behind the free-love facade, life at Spahn Ranch, and how his obsession with becoming a famous musician somehow involved The Beach Boys.

Yes. The Beach Boys.

We also get into his disturbing childhood, the book that helped teach him how to influence people, his obsession with The Beatles’ White Album, the origins of Helter Skelter, and the moment this supposedly peaceful hippie commune started turning into something much darker.

And obviously, because this is This Is My Circus, we have questions.

How did this tiny man convince all these people he was basically a messiah? How did we not know half of this? How does a Beach Boy accidentally end up living with the Manson Family? And at what point during the “follow exactly in my footprints through the desert” exercise does somebody say, you know what, I think I'm gonna head out?

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode discusses murder, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, drug use, and other disturbing subject matter.

🎧 This is Part One of our Charles Manson deep dive. We’ll be back next week with Episode Two of Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes.

If you love true crime, documentaries, cult stories, and two best friends trying to process absolute insanity with inappropriate amounts of humor, welcome to the circus. 🎪

⭐ Follow This Is My Circus and leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts—it helps more people find the show!

Send us Fan Mail

Things get DARK this week… but don’t worry, Florida Man shows up to bring the chaos.

Stephanie and Meredith are catching up on life, dating updates, questionable shopping habits, and why taking a proctored exam from your bathroom might actually be a new form of psychological warfare.

Then we head into true crime with the absolutely WILD investigation unfolding in Philadelphia involving Eugene Horsch. Missing women, hundreds of thousands of disturbing images, unidentified cremated remains, fake federal credentials, a bizarre basement setup—and a father whose own history makes this story even stranger. There are a LOT of questions here, and this investigation is far from over.

We’re also talking about the Lindsay Clancy case, a Florida Man leading police on possibly the slowest getaway in history, and a Charlotte neighbor who apparently thinks living next door comes with complimentary printing, tool rental, and childcare services.

And for our bookies, we’re reviewing It’s Your Turn Now by Theo Baxter. Let’s just say… Daisy tested our patience, the plot felt VERY familiar, and our rating isn't exactly going on the back cover.

Plus: dating updates, college recruiting news, Family Feud dreams, Meredith's bathroom exam adventure, and the usual ADHD-fueled detours that somehow become half the episode.

🎧 Next week: We’re watching Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes.

Follow This Is My Circus so you don’t miss it—and if you enjoy hanging out in our circus every week, leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts. It helps more people discover the show!