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Jady Dederich Montgomery:
You thought that it was
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your duty to be a martyr!
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00:00:18,393 --> 00:00:22,439
That is a lie, because you are
such an affected fool
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00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:24,399
that you didn't want
anyone in Synanon
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to think for a moment
that you were a human being
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00:00:27,068 --> 00:00:29,612
and could actually
get into a Game
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00:00:29,654 --> 00:00:31,031
like the rest of us broads
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00:00:31,114 --> 00:00:34,117
because you are
such a phony bitch!
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You are a minimum
daily motherfucker!
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-That is bullshit!
-That is where it is at!
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-That is not-- Plain not true!
-I know when you leave
the job, you should know--
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-You're gonna grow up!
You are going--
-I can't do it!
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No, you are going to grow up,
you old asshole!
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00:00:50,133 --> 00:00:51,885
I wanna talk
to you about something else,
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you cheap fucking
pompous cocksucker!
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You fucking cheap motherfucker!
This fucking guy!
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Stop it! Life goes on,
life gets better,
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00:01:01,436 --> 00:01:03,772
you learn more, you add on,
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and that's
what it's all about.
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I have made so many
mistakes in Synanon,
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and maybe it's just
a Pollyanna bunch of bullshit,
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but I say there is something
worthwhile in this experience.
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What was it?
And it has to be there.
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I'd like you to get honest.
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I want you to get honest,
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and I'm gonna demand
that you get honest.
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You wanna live around here?
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You wanna live in Synanon?
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Start to play the Game!
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(static crackles)
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("California Dreamin'"
by Bud Shank playing)
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♪♪
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00:02:05,166 --> 00:02:08,752
(all yelling)
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00:02:08,794 --> 00:02:13,174
(clippers buzzing)
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-♪ Ooh... ♪
-(shutters snapping)
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-Fire!
-(gun shots)
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00:02:17,721 --> 00:02:19,764
♪ Ooh... ♪
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(shutter snaps)
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-(music fades)
-(projector whirring)
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(dramatic sting)
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(projector slows down)
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(projector stops)
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(helicopter whirring)
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reporter 1:
Charles Dederich,
who turned
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the alcohol and drug
rehabilitation program Synanon
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into a wealthy cult, remains
in custody in Arizona today.
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reporter 2: Synanon founder
Charles "Chuck" Dederich
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was arrested and charged with
conspiracy to commit murder.
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Jady:
My dad,
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00:02:59,262 --> 00:03:01,890
he was intoxicated
when he got arrested.
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00:03:02,724 --> 00:03:05,185
He was intoxicated when he got
arrested in Lake Havasu.
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00:03:05,268 --> 00:03:07,395
He was out.
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00:03:07,479 --> 00:03:10,065
And then, they took him
to the jail hospital
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00:03:10,148 --> 00:03:11,941
in Kingman, Arizona.
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Connie Chung:
A local justice of the peace
went to the hospital
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00:03:15,153 --> 00:03:17,405
to read Dederich
the murder charges against him.
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00:03:17,489 --> 00:03:18,615
Everett Milam:
His eyes was closed.
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00:03:18,656 --> 00:03:20,492
He was laying flat
on his back.
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00:03:20,575 --> 00:03:23,244
I do not know if he knew
what was going on or not.
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00:03:23,578 --> 00:03:25,246
He does have
a mental problem,
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00:03:25,329 --> 00:03:28,500
and I understood that, uh,
alcohol is also a problem.
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00:03:28,541 --> 00:03:30,418
Excuse us, please. Thank you.
Make way, please.
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Jady:
My dad, Chuck's story,
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00:03:33,421 --> 00:03:35,507
and Synanon's story,
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00:03:35,590 --> 00:03:38,802
it’s a big,
beautiful, tragic story.
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reporter: The judge praised
his early Synanon work.
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00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:44,307
He then concluded
that he was sorry
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00:03:44,349 --> 00:03:47,018
the program
had degenerated.
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00:03:48,311 --> 00:03:49,938
Jady:
What happened...
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00:03:51,272 --> 00:03:53,733
it was terrible, yeah.
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00:03:53,817 --> 00:03:56,152
It was terrible.
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00:03:56,194 --> 00:03:58,697
People suffered.
People were hurt.
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00:03:58,780 --> 00:04:00,407
(indistinct chanting)
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00:04:00,490 --> 00:04:04,703
And he did bring
Synanon down around him.
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00:04:07,372 --> 00:04:11,001
But, all of this in Synanon,
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00:04:11,376 --> 00:04:14,713
he-he couldn’t have done it
without us
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enabling him.
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00:04:16,630 --> 00:04:19,801
-(overlapping chatter)
-(shutters snapping)
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♪♪
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Jady:
A lot of really smart,
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00:04:24,556 --> 00:04:27,308
talented,
educated people...
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00:04:27,392 --> 00:04:29,436
Please can we get by?
Excuse us!
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00:04:29,519 --> 00:04:32,689
Jady: ...all did things
we would never do now,
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00:04:32,731 --> 00:04:34,566
you know?
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00:04:35,483 --> 00:04:38,278
I mean,
how does that happen?
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00:04:38,361 --> 00:04:41,906
Because that's not
how it started.
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00:04:41,948 --> 00:04:44,993
(quiet street noise)
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00:04:48,872 --> 00:04:51,416
Mike Gimbel:
The addict loves their needle.
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00:04:51,499 --> 00:04:54,753
-(soft music playing)
-(tapping)
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00:04:58,923 --> 00:05:00,633
When times are rough,
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00:05:00,717 --> 00:05:04,596
I would take my needle
and scrape it inside,
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00:05:04,637 --> 00:05:07,515
thinking there was
a little dope in there.
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00:05:10,060 --> 00:05:12,312
When you're high on heroin,
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00:05:12,395 --> 00:05:16,608
it's a mixture of being
conscious and unconscious.
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00:05:18,068 --> 00:05:19,652
It's somewhere in the middle,
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00:05:19,736 --> 00:05:23,365
which is a very mellow,
warm feeling
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00:05:24,074 --> 00:05:26,117
that you try to reach.
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00:05:30,622 --> 00:05:33,416
Lena Lindsey:
To wake up sick,
and not have any money,
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00:05:33,457 --> 00:05:36,586
and having to go out
and turn a trick
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00:05:36,628 --> 00:05:39,130
so you could get some money,
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00:05:40,465 --> 00:05:43,134
that wasn't any fun.
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00:05:43,176 --> 00:05:45,053
But you did it.
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00:05:45,512 --> 00:05:49,641
'Cause you were looking
forward to that fix.
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00:05:49,724 --> 00:05:51,768
(belt rattling)
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Heroin.
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00:05:55,563 --> 00:05:57,565
I was using heroin.
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00:05:58,650 --> 00:06:01,111
I had dropped out of college.
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00:06:01,152 --> 00:06:03,530
I was living in New York,
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00:06:03,613 --> 00:06:06,157
working at
an avant-garde theater.
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00:06:06,241 --> 00:06:07,742
(canopy flapping)
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00:06:07,826 --> 00:06:11,830
I had drugs on me
when I was arrested.
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00:06:11,913 --> 00:06:13,665
I went to jail.
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00:06:14,791 --> 00:06:18,503
-(door slams)
-Mike: I was born into
a very wonderful family
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00:06:18,586 --> 00:06:20,255
in Baltimore, Maryland.
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00:06:20,338 --> 00:06:21,756
(film projector whirring)
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00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:26,261
In the summer of my junior
year at high school,
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00:06:26,344 --> 00:06:28,263
I got introduced to heroin
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00:06:28,930 --> 00:06:31,766
and probably immediately
was hooked.
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00:06:31,850 --> 00:06:33,308
♪♪
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00:06:33,351 --> 00:06:36,396
Went to my senior prom,
on heroin.
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00:06:36,479 --> 00:06:40,191
Eventually, my life
was 24/7 heroin.
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00:06:40,275 --> 00:06:43,528
-(projector whirring)
-My parents took me
to a psychiatrist.
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00:06:43,611 --> 00:06:45,613
He didn’t know what to do.
Took me to a rabbi.
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00:06:45,697 --> 00:06:48,241
He didn’t know what to do.
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00:06:48,324 --> 00:06:50,201
I remember being
locked in a mental hospital
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00:06:50,243 --> 00:06:51,953
for four weeks.
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00:06:52,037 --> 00:06:55,040
You know, no therapy,
just locked in a room.
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00:06:56,374 --> 00:06:58,752
I wanted out of drug use.
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00:06:59,502 --> 00:07:02,797
But I didn't know
how to get clean.
130
00:07:03,673 --> 00:07:05,675
Lena Lindsey:
Nothing worked.
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00:07:05,717 --> 00:07:08,762
And I knew
if I didn't clean up,
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00:07:08,845 --> 00:07:11,765
my kids wouldn't have
a chance, right?
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00:07:12,891 --> 00:07:16,895
I would raise a prostitute
and a dope fiend
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00:07:16,978 --> 00:07:19,022
just like I was.
135
00:07:21,858 --> 00:07:25,278
Bill Goodson:
My mother was a dope fiend.
We may have known,
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00:07:25,362 --> 00:07:27,572
you know, something like,
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00:07:28,156 --> 00:07:30,950
"Mom is ill. Mom is not well."
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00:07:31,451 --> 00:07:32,994
At the time,
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00:07:33,078 --> 00:07:35,538
it was a pretty desperate
situation for dope fiends
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00:07:35,580 --> 00:07:38,707
because society didn't know
what to do with them.
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00:07:38,750 --> 00:07:42,045
newscaster:
We face a growing menace
called drug addiction.
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00:07:42,087 --> 00:07:45,632
Every citizen must be made
to realize that drug addiction
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00:07:45,715 --> 00:07:47,634
is a very real threat.
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00:07:48,593 --> 00:07:51,096
Lena:
"Once a drug addict,
always a drug addict."
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00:07:51,179 --> 00:07:54,849
And they said it so many times
that drug addicts,
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00:07:54,933 --> 00:07:58,770
we, uh, believed
that ourselves.
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00:07:58,853 --> 00:08:02,649
And we would never
be anything else.
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00:08:02,732 --> 00:08:04,567
-(gavel pounding)
-Bill: In the late '50s,
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00:08:04,609 --> 00:08:08,113
a judge gave my mom
an ultimatum of sorts.
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00:08:08,154 --> 00:08:11,116
You know, "If I see you
in my court one more time,
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00:08:11,199 --> 00:08:12,450
I'm sending you to prison."
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00:08:12,742 --> 00:08:15,912
And then, she heard
about the old man.
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00:08:15,954 --> 00:08:18,164
That's what we called
Chuck Dederich.
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00:08:18,248 --> 00:08:19,541
"The old man."
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00:08:19,624 --> 00:08:22,794
(upbeat energetic
music playing)
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00:08:22,836 --> 00:08:25,797
♪♪
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00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:27,716
Narrator:
It's Jack Linkletter,
"On The Go!"
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00:08:27,799 --> 00:08:30,051
Come out along, we're going
places, doing things,
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00:08:30,135 --> 00:08:33,263
and meeting people everywhere
in their search for happiness.
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00:08:33,888 --> 00:08:36,349
Good morning. Today,
we're in a dilapidated building
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00:08:36,433 --> 00:08:38,809
along the beachfront
here in, uh, California,
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along one of
the beach cities.
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00:08:40,645 --> 00:08:43,481
Actually, this is
an organization called Synanon.
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00:08:43,565 --> 00:08:45,900
This is a home
for drug addicts...
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Lena: One night,
sitting at home, loaded,
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some news guy
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was talking about a new place
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00:08:53,575 --> 00:08:55,827
for drug addicts
to clean up.
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00:08:55,910 --> 00:08:57,537
Well, I've been off the habit,
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uh, actually since
February the 2nd, 1958.
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00:09:00,331 --> 00:09:02,334
I've been to Lexington,
Forth Worth,
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00:09:02,375 --> 00:09:04,377
numerous other hospitals.
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00:09:04,461 --> 00:09:06,212
It's never worked
to this extent.
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00:09:06,296 --> 00:09:08,006
When my habit was at its peak,
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00:09:08,089 --> 00:09:10,925
I robbed and stole,
and I prostituted.
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00:09:11,676 --> 00:09:13,428
-It's a horrible thing,
isn't it.
-It certainly is.
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00:09:13,511 --> 00:09:16,348
-Well, thank you for talking
to me, alright? Thank you.
-You're very welcome.
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00:09:16,389 --> 00:09:18,183
Lena:
It was so surprising.
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00:09:18,224 --> 00:09:21,311
I didn't know any drug addict
that had cleaned up.
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00:09:21,353 --> 00:09:23,897
Jack Linkletter:
I think you're chairman of
the board of directors here.
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00:09:23,980 --> 00:09:25,899
-That's right, Jack.
-Your name?
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00:09:25,982 --> 00:09:29,903
-Chuck Dederich.
-Now, Chuck, uh,
were you an ex dope addict?
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00:09:29,986 --> 00:09:31,988
No, I was an alcoholic, Jack.
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00:09:32,030 --> 00:09:34,199
How long have some of your
people been off dope here?
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00:09:34,282 --> 00:09:36,785
Chuck:
Uh, we have people that
have been off dope
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00:09:36,868 --> 00:09:39,704
ever since the place started,
around 11 months ago,
187
00:09:39,788 --> 00:09:43,333
and then all the way down to...
probably our latest newcomer
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00:09:43,375 --> 00:09:44,793
was about two
or three weeks ago.
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00:09:44,876 --> 00:09:46,878
Now, is this unusual,
to be off dope that long?
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00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:49,881
Uh, it's considered
almost miraculous.
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00:09:49,964 --> 00:09:51,257
(seagull cawing)
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00:09:51,341 --> 00:09:54,969
Mike:
Before Synanon, there was
no residential program
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00:09:55,053 --> 00:09:58,723
that dealt with drug addiction
anywhere in the country.
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00:09:59,057 --> 00:10:00,725
Probably anywhere
in the whole world,
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00:10:00,767 --> 00:10:01,893
to tell you the truth.
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00:10:01,976 --> 00:10:03,353
♪♪
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00:10:03,395 --> 00:10:06,773
Jack Hurst:
I asked to become a resident,
and I was accepted.
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00:10:06,856 --> 00:10:08,483
I found the guy who had managed
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00:10:08,566 --> 00:10:10,902
to stay clean six months
was a hero.
200
00:10:10,944 --> 00:10:13,780
I had never seen
this happen before.
201
00:10:15,657 --> 00:10:17,909
Terry Hurst:
Jack and I'd met May 31st,
202
00:10:17,951 --> 00:10:20,203
and we got married June 19th.
203
00:10:20,829 --> 00:10:23,540
We were madly in love
right from the beginning.
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00:10:23,581 --> 00:10:27,168
We were very happy.
For a time.
205
00:10:27,836 --> 00:10:30,755
And then, Jack started
what he called "chipping."
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00:10:30,839 --> 00:10:33,466
You know, he would go out
and get high,
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00:10:33,550 --> 00:10:36,177
and it just progressed
and progressed
208
00:10:36,219 --> 00:10:37,387
until he finally got hooked.
209
00:10:37,429 --> 00:10:40,849
So, there was nothing
that could help Jack, certainly,
210
00:10:40,932 --> 00:10:43,768
and-and I also knew
that he was trying very hard
211
00:10:43,852 --> 00:10:46,312
to stop using drugs.
He tried everything.
212
00:10:46,396 --> 00:10:49,065
Meanwhile,
we heard about Synanon.
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00:10:49,107 --> 00:10:52,277
So, we went down
on a Friday night
214
00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:54,362
and met with Chuck Dederich.
215
00:10:54,446 --> 00:10:56,489
(soft chatter)
216
00:10:56,573 --> 00:10:59,159
Terry:
Synanon was in a storefront.
217
00:10:59,242 --> 00:11:02,328
And when an addict came in,
they were put on the couch.
218
00:11:03,204 --> 00:11:06,374
And they were not left alone
until they kicked.
219
00:11:06,458 --> 00:11:07,625
(car horn honks)
220
00:11:07,709 --> 00:11:10,420
The rules were don’t get high,
221
00:11:10,462 --> 00:11:12,255
you know, don’t use anything,
222
00:11:12,297 --> 00:11:14,674
and no physical violence.
223
00:11:14,758 --> 00:11:18,094
No violence and no drugs.
224
00:11:18,595 --> 00:11:21,264
They were the golden rules
of Synanon.
225
00:11:21,723 --> 00:11:23,641
Chuck Dederich:
Synanon is a coined word.
226
00:11:23,725 --> 00:11:26,186
It doesn't mean
anything actually.
227
00:11:26,269 --> 00:11:28,146
It's one of the guys
who, uh, mixed up
228
00:11:28,188 --> 00:11:31,816
seminar and symposium
and anonymous, and...
229
00:11:31,858 --> 00:11:34,486
-Jack Linkletter: He threw 'em
all together...
-Chuck: Threw 'em all together
230
00:11:34,527 --> 00:11:36,863
-and came up with a new word.
-Jack Linkletter:
Do you have any help
231
00:11:36,946 --> 00:11:38,239
from doctors and psychiatrists?
232
00:11:38,323 --> 00:11:39,866
The only help we have
233
00:11:39,949 --> 00:11:42,869
is just an occasional donation
from the general public.
234
00:11:42,952 --> 00:11:45,497
-You treat yourselves then?
-That's right.
235
00:11:45,538 --> 00:11:47,457
-Completely alone?
-Completely alone.
236
00:11:47,499 --> 00:11:50,293
(quiet street noise outside)
237
00:11:59,260 --> 00:12:02,847
Mike: Synanon was unlike
any other kind of treatment.
238
00:12:02,889 --> 00:12:04,057
Nobody gave us methadone.
239
00:12:04,140 --> 00:12:07,102
Nobody gave us
any other medicines.
240
00:12:07,185 --> 00:12:10,397
The program was addicts
helping addicts.
241
00:12:11,189 --> 00:12:14,734
That concept was new
and revolutionary.
242
00:12:15,235 --> 00:12:17,862
Jack Hurst:
We're not therapists,
and we're not psychiatrists,
243
00:12:17,946 --> 00:12:20,031
but we all know what it's like
to be a drug addict.
244
00:12:20,115 --> 00:12:22,367
We all know what
it's to be a liar.
245
00:12:23,076 --> 00:12:26,538
So, three times a week,
everyone attends
246
00:12:26,621 --> 00:12:28,957
what we call
our Synanon sessions.
247
00:12:29,791 --> 00:12:32,585
Terry: At that time,
we were having sessions.
248
00:12:33,086 --> 00:12:35,547
A group of people would get
together in the evening,
249
00:12:35,630 --> 00:12:38,717
and discuss their problems.
250
00:12:39,259 --> 00:12:42,012
Chuck was a drunk,
and in the beginning,
251
00:12:42,053 --> 00:12:45,557
Chuck thought he was
starting a small AA.
252
00:12:45,598 --> 00:12:47,600
'Cause he had
cleaned up on AA.
253
00:12:47,684 --> 00:12:49,894
♪♪
254
00:12:49,936 --> 00:12:53,773
Chuck: I was a real good
serious problem drinker.
255
00:12:55,358 --> 00:12:58,737
I ran around with
a very speedy crowd,
256
00:12:58,778 --> 00:13:02,907
and, uh, the party was
never over for me.
257
00:13:04,325 --> 00:13:07,328
I was a salesman,
a public relations person,
258
00:13:07,412 --> 00:13:10,707
and, uh, I-I couldn't
do that anymore.
259
00:13:10,749 --> 00:13:12,417
I had lost all my friends.
260
00:13:12,500 --> 00:13:16,629
I had lost two wives
and two children, you know.
261
00:13:16,713 --> 00:13:18,590
That was gone.
262
00:13:19,174 --> 00:13:21,760
I stopped drinking in
Alcoholics Anonymous
263
00:13:21,801 --> 00:13:26,014
May 14th, 1956.
264
00:13:26,806 --> 00:13:28,975
And I was two years sober
265
00:13:29,059 --> 00:13:32,103
and very active, doing a lot
of attendance at meetings,
266
00:13:32,145 --> 00:13:34,814
doing a lot of, um, helping
of other drunks,
267
00:13:34,898 --> 00:13:36,775
and all that kind of thing.
268
00:13:36,816 --> 00:13:39,444
But it just, it wasn’t
deep enough.
269
00:13:40,278 --> 00:13:43,198
It's around this time
that I put together
270
00:13:43,281 --> 00:13:46,034
an experimental
type of meeting.
271
00:13:46,076 --> 00:13:49,245
♪♪
272
00:13:49,287 --> 00:13:51,164
My dad wasn’t the kind of guy
that was gonna, like,
273
00:13:51,247 --> 00:13:53,792
go through all
the steps and then,
274
00:13:53,875 --> 00:13:56,795
you know, do that for
the rest of his life.
275
00:13:57,379 --> 00:14:00,799
There was a truth
that he wanted,
276
00:14:00,882 --> 00:14:04,803
a kind of confrontation
that he wanted.
277
00:14:04,886 --> 00:14:06,137
And he said, you know,
278
00:14:06,179 --> 00:14:09,808
"I have this lifetime
of bottled-up rage."
279
00:14:10,183 --> 00:14:12,852
And he just started talking
to everybody in the room
280
00:14:12,936 --> 00:14:15,146
like they were horrible.
281
00:14:15,188 --> 00:14:17,357
You know, telling 'em, you know,
whatever kind of asshole
282
00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:20,026
he thought they were,
you know. And they loved it.
283
00:14:20,110 --> 00:14:21,569
(indistinct chatter)
284
00:14:21,653 --> 00:14:24,030
Chuck:
We met three or four
times a week.
285
00:14:24,114 --> 00:14:26,157
We were yelling and cursing
286
00:14:26,199 --> 00:14:29,327
and, you know, really
getting our feelings out.
287
00:14:29,369 --> 00:14:32,956
I think, um, you know,
some people got
some valuable insights,
288
00:14:32,997 --> 00:14:35,000
and it was
a great experience.
289
00:14:35,083 --> 00:14:36,835
(chatter continues)
290
00:14:36,918 --> 00:14:38,962
Lena:
Shortly after they started,
291
00:14:39,004 --> 00:14:42,465
a couple of
dope fiends came in,
292
00:14:42,507 --> 00:14:44,384
and they stayed clean.
293
00:14:45,802 --> 00:14:47,762
And Chuck took notice of that.
294
00:14:47,846 --> 00:14:49,973
♪♪
295
00:14:50,015 --> 00:14:53,268
At that time, nobody wanted
to be around drug addicts.
296
00:14:54,019 --> 00:14:55,520
Terrible stigma.
297
00:14:56,271 --> 00:14:59,232
And why he was not
turned off by people
298
00:14:59,315 --> 00:15:01,860
that were very different
from him in every way,
299
00:15:01,943 --> 00:15:03,570
I don't know.
300
00:15:04,863 --> 00:15:06,906
Maybe it was his face,
301
00:15:06,990 --> 00:15:09,617
his disfigurement
from meningitis.
302
00:15:10,744 --> 00:15:13,121
He was the outcast.
303
00:15:13,204 --> 00:15:15,623
The person who had been
a failure his whole life.
304
00:15:16,916 --> 00:15:21,129
A person who was
broken and lost
305
00:15:21,963 --> 00:15:23,214
and found his way
306
00:15:23,298 --> 00:15:25,925
in connection
with other people.
307
00:15:27,427 --> 00:15:31,056
Chuck: These meetings
were the group process
308
00:15:31,139 --> 00:15:35,352
which later became known
as the Synanon Game.
309
00:15:39,147 --> 00:15:42,233
That was Synanon. (laughs)
310
00:15:42,275 --> 00:15:44,778
The Game was Synanon, really.
311
00:15:44,861 --> 00:15:46,863
(overlapping yelling)
312
00:15:46,946 --> 00:15:49,449
You're not a man!
Your mouth don't make you a man!
313
00:15:49,532 --> 00:15:52,285
Could you take an order?
You couldn't even do it!
314
00:15:52,369 --> 00:15:54,913
-You're not even a (indistinct)!
-(indistinct yelling)
315
00:15:54,996 --> 00:15:58,249
Jady: The Game was
a verbal street fight.
316
00:15:58,290 --> 00:16:01,670
It was a way to have a free,
317
00:16:01,753 --> 00:16:04,172
unencumbered, uninhibited,
318
00:16:04,255 --> 00:16:07,592
no-holds-barred encounter
with another person.
319
00:16:07,676 --> 00:16:10,095
-Oh, you don't
believe that anymore?
-I said yeah!
320
00:16:10,136 --> 00:16:12,972
-Nobody agrees with you! Fine!
-(tense music playing)
321
00:16:13,056 --> 00:16:14,265
(indistinct yelling)
322
00:16:14,307 --> 00:16:16,810
Lena:
The Synanon Game taught us
323
00:16:16,893 --> 00:16:18,395
to look at our own truth.
324
00:16:18,603 --> 00:16:21,147
-All your tiles are coming up!
-This your way of
giving me help? Hello!
325
00:16:21,231 --> 00:16:25,360
Lena: A lot of things
that were thrown at us
326
00:16:25,443 --> 00:16:28,780
from the other participants
in the Game
327
00:16:28,863 --> 00:16:31,866
were to get us
to express a feeling
328
00:16:31,950 --> 00:16:34,786
because most of us had... uh!
329
00:16:34,828 --> 00:16:37,872
Pushed our feelings down.
330
00:16:37,956 --> 00:16:39,790
(indistinct)
331
00:16:40,542 --> 00:16:43,586
Some of the things
that we were said,
332
00:16:43,628 --> 00:16:45,463
they hurt a lot, you know.
333
00:16:46,589 --> 00:16:49,175
But, it helped me
to question myself.
334
00:16:49,259 --> 00:16:51,469
(overlapping yelling)
335
00:16:51,511 --> 00:16:54,014
Jack Hurst: We give vent
to our pent-up emotions
336
00:16:54,097 --> 00:16:56,349
of hostilities
and fears and resentments.
337
00:16:56,433 --> 00:16:58,727
We're able to let go
emotionally,
338
00:16:58,810 --> 00:17:00,854
and see what it looks like,
see what it sounds like,
339
00:17:00,937 --> 00:17:03,481
see how your
peer group takes it.
340
00:17:03,523 --> 00:17:06,358
In the Game,
you could say what you want.
341
00:17:06,443 --> 00:17:09,279
Don't tell me now!
I put my blood in that thing!
342
00:17:09,988 --> 00:17:12,781
Mike:
You save all that anger up,
and you do it in the Game.
343
00:17:12,824 --> 00:17:14,826
(indistinct yelling)
344
00:17:14,867 --> 00:17:19,455
And you can say anything you
want to anybody in that group,
345
00:17:19,497 --> 00:17:22,709
but you can't hit 'em and you
can't threaten to hurt 'em.
346
00:17:22,791 --> 00:17:24,169
No violence.
347
00:17:24,210 --> 00:17:26,003
He's a liar!
He don't do nothing!
348
00:17:26,046 --> 00:17:28,048
Why don't you
help him out, dammit?!
349
00:17:28,131 --> 00:17:30,383
-Why don't you help him?!
-I do wanna help him out!
350
00:17:30,467 --> 00:17:33,636
Lena: The games,
they were scary.
351
00:17:33,678 --> 00:17:35,013
(indistinct)
352
00:17:35,055 --> 00:17:37,682
But some of us loved it,
right?
353
00:17:37,724 --> 00:17:39,267
To get at each other.
354
00:17:39,351 --> 00:17:41,186
What have you learned?
Nothing!
355
00:17:41,269 --> 00:17:44,481
You can't even,
even relax with yourself.
356
00:17:44,522 --> 00:17:47,400
The Game was
this pressure valve.
357
00:17:47,484 --> 00:17:51,404
-(overlapping yelling)
-(curious music playing)
358
00:17:51,488 --> 00:17:53,782
But when you go to bed
at night, you’ll think about it
359
00:17:53,865 --> 00:17:56,409
over and over and over again.
360
00:17:56,493 --> 00:18:00,288
This led to change
and accountability.
361
00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:05,543
The meetings provide
an emotional catharsis,
362
00:18:05,627 --> 00:18:08,213
an emotional release
which can result in
363
00:18:08,254 --> 00:18:09,714
insights into the problem
364
00:18:09,756 --> 00:18:11,966
because the answer
to the person’s problem
365
00:18:12,050 --> 00:18:13,635
is within himself.
366
00:18:13,718 --> 00:18:15,553
(muffled chatter)
367
00:18:15,595 --> 00:18:17,931
Lena:
You never get over having
368
00:18:18,014 --> 00:18:20,558
that addictive personality.
369
00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:24,479
-Do you see what I mean?
Do you understand?
-I know it. Yeah.
370
00:18:24,562 --> 00:18:27,023
Lena:
In the Game, you learn
371
00:18:27,065 --> 00:18:30,735
how to deal with
that feeling differently.
372
00:18:30,777 --> 00:18:32,821
Constructively,
373
00:18:32,904 --> 00:18:35,532
instead of destructively.
374
00:18:36,658 --> 00:18:39,786
(overlapping chatter)
375
00:18:40,912 --> 00:18:44,874
Mike:
After trying to kick the heroin
habit several times,
376
00:18:46,376 --> 00:18:48,253
I don’t know what happened.
377
00:18:48,294 --> 00:18:51,131
Something happened to me
at that point...
378
00:18:51,214 --> 00:18:54,050
(gentle music playing)
379
00:18:54,092 --> 00:18:56,761
...and it just, somehow,
it just felt right.
380
00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:07,605
I wouldn’t be sitting here!
381
00:19:07,689 --> 00:19:08,982
(laughs)
382
00:19:09,065 --> 00:19:11,651
I would not be sitting here
383
00:19:11,735 --> 00:19:14,612
if there had not been
a Synanon Game.
384
00:19:16,281 --> 00:19:17,532
Terry:
Synanon does work.
385
00:19:17,615 --> 00:19:20,452
It's worked for us.
It's brought my family together,
386
00:19:20,493 --> 00:19:24,080
and I see all kinds of people
building new lives again
387
00:19:24,122 --> 00:19:25,915
with the help of the people
here at Synanon.
388
00:19:28,001 --> 00:19:31,338
("Beach Baby" by
The First Class playing)
389
00:19:31,421 --> 00:19:35,175
♪ Ah-ah, ah-ah ♪
390
00:19:35,258 --> 00:19:38,386
♪ Ah-ah, ah... ♪
391
00:19:38,470 --> 00:19:41,973
♪ Do you remember
back in old LA, oh oh oh ♪
392
00:19:42,057 --> 00:19:45,602
♪ When everybody drove
a Chevrolet, oh oh oh ♪
393
00:19:45,643 --> 00:19:48,188
♪ Whatever happened
to the boy next door? ♪
394
00:19:48,813 --> 00:19:52,734
♪ Suntanned, crew cut,
all-American male ♪
395
00:19:52,817 --> 00:19:53,902
♪ Remember... ♪
396
00:19:53,943 --> 00:19:55,403
Mike:
Chuck first opened Synanon
397
00:19:55,487 --> 00:19:57,781
in this little
building in town,
398
00:19:57,822 --> 00:20:00,325
and it grew, and it grew.
399
00:20:00,408 --> 00:20:02,952
And it wasn't big enough
for all these people.
400
00:20:02,994 --> 00:20:06,623
And he thought, "Hey,
I need to get a bigger place."
401
00:20:06,664 --> 00:20:08,333
♪♪
402
00:20:08,375 --> 00:20:11,544
♪ Beach baby, beach baby,
there on the sand ♪
403
00:20:11,628 --> 00:20:14,631
♪ From July to
the end of September ♪
404
00:20:14,673 --> 00:20:17,842
♪ Surfing is fun,
we'd be out in the sun ♪
405
00:20:17,884 --> 00:20:21,304
♪ Every day ♪
406
00:20:23,139 --> 00:20:27,352
We moved to
the "smart" part of town
407
00:20:27,977 --> 00:20:29,020
to the Armory.
408
00:20:29,104 --> 00:20:31,189
-(seagulls cawing)
-(song fades out)
409
00:20:31,231 --> 00:20:33,775
Our front door was the beach.
410
00:20:34,192 --> 00:20:38,321
We had this big picture window
that looked out at the ocean,
411
00:20:38,363 --> 00:20:40,407
and everybody
was sitting around
412
00:20:40,490 --> 00:20:43,076
talking
and hanging out together.
413
00:20:43,159 --> 00:20:46,371
(soft saxophone playing)
414
00:20:47,580 --> 00:20:51,251
Jady:
The Armory's rent
was $500 a month.
415
00:20:51,334 --> 00:20:53,628
$500 a month,
416
00:20:53,712 --> 00:20:55,714
and nobody knew where the money
was gonna come from.
417
00:20:55,755 --> 00:20:57,507
(indistinct chatter)
418
00:20:57,549 --> 00:20:59,551
But nobody went hungry.
419
00:20:59,592 --> 00:21:02,137
They never
went without food.
420
00:21:02,220 --> 00:21:03,888
Like oxtail stew,
421
00:21:03,972 --> 00:21:05,890
day-old bread,
422
00:21:05,932 --> 00:21:08,560
lots of big salads with lots
of Thousand Island dressing
423
00:21:08,643 --> 00:21:10,895
because the lettuce
was a little wilty.
424
00:21:10,937 --> 00:21:12,397
(chatter continues)
425
00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:14,858
Terry:
Chuck founded a miracle.
426
00:21:14,899 --> 00:21:18,570
But he knew that he had
a money problem.
427
00:21:18,653 --> 00:21:22,323
So, he started
to develop ideas.
428
00:21:22,407 --> 00:21:24,743
His first idea was
we're a business.
429
00:21:24,784 --> 00:21:27,370
We're in the business
of curing drug addicts.
430
00:21:28,079 --> 00:21:29,414
And then,
he became the executive
431
00:21:29,456 --> 00:21:31,499
running the corporation.
432
00:21:31,583 --> 00:21:33,710
Ron Cook:
Chuck always said,
433
00:21:33,752 --> 00:21:37,213
"I run Synanon like a business
like Gulf Oil
434
00:21:37,255 --> 00:21:40,425
'cause that's where
I got my training."
435
00:21:40,467 --> 00:21:43,970
Chuck used to refer to me
as the goddamn bookkeeper.
436
00:21:44,054 --> 00:21:46,806
(laughs)
437
00:21:48,099 --> 00:21:50,018
I wasn't a drug addict.
438
00:21:50,101 --> 00:21:53,980
I was a CPA, and I was
Chief Financial Officer
439
00:21:54,064 --> 00:21:56,149
-for Synanon.
-(phone ringing)
440
00:21:56,232 --> 00:21:57,901
-(typewriters clicking)
-(office chatter)
441
00:21:57,942 --> 00:22:00,362
Chuck established Synanon
442
00:22:00,445 --> 00:22:03,448
as a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization.
443
00:22:03,490 --> 00:22:05,492
It had all the tax benefits
444
00:22:05,575 --> 00:22:07,952
that any nonprofit
organization had.
445
00:22:10,246 --> 00:22:11,623
(office chatter)
446
00:22:11,664 --> 00:22:14,626
There was
a board of directors.
447
00:22:14,668 --> 00:22:17,420
Mostly, it was drug addicts
who were instrumental
448
00:22:17,462 --> 00:22:19,714
in the start of Synanon.
449
00:22:20,924 --> 00:22:22,092
And they got the love,
450
00:22:22,133 --> 00:22:24,803
the attention, the respect
451
00:22:24,844 --> 00:22:26,971
that maybe in
a lot of organizations,
452
00:22:27,055 --> 00:22:28,223
they wouldn’t get.
453
00:22:28,306 --> 00:22:30,308
-(quiet chatter)
-Terry: At that point,
454
00:22:30,392 --> 00:22:34,270
there were about 60 people
living in Synanon.
455
00:22:34,312 --> 00:22:36,147
There was a community there,
456
00:22:36,189 --> 00:22:39,442
and you were part of that,
457
00:22:39,484 --> 00:22:41,736
and you were part
of the growth of that.
458
00:22:42,362 --> 00:22:44,406
Synanon was free.
459
00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:46,366
Synanon was free.
460
00:22:46,449 --> 00:22:47,742
(quiet chatter)
461
00:22:47,826 --> 00:22:50,161
But they had to feed everybody
462
00:22:50,203 --> 00:22:52,372
and take care of everybody.
463
00:22:52,455 --> 00:22:54,958
So, Chuck created
the hustling business.
464
00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,086
("Tighten Up Pt.1"
by Archie Bell
& The Drells playing)
465
00:22:58,169 --> 00:23:00,755
(plastic crinkling)
466
00:23:00,839 --> 00:23:03,925
They hustled all
the goods and services.
467
00:23:04,009 --> 00:23:06,261
And these were people
who literally just went out
468
00:23:06,344 --> 00:23:07,971
and asked for things.
469
00:23:08,013 --> 00:23:09,639
♪♪
470
00:23:09,681 --> 00:23:14,477
Nobody is a bigger con artist
than an addict! (laughs)
471
00:23:14,519 --> 00:23:15,562
I mean,
you go into a company.
472
00:23:15,645 --> 00:23:18,356
"Hey, look, you know...
473
00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:22,027
I'm a recovering addict.
Synanon saved my life."
474
00:23:22,068 --> 00:23:24,029
Who's gonna say no to that?
475
00:23:24,696 --> 00:23:28,533
Donations came pouring in
like you would not believe.
476
00:23:28,616 --> 00:23:30,368
-Yo, Al!
-Al: Yeah?
477
00:23:30,410 --> 00:23:32,704
Mike: And people
gave us everything!
478
00:23:34,706 --> 00:23:37,042
We hustled Christmas trees,
479
00:23:37,083 --> 00:23:38,376
sheepskin,
480
00:23:38,418 --> 00:23:40,920
soap, cowboy boots,
481
00:23:41,004 --> 00:23:44,341
a Cadillac convertible,
live fish,
482
00:23:44,382 --> 00:23:48,345
3 million hot cups,
15,000 trees.
483
00:23:48,386 --> 00:23:51,723
People would donate cotton!
484
00:23:51,765 --> 00:23:54,684
People would donate cattle!
485
00:23:54,726 --> 00:23:56,728
We had a whole department
that just did nothing
486
00:23:56,811 --> 00:23:59,981
but cut up all the beef,
you know? I mean,
487
00:24:00,065 --> 00:24:02,692
it was crazy!
488
00:24:03,651 --> 00:24:07,364
-Eventually,
Synanon had gas stations.
-(bell ringing)
489
00:24:07,405 --> 00:24:09,407
They owned all
these apartments,
490
00:24:09,449 --> 00:24:12,118
and we were painting
every day and working.
491
00:24:14,120 --> 00:24:18,541
And this was part of
Chuck's dream of how to do it.
492
00:24:21,127 --> 00:24:22,754
No one got paid for the work.
493
00:24:23,296 --> 00:24:26,091
You got to stay in Synanon.
494
00:24:26,174 --> 00:24:28,426
-You were happy.
-(laughter)
495
00:24:28,510 --> 00:24:30,387
(indistinct chatter)
496
00:24:30,428 --> 00:24:33,431
-(song fades out)
-(seagulls cawing)
497
00:24:33,515 --> 00:24:35,392
Lena:
Betty Coleman.
498
00:24:35,433 --> 00:24:38,103
She was like
my sister in Synanon.
499
00:24:38,812 --> 00:24:42,357
We were dope fiends, and we knew
each other on the street.
500
00:24:42,607 --> 00:24:45,735
Very smart woman.
Very smart.
501
00:24:45,777 --> 00:24:49,739
She and Chuck became
girlfriend-boyfriend.
502
00:25:10,218 --> 00:25:13,179
(gentle music playing)
503
00:25:13,263 --> 00:25:14,639
Chuck and Betty got married.
504
00:25:14,723 --> 00:25:16,307
-(seagulls cawing)
-(waves splashing)
505
00:25:16,391 --> 00:25:18,643
Everybody
came to the wedding.
506
00:25:20,020 --> 00:25:22,605
officiant:
Charles, will you have Betty
to be your wife?
507
00:25:23,481 --> 00:25:26,276
-Chuck: I will.
-Betty Coleman: I, Betty,
take thee, Charles.
508
00:25:26,317 --> 00:25:27,694
officiant:
To be my wedded husband.
509
00:25:27,777 --> 00:25:29,320
Betty:
To be my wedded husband.
510
00:25:33,033 --> 00:25:33,950
(shutter snaps)
511
00:25:42,250 --> 00:25:45,295
Chuck had two kids.
512
00:25:45,337 --> 00:25:48,089
His son, Chuck Jr.,
513
00:25:48,173 --> 00:25:49,841
we called him Dede.
514
00:25:50,342 --> 00:25:54,679
And Jady was Chuck's daughter
from his second marriage.
515
00:25:56,348 --> 00:25:59,351
Jady:
This is Betty and me.
516
00:25:59,392 --> 00:26:01,686
So this was right
after I moved in.
517
00:26:01,728 --> 00:26:03,521
We here at Synanon House...
518
00:26:03,563 --> 00:26:04,981
Jady:
Betty was gentle,
519
00:26:05,023 --> 00:26:08,443
and she could connect
and touch people.
520
00:26:09,194 --> 00:26:13,198
But always with a kind
of grace and dignity.
521
00:26:14,657 --> 00:26:17,494
You know,
she was ballast for Dad.
522
00:26:17,535 --> 00:26:20,038
She was like a mediator,
I think.
523
00:26:22,207 --> 00:26:23,875
You know, it took me
524
00:26:23,917 --> 00:26:27,170
a while to fully accept her.
525
00:26:28,505 --> 00:26:29,881
You know, partly because
I felt like
526
00:26:29,964 --> 00:26:31,716
I was betraying my own mother,
527
00:26:32,467 --> 00:26:34,719
who had just died.
528
00:26:35,929 --> 00:26:37,764
And then, it was, you know,
529
00:26:37,847 --> 00:26:39,557
learning how to be out
in the world
530
00:26:39,641 --> 00:26:42,018
with an integrated family.
531
00:26:43,645 --> 00:26:47,857
At that time,
an interracial couple was rare.
532
00:26:49,401 --> 00:26:51,611
Frowned upon.
533
00:26:52,570 --> 00:26:55,031
In some places,
probably illegal.
534
00:26:55,907 --> 00:26:59,411
But, in Synanon,
there was a bigger calling.
535
00:27:00,161 --> 00:27:04,082
Chuck and Betty decided to
take on this mission together.
536
00:27:05,333 --> 00:27:08,753
That did not go without thought.
The guy wasn't,
537
00:27:08,837 --> 00:27:10,964
"I'm so in love,
I'm gonna marry." No.
538
00:27:11,047 --> 00:27:13,258
There's a lot of thought
put into that.
539
00:27:13,341 --> 00:27:16,094
Because the implications of it
540
00:27:16,136 --> 00:27:17,762
were really...
541
00:27:18,555 --> 00:27:20,098
pretty strong.
542
00:27:21,016 --> 00:27:23,560
Synanon was born
in Santa Monica.
543
00:27:23,601 --> 00:27:25,103
(waves splashing)
544
00:27:25,145 --> 00:27:29,357
Santa Monica
is super-duper white.
545
00:27:29,733 --> 00:27:32,777
I mean, sterile white.
546
00:27:32,819 --> 00:27:35,030
If you were anything
other than white,
547
00:27:35,113 --> 00:27:38,950
there was a place marked off
for you at the beach.
548
00:27:40,744 --> 00:27:42,912
Along comes this guy
549
00:27:42,954 --> 00:27:46,166
who integrates
living facilities
550
00:27:46,249 --> 00:27:48,668
in Santa Monica.
551
00:27:48,752 --> 00:27:50,587
Unheard of!
552
00:27:50,628 --> 00:27:55,467
But even worse,
on the beach! (laughs)
553
00:27:55,550 --> 00:27:59,429
Right?
On the beach of Santa Monica!
554
00:27:59,471 --> 00:28:01,431
That's a definite no-no.
555
00:28:01,473 --> 00:28:04,392
(upbeat music playing)
556
00:28:04,476 --> 00:28:07,312
(indistinct chatter, cheering)
557
00:28:07,562 --> 00:28:09,898
Jack Linkletter:
I must say that now that
you're in a new building,
558
00:28:09,981 --> 00:28:12,233
this is 1,000% improvement,
if not more.
559
00:28:12,317 --> 00:28:15,320
-Are your problems over?
-Chuck: No, indeed.
560
00:28:15,362 --> 00:28:18,365
One of our biggest problems
today is public acceptance.
561
00:28:18,448 --> 00:28:21,034
We feel that we don't have
any addicts in this building
562
00:28:21,117 --> 00:28:23,286
because no narcotics
are used here.
563
00:28:24,746 --> 00:28:27,332
Every place where we move in,
564
00:28:27,374 --> 00:28:30,210
the neighbors all storm
the city council and say,
565
00:28:30,293 --> 00:28:34,297
"Here come the dope fiends!
They're gonna sack the city!"
566
00:28:34,339 --> 00:28:36,883
There is a member of,
or a segment of our society,
567
00:28:36,966 --> 00:28:38,968
the lunatic fringe, the bigots,
568
00:28:39,010 --> 00:28:41,388
that have been devoting
their time and energies
569
00:28:41,471 --> 00:28:43,223
to running us out of town.
570
00:28:43,306 --> 00:28:45,517
And now, they're up
to this kind of stuff.
571
00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:48,978
Hanging, uh, Synanon
residents in effigy.
572
00:28:59,572 --> 00:29:00,824
(quiet chatter)
573
00:29:00,865 --> 00:29:03,243
Bill:
Whether it be drug addicts,
574
00:29:03,326 --> 00:29:07,330
whether it be interracial
communal living,
575
00:29:08,123 --> 00:29:12,377
there was so much to not like,
you know, at that time.
576
00:29:14,212 --> 00:29:16,881
Lena:
The people in Santa Monica
577
00:29:16,923 --> 00:29:19,801
wanted to get rid of us.
578
00:29:19,884 --> 00:29:21,177
They hated us.
579
00:29:21,219 --> 00:29:24,472
-(microfiche clicks)
-(somber music playing)
580
00:29:29,936 --> 00:29:31,938
Chuck "Dede" Dederich Jr.:
I used to go with my dad.
581
00:29:32,731 --> 00:29:34,357
They had these big
town hall meetings.
582
00:29:34,399 --> 00:29:36,693
All these neighbors
would get in and scream
583
00:29:36,735 --> 00:29:38,069
and holler at the microphone
584
00:29:38,153 --> 00:29:40,280
and say that we were
in the wrong place,
585
00:29:40,363 --> 00:29:42,991
and that you
can't have drug addicts
in the neighborhood,
586
00:29:43,074 --> 00:29:45,577
and who are we, blah blah...
I mean on and on.
587
00:29:45,660 --> 00:29:47,912
And then, the newspapers,
of course, would pick it up.
588
00:29:50,832 --> 00:29:52,917
And they would
exaggerate more,
589
00:29:52,959 --> 00:29:55,712
so that was a real experience
to me to see
590
00:29:55,754 --> 00:29:59,007
what prejudice is.
591
00:30:01,384 --> 00:30:03,595
Jady: We always said
that race was a big part of it.
592
00:30:03,636 --> 00:30:05,805
-Dede: Right.
-Jady: You know,
we were still living
593
00:30:05,889 --> 00:30:09,934
-in that apartheid kind
of climate on the beach.
-Dede: Yeah.
594
00:30:14,230 --> 00:30:16,608
Phil Bourdette:
When I was in
the Public Defender’s Office,
595
00:30:16,691 --> 00:30:20,236
I started referring
clients to Synanon,
596
00:30:20,278 --> 00:30:23,782
and I felt like I was doing
something to help somebody,
597
00:30:24,282 --> 00:30:27,118
which is what I wanted to do
when I went to law school.
598
00:30:27,744 --> 00:30:31,623
The City of Santa Monica didn’t
want Synanon in their city.
599
00:30:32,957 --> 00:30:34,959
Santa Monica residents
put enough pressure
600
00:30:35,043 --> 00:30:36,711
on the Santa Monica government
601
00:30:36,795 --> 00:30:39,798
to bring charges
of operating a hospital
602
00:30:39,881 --> 00:30:43,843
without a license,
which it was not a hospital.
603
00:30:43,927 --> 00:30:45,053
We didn't
have doctors there.
604
00:30:45,136 --> 00:30:47,055
It was not
a medical thing at all,
605
00:30:47,138 --> 00:30:50,558
but the judge told Chuck
he would put him on probation
606
00:30:50,642 --> 00:30:52,018
but while he was on probation,
607
00:30:52,102 --> 00:30:54,479
he had to stay away
from Synanon.
608
00:30:54,562 --> 00:30:55,939
And Chuck said, "No.
609
00:30:55,980 --> 00:30:58,733
"What I'm doing here
is the right thing to do,
610
00:30:58,817 --> 00:31:00,276
"dealing with drug addiction
611
00:31:00,318 --> 00:31:03,988
"in a way that wasn't done
before Synanon,
612
00:31:04,072 --> 00:31:07,617
and I'll go to jail for it
if that's what I have to do."
613
00:31:07,659 --> 00:31:10,537
And the judge says,
"Alright, you’re going to jail."
614
00:31:10,620 --> 00:31:12,205
So Chuck went to jail.
615
00:31:12,914 --> 00:31:14,958
There aren’t many people
that go to jail
616
00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:17,669
for zoning violations.
617
00:31:19,504 --> 00:31:21,715
Jady: Synanon was in
a fight for its life.
618
00:31:22,173 --> 00:31:26,177
And Betty, she stepped up
to hold the community together,
619
00:31:26,261 --> 00:31:28,513
and kept the place going.
620
00:31:36,813 --> 00:31:39,607
(drumming)
621
00:31:39,691 --> 00:31:42,944
(indistinct chatter)
622
00:31:47,699 --> 00:31:50,952
(chatter continues)
623
00:31:56,207 --> 00:31:59,878
Terry: What we talked about
inside of Synanon was
624
00:31:59,919 --> 00:32:01,504
we were the victims.
625
00:32:02,881 --> 00:32:04,132
There was a common enemy,
626
00:32:04,215 --> 00:32:07,552
and it enforced our strength
inside of Synanon.
627
00:32:09,095 --> 00:32:11,514
It was us or them.
628
00:32:13,641 --> 00:32:16,728
(distant chatter)
629
00:32:20,774 --> 00:32:23,735
-(music fades out)
-(car drives by)
630
00:32:23,777 --> 00:32:26,029
narrator:
A visitor is arriving.
631
00:32:26,071 --> 00:32:29,324
A former member of Synanon.
He is high on heroin,
632
00:32:30,075 --> 00:32:31,993
and desperate.
633
00:32:33,119 --> 00:32:37,040
There he is. Look at him.
He's damn near dead.
634
00:32:37,082 --> 00:32:39,584
He's now strung out
on narcotics,
635
00:32:39,626 --> 00:32:42,212
smashed.
636
00:32:42,253 --> 00:32:43,880
Miriam Bourdette:
I didn't know
637
00:32:43,922 --> 00:32:45,882
whether I would be
one of those people
638
00:32:45,924 --> 00:32:48,593
who would revert to drug use
639
00:32:48,635 --> 00:32:52,472
if I left Synanon
'cause so many did.
640
00:32:53,264 --> 00:32:55,100
And I was a little afraid
641
00:32:55,183 --> 00:32:57,310
that that might happen.
642
00:32:57,394 --> 00:33:00,105
There has not
been one single person
643
00:33:00,146 --> 00:33:02,941
who split from Synanon.
Not one.
644
00:33:03,775 --> 00:33:07,862
There hasn't been one
stayed clean, baby. Not one!
645
00:33:08,613 --> 00:33:12,033
I believe because I have
faith in myself, you know?
646
00:33:12,117 --> 00:33:15,578
(overlapping yelling)
647
00:33:15,620 --> 00:33:16,746
(yelling fades)
648
00:33:16,788 --> 00:33:18,540
Lena:
When I went into Synanon,
649
00:33:18,623 --> 00:33:20,709
it was a year program.
650
00:33:20,792 --> 00:33:24,295
My next commitment
was three years.
651
00:33:24,337 --> 00:33:26,881
Then Chuck started saying
652
00:33:26,965 --> 00:33:28,758
a dope fiend had
to stay in Synanon
653
00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:31,970
because if they left,
they would never make it.
654
00:33:32,053 --> 00:33:34,180
♪♪
655
00:33:34,264 --> 00:33:36,182
Mike:
Chuck's position was,
656
00:33:36,266 --> 00:33:37,976
"This is where
you need to be,
657
00:33:38,018 --> 00:33:40,437
and if you leave,
you're gonna die."
658
00:33:40,478 --> 00:33:43,148
That was what went
in our heads constantly.
659
00:33:43,189 --> 00:33:46,109
If you leave,
you’re gonna die.
660
00:33:46,151 --> 00:33:49,237
(indistinct chatter)
661
00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:50,905
Lena:
He told us
662
00:33:50,989 --> 00:33:53,783
Synanon was a lifetime thing.
663
00:33:53,825 --> 00:33:56,119
We would be there forever.
664
00:34:00,248 --> 00:34:03,501
My mother was taking care
of the kids for me.
665
00:34:04,169 --> 00:34:06,504
But she would get
on the phone. (laughs)
666
00:34:06,588 --> 00:34:08,422
"Aren't you ready
to come home yet?"
667
00:34:08,505 --> 00:34:10,592
Tears would be coming
outta my eyes
668
00:34:10,675 --> 00:34:13,719
'cause I knew that I needed
to be in Synanon.
669
00:34:15,804 --> 00:34:19,184
Bill:
I think that Chuck
didn't want my mom
670
00:34:19,266 --> 00:34:21,186
just having that
kind of stress
671
00:34:21,268 --> 00:34:24,188
of not knowing what to do
with her kids
672
00:34:24,230 --> 00:34:27,192
that finally one day,
he just said, "Go get them."
673
00:34:28,525 --> 00:34:30,195
♪♪
674
00:34:30,235 --> 00:34:33,989
I was 3. My sister was 7.
675
00:34:34,032 --> 00:34:36,034
That's when my memory started,
676
00:34:36,451 --> 00:34:38,703
when I arrived in Synanon.
677
00:34:40,205 --> 00:34:42,581
There were other kids
that had moved in.
678
00:34:42,665 --> 00:34:44,876
We bonded immediately
679
00:34:44,958 --> 00:34:47,837
and became like brothers
and sisters.
680
00:34:48,420 --> 00:34:52,132
-(waves splashing)
-The Armory was absolute heaven
681
00:34:52,217 --> 00:34:55,053
because the beach was ours.
682
00:34:55,094 --> 00:34:57,263
(indistinct chatter)
683
00:34:57,347 --> 00:35:00,308
The day was spent
running around,
684
00:35:00,392 --> 00:35:03,353
getting into any kind of
mischief and mayhem
685
00:35:03,395 --> 00:35:05,021
-that we could.
-(kids giggling)
686
00:35:05,063 --> 00:35:08,692
(wheels squeaking)
687
00:35:09,192 --> 00:35:13,697
And being exposed to people
kicking on couches,
688
00:35:13,738 --> 00:35:15,532
to everything.
689
00:35:15,573 --> 00:35:18,326
I remember
emptying puke buckets
690
00:35:18,410 --> 00:35:20,245
and getting cold rags.
691
00:35:20,620 --> 00:35:23,915
It was completely normal,
completely natural.
692
00:35:23,998 --> 00:35:25,875
It was our living room.
693
00:35:27,836 --> 00:35:30,547
It was communal parenting.
694
00:35:30,588 --> 00:35:31,881
(baby babbling)
695
00:35:31,923 --> 00:35:36,094
There was a group of mothers
that ruled the nest,
696
00:35:36,136 --> 00:35:37,846
so if my mom wasn't there,
697
00:35:37,929 --> 00:35:42,142
Terry Hurst was there,
or somebody's mom was there.
698
00:35:44,060 --> 00:35:47,105
Synanon was an experiment,
699
00:35:47,147 --> 00:35:48,773
and I don't think
Chuck Dederich
700
00:35:48,857 --> 00:35:52,318
or anybody else really knew
what they were doing.
701
00:35:52,402 --> 00:35:56,573
The thought of children was
the last thing on their mind.
702
00:35:56,614 --> 00:35:58,116
(hallway chatter)
703
00:35:58,199 --> 00:36:01,369
They were just trying
to keep saving lives.
704
00:36:01,411 --> 00:36:04,330
♪♪
705
00:36:04,414 --> 00:36:06,624
Mike:
Synanon started open houses,
706
00:36:06,708 --> 00:36:09,044
Saturday night parties
for the community
707
00:36:09,127 --> 00:36:12,005
to come in,
learn about Synanon.
708
00:36:12,088 --> 00:36:13,965
Bill:
There were a lot of celebrities
709
00:36:14,049 --> 00:36:15,925
that used to hang out
at Synanon.
710
00:36:15,967 --> 00:36:18,762
Esther Phillips,
the jazz singer.
711
00:36:18,803 --> 00:36:20,221
Lucille Ball.
712
00:36:20,305 --> 00:36:23,099
-Mike: Jane Fonda.
-Terry: Ricardo Montalbán.
713
00:36:23,141 --> 00:36:26,519
All kinds of people
came to visit us
714
00:36:26,603 --> 00:36:29,356
and see what
we were all about.
715
00:36:29,439 --> 00:36:30,648
Isn't it arrogant of Synanon
716
00:36:30,732 --> 00:36:34,778
to think it can succeed
where orthodox organizations
717
00:36:34,819 --> 00:36:37,030
haven't really been able
to make much difference?
718
00:36:37,113 --> 00:36:38,448
I feel every right
to be arrogant.
719
00:36:38,490 --> 00:36:40,825
If that's the word,
it's a good one.
720
00:36:42,452 --> 00:36:45,246
Oh, I was a publicist. Jesus.
721
00:36:45,538 --> 00:36:47,332
I made more goddamn noise
722
00:36:47,374 --> 00:36:49,834
with my little raggedy-ass
band of people.
723
00:36:49,876 --> 00:36:53,296
-(interviewer laughs)
-National television,
everything.
724
00:36:53,338 --> 00:36:56,257
It's been some time since
I recommended a book.
725
00:36:56,341 --> 00:36:58,510
I recommend this one,
unreservedly.
726
00:36:58,593 --> 00:37:00,553
To quote Senator Thomas Dodd
of Connecticut,
727
00:37:00,637 --> 00:37:02,764
"The Synanon method is
the first hopeful method
728
00:37:02,847 --> 00:37:05,934
of curing drug addicts
that has ever been devised."
729
00:37:06,017 --> 00:37:09,312
newscaster:
"The President wishes
Synanon continued success."
730
00:37:09,354 --> 00:37:12,482
Lawrence O'Brien for
President John F. Kennedy.
731
00:37:12,524 --> 00:37:15,652
"Of one thing I feel quite
sure, and that is that
732
00:37:15,694 --> 00:37:19,197
Synanon house is working."
Richard M. Nixon.
733
00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:20,824
"Synanon may be doing more good
734
00:37:20,865 --> 00:37:23,702
than all the rehabilitation
centers in the world."
735
00:37:23,785 --> 00:37:26,955
Edmond G. Brown, governor,
state of California.
736
00:37:27,956 --> 00:37:29,624
The population grew.
737
00:37:29,708 --> 00:37:33,253
And we opened facilities
all over the country.
738
00:37:35,547 --> 00:37:37,590
reporter:
These are the residents
of the new Synanon house
739
00:37:37,674 --> 00:37:39,843
in Connecticut.
They have a motto.
740
00:37:39,884 --> 00:37:41,386
"Hang tough."
741
00:37:41,428 --> 00:37:43,430
And then,
they made a movie about us.
742
00:37:44,389 --> 00:37:46,599
That movie was a big deal.
743
00:37:46,683 --> 00:37:50,812
And it was like a real movie,
you know, about Chuck,
744
00:37:51,354 --> 00:37:54,899
with Edmond O'Brien
and, uh, Eartha Kitt.
745
00:37:55,358 --> 00:37:58,236
You need him
like you need a fix.
746
00:37:58,319 --> 00:38:00,613
Mike:
That really got the word out.
747
00:38:00,697 --> 00:38:03,199
singer:
♪ Hey man, lemme tell you
what's happenin' ♪
748
00:38:03,241 --> 00:38:05,577
-♪ Down at Synanon ♪
-♪ Tell me about it, baby ♪
749
00:38:05,660 --> 00:38:08,913
♪ Well, everybody's doing it,
blow your mind! ♪
750
00:38:08,997 --> 00:38:12,000
(upbeat music continues)
751
00:38:16,379 --> 00:38:19,257
(muffled crowd chatter)
752
00:38:19,341 --> 00:38:21,426
There were a lot of musicians
753
00:38:21,509 --> 00:38:23,261
that came into Synanon
for help.
754
00:38:23,345 --> 00:38:25,597
♪♪
755
00:38:28,224 --> 00:38:29,893
Joe Pass,
756
00:38:29,934 --> 00:38:33,104
probably the best jazz
guitar player in the world.
757
00:38:33,146 --> 00:38:35,899
Art Pepper was there.
758
00:38:36,816 --> 00:38:40,779
They would play, and everybody
would get up and dance.
759
00:38:40,820 --> 00:38:44,074
We had our own Synanon dance
called the Hoop La.
760
00:38:46,034 --> 00:38:47,577
singer:
♪ The Hoop La ♪
761
00:38:47,619 --> 00:38:49,871
♪ It’s a dance
where you're not confined ♪
762
00:38:49,954 --> 00:38:53,416
♪ You can be 8 to 80,
bow-legged, crippled,
or blind ♪
763
00:38:53,458 --> 00:38:54,584
(crowd cheering)
764
00:38:54,626 --> 00:38:56,795
♪ Ah yeah, woo! ♪
765
00:38:56,878 --> 00:39:00,298
I mean, the comradery
was unbelievable.
766
00:39:00,340 --> 00:39:02,801
(song continues)
767
00:39:02,842 --> 00:39:06,888
And in Synanon,
you really loved everybody.
768
00:39:06,971 --> 00:39:08,807
I didn’t like everybody,
769
00:39:08,848 --> 00:39:11,810
but I really had a feeling
of love for everybody.
770
00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:16,481
-(song fades out)
-(birds chirping)
771
00:39:16,564 --> 00:39:19,484
Chuck: I personally
am in closer touch
772
00:39:19,567 --> 00:39:22,153
with the people around me.
773
00:39:22,195 --> 00:39:23,488
In Synanon,
774
00:39:23,530 --> 00:39:26,491
I think that there is
a-a deeper level
775
00:39:26,533 --> 00:39:29,160
or a higher level
776
00:39:29,202 --> 00:39:32,122
of communication between people.
777
00:39:32,163 --> 00:39:34,499
Mike:
All across the country,
778
00:39:34,582 --> 00:39:37,669
people were starting to deal
with their mental health.
779
00:39:37,711 --> 00:39:40,588
A lot more than they did
probably before.
780
00:39:40,672 --> 00:39:43,425
Now, as Synanon was growing,
781
00:39:43,508 --> 00:39:45,552
the Synanon Game became
782
00:39:45,635 --> 00:39:48,013
the right therapy
at the right time. (laughs)
783
00:39:49,014 --> 00:39:52,684
Ron:
There were some very brilliant
people in their fields
784
00:39:52,726 --> 00:39:56,021
who would come through
and study the Synanon Game.
785
00:39:56,062 --> 00:39:57,522
We were successful,
786
00:39:57,564 --> 00:40:00,483
and the Synanon Game
is what enabled it.
787
00:40:01,693 --> 00:40:03,486
Mike:
Professors, psychologists,
788
00:40:03,528 --> 00:40:05,780
they knew something
was going on here.
789
00:40:06,948 --> 00:40:09,534
Chuck Dederich took in
a bunch of junkies,
790
00:40:09,576 --> 00:40:11,453
and he was keeping 'em clean.
791
00:40:12,162 --> 00:40:16,041
speaker: In effect, Synanon
is performing mass analysis,
792
00:40:16,082 --> 00:40:18,877
the changing of
an entire group of people.
793
00:40:18,960 --> 00:40:21,379
This has been called
the greatest breakthrough
794
00:40:21,463 --> 00:40:24,257
in psychiatry since Freud.
795
00:40:24,341 --> 00:40:26,718
♪♪
796
00:40:26,801 --> 00:40:29,596
Mike: Chuck started
Synanon Game Clubs.
797
00:40:30,263 --> 00:40:32,515
They were in
all the facilities.
798
00:40:32,557 --> 00:40:35,560
In New York, in Detroit,
799
00:40:35,643 --> 00:40:37,062
in San Francisco.
800
00:40:37,687 --> 00:40:39,773
And the Game clubs
would be for the people
801
00:40:39,856 --> 00:40:42,984
out in the community
who weren't addicts,
802
00:40:43,068 --> 00:40:46,988
but they understood
the power of what was going on.
803
00:40:48,323 --> 00:40:50,617
4,000 people belong
to our Synanon club,
804
00:40:50,700 --> 00:40:53,286
so they don't live here.
People from all walks of life.
805
00:40:53,370 --> 00:40:56,122
Newsmen,
housewives, bricklayers,
806
00:40:56,206 --> 00:40:59,334
doctors, lawyers,
and all peoples get together
807
00:40:59,376 --> 00:41:02,462
within the Synanon
environment and talk.
808
00:41:02,921 --> 00:41:05,006
Your wife is
one of your hang-ups.
809
00:41:05,090 --> 00:41:06,591
Hell, your wife is
one of the best things
810
00:41:06,675 --> 00:41:08,343
you got going for ya.
811
00:41:08,426 --> 00:41:09,928
Why don't you talk about you?
812
00:41:09,969 --> 00:41:12,263
-What do you
wanna know about me?
-I-- Look!
813
00:41:12,347 --> 00:41:14,974
I'm not gonna pull your covers!
You wanna play the Game,
play the Game.
814
00:41:15,058 --> 00:41:16,768
That's not true. I...
815
00:41:16,851 --> 00:41:19,270
Terry: People that
weren't addicts,
816
00:41:19,354 --> 00:41:22,440
people that just heard
about Synanon.
817
00:41:22,524 --> 00:41:24,067
You know, they came down
and played the Game,
818
00:41:24,109 --> 00:41:27,904
and they started to
just enjoy the community.
819
00:41:27,946 --> 00:41:29,781
(laughter)
820
00:41:30,740 --> 00:41:34,327
Buddy Jones:
My wife and I went
to a Synanon Game club.
821
00:41:34,411 --> 00:41:36,371
It was like an awakening.
822
00:41:36,454 --> 00:41:38,873
It was totally integrated.
823
00:41:38,957 --> 00:41:40,625
♪♪
824
00:41:40,667 --> 00:41:43,628
John Madden had recruited me
to play football
825
00:41:43,670 --> 00:41:45,213
at San Diego State.
826
00:41:46,214 --> 00:41:49,009
Some friends said, "Listen,
when you get down to San Diego
827
00:41:49,092 --> 00:41:52,137
and you feel the pressure,
go to Synanon."
828
00:41:52,804 --> 00:41:56,141
We walked into the building,
and boom!
829
00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:00,186
I never used drugs,
I was not a dope fiend.
830
00:42:00,478 --> 00:42:02,981
But I began to play the Game.
831
00:42:03,023 --> 00:42:05,650
It was a lifesaver for me
in a certain way
832
00:42:05,692 --> 00:42:08,737
'cause every time I had
a good catharsis in the Game,
833
00:42:08,820 --> 00:42:10,989
I felt a little lighter.
834
00:42:11,072 --> 00:42:12,991
(overlapping chatter)
835
00:42:13,074 --> 00:42:17,787
Lynn Ritter:
The Synanon Game was great.
It was right up my alley.
836
00:42:17,829 --> 00:42:20,498
It was, it was just--
I felt like I'd come home.
837
00:42:20,540 --> 00:42:22,334
You could say
what you wanted to say.
838
00:42:22,417 --> 00:42:25,670
I wanted to jump
right into it.
839
00:42:25,754 --> 00:42:28,340
You don't know how to verbalize
yourself in here, and with me.
840
00:42:28,381 --> 00:42:30,508
This is what goes on!
841
00:42:30,550 --> 00:42:32,844
-I met Phil there.
-(weak laugh)
842
00:42:32,886 --> 00:42:35,513
And he was kind of
a cool glass of water.
843
00:42:35,597 --> 00:42:39,059
-Good-looking guy.
-(both laugh)
844
00:42:39,768 --> 00:42:43,229
I kind of, uh, was
a little full of myself.
845
00:42:44,189 --> 00:42:46,191
I got ganged up on
846
00:42:46,232 --> 00:42:48,902
by a couple of very
experienced Game players
847
00:42:48,985 --> 00:42:51,196
and got my feelings
terribly hurt.
848
00:42:51,237 --> 00:42:54,240
-(laughs)
-Lynn: I just wish
I'd been there!
849
00:42:54,324 --> 00:42:56,743
-You should've been
in that game with me! (laughs)
-Oh, man!
850
00:42:56,826 --> 00:43:00,955
-Excuse me. Go-- Go ahead.
-It would've saved you a lot
of trouble down the road!
851
00:43:01,039 --> 00:43:03,041
(both laugh)
852
00:43:04,167 --> 00:43:07,671
Norm Johnson:
When the Game Club
opened up to nonresidents,
853
00:43:07,712 --> 00:43:10,548
Squares,
as we were called.
854
00:43:11,091 --> 00:43:14,386
I was probably
one of the early participants.
855
00:43:15,053 --> 00:43:17,222
I played the Game
in Los Angeles
856
00:43:17,305 --> 00:43:19,557
and up in San Francisco.
857
00:43:19,599 --> 00:43:22,727
I went through a divorce,
and I did have
858
00:43:22,769 --> 00:43:25,522
a reoccurring struggle
with depression.
859
00:43:25,563 --> 00:43:28,942
Playing the Synanon Game
helped me.
860
00:43:29,025 --> 00:43:31,236
The intimacy of the Game,
I think,
861
00:43:31,277 --> 00:43:35,407
moved me to a place where
I felt I had nothing to hide
862
00:43:35,448 --> 00:43:37,742
and it just seemed to-to create
863
00:43:37,826 --> 00:43:40,412
a level of communication
that was delicious.
864
00:43:40,453 --> 00:43:42,080
(game chatter)
865
00:43:42,163 --> 00:43:45,375
Lena:
The Squares would volunteer
866
00:43:45,417 --> 00:43:47,669
and donate their time
and money.
867
00:43:47,752 --> 00:43:49,212
(indistinct)
868
00:43:49,254 --> 00:43:51,506
We had something good going on,
869
00:43:51,589 --> 00:43:55,218
and they wanted to be
a part of it, right?
870
00:43:56,386 --> 00:44:00,849
(kids chattering)
871
00:44:04,936 --> 00:44:08,898
Terry:
This couple came in,
Nina and Al Bauman,
872
00:44:08,940 --> 00:44:11,359
and they more or less
started the school.
873
00:44:12,027 --> 00:44:15,697
It was in a house they rented
down the beach from the club.
874
00:44:33,506 --> 00:44:35,884
Aha. I love this picture.
875
00:44:35,967 --> 00:44:37,802
This is in front of the school.
876
00:44:37,886 --> 00:44:40,013
That’s myself,
877
00:44:40,096 --> 00:44:44,851
um, then we’ve got Charlene,
who was my first girlfriend.
878
00:44:46,519 --> 00:44:48,730
We actually
moved into the school.
879
00:44:49,606 --> 00:44:53,360
And now suddenly, we were
thrown into this new situation.
880
00:44:53,818 --> 00:44:56,029
I was probably around 12.
881
00:44:56,821 --> 00:44:59,240
That's when we all first
started playing the Game.
882
00:44:59,324 --> 00:45:01,826
Patty:
We're out there. You had to
write a note and tell me
883
00:45:01,868 --> 00:45:03,953
it's time for school,
you little asshole!
884
00:45:03,995 --> 00:45:05,663
What do you think you are?!
885
00:45:05,705 --> 00:45:08,958
(kids yelling)
886
00:45:14,047 --> 00:45:15,382
(sighs)
887
00:45:15,465 --> 00:45:17,967
That Game, it hurts my heart.
888
00:45:18,009 --> 00:45:21,096
-(kids yelling)
-Charlene is being gamed.
889
00:45:22,222 --> 00:45:23,807
The Game for kids
was no different
890
00:45:23,848 --> 00:45:25,558
than the Game for adults.
891
00:45:25,642 --> 00:45:27,268
Patty:
You little buttface!
892
00:45:27,352 --> 00:45:28,853
I know you are, Patty!
893
00:45:28,895 --> 00:45:31,022
Patty: And you sneak
in the back and you smoke!
894
00:45:31,064 --> 00:45:35,026
-Oh yeah?! (indistinct)
-(all yelling)
895
00:45:35,068 --> 00:45:37,612
Patty:
Don't lie, Charlene!
(indistinct)
896
00:45:37,696 --> 00:45:39,531
You were doing it also!
897
00:45:39,572 --> 00:45:41,408
Bill:
You can see so much pain
898
00:45:41,491 --> 00:45:45,537
in her young heart, which
she carried through her life.
899
00:45:45,578 --> 00:45:49,499
(yelling continues)
900
00:45:49,582 --> 00:45:51,835
Bill: I learned
how to play the Game
901
00:45:51,876 --> 00:45:56,339
and did everything I could
to not have it turn on me.
902
00:45:56,381 --> 00:45:58,800
I think the painful part for me
903
00:45:58,883 --> 00:46:00,010
was some of my best friends,
904
00:46:00,051 --> 00:46:01,970
they didn't know
how to play the Game.
905
00:46:02,053 --> 00:46:04,973
They were afraid of it.
906
00:46:05,056 --> 00:46:06,725
You know,
I wanted to protect them.
907
00:46:06,766 --> 00:46:08,184
(indistinct)
908
00:46:08,226 --> 00:46:12,063
But, it's kind of hard because
as soon as you open that door,
909
00:46:12,105 --> 00:46:15,400
then suddenly, you know,
it's like, vroom.
910
00:46:15,442 --> 00:46:17,610
The focus becomes on you,
911
00:46:17,694 --> 00:46:19,362
and why are you
trying to protect,
912
00:46:19,404 --> 00:46:23,491
you know, uh, your classmate
or your brother or your sister.
913
00:46:23,575 --> 00:46:26,786
(yelling continues)
914
00:46:38,590 --> 00:46:40,759
A lot of my young friends
915
00:46:40,800 --> 00:46:44,220
couldn't figure out
how to play by the rules
916
00:46:44,262 --> 00:46:46,097
of a place that
didn't have any rules
917
00:46:46,139 --> 00:46:49,142
or rules that
changed all the time.
918
00:46:49,225 --> 00:46:51,311
(kids yelling)
919
00:46:51,394 --> 00:46:52,771
Imagine a situation
920
00:46:52,812 --> 00:46:55,565
where the vultures
can pick you apart
921
00:46:55,607 --> 00:46:57,150
unless you fight back.
922
00:46:57,233 --> 00:46:59,444
Some kids
couldn't fight back.
923
00:47:00,570 --> 00:47:01,613
You know, there was,
924
00:47:02,072 --> 00:47:05,408
for sure,
some collateral damage.
925
00:47:05,450 --> 00:47:07,744
(curious music playing)
926
00:47:07,786 --> 00:47:09,537
As kids,
927
00:47:09,621 --> 00:47:13,541
we didn’t understand
all of the ins and outs of it.
928
00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:16,961
But we knew that
there was this whole movement.
929
00:47:17,003 --> 00:47:19,172
-(indistinct)
-(kids screaming)
930
00:47:19,255 --> 00:47:22,217
And to some degree,
I think that it was
931
00:47:22,300 --> 00:47:24,511
-a sign of the times.
-(laughter)
932
00:47:24,594 --> 00:47:27,347
("Alone Again Or"
by Love playing)
933
00:47:27,430 --> 00:47:31,142
Buddy: You have to think
in terms of not just Synanon.
934
00:47:31,601 --> 00:47:35,313
You have to think about
what was happening in the '60s.
935
00:47:35,355 --> 00:47:39,359
Synanon was just like a part of
all the other social movements.
936
00:47:41,319 --> 00:47:44,239
I mean, the whole culture
was exploding.
937
00:47:44,322 --> 00:47:46,032
♪ Yes ♪
938
00:47:46,116 --> 00:47:47,450
♪ Said it's alright ♪
939
00:47:48,910 --> 00:47:50,286
♪ I won't forget ♪
940
00:47:50,328 --> 00:47:52,205
-Jesse Jackson (chants): I am!
-crowd (chants): I am!
941
00:47:52,288 --> 00:47:54,290
-Jesse: Somebody!
-crowd: Somebody!
942
00:47:54,332 --> 00:47:55,834
-Jesse: I am!
-crowd: I am!
943
00:47:55,917 --> 00:47:57,377
-Black!
-crowd: Black!
944
00:47:57,460 --> 00:47:59,337
-Jesse: Beautiful!
-crowd: Beautiful!
945
00:47:59,421 --> 00:48:00,839
-Proud!
-crowd: Proud!
946
00:48:00,880 --> 00:48:02,215
I must be respected!
947
00:48:02,298 --> 00:48:04,175
crowd:
I must be respected!
948
00:48:04,259 --> 00:48:09,097
♪ And I will be alone
again tonight, my dear ♪
949
00:48:09,180 --> 00:48:12,392
-(gentle splashing)
-Buddy: In 1968,
950
00:48:12,475 --> 00:48:15,854
Synanon moved
to the Del Mar Club.
951
00:48:15,937 --> 00:48:19,357
(seagulls cawing)
952
00:48:20,025 --> 00:48:21,860
By that time,
there were a lot of people
953
00:48:21,943 --> 00:48:25,155
who were beginning to look
at the difference
954
00:48:25,196 --> 00:48:28,992
between their own lifestyle
and the Synanon lifestyle.
955
00:48:29,034 --> 00:48:31,286
-(song fades out)
-(quiet chatter)
956
00:48:31,369 --> 00:48:34,706
Terry:
I think that there were a lot
of people that felt alone.
957
00:48:35,457 --> 00:48:38,877
In Synanon, you just
connected in a special way.
958
00:48:38,960 --> 00:48:40,253
(quiet chatter)
959
00:48:40,337 --> 00:48:43,006
You ate all
your meals together.
960
00:48:43,381 --> 00:48:45,425
You had a job
that wasn't too difficult.
961
00:48:45,508 --> 00:48:49,179
Your evenings were
all taken up with games
962
00:48:49,220 --> 00:48:51,389
and Saturday night parties.
963
00:48:52,515 --> 00:48:54,267
You never were lonely,
964
00:48:54,351 --> 00:48:57,062
you were totally
taken care of,
965
00:48:57,103 --> 00:49:00,398
and a lot of people
wanted to become a part of it.
966
00:49:00,482 --> 00:49:03,735
-(leaves rustling)
-(soft music playing)
967
00:49:05,153 --> 00:49:07,072
Elena Broslovsky:
I dropped out of college
968
00:49:07,155 --> 00:49:09,240
and I ended up
in San Francisco
969
00:49:09,282 --> 00:49:11,493
during the Summer of Love.
970
00:49:12,744 --> 00:49:16,331
I was hitchhiking
down Oak Street.
971
00:49:16,414 --> 00:49:18,291
Guy picked me up
on his motorcycle
972
00:49:18,375 --> 00:49:21,586
and said he was going
to the Synanon Street Fair.
973
00:49:21,628 --> 00:49:24,422
And I went,
"Oh, my God! That rehab."
974
00:49:24,464 --> 00:49:26,424
(quiet street noise)
975
00:49:26,466 --> 00:49:29,386
They’re wearing love beads,
they have rock bands.
976
00:49:29,427 --> 00:49:30,762
Um, this is great.
977
00:49:30,845 --> 00:49:33,932
I wasn't a drug addict,
978
00:49:34,015 --> 00:49:36,434
but I wanted to join.
979
00:49:36,518 --> 00:49:39,187
♪♪
980
00:49:40,689 --> 00:49:43,274
(inaudible)
981
00:49:44,484 --> 00:49:47,112
Rod Mullen:
I think, for a lot of people,
982
00:49:47,153 --> 00:49:50,824
Synanon was an opportunity
to live in a way
983
00:49:50,907 --> 00:49:54,160
that was consistent
with your principles.
984
00:49:54,244 --> 00:49:56,204
I really
saw the organization
985
00:49:56,287 --> 00:50:00,625
as a vital approach
to civil rights.
986
00:50:03,712 --> 00:50:06,798
(gentle music playing)
987
00:50:10,135 --> 00:50:12,429
(crowd chatter)
988
00:50:12,470 --> 00:50:14,055
(cars honking)
989
00:50:14,931 --> 00:50:17,183
Elena:
One of the things that
made me wanna move in
990
00:50:17,267 --> 00:50:20,895
were the three assassinations
that happened.
991
00:50:20,979 --> 00:50:24,649
♪♪
992
00:50:24,733 --> 00:50:27,402
That put a lot of people
993
00:50:27,485 --> 00:50:30,530
in absolute despair
about our country.
994
00:50:30,613 --> 00:50:32,157
(crowd cheering)
995
00:50:32,198 --> 00:50:35,952
When the news about
Martin's assassination came,
996
00:50:35,994 --> 00:50:38,830
I saw Chuck on the stage.
997
00:50:59,184 --> 00:51:04,647
And he talked about a community
and forming a community.
998
00:51:04,689 --> 00:51:08,193
We had a view.
Synanon is a social movement.
999
00:51:08,276 --> 00:51:10,236
Any kind of a divide
1000
00:51:10,320 --> 00:51:12,989
that people had
between each other,
1001
00:51:13,031 --> 00:51:15,200
we believed
could be talked out,
1002
00:51:15,241 --> 00:51:17,577
could be healed,
could be confronted.
1003
00:51:19,329 --> 00:51:21,915
Rod:
Chuck really believed
that community itself
1004
00:51:21,998 --> 00:51:23,750
was healing.
1005
00:51:23,833 --> 00:51:26,086
(crowd singing)
1006
00:51:26,169 --> 00:51:30,090
And that community was not
only good for addicts.
1007
00:51:30,632 --> 00:51:34,094
Anyone in society could benefit
from living communally
1008
00:51:34,177 --> 00:51:36,846
and working together
and participating
1009
00:51:36,888 --> 00:51:39,015
in the Synanon Game.
1010
00:51:39,057 --> 00:51:40,725
(clapping)
1011
00:51:40,809 --> 00:51:44,938
And I think Chuck thought
this is bigger than...
1012
00:51:45,021 --> 00:51:48,358
just cleaning up drug addicts.
1013
00:51:59,077 --> 00:52:02,288
("Les Fleurs" by
Minnie Riperton playing)
1014
00:52:36,781 --> 00:52:40,493
♪ Ring all the bells, sing,
and tell the people
everywhere ♪
1015
00:52:40,577 --> 00:52:42,537
♪ That the flower has come ♪
1016
00:52:42,620 --> 00:52:45,665
♪ Light up the sky with
your prayers of gladness ♪
1017
00:52:45,749 --> 00:52:48,793
♪ And rejoice for
the darkness is gone ♪
1018
00:52:48,835 --> 00:52:52,505
♪ Throw off your fears,
let your heart beat freely ♪
1019
00:52:52,589 --> 00:52:56,217
♪ At the sign that
a new time is born ♪
1020
00:53:00,138 --> 00:53:02,807
Elena:
So, we started moving in.
1021
00:53:02,891 --> 00:53:04,809
We weren't drug addicts.
1022
00:53:05,769 --> 00:53:08,396
-We were called Lifestylers.
-(song fades out)
1023
00:53:08,730 --> 00:53:12,650
We came to change the world.
We thought we could.
1024
00:53:13,568 --> 00:53:17,030
Rod: A doorway opened,
and it was quite a change.
1025
00:53:17,822 --> 00:53:20,992
And some of the change
was in terms of
1026
00:53:21,076 --> 00:53:23,620
the economics of Synanon.
1027
00:53:23,661 --> 00:53:25,038
(quiet chatter)
1028
00:53:25,121 --> 00:53:28,249
Not only did
Lifestylers provide
1029
00:53:28,333 --> 00:53:32,212
a lot of
well-educated professionals,
1030
00:53:32,504 --> 00:53:36,466
many of the Lifestylers
worked outside of Synanon
1031
00:53:36,508 --> 00:53:38,927
and contributed their salaries.
1032
00:53:40,470 --> 00:53:43,431
When my dad died,
I had inherited some money.
1033
00:53:43,515 --> 00:53:46,518
So I donated that money
to Synanon.
1034
00:53:46,935 --> 00:53:49,646
It was about $55,000.
1035
00:53:50,021 --> 00:53:53,358
And I had a house
full of furniture and stuff,
1036
00:53:53,441 --> 00:53:56,569
and I donated that
to Synanon as well.
1037
00:53:57,821 --> 00:53:59,781
Jady:
I was one of the directors,
1038
00:53:59,864 --> 00:54:03,535
and we would collect the money
from the Lifestylers.
1039
00:54:03,576 --> 00:54:06,454
It was like a whole ritual
that I would do once a week.
1040
00:54:06,538 --> 00:54:09,791
I was 23 years old. I’d get
dressed nicely, you know.
1041
00:54:09,874 --> 00:54:13,545
It was like
an acknowledgment of it.
It was a ceremony.
1042
00:54:14,337 --> 00:54:16,297
You know,
donating most of your money.
1043
00:54:16,381 --> 00:54:18,216
-(phone ringing)
-(typing)
1044
00:54:18,675 --> 00:54:23,013
Mike: A gentleman gave
an entire real estate business!
1045
00:54:23,722 --> 00:54:26,266
A woman whose family
were the founders
1046
00:54:26,349 --> 00:54:29,310
of Chico-San rice cakes,
(laughs)
1047
00:54:29,394 --> 00:54:31,354
she gave all her wealth!
1048
00:54:31,396 --> 00:54:33,648
We had doctors
in Beverly Hills.
1049
00:54:33,732 --> 00:54:37,193
You’re talking millions
and millions of dollars.
1050
00:54:37,235 --> 00:54:40,280
(curious music playing)
1051
00:54:41,156 --> 00:54:45,243
Elena:
AdGap stood for advertising,
gifts, and premiums.
1052
00:54:45,744 --> 00:54:49,414
It was a company that
grew out of a donation
1053
00:54:49,497 --> 00:54:52,292
-by a Lifestyler.
-(phone ringing)
1054
00:54:52,375 --> 00:54:54,836
Rod:
AdGap turned out to be
1055
00:54:54,919 --> 00:54:57,255
very, very lucrative.
1056
00:54:57,297 --> 00:54:59,466
Selling, you know,
a pencil or a pen
1057
00:54:59,549 --> 00:55:02,093
with a company's
imprint on it,
1058
00:55:02,177 --> 00:55:05,638
or hats, uh, jackets.
1059
00:55:05,722 --> 00:55:09,267
Ron:
The advertising gifts business
brought in a lot of money.
1060
00:55:09,809 --> 00:55:12,937
And we were still getting a
tremendous amount of donations.
1061
00:55:12,979 --> 00:55:14,606
(forklift rumbling)
1062
00:55:14,647 --> 00:55:16,858
All our food was donated.
1063
00:55:18,985 --> 00:55:22,447
We had doctors and dentists
who donated their time.
1064
00:55:23,740 --> 00:55:27,952
We got a building donated
to us in San Francisco.
1065
00:55:28,036 --> 00:55:30,830
It was one city block.
1066
00:55:30,914 --> 00:55:31,998
(office chatter)
1067
00:55:32,082 --> 00:55:35,293
Mike:
We were growing very,
very, very quickly
1068
00:55:35,335 --> 00:55:37,796
because we were making
so much money.
1069
00:55:38,838 --> 00:55:42,008
Old-timers were not
real happy about it.
1070
00:55:42,092 --> 00:55:45,303
♪♪
1071
00:55:45,387 --> 00:55:48,765
Lena:
Chuck turned all
of his attention
1072
00:55:48,848 --> 00:55:50,892
to the Lifestylers.
1073
00:55:52,310 --> 00:55:53,895
Not that we didn't like them,
1074
00:55:53,937 --> 00:55:56,606
but we could see him, um...
1075
00:55:57,649 --> 00:56:02,195
slowly drifting away
from the dope fiends.
1076
00:56:02,278 --> 00:56:04,239
(indistinct chatter)
1077
00:56:04,322 --> 00:56:06,408
We were resentful
1078
00:56:06,491 --> 00:56:09,285
because they were
taking up our spaces...
1079
00:56:09,327 --> 00:56:11,121
(chatter continues)
1080
00:56:11,162 --> 00:56:14,666
...and because of the things
that we had gone through
1081
00:56:14,749 --> 00:56:18,420
to help Chuck
get to that point.
1082
00:56:20,547 --> 00:56:23,216
Addicts started feeling demoted.
1083
00:56:23,299 --> 00:56:26,636
Like that they weren't
important anymore.
1084
00:56:27,178 --> 00:56:30,682
They just
became non-entities.
1085
00:56:30,724 --> 00:56:32,684
-(seagulls cawing)
-Bill: In the late '60s,
1086
00:56:32,726 --> 00:56:34,686
there was a Game
in Santa Monica.
1087
00:56:34,769 --> 00:56:36,688
-(gentle splashing)
-(leaves rustling)
1088
00:56:36,730 --> 00:56:38,857
It was called
the Dirty Double Dozen.
1089
00:56:38,898 --> 00:56:43,528
In it were all of
the old-timers.
1090
00:56:43,570 --> 00:56:47,198
But, this-this time,
1091
00:56:47,240 --> 00:56:48,783
there was
something different.
1092
00:56:50,744 --> 00:56:55,331
There was something
mean-spirited about it.
1093
00:56:55,415 --> 00:56:58,001
-(foreboding music playing)
-(gentle splashing)
1094
00:57:16,811 --> 00:57:19,689
♪♪
1095
00:57:20,982 --> 00:57:22,692
It hurt, right?
1096
00:57:22,734 --> 00:57:24,903
'Cause we had worked hard
1097
00:57:24,986 --> 00:57:27,906
not just to get
our lives together,
1098
00:57:28,406 --> 00:57:31,076
but just to build
this foundation.
1099
00:57:33,661 --> 00:57:36,915
I was the first one of
the old-timers
1100
00:57:38,249 --> 00:57:41,753
that left, right?
1101
00:57:41,795 --> 00:57:45,090
-(gentle splashing outside)
-(somber music playing)
1102
00:57:48,927 --> 00:57:52,222
Rod:
These elders had an important
role to play in Synanon.
1103
00:57:52,263 --> 00:57:54,099
(seagulls cawing)
1104
00:57:54,140 --> 00:57:56,768
They knew a lot.
1105
00:57:57,602 --> 00:58:01,481
The addicts knew Chuck
when he was just Chuck.
1106
00:58:01,564 --> 00:58:05,902
A guy they admired,
but did not think that
he walked on water.
1107
00:58:06,403 --> 00:58:08,571
(indistinct)
1108
00:58:08,613 --> 00:58:11,616
And in some ways,
it was killing the witnesses.
1109
00:58:11,700 --> 00:58:13,535
(tense music playing)
1110
00:58:13,618 --> 00:58:15,328
Because the Lifestylers
1111
00:58:15,412 --> 00:58:17,914
started to see Chuck
as a god.
1112
00:58:17,956 --> 00:58:20,625
(dramatic crescendo)
1113
00:58:23,545 --> 00:58:26,798
(solemn music playing)
1114
00:58:41,563 --> 00:58:47,777
♪♪
1115
00:59:15,180 --> 00:59:17,015
(music fades out)
84365
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