“Garden variety” murderers are ones who kill in the heat of a romantic disputed or on the commission of a felony. It seems to me we are talking about something that is definitely not garden variety.
All the time?
What makes you so sure that there’s no overlap?
It’s interesting that you say that, as I was in my early teens when this happened. My friends and I were a lot more worried about the Zodiac killer and to a lesser extent, the Hillside Strangler, than Manson. But I wouldn’t call any of the three extraordinary in our minds, just crap happening in the real world.
Later on, the Gacy murders and Jonestown were huge deals, but not the three above.
He certainly thought he was. Although he didn’t use that phrase. He talked about coyotes being more alive than other animals because they were more alert.
I’ve just occasionally hung out with people who have used the phrase. Usually while in costume.
Also, by the time she took a pot-shot at Gerald Ford, he’d had several other “close calls” which involved the secret service jumping on him to protect him; so it just added to the humour value - Gerald Ford stumbles on the airplane stairs and the secret service wrestle the stairs to the ground, Gerald Ford bumps his head on the side of the white house pool and the secret service wrestle the pool into submission… Lynette Fromme and Manson were just another punch line, especially when another woman took a pot-shot at Ford a few days later.