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 stabbing? What do the Diddy indictments truly reveal? All these stories and more, on artists from every genre and their true crimes, in our massive 260-plus story archive. The Dead, the Stones, Johnny, Willie, Frank, Kurt, Courtney, Gaga, Lana, Taylor, and too many to name. DISGRACELAND is music history come to life through audio storytelling as you've never heard it before, with revealing facts: yes, assassins are the real reason the Beatles quit touring—reclaimed myths: no, Mama Cass didn't die from choking on a ham sandwich––and constant reckoning between art and artist––all told through the lens of true crime. This is the podcast for the self-proclaimed "Disgos", the musically obsessed and the true crime heads; the outsiders, the independent thinkers who know that the best history is the history that gets buried. DISGRACELAND is where host Jake Brennan tells the stories they didn't want told. The kind you'll end up telling someone else. Get ready to uncover hidden truths and buckle up for truly edge-of-your-seat storytelling. New, fully scripted, sound-designed episodes are released every Tuesday. Bonus chat-style episodes where Jake responds to voicemails, texts, and emails from Disgos hit on Thursdays, and "Rewind" episodes from our archive drop on Sundays. DISGRACELAND is not a journalistic podcast. It's an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. Certain dialogue and scenes are dramatized, as is common in scripted entertainment based on real stories. Sources and credits for each episode are available at www.disgracelandpod.com. To unlock ad-free listening, exclusive content, and connect with your fellow Disgos, go to www.disgracelandpod.com to become an All Access member. Rocka Rolla.
Episodes
Anthony Bourdain had a lust for life. He went all in on adventure, indulgence, food, romance – including the romance of a heroin addiction that he chased through the restaurant kitchens and grimy rock clubs of 1980s Manhattan. For years he was a struggling cook and writer, but his first book, published when he was 43 years old, was an overnight success. He parlayed success as a writer into success as a TV host, trav...
Sonic Youth and the new Rolling Stone Magazine list of 100 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time has us asking about what the definition of punk rock even is—plus a preview of our upcoming Weezer episode—and your voicemails, texts, DMs and more.
Check out our huge archive of hundreds of stories on artists like:
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Viral YouTube star Christina Grimmie built her career one click, one song, and one fan at a time. Her breakout run on the NBC singing competition show The Voice was watched by millions. But one obsessed fan watched her a little too closely. Listen to find out how viral fame, fan access, and one man’s delusion turned into murder – and why time has never let Christina Grimmie’s story go.
On May 22, 2017, a terrorist detonated a bomb outside Ariana Grande’s performance at Manchester Arena. The blast killed 22 people. It injured over a thousand more. The attack remains one of the most heartbreaking events in music history. Parents were terrified. Younger fans suddenly feared going to concerts. But Manchester’s story doesn’t end on May 22, or in the days that followed. It ends with one woman organizi...
The newly revealed evidence from prosecutors detailing the alleged murder of a 14 year old by rising hip hop star D4vd are as shocking as they are dumb. You will not believe what this musician is being accused of. Plus your thoughts on the Mount Rushmore of guitar players, Sean Diddy Combs, and the May-Madness Sitcom Music Slugfest with your voicemails, texts, DMs, and more.
For more great music and true crime stories, check out ou...
By the time he was 27 years old, Stevie Ray Vaughan was the hottest guitar player in Texas. But outside of the Lone Star State, he was practically unknown, with no real audience and no record deal. But all that would change when Stevie Ray Vaughan reached a crossroads and was presented with a fateful choice: be a star in someone else’s universe, or become a guitar god on his own.
How does a music mogul satiate himself when he’s rich, famous, and can have whatever he wants? When he compares himself to gangster-pimp-king-hustlers from the past? When he’s one of the most powerful men in the music industry? The details behind the Cassie Ventura, Lil’ Rod Jones, and federal indictments charging Sean “Diddy” Combs with horrific acts of abuse – all charges Combs denies – m...
Sean “Diddy” Combs is a music producer and rapper, but he is a businessman first. And as every businessman knows, you gotta pay the cost to be the boss. You’ve gotta bet big to win big. You have to have drive, determination, and swag. Three things that Diddy possesses and which helped Diddy navigate through the fallout of a fatal stampede, an alleged beatdown of a record exec, and a shooting at a Manhattan nightcl...
The “smart” folks over at The New York Times aren’t the only ones with a list this week. We use the (mostly solid) Times list of Thirty Greatest Living American Songwriters as a jumping off point into a discussion of our Top 5 Most Surprising Musician True Crimes. Warning: You will learn things. Plus your voicemails, texts, dms, emails, and more.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The story about Ian Watkins of Lostprophets might be the most disturbing I’ve come across in all my music history research. It involves the abuse of children and a monstrous abuse of power and fame. It also takes place in, among other places, an aptly named prison called “The Monster Mansion”, and like most great stories, it involves an unlikely hero and a twisted sort of justice. This episode will shock you. &nbs...
A deranged fan. A deadly package. And one of the most innovative musicians on the planet. This is the true story of obsession, art, and attempted murder. This is Björk in Disgraceland.
This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including depictions of suicide. If you or a loved one are thinking about suicide, help is available 24 hours a day at the 988 Lifeline.
Like the Foo Fighters Taylor Hawkins’ death, the details around the Doors Jim Morrison’s death are mysterious. Was a debonair jetset Count responsible for the singer’s death along with the death of Janis Joplin and possibly others? We get into this incredible story along with your voicemails, text, dms and more in this bonus episode.
For more rock 'n' roll and true crime, check out our archive, featuring epi...
How is it that one of the most famous drummers on the planet died four years ago and we still don’t have an official cause of death? We have some ideas. Plus, we get into the story behind one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands to ever do it, Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters.
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com.
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 saw her as more than just a pop star — she was family. Selena was about to take her fame and her family to the world stage when a tangled web of deceit, betrayal, and jealousy would result in her untimely death at 23.
In this week’s After Party, we dive into the near-death experience of Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan. After a harrowing moment in 1996, he floated above his body, witnessing paramedics trying to save him. But where do rock stars really go when they die? Is it a dark void or a realm of love? Plus, we hear from you about your favorite unlikely cover songs. Welcome to the After Party, Disgos!
See omnystudio.com/listener fo...
Machines, eyeliner, ecstasy, and a West Hollywood overdose that left their frontman clinically dead—Depeche Mode were never just a synth-pop band. From cops in riot gear to an onstage heart attack, from stigmas about softness to the hard edge of addiction, this is the story of Dave Gahan’s descent into heroin, his two minutes on the other side, and the band’s unlikely resurrection as one of the most dangerous&mdas...
The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame 2026 inductees were announced, and guess what? You’re pissed! So we are starting our own Hall of Fame. Plus, we are hearing from you through your voicemails, texts, and emails about Tom Waits, Patti Smith, and, of course, this week’s subject, Grace Jones. Welcome to the After Party, Disgos!
For more great music and true crime stories, check out our archive, includ...
Grace Jones was one of the era-defining multihyphenates of the 1980s, an icon of the music, fashion, and movie worlds. From Jamaica to Studio 54, she broke down barriers and smashed glass ceilings at every turn – but she was also a magnet for true crime in the process. She was arrested numerous times. She was set up, the victim of a home invasion, and she wielded a loaded gun in order to get her way. At the height of her fame...
Disgos, we’ve got some big news—and you’re hearing it first. Also, Patti Smith has us asking (and answering), which movies about the Chelsea Hotel are worth watching, plus your voicemails, texts, DMs and more on the greatest music memoirs.
For more great stories, check out our archive of over 250 episodes, featuring artists like:
See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...
The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping, Helter Skelter, the .44 Caliber Killers, the crime and grime of 70s New York; Central Park, the Chelsea Hotel, 42nd St., rape, murder, and the influence of junkie poets, and thieving novelists, all of it compelled Patti Smith to create music “for the criminals”, and perhaps to also survive, when so many other artists did not.
To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to exclus...
Popular Podcasts
Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.