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Cult Liter with Spencer Henry

131: Church Of Synanon

Cult Liter with Spencer Henry

Spencer Henry | Morbid Network | Wondery

True Crime, Exhibit C, Society & Culture, Comedy

4.95.4K Ratings

🗓️ 2 June 2021

⏱️ 45 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Hello Cult Babes! This week we’re talking all about Synanon, not to be confused with cinnamon. Listen in on how cult leader Charles Dederich took the principles of a 12 Step program and created a rehab from hell. We’ve got shaved heads, rattlesnakes, and a whole lotta bullshit.

Sponsors:
Magic Spoon: MAGICSPOON.COM/CULTLITER and use the code CULTLITER to save five dollars off.
StoryWorth: STORYWORTH.COM/CULTLITER for $10 off!

Subscribe to ‘Obitchuary’ on Patreon: Patreon.com/CultLiter
Follow along online:
Instagram.com/cultliterpodcast Instagram.com/spencerhenry Twitter.com/spencerhenry
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synanon
https://gizmodo.com/synanons-sober-utopia-how-a-drug-rehab-program-became-1562665776
http://www.paulmorantz.com/the_synanon_story/the-birth-of-charles-dederich-and-synanon-foundation-inc/
http://www.paulmorantz.com/the_synanon_story/the-true-history-of-synanon-violence-and-how-it-started/
https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/04/us/charles-dederich-83-synanon-founder-dies.html
https://www.thetrevorproject.org
https://charleyproject.org/case/rose-lena-cole
https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-benzedrine
https://www.ptreyeslight.com/article/doris-gambonini-ranch-woman-who-comforted-synanon-refugees-dies-80
Rachael’s podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pride-synanon/id1515042150?i=1000507519656 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey, Prime members, you can listen to Cult Leader Early and add free on Amazon Music. Download the app today.

0:31.0

Hello and welcome back to Cult Leader. I'm your Cult Leader, Spencer Henry, and it's a wonderful day to be in this cult because we're not like the other cults.

0:43.0

We're a cool cult.

0:45.0

Truly don't have anything to tell you. I was like trying to think like normally before I record a limb.

0:50.0

What do I want to talk to them about? And I've really got nothing for you guys today. It's June Pride Month.

0:56.0

Hey, I'll be donating portions of each episode this month to the Trevor project. I've talked about them before.

1:02.0

They provide resources for LGBTQIA youth. And I love them. I'll put the link to donate in the description.

1:10.0

Should you also choose to contribute? I can daydreaming today. My family is in Palm Springs right now and I'm so jealous, but I have so much work to catch up on and do.

1:20.0

So I'll just be here thinking about being there. I had a full-on weekend. Like a real weekend. I went to a friend's birthday party.

1:30.0

So a lot of people, I for one, I'm just grateful that we're in a completely different place than we were last year.

1:35.0

Like we were in a full-on panda. I know we're still getting out of it, but I mean that was insane.

1:41.0

Sometimes before I record, I'm like, I want to look at what I... Here's everything I do before I record. No, but I was looking to see what we talked about a year ago today.

1:50.0

And we were heavy into the daybell drama, which I talked about a little bit on Fridays.

1:54.0

Little leader. If you didn't listen to that, I just had some updates in there.

1:58.0

I was just like, thinking, I'm like, God, I feel so grateful to not be where we were last year.

2:04.0

It's just nice to not have the mystery of what's gonna happen today. I guess I should say the anxiety of what's gonna happen today.

2:12.0

Big, big, big, big, big, big news happening at the end of the month. I'm a fucking stoked, but I have been working until so late every night working on it.

2:22.0

But babes, it's gonna be so worth it. Some of you have already sent me things guessing, and I'm not gonna tell ya.

2:29.0

We also will have merch at the end of the month, but I already told you guys that. And it's a pre-order.

2:34.0

I told you on Friday, I would go a little more in depth on it today. I don't really know what to tell you though. It's a pre-order.

2:39.0

So pre-orders are different than regular orders because you order it, and then it gets made, and then it gets shipped out.

2:46.0

So it takes a little bit longer, especially if you're international, because everything has to get made first.

...

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