Shows / DISGRACELAND
DISGRACELAND
DISGRACELAND is an award-winning music and true crime podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. Jerry Lee Lewis's 5th wife? Dead. Sid and Nancy? Both dead. Why? Because musicians are insane, and insane things happen to them.
Why did we lose Amy Winehouse at 27? Was Debbie Harry really abducted by Ted Bundy as she claims? Is Patti Smith not just the "Godmother of Punk", but also the "Original True Crime Girl"? What really happened the night of the Jay Z nightclub…
Episodes
- DISGRACELAND
Bonus Episode: Bruce Sprinsgteen's Nebraska, Best '80s Pop Stars, and Richard Pryor Jamming With Sly and the Family Stone
Jake is slowly recovering from the Bruins' humiliating loss the other night but is ready to talk about the latest Badlands episode on Richard Pryor, how a…
- DISGRACELAND
Bonus Episode: Body Heat, A Disgo's Encounter with Quentin Tarantino, and Willie Nelson, an American Outlaw
Jake is back in the studio after getting some R&R down in Florida last week and is making his way through your texts, emails, DMs and voicemails. But first…
- DISGRACELAND
Willie Nelson (Pt 1): A Shootout, a House Fire, and the Ballad of the Red-Headed Stranger
Broke and depressed, Willie Nelson almost joined the 27 Club on a snowy Nashville street late one night – before he’d even sold a single song. He drank…
- DISGRACELAND
Willie Nelson (Pt 2): Grifters, Con Men, Thieves, and the Reinvention of the Outlaw
Willie Nelson left Nashville and reinvented himself in Austin, Texas as the ultimate outsider. It was a metamorphosis from freak flag flier to mainstream…
- DISGRACELAND
Bonus Episode: Jake's Favorite '80s Horror Movies, A Long-awaited INXS Episode, and Irish Rock 'n Roll
Jake dives deep into the chilling, new Skip James episode and tries to explain what makes an Irish rock 'n roll band just sound so.... Irish. Sharon Tate and…
- DISGRACELAND
Skip James: A Sawmill Shootout, Pimping, Bootlegging, and the Son of a Preacher Man
Skip James’s most famous lyric was “I’d Rather be the Devil” and he put his money where his mouth was. He is believed to have shot a man dead, spent time as a…
- DISGRACELAND
Bonus Episode: Slow Train Coming, the Extra Gear of MC5, and the Return of Badlands
Jake has been into everything from disco to Dylan's Christian era this week, but he's making time for a testimonial to the MC5's greatness, to announce fresh…
- DISGRACELAND
MC5: Dope, Guns, and F***ing in the Streets
MC5 embodied revolution in a way most bands only pay lip service to. The Detroit cops sent riot squads and even a tank to break up their shows, and even raided…
- DISGRACELAND
Bonus Episode: Muddy Waters, George Benson, The What-If's of Sly Stone, and Alfred Hitchcock's Best Movie
Jake's been listening to guitar greatness and has some classic recs to share. But first, he's fielding your recs in a packed mailbag of Disgo texts, VMs and…
- DISGRACELAND
Sly Stone: Guns, PCP, a Psycho Mutt, and a Fugitive from Justice
At the end of the 1960s, Sly Stone was at the center of a groundbreaking musical movement that intended to break down barriers of race and genre, all in the…
- DISGRACELAND
Bonus Episode: Bjork's Stalker, Lou Reed's Lyrics Explored, and a Succession Rewatch
Jake dives under the hood of the unique, new 2-part Lou Reed episode. He teases the over-the-top insanity of the Bjork stalker story, now available for your…
- DISGRACELAND
Lou Reed (An Origin Story) Pt. 1
Lou Reed is one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll characters of all time, one known to lie and exaggerate his own mythology during interviews about his past. In…
- DISGRACELAND
Lou Reed (An Origin Story) Pt. 2
Lou Reed blurred the lines between fact and fiction when it came to his past. To him, it was all a walk on the wild side anyway. After exploring his life in…
- DISGRACELAND
Bonus Episode: Best Springtime Records, Your Top 5s, and Last Temptations
Spring is here and Jake is listening to his all-time springtime records. Peter Tosh and Keith Richards are out on YouTube @disgracelandpod. And a dedicated…
- DISGRACELAND
Bonus Episode: Disgraceland Origins, Elvis's Dressing Room, and Jake's Top 5 Movies Ever
Rocka Rolla Disgos. It's been a wild week. Jake is riding high off a win for the show at the Ambies in Vegas, a trip to Maine, and yes, your listener messages…
- DISGRACELAND
Otis Redding: A Chitlin Circuit Shootout, a Fatal Plane Crash, and Crossing Over to the Other Side
Otis Redding was nearly shot by James Brown while performing at an after hours club. He played sweet soul music to crowds of KKK sympathizers. He took the…
- DISGRACELAND
Bonus Episode: Rocka Rolla Beer, Chris Rock DGAF, and Deciding Which Episodes are Two-Parters
The After Party celebrates the Lynyrd Skynyrd episode, provoking the question: how does Jake decide which episodes deserve two parts or even their own series?…
- DISGRACELAND
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Busted Teeth, Saturday Night Specials, and the Smell of Death
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s lead singer, Ronnie Van Zant, was a violent bully from the mean streets of Jacksonville, Florida. He tried to maim one of his guitar…
- DISGRACELAND
Bonus Episode: Mac Miller's Tragedy, the Real Cocaine Bear, and the Matrix
Jake covers it all in this week's After Party: his thoughts on the latest pod episode, our Cocaine Bear coverage on YouTube (yes, it involves music), and oh…
- DISGRACELAND
Mac Miller: Hallucinations, Counterfeit Pills, and a Standoff with the Most Powerful Man in the World
Mac Miller was threatened by the most powerful man in the world. Rejected by some of the most powerful tastemakers in the music industry. Dumped by one of the…
- DISGRACELAND
Bonus Episode: The Daytona 500, AC/DC, and Filmmaker Tiller Russell Talks the Night Stalker
Friend of the pod and incredible documentary filmmaker Tiller Russell (Netflix's Night Stalker: Hunt for a Serial Killer and the upcoming Waco: American…
- DISGRACELAND
AC/DC pt. 1: A Satanic Serial Killer, A Police Man Hunt, and a Media Witch Hunt
In the 1980s, AC/DC’s biggest fan was a notorious serial killer. The band was an international best-selling hit machine, and members like the late Bon…
- DISGRACELAND
Bonus Episode: 5 Years of Disgraceland, New Episodes, and Pitter Patter
Jake celebrates Disgraceland's 5 year anniversary happening this week! Season 1 just re-released, Season 11 just started with 50 Cent, and Jake talks about it…
- DISGRACELAND
50 Cent Pt. 1: Police Raids, Motorcycle Chases, and a Nine-Bullet Wake-up Call
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson was dealing crack by the age of 10, born into the height of the epidemic in Queens. He faced possession charges while…
- DISGRACELAND
Disgraceland Season 11 Trailer
Shootouts, drug running, crashing cars and planes, and walks on the wild side. It's almost here: find out which musical icons are featured in Season 11 of…
- DISGRACELAND
Bonus Episode: The Mamas and the Papas (Pt. 2)
Got a Disgraceland pitch? Know a cover that beats the original? What are you reading watching and listening to? Jake closes out Season 10 of Disgraceland with…
- DISGRACELAND
Mama Cass Elliot (Pt. 2): Rape, Murder, and Taking Secrets to the Grave
Mama Cass’ role as Hollywood’s hippie den mother pulled her into the orbit of troubling company during the “Summer of Love.” The former…
- DISGRACELAND
Bonus Episode: The Mamas and the Papas (Pt. 1)
The wildest on-stage freak outs (and even deaths), Jake's master movie list, your texts calls and emails, and of course... the down low on the latest episode…
- DISGRACELAND
Mama Cass Elliot (Pt. 1): Dangerous Drug Dealer Boyfriends, International Arrests, and the Solo Career That Should’ve Been
Cass Elliot, AKA "Mama Cass" from The Mamas and The Papas, broke the mold of female pop superstardom and shattered expectations of what women in music…
- DISGRACELAND
Bonus Episode: Charles Manson the Music Man
Charles Manson the Music Man, the tale of Trent Reznor's time in the Cielo Drive murder house, and Jake's latest takes on All Quiet on the Western Front, White…
- DISGRACELAND
Charles Manson the Music Man: Lost Records and a Prosecutorial Song too Crazy to Sing
In and out of juvie and jail since childhood, Charles Manson learned guitar in prison from the last of the great Depression-era gangsters. He also made music…
- DISGRACELAND
Robert Johnson: Voodoo, Delta Blues, Cursing God, and a Crossroads
Robert Johnson didn’t just play the blues. He embodied them. He drank and womanized his way through the South, New York, and Chicago in the 1930s, until…
- DISGRACELAND
Chris Brown: Police Standoffs, Rejection from Rehab, and America’s Most Hated Pop Star
Chris Brown established himself as America’s most hated pop star when he brutally assaulted Rihanna in 2009. But long after the well-publicized attack on…
- DISGRACELAND
Ringo Starr: Busted by Mexican Federales, Threatened by French-Canadian Separatists, and the King of Feel
Ringo Starr’s first show as the Beatles’ new drummer was nearly ruined by a hostile audience that wanted him out of the band. Although he was finally accepted…
- DISGRACELAND
Jennifer Hudson: An American Idol, a Triple Homicide, and Undying Faith
Jennifer Hudson shocked her hometown of Chicago when she was eliminated from American Idol in 2004, only to surpass everyone’s expectations when she…
- DISGRACELAND
The Sex Pistols (Pt. 2): Crashing the Queen’s Jubilee, Shocking America, and Leaving a Trail of Blood, Spit, and Junk
In 1977, the world’s most controversial band didn’t stop when they were dropped by their major label only months after they were signed. John…
- DISGRACELAND
The Sex Pistols (Pt. 1): Anarchy, Thievery, and the Death of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Punk rock’s greatest debut record was penned by a singer who saw traditional rock ‘n roll as a disease that needed to be eradicated and a sex-addicted…
- DISGRACELAND
Pink Floyd: Acid Overload, a Psychotic Breakdown, and a Crazy Diamond
Pink Floyd’s original frontman, Syd Barrett, did so much LSD that he experienced a mental breakdown just as the band began to achieve mainstream success…
- DISGRACELAND
Britney Spears (Pt. 2): Lithium, Las Vegas, and a Long-Awaited Emancipation
Britney Spears’ 13-year conservatorship was an arrangement so strict and unfeeling that it left her without any control of her career, loopy on lithium…
- DISGRACELAND
Britney Spears (Pt. 1): Trauma Pop
No musician owned pop music quite like Britney Spears at the turn of the century. After graduating from Mississippi tween queen to full-fledged American…
- DISGRACELAND
George Harrison: Surviving the Beatles, the London Drug Squad, and a Home Invasion
George Harrison famously survived the dissolution of the Beatles, a bust by London’s drug squad, a potentially bloody visit from the Hell’s Angels…
- DISGRACELAND
The Temptations: Fame, Drugs, and Paranoia
The Temptations were one of Motown’s signature vocal groups, and they remain one of the most successful R&B acts of all time. But fame and drugs…
- DISGRACELAND
Miles Davis Pt. 2: Mountains of Pills, Bitches Brew, and the Reinvention of the Original Motherf#%*er
When it came to music, Miles Davis wasn’t about no safe, tired yesterday bullsh*t. After kicking his heroin addiction, he traded bespoke suits for fringe…
- DISGRACELAND
Miles Davis (Pt. 1): Blasting Bebop, Blasting Racism, and a Devastating Heroin Habit
Miles Davis is jazz’s first and only rock star, with the rap sheet to prove it. He did enough cocaine to run down the entirety of 52nd street, and pimped…
- DISGRACELAND
Juice WRLD: Percocets, Lucid Dreams and a Whole Lotta Lean
The loss of emo-rap trailblazer Juice WRLD is one of the most sudden, tragic, and graphic celebrity deaths in recent memory. His adolescence experimenting with…
- DISGRACELAND
Billie Holiday: Heroin Hounds, ‘Whorehouse Music,’ and the Queen of Jazz
Billie Holiday ascended from the rough and tumble streets of Baltimore and Harlem, through reform school, brothels, and Welfare Island, right to the top of the…
- DISGRACELAND
The Eagles Pt. 2: Death, a Plane Crash, and Innocence Lost at What Cost
In the 1970s, The Eagles made taking off into the upper stratosphere of the charts look easy. Their near decade-long reign of rock afforded them hobbies like…
- DISGRACELAND
The Eagles Pt. 1: International Drug Smuggling, Endless Cocaine, and California Excess
From games of chicken on private planes to one member surviving a private plane crash, the Eagles as a group very narrowly survived themselves. During their…
- DISGRACELAND
Hank Williams: Sanatoriums, Poison Pills, and Fired from the Grand Ole Opry
Hank Williams defined the genre we now call country with a guitar in one hand and a bottle of booze in the other. In between stints in the local drunk tank, he…
- DISGRACELAND
Sublime: Hoodlums, Police Helicopters, and Getting Dirty at Denny’s
With their newfangled ska-punk, Sublime preached the gospel of Long Beach’s seedy shores unlike any band before them. They also incited a riot at the…
- DISGRACELAND
Tom Petty: House Fires, Hiding a Heroin Habit, and Run-Down Dreams
When a mystery arsonist set Tom Petty’s house on fire in the late 1980s, he barely escaped with his life. But there was another danger looming around the…
- DISGRACELAND
Taylor Swift: Interstate Stalking, Vanishing Masters, and Love Letters Gone Wrong
Taylor Swift has a list of stalkers longer than her stadium tour setlists. One drove over 900 miles to hand-deliver his “love” letters to her…
- DISGRACELAND
Derek & The Dominos: Clapton, A Christmas Shooting, Cocaine, and a Motorcycle Crash
In 1960s London, for young guitar enthusiasts, believing that “Clapton is God” was practically the 11th Commandment. In 1970 he lent his big…
DISGRACELANDWoodstock Pt. 2: A Disaster Movie
The original Woodstock was a literal disaster, declared so on its first day by the state of New York. There were fights, onstage, armed black-shirted hippie…
- DISGRACELAND
Woodstock Pt. 2: A Disaster Movie
The original Woodstock was a literal disaster, declared so on its first day by the state of New York. There were fights, onstage, armed black-shirted hippie…
DISGRACELANDWoodstock Pt. 1: A Disaster Movie
Woodstock is remembered as the generation-defining moment when the baby boomers demonstrated to the world the power of peace, love and communalism. In reality…
- DISGRACELAND
Woodstock Pt. 1: A Disaster Movie
Woodstock is remembered as the generation-defining moment when the baby boomers demonstrated to the world the power of peace, love and communalism. In reality…
- DISGRACELAND
Black Sabbath: Satanists, Severed Limbs, Dismembered Fingers, Mountains of Cocaine and the Invention of Heavy Metal
Black Sabbath are solely responsible for conjuring the diabolical power of heavy metal. When guitarist Tony Iommi lost his fingertips as a teenager, he turned…
- DISGRACELAND
Fleetwood Mac Pt. 2: Going to #1, and Going Your Own Way
Fleetwood Mac’s mid-’70s merger with the musical duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks changed the course of the band forever, propelling them…
- DISGRACELAND
Fleetwood Mac Pt. 1: Guns, God, Cocaine and Rumours
Few bands can boast a rock ’n’ roll lore at the level of Fleetwood Mac. The band lost not one but two guitarists to cult-like religious freaks. Two…