A psychiatric hospital chain is keeping people hostage for insurance money
plus a Los Angeles dispatch from a Native Angelina
I’m back in NYC. Here’s what you can expect in today’s letter: Chateau Marmont as the main character (both in my LA visit + the song/book combo today), a for-profit psychiatric hospital chain that’s holding patients against their will, and updates from my visit home behind the paywall.
WHAT I’M INTO
Press Play: “Video Games” by Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey has a unique eye and her voice is as haunting as it is alluring. Her songs read like poetry. She’s eccentric in the best way. Remember the infamous homemade “Off to the Races” music video? She had uploaded it to her YouTube Channel, then promptly took it down. Don’t rile the gun slingin’ señoritas.
Her mind!
The Chateau is a fixture in LDR’s music. Sometimes, mentioned by name; other times, captured in videos or used as a setting for intimate shows. She’s channeling a specific vibe: the draw of Old Hollywood, European charm, opulence, doing whatever-the-fuck you want (they’re soooo discrete there)!
“Video Games” was one of the best songs to emerge from the second decade of the 21st century. Infused with melancholy and complemented by a dramatic yet hypnotic piano, LDR sings about the pitfalls of loving someone who isn’t right for you. As a show of lyrical prowess, she employs polyptoton crooning, “I’m in his favorite sundress, watching me get undressed.” LDR gives a nod to Chateau Marmont with, “Singin’ in the old bars, swinging with the old stars/Living for the fame.” Then she grabs you by the collar and brings you into the Chateau pool with her in the “Video Games” music video. She explained in an interview that she spliced a mix of her own Chateau footage with vintage clips of the notorious hotel. It’s a euphoric viewing experience. Jump in, the water’s fine!
Borrow from ur local public library: The Castle on Sunset: Life, Death, Art, Sex, and Scandal at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont by Shawn Levy
I warned you that Chateau Marmont would be the main character today. If you’ve never been, reading The Castle on Sunset helps you feel like you’re a part of the hotel’s illustrious past. The walls at Chateau Marmont can’t talk, but Levy lets us in on the hotel’s salacious and sometimes somber secrets. It’s well-researched, funny, and informative. He starts at the very beginning, with Chateau Marmont’s erection in 1929 as a luxury apartment building modeled after a Loire Valley chateau. Then, Chateau Marmont’s evolution into a hotel/sanctuary for New Yorkers, musicians, producers, screenwriters, and actors alike. Levy weaves an elegant narrative that pairs well with champagne and a cheeky indoor cigarette as he shepherds us from the hotel lobby to the mismatched rooms, then the pool and bungalows. The book also documents Sofia Coppola’s Chateau Marmont takeover when filming “Somewhere” (famously one of my favorite movies). I learned that there’s so much more to The Chateau than celebrity scandals, but it’s a safe place to get yourself into trouble.
Anti-algorithm news: “How a Leading Chain of Psychiatric Hospitals Traps Patients” by Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Katie Thomas (NY Times)
Acadia Healthcare, one of America's largest psychiatric hospital chains, is exploiting our nation’s mental health crisis and making bank. A New York Times investigation is exposing their shady practices, alleging Acadia Health held patients against their will—even without valid medical reasons. The report shows evidence of physical and sexual abuse as well as neglect. Some patients visited the ER for routine care and found themselves locked in-patient at Acadia. Former employees and executives also claimed that Acadia Healthcare exaggerated symptoms or tweaked drug dosages to extend patient stays. Acadia Healthcare also fosters a consistent pipeline by operating a DTC-style marketing model coaxing potential patients to “skip the ER” and linking and building with hospital staff, cops, and emergency responders.
WHAT I’M GRATEFUL FOR
International network of friends with homes for tired souls
California burritos! No one does it like you do it (except for Mexico)
California produce! Did you know about Sangre del Toro peaches? They’re grown in Palmdale, of all places, by Tenerelli Farms + you can buy them from the Santa Monica Farmers Market around Labor Day.
sangre del toro peaches @ gjelina
WHAT I’M UP TO
Average daily step count this week: 6,238 (in my defense, I was in LA)
I tend to keep a loose itinerary whenever I’m home to maximize time with family, but I must always have Pacific fish, Mexican food, and dinner or aperitif at Chateau Marmont. I was also able to sneak in a New York Happy Meal at