My psychotic breakdown: Cage the Elephant

Cage the Elephant, Neon Pill album (2024)

(CBS Morning) Cage the Elephant's Kentucky boy Matt Shultz opens up about his psychosis, ADHD medication gone wrong (thanks, $Big Pharma$), and healing through rock music and guns:

Between 2020–2024, Shultz had a paranoid "mental health crisis" for the making of Neon Pill (2024).

He experienced a severe adverse reaction to prescribed ADHD medication, which led to paranoid delusions and a break from reality. His condition culminated in a high-profile arrest in January 2023 in NY, where he was found with two loaded firearms.

Double crossed by pharmaceuticals

Cage the Elephant singer on arrest: “It saved my life”

Cage the Elephant was once double crossed by a "Neon Pill"

Shultz later avoided jail time through a plea deal and underwent extensive treatment, which he has credited with saving his life [12]. This turbulent period deeply influenced Cage the Elephant's sixth studio album, Neon Pill.

Have the pills done too much?

Big Pharma sold me the drugs: Em Beihold "Numb Little Bug"

The album features lyrics reflecting Shultz's psychological descent and recovery, blending confessional songwriting with the band's evolving, genre-fluid sound. Songs like "Neon Pill" and "Rainbow" trace his personal trauma, including a temporary divorce from his wife Kentucky-based actress, dancer, and musician Eva Ross [13].

We're not into psychedelics...or are we?

Cage the Elephant "Come a Little Closer" (official psychedelic video)

In interviews, Shultz has spoken candidly about the dangers of blurring performance personas with personal identity and has since adopted a more grounded public presence.

Cage the Elephant: Hey, Man, at least you're on the radio "Social Cues"

I remarried the woman I divorced.

The band's return to touring in 2024 was met with critical acclaim, and Shultz has described the experience as a profound reset, offering new perspective on fame and artistic identity [12].

On Oct. 10, 2024, CBS Mornings aired a segment featuring Shultz and his brother Brad. In it Matt opened up about his psychosis [14]. More

"Beaches in Tennessee"

Cage the Elephant "Beaches in Tennessee" (visualizer)

• PHOTOS: Singer Matt Shultz of Cage the Elephant (Alamy)
• CBS Morning; Cage the Elephant; Em Beihold; Seth Auberon, Pfc. Sandoval, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

Life in a white cell: 'La Valigia'

LA VALIGIA || stop motion short film

Life in Hell (Matt Groening)

(Studio Croma Animation) BOLOGNA. An old man is sitting on the edge of a bed in a bare room with stoned walls, his face furrowed with deep wrinkles and his unkempt beard, gnarled hands still full of life, curved shoulders: he is alone and thoughtful. A small and ramshackle window with bars is the only outlet to the outside.

In front of him he has a mysterious suitcase. Opening it the man finds himself in his hands the photographs and the personal effects of a whole life. Thus begins the sequence of memories and visions, synapses of the mind that come to life and invade the room of the elderly bringing him back in time, first adult then boy, finally child.

It took me 40 years to realize what I'll tell you in 8 minutes

Baz Luhrmann - "Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen"

• UnJaded Jade: 10-day silent meditation retreat 🧘‍♀️
• Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (tergar.org)

Better than other La Valigias. PRIZES: -BornShort Film Festival 2014: Best Animation Award Corto Dorico 2014: Best short film -BazzaCinema 2015: Best Screenplay -Lo Spiraglio FF 2015: Best Film -Premio Morandini Corti d'Autore: Winner Nastri d'argento - Corti 2015: Fifth finalist David di Donatello 2015: Fifth finalist Kalat Nissa Film Festival 2015: Best Animation Film ShorTS Int. Maremetraggio 2015: Best Italian Production Cast Film Festival 2015: Special Award Best movies Pázmány Film Festival 2015: Best Italian Film Arno Stream Fest: Best short movie Genova Film Festival 2015: Critics Award Toko Film Festival 2015: Best Screenplay Metricamente Corto 2015: Best Screenplay Corto di Sera 2015: Special prize. F.N.C. Gold frame Ke Corto Film Festival 2015: Best animated short film Parma Intl. Music FF 2015: Best Renaissance 2.0 soundtrack DIRECTOR Pier Paolo Paganelli SUBJECT AND SCRIPT Laura Castaldini, Pier Paolo Paganelli WITH Roberto Herlitzka Rodolfo Bianchi Alex Polidori Riccardo Suarez PRODUCED BY Ivan Olgiati, Stefania Marconi, Daniele Paganelli ASSOCIATED PRODUCER Gloria Giorgianni per Anele PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Gianmarco Rossetti EDITING Davide Rossetti ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Guglielmo Trautvetter ANIMATION Giacomo Giuriato SOUNDTRACK Matteo Malferrari PUPPET MACKER Matteo Burani POST PRODUCTION Jacopo Gaustini, Luca Lazzarin DIGITAL VIDEO EFFECTS Sara Passuti SOUND Giovanni Frezza PROMOTION Stefania Marconi, Chiara Galloni DISTRIBUTION Paolo Pellicano.

• Studio Croma Animation, "The Suitcase," Jan. 24, 2021; Ven. Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche; UnJaded Jade; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly