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
Tommy James and the Shondells: Mony Mony and Mafia-Sanctioned Hits
Tommy James came up during a time when the music industry was in part controlled by New York’s Italian mafia. And for a period in the 1960s, that power…
- DISGRACELAND
Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell: A Murderous Fan, Brotherly Love and Cowboys from Hell
Gunned down onstage by a delusional fan who thought his metal heroes had stolen lyrics from him, Dimebag Darrell Abbott blazed a savage new trail in hard rock…
DISGRACELANDRay Charles: Busted for Heroin and Busting Genres with the Best Damn R&B
Ray Charles was hooked on heroin, arrested by federal agents, and once survived a near-death plane ride by helping the pilot - as a blind man. He invented R&B…
- DISGRACELAND
John Lennon: Violence, Protests, Provoking the FBI, and Pissing off the President
In the early 1970s, John Lennon was suspected of conspiring to disrupt an American political convention and contributing to a paramilitary terrorist…
- DISGRACELAND
Paul McCartney: Paul Is Dead, Smuggling Drugs, and Composing the World’s Most Beloved Songs
Despite his reputation as “the safe Beatle,” Paul McCartney was a badass. He took wild artistic risks, rubbed elbows with truly dangerous…
- DISGRACELAND
The Notorious B.I.G. Pt. 2: A Dead Rivalry, New Inspiration and a Murder Mystery for the Ages
In part two of the Notorious B.I.G. story we see the young star trying to deal with life after the death of his rival (and one-time friend), Tupac Shakur. We…
- DISGRACELAND
The Notorious B.I.G. Pt. 2: A Dead Rivalry, New Inspiration and a Murder Mystery for the Ages
In part two of the Notorious B.I.G. story we see the young star trying to deal with life after the death of his rival (and one-time friend), Tupac Shakur. We…
- DISGRACELAND
The Notorious B.I.G. Pt. 1: Dealing Crack on the Corner, Spitting Beef and Creating One of the Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time
The Notorious B.I.G. entered adulthood as a crack dealer and left this world as one of the most famous hip-hop stars of all time. He was murdered mysteriously…
- DISGRACELAND
The Notorious B.I.G. Pt. 1: Dealing Crack on the Corner, Spitting Beef and Creating One of the Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time
The Notorious B.I.G. entered adulthood as a crack dealer and left this world as one of the most famous hip-hop stars of all time. He was murdered mysteriously…
- DISGRACELAND
Lil Wayne: Murder Squads, A Pre-Teen Suicide Attempt, a Year at Rikers and More Hits than Elvis
Lil Wayne grew up on the mean streets of New Orleans. His father split when he was two, and his stepdad was shot before he was a teenager. Wayne poured his…
- DISGRACELAND
Oasis Pt. 2: The Biggest Band on the Planet, Britop, Private Islands, A Drowning Rolls-Royce, Liam and Noel Off Their T*ts and at Each Other’s Throats
Oasis were the biggest band on the planet for a moment. They famously warred with Britpop rivals Blur, and the Brothers Gallagher feuded with each other in…
- DISGRACELAND
Oasis Pt. 1: Hooliganism, Hedonism, Rock Star Anthems and the “Greatest Rock ‘N’ Roll Band on the Planet”
Few bands have come from as little and made as much of themselves as Oasis. Along the way they were wildly entertaining — unlike anything England or the…
- DISGRACELAND
The New York Dolls: Born to Lose, Lipstick Killers, and R&B in Four-inch Heels
The New York Dolls were one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands of all time. They came to life when their hometown of New York City was coming…
- DISGRACELAND
Lil’ Peep: A new hip-hop and emo fusion; trap beats, tender lyrics, too much Xanax and an overdose that’s still mysterious.
Lil’ Peep was a once-in-a-generation talent. Poised to become a new Cobain, Bowie or Dylan, but whose life was cut short by an overdose that’s…
- DISGRACELAND
The Beatles (Pt. 2): Kamikaze Assassins, Acid Smuggling, Suicide, Kidnapping, and the Breakup the Greatest Band of All Time
At the height of their world-changing and culture-defining popularity, the Beatles faced death threats in foreign countries, an unfair tax rate in their own…
- DISGRACELAND
The Beatles (Pt. 1): Stoned with Dylan, Dosed with Acid, Outrunning Knife Wielding Maniac, and Driving the World to the Brink with Beatlemania
The Beatles caused fans to enter into manic states, literally. People died because of it. The band swallowed more pills than food in their early years. They…
- DISGRACELAND
The Ramones: TV Bombs, Psycho Therapy, Toilet Syringes, Turning Tricks and Saving Rock ‘N’ Roll
Sniffing glue, hooking for drug money, hurling rocks at the Beatles, and writing infectious sunshiny melodies about their grimy reality, the Ramones were what…
- DISGRACELAND
David Bowie: The occult, cocaine, orgies, arrests, exorcisms, a weird flirtation with fascism and a dead body.
No musical artist better personified the hedonism of the ’70s than David Bowie. He captivated the imaginations of music fans all over the world with a…
- DISGRACELAND
Tupac Shakur Pt. 2: Life Behind Bars, Suge Knight Saves The Day, East Coast/West Coast Beef, and What Could Have Been
In part two of the Tupac Shakur story, we see the young star trying to deal with life behind bars and giving in to the patronage of the notorious Suge Knight…
- DISGRACELAND
Tupac Shakur Pt. 2: Life Behind Bars, Suge Knight Saves The Day, East Coast/West Coast Beef, and What Could Have Been
In part two of the Tupac Shakur story, we see the young star trying to deal with life behind bars and giving in to the patronage of the notorious Suge Knight…
- DISGRACELAND
Tupac Shakur Pt. 1: 1960s Radicalism Gives Way to Socially Conscious Rap, a Charismatic Screen Star, and Deadly Violence
Tupac Shakur was many things. He was a supremely talented MC and was wildly charismatic in front of the camera. He was also violent, angry and completely…
- DISGRACELAND
Tupac Shakur Pt. 1: 1960s Radicalism Gives Way to Socially Conscious Rap, a Charismatic Screen Star, and Deadly Violence
Tupac Shakur was many things. He was a supremely talented MC and was wildly charismatic in front of the camera. He was also violent, angry and completely…
- DISGRACELAND
Gram Parsons: A Stolen Body, Heroin, More Rolling Stones and Cosmic American Music
Gram Parsons is one of the most influential musicians in rock ‘n’ roll that you’ve maybe never heard of. He created a form of music that has been copied by…
- DISGRACELAND
Chuck Berry: Systemic Racism, Sexual Depravity and the Invention of Rock ‘N’ Roll
Chuck Berry was imprisoned numerous times. He was a victim of violent systemic racism and accused of horrific acts of sexual depravity. He also invented rock…
- DISGRACELAND
Selena: Tejano, Deception, and the Death of the Madonna of Mexico
Selena Quintanilla Pérez ushered in the Golden Age of Tejano music in Texas with a meteoric rise up the charts and into the hearts of her fans. Her fans…
- DISGRACELAND
The Misfits: Robbing Graves, Night of the Living Dead and the Teenagers from Mars
The Misfits were truly unique. Scary. Violent. Angry. Nihilistic. These words can easily describe not only their music, but also the band as people…
- DISGRACELAND
The Grateful Dead Pt. 2: The Ballad of Pigpen and Old, Weird America—an Origin Story
Bootlegging whiskey, acid tests, grass, and songs about murder. The origins of the Grateful Dead are fascinating and not what most people think. Born out of…
- DISGRACELAND
Chet Baker: Heroin, Romance, Missing Teeth and the James Dean of Jazz
Chet Baker, with his natural talent, unique voice and beautiful looks was known as “the James Dean of Jazz.” He was also a savage junkie and part time…
DISGRACELANDIce-T: Crip Rhymes, a Cop Killer, Thieving Jewels and Inventing Gangsta Rap
Ice-T stoked the wrath of the President of the United States, led the life of a successful jewel thief, ran with one of LA’s most notorious street gangs, the…
- DISGRACELAND
The Rolling Stones Pt. 2: Swinging London, Stolen Jewels, the Mars Bar Myth, and Busted at Redlands
The Establishment strikes back in this second installment of the Rolling Stones time in Swinging London. UK pop star Donovan is busted, a precursor to the…
- DISGRACELAND
Rolling Stones Pt. 1: Swinging London, a Prison Break, East End Gangsters and the Anti-Beatles
London was swinging. Keith Richards was in jail. The Kray Twins were menacing about. Brian Jones was on too much LSD. Aristocrats were tripping over themselves…
- DISGRACELAND
Prince (Pt. 1): Dark Funk and Fentanyl
Few pop artists achieved the dizzying creative and career highs that Prince did. An artist who famously stayed away from drugs and most anything that would…
- DISGRACELAND
Studio 54: Disco Decadence, a Dead Body and Bags of Cash
In the late seventies, Studio 54 was the place to be for musicians and celebrities alike. John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and…
- DISGRACELAND
Nipsey Hussle: A Crenshaw Murder, Community Activism, Rollin 60s Crips, and Lost Potential
Nipsey Hussle was more than just one of this generation’s most promising voices in hip hop. He was a social activist, a community leader, and an…
- DISGRACELAND
Ozzy Osbourne: The Prince of Darkness, Randy Rhoads’ Plane Crash and the Saving Grace of a Strong Woman
Ozzy Osbourne, along with his bandmates in Black Sabbath, invented heavy metal, and throughout Ozzy’s post-Sabbath solo career he would invent new…
- DISGRACELAND
Run DMC Pt. 1: Innovation, Evolution and the Mysterious Death of Jam Master Jay
Run DMC is directly responsible for elevating hip hop to previously unimagined heights. They took rap music into an entirely different direction and helped…
DISGRACELANDJoe Exotic: Tiger King, Budding Country Star, Confidence Man Extraordinaire
Joe Exotic, the gun toting, mullet wearing, polyamorous subject of the hit Netflix series Tiger King was more than just a murder-minded conman. He could sing!…
- DISGRACELAND
John Denver: A Folk Singer, a Sniper and America’s Darkest Day
(This is a bonus April Fools’ episode of Disgraceland that is satire and not true crime.) John Denver was a one of the biggest stars of the Seventies…
DISGRACELANDLittle Richard: Sex and the Duality of the King and Queen of Rock ‘N’ Roll
Little Richard is the originator. Without him it’s hard to imagine the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Elton John or even Led Zeppelin. He blazed a trail…
- DISGRACELAND
Jay Z: Street hustle, a Nightclub Stabbing, a Near Drug Bust and the God MC
Jay Z’s career defies easy categorization. His artistry and business sense are as influenced by his past career as a drug dealer as they are anything…
- DISGRACELAND
Guns N’ Roses Pt. 2: Real life Rocket Queen, Raging Press, Recovered Memories, and the Riverport Riot
Post Appetite For Destruction, Guns N’ Roses embodied the word “dysfunction." As the band prepared for their follow up release, singer Axl Rose was…
- DISGRACELAND
Guns N’ Roses Pt. 1: Brawling with Bowie, Juvenile Delinquency, Dealing Dope and Death at Donington
Few hard rock bands lived the life portrayed in their songs as authentically as Guns N’ Roses. Singer Axl Rose was driven by deep-seated demons that…
- DISGRACELAND
The Beach Boys Pt. 2: Endless Bummer, Hollywood Paranoia, Onstage Fist Fights, Incest, and Cocaine
In the aftermath of the Manson Family murders, Hollywood was gripped with fear. Various investigations stitched together a deluded White Album-inspired…
- DISGRACELAND
The Beach Boys Pt. 1: Endless Summer, LSD, Orgies, Charles Manson and a Steve McQueen Man-Crush
In the summer of 1968, the Beach Boys’ drummer Dennis Wilson invited a hippie guru and his grungy harem to squat in his Pacific Palisades home. Dennis was the…
- DISGRACELAND
The Rolling Stones at Altamont: Bikers, Blood, and the End of the '60s
The Rolling Stones, the most dangerous band on the planet, envisioned their free concert at the Altamont speedway outside San Francisco as the triumphant…
DISGRACELANDA$AP Rocky: Love Sex Dreams/LSD and Locked Up Overseas
A$AP Rocky’s upbringing; Harlem, Riker’s, and his own instincts and sense of history informed his world view: A view that included not only a…
DISGRACELANDWhitney Houston: Cracks in the Mirror, Crack on the Mirror, and One Fateful Choice
Whitney Houston was The Voice. A stunning beauty. An early MTV star and leading actress. But when she passed away in a hotel suite bath, the music industry…
- DISGRACELAND
Madonna: Music as Sex and Sex as Power in the Reign of the Queen of Pop
Madonna always knew her life would be art. She rose through the late 70s New York scene reinventing pop iconography and feminism alike. But whether it was…
- DISGRACELAND
Iggy Pop: Mad Artistry, Mental Wards, and Gaping Chest Wounds
Iggy Pop pushed rock further than anyone before him, committing to live acts of sex, sickness, and rumored suicide on stage. From his cocaine fueled bromance…
DISGRACELANDMotown Records: Pimps, Prostitutes, the Detroit Mafia and the Sound of Teenage America
Motown Records is one of the most successful musical industry endeavors of all time. The music and the megastars Motown produced, like Smokey Robinson, Diana…
- DISGRACELAND
Led Zeppelin Pt 1: Dark Power, Cocaine, Backstage Brawls and Heavy Metal Magick
Led Zeppelin were the biggest band on the planet. The great white shark of the seventies. They defined excess. They designed the avatar for the heavy metal…
- DISGRACELAND
N.W.A Pt. 2: Beatdowns, Band Beef, Death Row and LA on Fire
Part two of the N.W.A story finds the group dead center in America’s crosshairs, due in part to their own violent behavior, and at a crossroads…
- DISGRACELAND
N.W.A Pt. 1: Street Hustle, Reality Rap and Culture-Shifting Violence
N.W.A, the self proclaimed “most dangerous group in America,” were seen as violent, thuggish, profanity-spewing criminals, but they had nothing on those who…
- DISGRACELAND
Grateful Dead Pt. 1: Freedom's Just Another Word for…
The Grateful Dead became one of the most influential bands of all time and propelled themselves with improvisation, LSD and an ethos of “freedom&rdquo…
- DISGRACELAND
The Rolling Stones: Fugitives in Exile
Gun fights, heroin trafficking, burglaries, kidnapping threats, intra-band infidelity and the greatest rock ‘n’ roll record ever made, Exile on…
DISGRACELANDCardi B: Felony Assault
Cardi B is one of the biggest artists on the planet and one of the most successful female hip hop artists of all time. She is accused of two counts of felony…
DISGRACELANDJim Morrison: Zodiac Killer Qu'est-ce Que C'est
This is a bonus episode of Disgraceland that is satire and not true crime. Originally released on April 1, 2019 as an April Fools joke, this episode fooled…
- DISGRACELAND
Slick Rick: Hustle, Iconic Flow and a Menacing Tormentor
Slick Rick has one of the most iconic voices in hip hip history. His style is completely his own, and his success owes as much to his delivery as it does to…
DISGRACELANDJohnny Cash: Pills & Playing With Fire
Johnny Cash took no shit. He was a total original. Could maneuver that big baritone around a ballad or a rave up like nobody’s business. He also burned down a…
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Amy Winehouse: Rehab, the Muse and a Rare Talent
Rehab, arrests, fights, hitting on Prince Harry, dramatic stage breakdowns, slagging off the press, Amy Winehouse was a rockstar’s rockstar and she was…