Episode #196 | 09.10.24
River Phoenix: Religious Cults, Street Kids, Speedballs, and a Disappearing Act
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In this episode
River Phoenix was a once in a generation actor. His death shocked Hollywood and is still hard for many to accept. His deadly drug overdose has never been fully explained, but his back story—born into a religious cult, steeped in immersive movie role research, constantly toying with his famous identity—does explain the big talent he brought to the screen and the big heart he brought into the world.
This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including child sexual abuse and sex trafficking.
Sources
Last Night at the Viper Room,: River Phoenix and the Hollywood He Left Behind, by Gavin Edwards
Lost in Hollywood: The Fast Times and Short Life of River Phoenix, by John Glatt
Who the Hell’s in It: Conversations with Hollywood’s Legendary Actors, by Peter Bogdanovich
The Untold Story of Lost Star River Phoenix – 25 Years After His Death (The Guardian)
The Curious Death of River Phoenix (Medium)
River Phoenix’s Final Hours (New York Post)
The Lost Promise, and Puzzling Legacy, of River Phoenix (Vanity Fair)
The Life and Death of the ‘Children of God’ Messiah (Rolling Stone)
Excavating the Viper Room (Playground to the Stars)
Filthy McNasty, Icon of the Old Sunset Strip, Has Died (WEHO-ville)
Why I Don’t Support Johnny Depp (Medium)
The Tragic and Violent History of Johnny Depp’s Infamous Viper Room Bar (Scribol)
The untold story of River Phoenix, 25 years after his death (Irish Times)
Life after a sex cult: ‘If I’m not a member of this religion any more, then who am I?’ (Guardian)
The Vigil at the Viper Room (NY Times)
The CIA, Contras, Gangs, and Crack (Institute for Policy Studies)
1990 Saw Several Blows Struck in Drug War (LA Times)
The hippie Christian cult that encouraged sex with children is still around today (Timeline)
Rain Phoenix’s unusual childhood (Guardian)
Joaquin Phoenix: A Three-Decade Career Filled with Dark, Complicated Characters (CBS News)
Fleetwood Mac Stolen Away (Rolling Stone)
Last Night in the City (Portland Mercury)
Credits
Hosted by Jake Brennan.
Written by Zeth Lundy.
Copy edited by Pat Healy.
Scored and mixed by Matt Tahaney.
Additional music and score elements by Ryan Spraker.
DISGRACELAND theme song, “Crenshaw Space Boogie,” written and produced by Jake Brennan. Performed by Jake Brennan, Bryce Kanzer, Jay Cannava, and Evan Kenney. Mixed and engineered by Adam Taylor.
*illustrations by Avi Spivak @avispivak