This story seems better suited to April Fool’s Day two weeks from now, so unbelievable is it. It’s also the cautionary tale against seeking out your birth parents: Los Angeles DJ Matthew Roberts finally tracked down his birth mother Terry in Wisconsin, only for her to tell him that his father is none other than convicted killer Charles Manson.
Terry explained to her son that he was born Lawrence Alexander, and that he was the result of a “drug-fueled orgy” in which Manson raped her. It’s unclear if Terry put him up for adoption out of fear for his paternity, or because she couldn’t support a child on her own.
What makes this story even more incredibly ironic is that Matthew has grown up vegetarian and following the teachings of Gandhi. At least we have a viable argument for the “nature vs. nurture” debate. The poor guy has been suffering depression since he found out, something of a crisis of identity due to how he might resemble his father. He said,
“I’m not nuts but I’ve got a little bit of it. It’s scary and upsetting. If I get worked up, my eyes get really big and that’s really freaked some people out before. I’ve tried to tone that down quite a bit. I don’t like having that effect on people.
I don’t even like the fact that I’m big. It makes me even scarier. My hero is Gandhi. I’m an extremely non-violent, peaceful person and a vegetarian.
I don’t even kill bugs. I’ve had long hair all my life. I could make it go away, but I can’t let the world and their fears change me.”
Even though he is upset at how he comes off to people, Matthew’s issues are compounded by further ambivalence toward his infamous father. While he says that he “doesn’t want to love [him],” he can’t necessarily hate Manson, either. Manson is imprisoned under a lifetime sentence; as of 2007, he has been denied parole 11 times.
