Turner recently shared a story about a group of high schoolers who helped pass a state law to allow mental health days in school.
Sophie Turner from Game of Thrones is an outspoken advocate for mental health, and she’s one of many celebrities who has come forward in the public eye about her personal mental health struggles.
Turner recently took a break from social media after marrying Joe Jonas, but logged on to share a story about teen advocates pushing for mental health days in schools, and how their efforts have passed a new law in Oregon.
New Law
A group of four Oregon high schoolers helped pass a law that will allow students to take mental health days when needed. (When Turner retweeted the story, she topped it off with high-five emojis.)
One of the advocates, Hailey Hardcastle, told Today, “I took on this cause for a personal reason first off because so many of my close friends in high school struggled with depression, and there were times when I saw them at school when they really shouldn’t have been there, would have been much better for them to take a day off.”
This new law will take effect this fall. Students will be allowed to take five mental health days every three months as needed.
This is a clearly a major milestone for mental health treatment. Hardcastle continued, “We were inspired by Parkland in the sense that it showed us that young people can totally change the political conversation. Just like those movements, this bill is something completely coming from the youth.”
Lately more attention is being given to the mental health needs of Americans. As a recent report revealed, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 34 in the U.S.
Turner recently appeared on Dr. Phil (Turner is a big fan of the TV therapist) and revealed that she is living with depression, and that it sometimes robs her of any motivation to get out of the house or do anything.
She also recently talked about the importance of self-care to Marie Claire Australia. “Everyone needs a therapist… I think it’s necessary to have someone to talk to, and to help you through that.”
The icon shared a pic of his sobriety coin on social media to mark the occasion.
Sir Elton John has reached another sober milestone. On Monday (July 29) the iconic singer-songwriter celebrated 29 years of sobriety.
Sharing a photo of his sobriety coin on social media, he said in the caption, “29 years ago today, I was a broken man. I finally summoned up the courage to say 3 words that would change my life: ‘I need help.’ Thank you to all the selfless people who have helped me on my journey through sobriety. I am eternally grateful.”
The music and style icon struggled with drugs and alcohol as a young rising star. He described being in a “drug-fueled haze in the ‘80s” before he realized it was time to stop.
“I always said cocaine was the drug that made me open up. I could talk to people,” said John in a 2012 interview with NPR. “But then it became the drug that closed me down.” Ultimately cocaine would cause the musician to isolate himself, “which is the end of the world, really.”
Meeting Ryan White
In his memoir Love Is the Cure, John detailed how meeting Ryan White, a young man who contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion, encouraged him to quit using drugs and alcohol.
“It got me to realize how out of whack my life was,” said John. “I knew that I had to change. And after he died, I realized that I only had two choices: I was either going to die or I was going to live, and which one did I want to do? And then I said those words, ‘I’ll get help’… And my life turned around. Ridiculous for a human being to take 16 years to say, ‘I need help.’”
John acknowledged how his mindset has transformed in recovery.
“What I couldn’t do when I was an addict was communicate, except when I was on cocaine I thought I could but I talked rubbish,” he said, according to Variety. “I have a confrontation problem which I don’t have anymore because I learned if you don’t communicate and you don’t talk about things then you’re never going to find a solution.”
I was fine labeling myself a hedonist, a kinkster, or a playboy, but to actually admit that I couldn’t control my destructive behavior took years, even decades.
With the exception of certain harm reduction models, when it comes to addiction, there isn’t much controversy around what constitutes sobriety. If you went to rehab 10 years ago because you couldn’t stop drinking alcohol or injecting heroin, you probably have a pretty solid idea of what sobriety looks like in your life. But if you went to treatment because of sexual addiction or sexual compulsion issues, recovery might feel a little different.
Almost all of us want some form of sexual satisfaction. When, if ever, does a sex addict move forward with their life and feel comfortable with themselves sexually again? Is that part of you gone forever?
Completely Out of Control
Years ago my life was completely out of control, all due to my sexual behavior. To say that I was sexually compulsive was an understatement. I knew my life was a disaster, but even so, it took me a long time to get help and to come to understand that I had a real problem. I was fine labeling myself a hedonist, a kinkster, or a playboy, but to actually admit that I couldn’t control my destructive behavior took years, even decades. I kept lying, manipulating, and sleeping around, all to give my brain enormous shots of dopamine, which of course was designed to keep me from noticing how miserable and anxious I was.
I was having numerous affairs, but they were never enough to satisfy me. My whole goal was to cheat on the person I was cheating on, then cheat on that person too. My entire life’s purpose was to either get laid or indulge my kinks, and I put a ton of effort into accomplishing this. I lost jobs and two marriages and went into financial ruin because of my sexual behavior, but to get off that ride of adrenaline and anxiety seemed impossible. I lied constantly and was deeply ashamed of who I truly was.
Soul Searching
Finally things got so incredibly awful that I went to rehab, twice in fact, because the first time didn’t quite take. The first time, I went to an outpatient clinic in Los Angeles for two weeks, where we hung out at night and ate sushi. Another time I spent a month in a gritty inpatient facility in Philadelphia.
At the time, it seemed impossible that I would change my behaviors, but with a lot of soul searching and some hard work, I did. It took a while. In fact, it took years. Going to rehab was just the beginning of my journey. I’d walked a long way into the woods and it took a long time to walk back out.
Now, I consider myself to be doing well. I rarely think of myself in terms of being an addict or sexually compulsive anymore. But what is long-term recovery for a long-term sex addict?
Dr. Rob Weiss is an expert at Seeking Integrity, which offers treatment for men struggling with sex addiction/intimacy disorders or co-occurring sex addiction and chemical dependency. He told me, “In early recovery, when it comes to sex addicts or people with intimacy disorders, the treatment is all focused on what negative things have happened in the addict’s life and how to avoid them happening again. But at a certain point, even if the addict struggles for a bit, many sex addicts get to a point where what has happened in the past isn’t ever going to occur again in their lives.”
That certainly has been my experience; I still struggle at times, I still have to watch myself and am still more than a little outside of the norm sexually.
But now, 12 or so years post-rehab, I am in a long-term relationship. We have sex, much of which indulges the same sort of thoughts that I used to be ashamed of. I’ve made amends with people I care about. I am even really good friends with one of my exes and hang out with her all the time.
Lying or Compartmentalizing
So am I cured? Not hardly, but I’m totally honest about who I am with pretty much all the people in my life, including those I am romantically involved with. More importantly, I’m actually honest with myself, and I like who I am.
The honesty piece matters, perhaps more than anything else. Dr. Weiss said, “At some point recovery isn’t about sobriety; it is about integrity. How honest you are in your relationships, how meaningful are your relationships, how connected are you to the people in your life? How much are you being completely honest? Are you doing anything that takes you out of integrity? Are you lying or compartmentalizing?”
If you’re sexually compulsive or an addict, you’re going to have to find a whole new way to look at and understand sex and all the things that surround it. This new outlook must exclude compulsive behavior and all your old destructive patterns. It isn’t the sex itself that’s the problem; it’s how the addict misuses it and turns it into something dangerous and compulsive.
Triggers and Compulsions
Your bottom line behavior is probably going to stay the same over time and there are certain things you used to do that you might need to stay away from forever. No matter who you are, you’ll have triggers and compulsions that you need to avoid. But not all sex addicts are created equal. Your triggers are going to be different from mine.
One of the biggest tools used in treatment for sex addiction is something called the three circles. You draw three circles: an inner circle, a middle circle, and an outer circle. Your inner circle is where you list everything you do when you’re acting out in your addiction—things you simply cannot do. For some, it might be porn or phone sex, but for others, those might not be problem issues. The base issues in my inner circle were lying, manipulating women, or having affairs. Those behaviors stay constant over time. If I do them, I am not being honest with myself or other people in my life, which is dangerous for me.
Your middle circle is filled with the actions and behaviors that might lead you to engaging in your inner circle issues. Then you have your outer circle; these are activities that help you have a productive and healthy life. These activities and behaviors are likely to change. Something that might have caused you to act out sexually ten years ago might not even be a blip on the radar today.
Practicing Honesty and Love
In my experience, the most important mindset for combating sexual addiction and compulsivity is honesty, loving yourself, and being okay with who you are. Once you stabilize your life and start being honest and true with yourself and those around you, you’re most of the way home.
Dr. Weiss agrees: “If I were working a program of sexual recovery and I was spending time with a prostitute, that would mean I wasn’t living with integrity. My goal is to not have anything in my life happen that I would be embarrassed about, or be ashamed about, and that the actions in my life are things I would be glad to tell anyone about and feel good about. No matter what those are.”
A new study found that one-third of first-time drug use happens during the summer months.
People are most likely to try drugs for the first time during the summer months, according to a study released this week.
The study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, found that about one-third of first-time drug use happens during the months of summer. One-third of marijuana and ecstasy use, more than one-third of LSD use and 28% of cocaine use are initiated during the summer, researchers found.
Study author Dr. Joseph Palamar told CNNthat more down time and more parties during the summer could contribute to the trend.
Parties & Festivals
“People aren’t working like crazy, and if you’re going out, maybe just because of the warmer weather, you might be hanging out with people more,” he said.
In addition, music festivals that happen during the summer are popular spots for first-time drug use. “Particularly these days, the festival scene is huge,” he said.
Using drugs for the first time at a festival is particularly risky, he emphasized.
“If you try ecstasy on a whim, and you’re drunk, and you’re dancing in 90-degree weather, that is dangerous,” he said. “Ecstasy is the last thing you should be taking in an unplanned manner. Some party drugs we examined in particular require preparation before use. So while we’re not promoting the use of ecstasy, for example, people who use a drug like ecstasy require adequate rest and hydration to help prevent potential adverse outcomes such as heat stroke.”
First-time drug users can experience unexpected consequences, he said.
“Using a drug for the first time, I think, can place an individual at unique risk, especially if use is unplanned, or if they initiate a drug that they’re unfamiliar with,” Palamar said.
Prevention & Harm Reduction
The data indicates that more drug use prevention efforts should be targeted during the summer months.
“If we’re thinking about prevention or harm reduction in real-time, we need to know when people are at highest risk for using,” he said.
Educating people about the risks of drug use, particularly in festival settings, could help people make more informed choices about their drug use and use more responsibly if they are going to indulge.
“It kills me when I hear about these young kids being carried out of festivals,” Palamar said. “Teens and young adults should not be dying from drugs like ecstasy. I think there’s a lot of uneducated use going on, and it’s scary.”
Williamson, a self-help author and 2020 presidential hopeful, insinuated that antidepressant use led to suicide in a controversial tweet.
Marianne Williamson, a well-known self-help author, is being criticized for her recent comments in interviews and on Twitter about the overprescription of antidepressants, as well as past comments about the role of antidepressants in suicides and use as a way for companies to make money.
Earlier in July, in an interview with the New York Times, Williamson expressed that she does not hold judgement against those who take antidepressants, but that her issue lies in the prescription methods of such medications.
Most recently, Williamson spoke to New York Times political reporter Maggie Astor about her beliefs. Before the interview, Astor says Williamson asked her to read her book, Tears to Triumph, which has to do with embracing emotional pain.
“However deep my suffering, I didn’t want to be anesthetized as I went through it,” Williamson writes in the book. “Like an expectant mother who wants to give birth naturally, rejecting drugs during labor because she wants to experience ‘natural childbirth,’ I wanted to be fully available to the depths of my pain. Why? Because I knew it had something to teach me.”
Clinical Depression
One of the main issues Williamson expressed in her interview with Astor is that the term “clinical depression” is too widely used.
“I don’t challenge the idea that it exists, and I’m sure there are people for whom psychotherapeutic drugs, including antidepressants, are very helpful,” she said. “What I’m saying is that the term is used so loosely today, that people who I have seen experiencing what I consider a normal spectrum of human despair have been termed ‘clinical depression,’ as though that is supposed to shut down the subject.”
The Twitter Controversy
One comment in particular that Williamson came under fire for was her claim that antidepressants played a role in designer Kate Spade’s suicide, despite the fact that there was no proof that Spade had been on antidepressants.
“How many public personalities on antidepressants have to hang themselves before the FDA does something, Big Pharma cops to what it knows, and the average person stops falling for this?” Williamson tweeted at the time.
Williamson claims she still stands by that comment, despite Astor expressing concern that such comments may lead people to believe that antidepressants are dangerous.
“I’m sorry that that’s what you get from the tweet,” Williamson said. “My sense is not that people would read that tweet and think that they were incredibly dangerous. But if anything I say makes people slow down on this topic and have a more serious conversation, particularly when it comes to teenagers, then I’m glad I helped introduce the conversation.”
As far as using Twitter for such discourse, Williamson tells Astor she does recognize the potential issues there.
“I think that is a legitimate challenge to me,” Williamson said. “I feel in my career that I have been very careful. And what I hear you saying is that I should be more careful with Twitter. God knows in the last few weeks, you’d better believe I looked at tweets and regretted it.”
“I can see now that Twitter is not the best place to weigh in on such a serious topic,” she added. “There, yes, I think you’re right.”
It’s been one year since Lovato’s near-fatal overdose that made headlines.
One year after the overdose that sent singer Demi Lovato to the hospital, USA Todaylaid out her milestones over the past 12 months as she’s gotten her life back on track. After a stay in rehab, Lovato has been focusing on her mental health, signed with pop star agent Scooter Braun, took on body-shaming trolls, and worked on her upcoming album.
On July 24, 2018, Lovato was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance after overdosing on oxycodone laced with fentanyl. That was just over a month after releasing the single “Sober,” which revealed that she had recently relapsed after remaining sober for six years. She stayed in the hospital for two weeks before being transferred to in-patient rehab.
Getting Help In 2012
Lovato initially entered addiction treatment in 2012 after her substance use problems began to impact her career to the point that her management team threatened to quit. She had previously been in treatment programs for mental health issues including bulimia, depression, and self-harm, and was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Though Lovato has been fairly open about her mental health and addiction issues, she asked people not to pry and speculate about her issues in a Twitter post following her overdose.
“If I feel like the world needs to know something, I will tell them MYSELF,” she wrote on December 22, 2018. “All my fans need to know is I’m working hard on myself, I’m happy and clean and I’m SO grateful for their support.”
Lovato signed with Scooter Braun, a music manager known for getting musicians through difficult periods of their lives, in May. He will likely have a more behind-the-scenes role than a direct influence, according to USA Today and senior director of music for Billboard Magazine Jason Lipshutz.
“Obviously Scooter has demonstrated an ability to manage difficult situations when it comes to pop artists, from Justin Bieber overcoming his controversy to Ariana Grande dealing with tragedy following Manchester (bombing) in 2017,” said Lipshutz.
In March, Lovato came down on Inquisitr for an article focusing on her weight despite the fact that her struggles with an eating disorder have been public knowledge for some time. The singer posted a screenshot of the article headline about her “fuller figure” with the message “I AM MORE THAN MY WEIGHT.”
According to an anonymous source who spoke to People, Lovato is now “very focused on staying healthy,” taking boxing classes and going on hikes with friends in her spare time. She was also reportedly looking happy and healthy at a birthday dinner for her friend and fellow singer Chloe Star Nakhjavanpour.
New Music
She also recently posted on Instagram about her excitement around her upcoming album and a chance to tell her own story honestly.
“You know what’s great about making an album?” she wrote. “You get to say anything you want, be as open and honest as possible and finally tell your side of the story regardless of who might not like it.”
Therapy is already a reach for people of certain cultures. Aside from other obstacles like cost and access to mental health services, traditionally, Hispanic, black and Asian cultures aren’t very warm to mental health counseling.
A recent report by WFAE in Charlotte, North Carolina explored this subject in the Asheville area.
“In Hispanic cultures, in black cultures, you’re expected to tough it out,” explained Michelle Álvarez, a therapist who has worked in Asheville for over a year. “Therapy is for crazy people. Why would you go and air your dirty laundry to a stranger? I think some people might see it as a luxury for white people.”
Álvarez is under “a lot of pressure” as one of very few therapists of color, and a Spanish speaker, in her area. Some of her clients travel long hours to meet with her.
Less Diverse Than America
The lack of diversity in the mental health profession is stark. According to the American Psychological Association, in 2015 around 86% of psychologists in the US were white—while 5% were Hispanic, 5% were Asian, and 4% were black. As the APA noted, this breakdown is “less diverse than the US population as a whole.”
There has been much discussion regarding the benefits of having a therapist that a client can relate to. Having a shared cultural background is one way to help the client open up and feel comfortable in a session.
“It’s a sort of shorthand and familiarity we share with our clients, not having to explain everything,” said Álvarez. “It ends up being more comfortable for the therapist and the client.”
To offset this lack of diversity, a number of POC-centric mental health directories have emerged—including Therapy for Black Girls, the National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network, and Melanin and Mental Health.
“The research has been consistent in showing that the relationship that the client has with the therapist is the most important thing that will determine whether therapy is going to be effective,” said Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, who created Therapy for Black Girls in 2014. “So anything that makes you feel like you will have a closer relationship with the person who is going to be your therapist is something that we want to choose.”
Cops nabbed $140 million worth of meth after the driver smashed into their cars outside the station.
If you ever feel like you’re having a rough Monday morning, spare a thought for this meth trafficker in Australia who got busted with $140 million (USD) of meth after he absolutely smashed his drug transport van into a parked police car.
It was 10:30 in the morning on Monday, July 22, when New South Wales police officers heard a loud crash outside their building. Upon investigation, the officers discovered two of their cars smashed and the perpetrator nowhere in sight.
“They checked the CCTV, they spoke to witnesses, and they identified a white Toyota Hiace van had collided with the vehicles at the front of the police station and taken off up Ethel Street, Eastwood,” said Detective Inspector Glyn Baker at a press conference.
Meth Smuggling
At around 11:30 AM, a senior officer spotted the car and pulled it over.
“The inspector pulled the vehicle over, engaged the driver in conversation,” reported Det. Insp. Baker. “The vehicle was searched and remarkably inside that vehicle was 13 boxes, in each box contained 21 one kilogram bags of methamphetamine, commonly referred to as ice.”
In all, the authorities discovered about 273 kilograms (600 pounds) of meth, with an estimated street value of about $200 million AUD (or $140 million USD).
The driver, the vehicle, and the drugs were all taken down to the police station.
“The man was subsequently charged with supplied large commercial quantity of prohibited drugs, not giving his particulars, and obviously traffic offenses in relation to crashing into the police vehicles at the front of Eastwood Police Station,” said Det. Insp. Baker.
Though they have their collar and seized the drugs, the case isn’t closed yet. Police are asking citizens for their help in tracking down exactly what the man had been doing with the drugs.
“Anyone who may have dash cam footage or any CCTV footage,” said Det. Insp. Baker. “What we’d like to account for is the time between 10:30am on Monday—yesterday—morning, through to about 11:30 when the inspector stopped the vehicle on Church Street.”
Despite the runaround the driver gave authorities, Det. Insp. Baker couldn’t help but sympathize with the man.
“This 26-year-old Berala man has certainly had a very, very bad day,” he said. “Crashing into police vehicles with that amount of drugs on board is somewhat unheard of and it is an exceptional set of circumstances.”
Some believe that a mind at play experiences beneficial neurological effects.
Video games could be beneficial for those suffering from depression, some experts believe. It may seem counterintuitive as players seem to use video games to isolate and distract themselves from the world, but the mind at play helps people feel more confident and energetic.
Anyone who has played video games knows it stimulates the mind, designed to tickle a person’s reward pathways when they achieve a goal or task as well as develop memory and learning in the hippocampus.
In depressed people, these parts of the brain shrivel. Engaging in a combination of strategy, diligence, and effort to achieve a virtual goal can yield a very real sense of accomplishment that can help restore these critical regions.
Fighting Depression
Researchers have even created a video game specifically tailored to combat depression. In SPARX, players navigate a fantasy world and fight creatures called GNATs (short for gloomy, negative, automatic thoughts) that represent the mental formations of depression. The game is actually a form of cognitive behavioral therapy, wherein players are lead to literally confront and defeat their negative thoughts.
While the game may seem hokey, it works. About 44% of those who played SPARX recovered from depression, up from the 26% of patients recovered though treatment without the game. In recovery, around 66% of SPARX players felt that their depression symptoms had been reduced by at least 30%, while a relatively fewer 58% of non-players could say the same.
This could explain why some people link depression and video games, mistakenly assuming that the lonely escapist gamer is falling deeper into depression as a result of their self-imposed isolation.
However, this cause-and-effect explanation is probably reversed — a depressed gamer is likely already depressed and is actually managing their own symptoms through the use of video games.
Problematic Gaming
That said, video gaming can become problematic if it is used only as an escape and distraction from life. It’s become a prevalent enough problem that the World Health Organization has officially recognized gaming disorder in its International Classification of Diseases.
Like many forms of media, it comes down to which titles are played. Games like Minecraft engage the creative imagination of players, while Nintendo Wii games help people stand up and get moving. Online games like Fornite provide social interaction that can be increasingly harder for children to find as public gathering places, such as malls, fall out of fashion.
Considering that over 26% of adults in the United States suffer from depression, it’s necessary to get to the truth of what helps and harms people suffering from depression.
If I’m watching a movie that makes me glad I’m sober, it’s better than meds. Here are 5 recent favorites, all based on true stories about alcohol, drugs, crime, and consequences.
When one sees 150 movies per year, only a few of them stick. My favorites are intensely dramatic indies based on true tales. When documentaries or features include substance abuse? Slam dunk! They stay in my head. Addiction, true crime, and fame—yes! I went gaga over music biopics Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody.
My friend calls me an excitement junkie. True dat, but there’s another element: If I’m watching a movie that makes me glad I’m sober, it’s better than meds. After hitting rock bottom, and dragging my brokenness into recovery, I had many questions, doubts, and fears. People were incredibly patient.
“Don’t drink, and go to meetings,” they said. I liked this slogan even better: “Don’t think, and go to movies.” So, grab an ice-cold lemonade, crank your air-conditioner to high, then kick back and stream these top five flicks.
1. Trial by Fire
Trial by Fire is based on an article by David Grann for The New Yorker in 2009 about an unlikely friendship between former Texas teacher Elizabeth Gilbert (Laura Dern) and death row inmate Cameron Todd Willingham (Jack O’Connell). Willingham (“Todd”) was found guilty of an arson-related triple homicide in 1992. He was 23 at the time and told everyone that he’d been asleep when the house burst into flames and he couldn’t save his two-year-old and infant twins.
Gilbert (no relation to the author of Eat, Pray, Love) told The Fix: “In 1999, when I wrote the first letter to Todd, my marriage was over and my kids were out of the house…so I had extra time on my hands.”
Opposed to capital punishment, she volunteered to become a pen-pal with a death row inmate.
“I was randomly given Todd’s name,” Gilbert said.
Willingham was a poor, uneducated, unemployed auto mechanic who guzzled Jack Daniels and beat his wife. He was home with the kids while his wife was supporting the family by working in a bar. In court, the prosecutors repeatedly referred to his serpent tattoo and heavy-metal posters as “death images.” Willingham also had a criminal record—a DUI and a couple of petty thefts in his teens.
When Gilbert received Willingham’s first letter, it felt surprising, “It was very forthright. He thanked me for writing and asked me to let the public know how he and others were treated in the penitentiary. Willingham wrote that after there’d been a prison break, the men were no longer allowed to have art supplies or any activities they’d had before.”
After more correspondence and in-person visits, Gilbert grew to believe Willingham was innocent. As she researched the case, she uncovered glaring problems with the investigation and witness statements. When she found out about suppressed evidence that could have cleared him, she contacted everyone involved in the case. Some people spoke to her, others wouldn’t.
Trial By Fire’s director Edward Zwick told The Fix, “It’s one thing to sit in your own room for 10 minutes and not do anything, or even 10 hours. But a prisoner does it for 10 years…. There’s withdrawal; sense deprivation. With Todd, it wasn’t just alcohol. He was doing drugs too, certainly smoking a lot of pot. He was self-medicating. Then, in the midst of everything taken away, there’s no buffer for the pain in the reality of the situation.”
2. Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation
In 2019, many of us are exhausted, wondering What horrible news will I read today? In the 1960s our nation was in a similar mental state—still reeling from the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy. An alarming number of Americans didn’t come back from the Vietnam War. Hordes of disgusted citizens marched for civil rights, women’s equality, and to protest war. In 1967, Hair opened off-Broadway in New York, 100,000 hippies descended on Haight-Ashbury, and Jimi Hendrix blew everyone’s mind at the Monterey Pop Festival.
In August 1969, Woodstock, the iconic symbol of peace and love, almost didn’t happen. Event organizers estimated about 10,000 people showing up. Half a million came. It was three days of fantastic music but also dire conditions—rain storms, gobs of slippery mud, and not enough food or water. By the last day, only 200,000 remained. I’m guessing the other 300K have been kicking themselves ever since.
Jimi Hendrix, the headliner, played last. With his searing guitar and electric stage presence, he performed a medley of big hits and that unforgettable version of “The Star Spangled Banner.” A clip of it was included in Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation. The doc had its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) and received raves. On August 6, PBS makes it available for streaming.
This hope-inspiring indie includes the voices of attendees. We asked one of them, Susie K. Kaufman, if she’d stayed until the last day for Jimi Hendrix.
“Of course! I was there for the mu-uu-uu-sic.” Her emphasis made a two-syllable word sound like four. “My friends were all musicians too. We did not miss any of the performers. We were there to hear it all.”
Kaufman and her friends drove up to the little New York town of Bethel from Morristown, New Jersey in a VW bus.
“We were all high but I was so intensely focused on the music. I’d been protesting all over the place. I was tired. I really needed a break. Woodstock was life-changing for me. I realized I didn’t need drugs anymore. We’d been with 500,000 people and experienced nothing but peace and kindness. It was exactly what I needed.”
It’s a captivating documentary about what is possible despite overwhelming obstacles. Hopefully, America will get back to loving kindness. Love trumps hate.
3. Charlie Says
Fifty years ago, brainwashed and drugged up disciples killed for Charles Manson. Director Mary Harron (American Psycho) tells the story from a new angle, through the perspective of Leslie Van Houten (Hannah Murray). The next tier of central characters are killers Patricia Krenwinkel (Sosie Bacon) and Susan Atkins (Marianne Rendón).
Actor Murray (Game of Thrones) is superb as the vulnerable teen girl. She’s the awkward, shy type that predators often sniff out and seduce. Charlie Says doesn’t glorify anyone, although it is wrenching to watch three teen girls become so enamored with Manson that he’s able to warp their minds. Both Harron and Olivia Klaus, the director of the 2014 TFF doc about Krenwinkel, show what happened in a way that creates empathy for these manipulated girls, but neither film minimizes their heinous crimes.
“[T]he story is told from the women’s perspective—trying to understand why they were in the cult and why they did what they did,” Harron told The Fix.
Today’s “Deep State” conspiracy theory is much the same as Manson’s “Helter Skelter.” When the madman listened to The Beatles’ White Album for the first time in November 1968, he heard imaginary coded messages about an impending race war. Manson believed that black people would defeat white people and it would be up to the Manson Family to save the world by taking over the black race and enslaving them. His disciples soaked in his ramblings and followed his directions to prepare for the apocalypse. He taught his cult to kill.
Watching Murray practice stabbing in one powerful scene is particularly disturbing; seeing three young women confined to an isolated cellblock in a California penitentiary and still devoted to Manson is sickening.
Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie) is compelling and believable as a compassionate grad student who sees the tragedy of lives ruined by a master manipulator. Determined to break Manson’s spell, she helps the women come back to the real world. It’s painful to watch them realize that they’d viciously killed innocent people because they’d believed Manson’s irrational preachings of hate and violence.
I couldn’t help thinking about the 20-year-old Neo-Nazi who drove his car through a crowd of peaceful protestors in Charlottesville. He just received life in prison plus 419 years. I wonder whose unhinged rantings he’d been listening to.
4. Tough Guy: The Bob Probert Story
After 17 years as the National Hockey League’s toughest enforcer, Bob Probert was in chronic pain. He’d been prescribed OxyContin, three pills per day, but took eight instead—two in the morning, two after lunch, two at dinner, and two at bedtime. He’d dip the pills in cola to dissolve the time-release coating, then chop up what was left in a line and snort it. For a couple of hours his back wouldn’t hurt, his hip flexor wouldn’t bother him, and he could walk without the feeling of knives jabbing at his knees.
Probert was a celebrity player for the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks, so much of his life was recorded. During his career, he was suspended twice, jailed for carrying cocaine across the border, and admitted to rehab 10 times. Finally, at age 45, his body gave out. He had a fatal heart attack in the summer of 2010. At the time he was finishing up a memoir about drugs, alcohol, police, customs officials, court appearances, and his battles on ice.
During Tough Guy, you’ll hear Probert read a letter. Have a tissue nearby.
“Dear Disease,” he reads aloud, “You have taken away valuable time from my wonderful wife Dani and my four kids… my self-respect and dignity. You have turned me into someone that I am not.”
Bob’s widow Dani spoke to The Fix. She described a three-day intensive program at one of her husband’s rehabs.
“I didn’t want to go,” she said. “I was like ‘This addiction is his problem.’ But I went and [learned] I had my own baggage.”
She said she found help at Al-Anon meetings and women’s groups. Once she developed some tools, and focused on herself, she had an Aha! moment.
“There’s alcoholism in my family. And I had trauma. My parents were young…. and divorced early. I was raised by everybody but my parents. I thought I was okay when I wasn’t. I had to learn not to be codependent. Our last years together were healthy. I focus on that.”
5. Framing John DeLorean
Part-documentary, part-reenactment, this one tells a story that “has everything” according to DeLorean’s troubled son Zachary. “It’s got cocaine, hot chicks, sports cars, bombed-out buildings, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, FBI agents and hard-core drug dealers.”
DeLorean was a flashy marketing wizard who branded himself as much as the sexy cars he designed. When the carmaker decided his image required a stronger chin, he simply bought one and had it implanted.
Alec Baldwin plays John DeLorean—a man driven by the delusion of his own importance. It was entertaining, and paradoxical, listening to Baldwin discuss DeLorean’s ego while he was made up to look like the celebrated narcissist—including thick black eyebrows, gray hair, and a prosthetic chin.
Tribeca Film Festival’s red carpet for the premier featured three DeLorean cars gliding up to curb. It was exciting to be so close to the futuristic car I recognized from the Back to the Future franchise. When the iconic wings were raised, the cast and crew struggled, trying to contort themselves into positions that allowed them to climb out of the impractical car.
In his heyday, DeLorean was a symbol of the American dream. When GM had enough of his arrogance, they fired him. With a “screw you” he did something unheard of—he created his own car company. Framing John DeLorean is a juicy story of a desperate man who lied to and took advantage of his friends, family, investors, collaborators, and employees. Then he got arrested for a $24 million cocaine deal.
Honorable Mention
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
Directed by Academy Award nominee Joe Berlinger, Extremely Wicked tells the story of the double-life led by the vicious serial killer and necrophile, Ted Bundy (Zac Efron). This is the first time the Bundy story is told from the perspective of his long-term girlfriend Liz Kendall (Lily Collins). Alcohol played a big role in both of their lives. Bundy was executed and Liz Kendall (aka Elizabeth Kloepfer) got sober. It’s a great cast: John Malkovich is a scene stealer. Also featured are Haley Joel Osment, Dylan Baker, and Brian Geraghty.
