Beck’s conflicted affiliation with the Church of Scientology
When Beck rose to prominence in the early 1990s as a loveable scruffy slacker, no one knew he would have the staying power that he has exemplified today. Beck’s first arrival on the scene came in 1994, with the release of ‘Loser’ and the album Mellow Gold.
Odelay would follow in 1996 and started where Mellow Gold left off. These two albums, specifically, shot Beck into stardom in an age where a casual, chilled-out life was preferred to a serious, stressful one. Yet, Beck’s sound would evolve over the coming years, with the country-sounding Mutations, the funky Midnite Vultures and a more serious-sounding acoustic album in the shape of Sea Change.
Interestingly, Beck has also been affiliated with the Church of Scientology for the last 20 years or so. Scientology is a belief system that originated from the writing of L. Ron Hubbard and his set of ideas named Dianetics, a combination of personal experiences, Eastern philosophy and psychoanalysis. The main principle of Scientology is that humans are immortal and that a spiritual being known as a Thetan lives inside their body, having had an infinite number of past lives.
Beck has previously viewed himself as both a Scientologist and Jewish. His parents were keen Scientologists, and his ex-wife Marissa was also deeply affiliated with the Church. In 2005, Beck stated: “Yeah, I’m a Scientologist. My father has been a Scientologist for about 35 years, so I grew up in and around it.”
However, back in 2019, Beck confusingly claimed that he was not a Scientologist and never had been: “I think there’s a misconception that I am a Scientologist. I’m not a Scientologist. I don’t have any connection or affiliation with it. My father has been a Scientologist for a long time, but I’ve pretty much just focused on my music and my work for most of my life and tended to do my own thing. I think it’s just something people ran with.”
Tom Cruise is arguably the most prominent celebrity advocate of Scientology after he was converted by his first wife, Mimi Rogers, in 1986. He has campaigned for the movement to be recognised as a valid religion in Europe. He is also close friends with the Church’s chairman David Miscavige.
Beck admitted that the alluring comforts of religion could be tempting. He said: “We have things in our lives that comfort us when the walls are closing in or struggles we’re in, like passions, hobbies and these things that give us purpose.”
“Who knows what happens at the end, though?” Beck added. “Everyone has their own idea or belief of what it is, but it could be nothing? Ultimately, we share that eventuality. No matter whatever you build, or whatever position you put yourself above others or however you navigate your life, there will be an equalisation at the end.”
