#7: In the Azores With the Manson Family

Death by Consumption

6/17/24 - 6/23/24

I spent the week in the Azores with friends, doing my favorite kind of travel — impulse plane tickets, minimal research, no idea what the vibe even is over there, just winging it day by day. As a result, we all arrived with pretty much no idea what to see or do, so every moment was a delightful surprise, and we were mercifully helped along by locals who were excited to tell us where we had to go or what we had to see or eat, which made it all the more special. Sometimes it’s great to just lean into being a totally dumbass tourist!

In direct contrast to the great vibes and relaxing week, my vacation reads were two books on the Manson Family. Just some casual pool-side reading! So this week in consumption, that’s what we’ve got: two books on Charles Manson, and some great food and drink experiences. And really, could you ever ask for more?

Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders, by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry — paperback

The first part of this book — published basically immediately after the Manson Family trials by Vincent Bugliosi, the lead prosecutor — is horrifying and genuinely made me lose sleep. It is visceral in its descriptions of the last moments of Sharon Tate’s and the other victims’ lives, and merciless in portraying the Manson Family — and particularly the women of the Family — as brutal, savage killers with zero remorse. It is truly haunting, and I found myself looking anxiously back and forth from the page to the dark, open window in the cottage we rented on Terceira Island, half-expecting to see, like, Leslie Van Houten climbing through the window with a knife. Even now I’m like, oh god does she have google news alerts for her name???

But after the horrors, the book gets rather tedious, as Bugliosi endlessly relitigates the trial, walking you through Every. Goddamned. Detail. I did find it ultimately fascinating overall, but not for the reasons Bugliosi intended — you get almost no insight into the true workings of the Family or what really happened or why they did what they did, but you do get a hell of a lot of insight into the mind of Bugliosi, this narcissistic, ruthless prosecutor, who is oh-so proud to tell you exactly how he pulled off the convictions of the century. By the end of the book, you can’t help but feel exhausted by his presence on every page — at times, his narration feels nearly as psychopathic and monomaniacal as one of Manson’s rants. The book begins as a fascinating portrait of a twisted murder cult in action, but by the end you’re left wondering if the most terrifying person in the story is the prosecutor himself.

CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties, by Tom O'Neill with Dan Piepenbring — paperback

This is a fantastic read on its own, but it was even more thrilling immediately after finishing Helter Skelter. O’Neill spends a healthy portion of the book tearing into Vincent Bugliosi as only a gay with a grudge can, and I found it incredibly gratifying to have my feelings about Bugliosi confirmed. The man was a psychopath and a liar, and, though there’s no doubt that the Manson Family was responsible for the murders, there is a LOT to question about the methods Bugliosi used to convict them. And boy does O'Neill question the methods, sometimes directly to Bugliosi's face, who then attempts to bargain, then coerce, then discredit, then slander O'Neill, all in an attempt to prevent him from writing this book.

The book spirals out from there, as we follow O'Neill's decades-long, still-unraveling journey to try to learn just what the fuck went on with the Manson Family. I frequently gasped at revelations, which I won't spoil for you here (but there's always Wikipedia if you hate books, I guess). The entire book leaves you wondering, am I crazy for believing what O'Neill is suggesting? Or is it crazier to believe the official narrative? O'Neill himself regularly wonders just how nuts he is as we go deeper down the rabbit hole — yes, of course the conspiracy gets wrapped up with JFK's assassination and also the mob and also the government's mind control experiments, etc. etc. etc. This is the rare book that's full of stunning reporting discoveries, as well as just a damn good read, a real life detective story in which you become a completely willing passenger in O'Neill's car as he drives off the cliff. Ultimately, of course, we're left with more questions than answers, just the uncomfortable reality that our government has done truly horrific things, and will keep doing them, and all we can do is grasp for meaning in the dark and hope we're not one of their victims. Sleep well!!!!!

Pão Pim Pam Pum — at Pim Pam Pum on Terceira, Azores

It is so important, as a New Yorker, to always know a place that serves decent food after 9PM. When we landed on Terceira in the Azores after 10PM, we already knew that almost everything on this tiny, rustic island would be long-closed. So as I anxiously asked the rental car counter girl if we would starve, I was thrilled when she pointed us to Pim Pam Pum, which, she told us, would stay open until 11, and served "pretty cool" food. And you know what? That's exactly what it was! Nothing was exceptional but it was all very good, the garlic-cheesy bread brought us back to life, and the vibes were great. But more than anything else, knowing Pim Pam Pum was always there took all the pressure off of having to decide between watching the sunset at 9:15, or eating dinner. Such are the extremely difficult situations you must contend with on vacation! Please pity me.

Alcatra — at Quinta do Manteca on Terceira, Azores

The Azores, it turns out, are obsessed with cows. I don't say this lightly as a Wisconsinite — I have never seen as many cows in such a small area as I did in the Azores. So you end up eating a lot of beef! The first time we had alcatra, the most traditional dish of the islands (but certainly not the last) was at a restaurant inside an old farmhouse. I think we ate in the old living room? It was the kind of place where the waiter may or may not have been the owner, but he approached our table and told us exactly what we were going to eat, and we simply handed our experience over to him. Alcatra is essentially a spiced beef stew, traditionally served over sliced sweetbread, and extremely, extremely good. The only problem was we had so much food beforehand – a whole tray of starters, plus an insane cabbage and beef soup — that we could barely stomach the massive clay pot full of beef stew dropped in front of us. (As you can see, this week involved a lot of extremely trying circumstances that we bravely pushed through.)

Americano — at the Coffee Cabana on Terceira, Azores

"Let's go get a coffee at this place," Justin said, an innocuous comment that resulted in us finding ourselves, minutes later, in a tiny wooden shack nestled inside a banana farm. The next hour-plus was a stunning experience that became one of the highlights of our trip, in the way that only impulsive travel decisions can.

The coffee house was just the customer-facing outpost of an entire farm, just 7 years old, which grows coffee but also bananas, plantains, avocados, mangos, the list goes on — all of it organically and sustainably. The Americano she made for me was honestly incredible: because all the plants grow side-by-side, you get flavors of the bananas, avocados, even the salt from the nearby sea, which before I tasted this I would have told you is sales bullshit. But the woman who worked there explained all the science to us, in a way that made me not only appreciate coffee more, but also, like, nature? She was also just a true delight to talk to, so we lingered for a long time as she told us a lot about the farm and the islands. If I lived on Terceira, I'd definitely need to regularly grab a white wine and queen out with her. As she said, "I talk so much all the time, I tell my husband: you must cremate me when I die, or I will talk talk talk underground." This was one of those ephemeral interactions that end up becoming one of the primary memories of your entire trip.

So now I'm back in New York City, writing 1,000 words to basically just say to you: travel is fun!