Another star joins the cult
As a fan of Beck, I read this profile in today's NYT Sunday Magazine with great interest.
However, I was a bit disappointed to learn that Beck is a Scientologist:
Like his wife [actress Marissa Ribisi] and his father, Beck is a Scientologist. ''It's been useful,'' he says. ''My dad's been doing it since before I was born.'' In the Church of Scientology, members seeking what the church calls ''higher levels of spiritual awareness and ability'' are ''audited'' by a counselor and also by a device called an ''e-meter,'' which measures their physiological reactions. When reminded that the Church of Scientology provokes continuing controversy -- as much for its tight control over adherents as for its core program -- Beck fixes his huge blue eyes in an unwavering gaze and challenges the church's critics. ''Any kind of intolerance I have a distaste for,'' he says, especially when the intolerance is directed at ''something that helps teach kids how to read, addicts to get off drugs and convicts to start a new life.'' He continues: ''I've always appreciated other cultures and other ideas. Even music I didn't particularly enjoy. I always thought there was something interesting there, something to learn. I was such a lover of old blues music and scratchy old 78's, and I would hear new R&B and it sounded so glossy. But then the more I listened to it, the more I appreciated it.'' With the conversation drifting far from the topic, he is asked how Scientology helps him. ''It's a personal thing,'' he says. ''I'm a musician. I'm not, like, a personality. I've never really pretended to perform that kind of function.''
Oh well, I suppose if your parents introduce you into a religious cult from childhood, it's more difficult to wean yourself from it.
11:46:20 PM 
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