I'll tell you what: I didn't expect to wake up this morning and read Mackenzie Phillips had sex with her father. A headline like that borders on tabloid and maybe a little bit of TMI. It certainly spins one into reality, or nausea, or a private prayer that begins with Dear-God-Will-The-Horror-of-Humanity-Ever-End? Mackenzie Phillips was the star of the '80s sitcom One Day At A Time, the breakthrough CBS series that centered on a divorced woman and her two teen daughters. Mackenzie Phillips was also the daughter of John Phillips, a member of the popular '60s band, the Mamas and the Papas.
In her new memoir, High on Arrival, Mackenzie admits her father provided her with drugs at the age of 12. She also admits that she and her father had a consensual incestuous relationship for years. At one point, her father suggested they run away to Fiji where father-daughter relationships were … normal. Now I remember as a kid watching One Day At A Time with my mom and questioning Mackenzie's erratic performances as well as her frequent disappearances from the show. I was told on all occasions that Mackenzie had a drug problem, and I remember thinking what a loser. Hey, I was a kid. My life experiences were limited. Personally, I'm happy Mackenzie is pulling the ugly out of the bag in her new memoir. I'm an advocate for truth. Particularly if that truth provides one with peace of mind. I've see one too many friends and family and members of the black community drinking and doping in excess and not willing to get the help needed to crack through to the truth of the matter. I'm not suggesting that drinking/doping in excess means there's a history of incest. But I'm sure some of you would agree that excesses in vice indicate an untreated "something," or could, at least, lead to a problematic lifestyle.
OK, OK, I'll jump down off the soapbox. I'm sure Oprah will jump on hers when Mackenzie Phillips appears on her show today to discuss drugs, incest and bouncing back.
Any thoughts?
Keith Josef Adkins is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and social commentator.