LOS ANGELES, Sept 20 — Music producer and convicted murderer Phil Spector says life behind bars is driving him “insane”.
“This 24/7 lockdown life is slowly driving me insane and killing (me),” Spector, 69, wrote in a letter to a fan that was posted online on Friday.
Spector, who revolutionized pop music in the 1960s with his “Wall of Sound” production technique, was convicted in April of the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson and later sentenced to a minimum of 19 years in prison.
In the letter written in July to a fan that was obtained by pop culture website Gawker.com, Spector complained that he was unable to “say goodbye” to anyone, or organize his business affairs before going to prison.
“How cruel but apparently not unusual,” Spector wrote. “And they call this a ‘civilized’ society. Bugs live more civilized beneath their rocks!”.
Spector wrote the four-page, handwritten letter to a woman in Texas, sending it from prison in California.
At the height of his fame, Spector worked with The Ronettes, The Beatles, Cher, the Ramones and Leonard Cohen, but in the 1980s he withdrew from music. He quietly married singer and actress Rachelle Short in 2006. — Reuters
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I don't know Phil but I would imagine he wrote this letter and all his letters thinking it will stay just between him and the receiver.
As for Phil no offense man but I have a hard time believing that those kind of prison drill exist having consulted a good buddy who works in the penal system. I was told that would be an illegal and dangerous drill for both inmates and guards too. Even with rubber bullets, you could get seriously hurt. I am not sure why he alleges this stuff. As for mail, maybe Rachelle isn't writing him as much as she says. Why else does Sandra's letters get to him but Rachelle's don't?
I hope Phil has learned the lesson to confide in people he can actually trust. I'm not sure who those parties are at this point. This is probably a tough lesson for anyone to learn, especially if you are Phil Spector.