DISGRACELAND

DISGRACELAND

Murder, infidelity, suicide, arson, overdose, religious cults, drug trafficking; this award winning podcast explores the alleged true crime antics and criminal connections of musicians we love like Jerry Lee Lewis, Jay Z, The Rolling Stones, Amy Winehouse, Tupac Shakur, the Grateful Dead, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Blondie and many more. Why? Because real rock stars are more like feral, narcissistic animals than functioning members of society and that is precisely what makes them so damn entertaining. If you love music history and you love true crime, then get ready to love this podcast. Welcome to DISGRACELAND, where these stories and more will grip you to the edge of your seat and cause you to binge episode after episode. DISGRACELAND publishes new, fully scripted, and sound-designed episodes every Tuesday and bonus episodes featuring listener voicemails, texts, and emails on Thursdays. Special "Rewind" episodes from our archive of over 230+ episodes are re-released on Fridays. DISGRACELAND is not a journalistic podcast. It is an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. Certain dialogue and scenes are sometimes fictionalized for dramatic purposes, as they are in most scripted entertainment based on true events. Sources and credits for each episode are available at www.disgracelandpod.com . To listen to DISGRACELAND ad-free and get access to an exclusive monthly episode, weekly bonus content, and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at www.disgracelandpod.com/membership.

Episodes

July 19, 2025 43 mins
Robin Williams’ manic mind moved at such a breakneck speed that cocaine had the opposite effect than it had on most other people: it slowed him down. Robin’s primary addiction, however, wasn’t cocaine. He was addicted to the dopamine rush of being on a stage, where he could let his mind run wild with free association, and be rewarded with uproarious laughter. He was addicted to proving himself as a dramatic actor, even if that mean...
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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. His drug use began as mind-altering inspiration for his art, but quickly became a coping mechanism for the demands of commercial success. He became paralyzed in front of television cameras. He detuned his guitar until it was literally unplayable and refused to perform alongside hi...
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This week, Jake dives deeper into Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe, Part 2), calls out the Corporate Algorithmic Studio Storytelling Machine (CASSM), and explains why he’s suddenly obsessed with Jimmy Buffett. Plus: Jeff Buckley, Oasis, and your voicemails and DMs. On Tuesday, we're bringing you our episode on Waylon Jennings, and Jake wants to know: Who was the most punk rock country singer? Share your thoughts at 617-906-6638, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
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He was broke, strung out, and cleaning up other people's puke. Then he got stiffed by a gangster with ties to the infamous Wonderland Murders. A few years later, he was dead on the floor – for the second time. This is the high-speed tale of Nikki Sixx, a rock 'n roll original who came back to life more than once to take his place as the poster boy for hair metal's wildest and wettest dreams. This isn't a comeback story – It's a res...
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Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil totaled his Ford Pantera on a beer run, and in the process took the life of his friend Razzle Dingley, drummer for Hanoi Rocks. Bassist Nikki Sixx survived multiple heroin overdoses. Guitarist Mick Mars walked away from a blackout drunk drowning and drummer Tommy Lee lived through his own Caligula-like Sunset Strip sexcapades. Mötley Crüe, a degenerate band of death-cheating rock gods has us asking, ...
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Post Appetite For Destruction, Guns N’ Roses embodied the word “dysfunction." As the band prepared for their follow up release, singer Axl Rose was losing a very public battle with the press while heroin and alcohol threatened to completely derail the band. Axl’s “recovered memories” continued to fuel his erratic behavior and thus he continued to drive his band closer and closer to the edge. It all came to a head in St. Louis at th...
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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 drove the creation of his band’s legendary debut album, Appetite For Destruction, as well as his legendary bad behavior. His band was hardly any different. Nearly dysfunctional from drug use and excess, their record label feared they would all die before their first album was even rele...
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This week in the after party, Jake looks at the bands that could've been huge, but never were, and hears from you on the subject. Plus, Jake talks about the challenge of writing the upcoming Brian Wilson episode and dishes on his surprisingly growing admiration for Jimmy Buffet. On Tuesday, we're bringing you part 2 of our Motley Crue episode, focusing on Nikki Sixx. Jake wants to know: Was Motley Crue the greatest hair metal ba...
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A teenage bass-playing f*ck-up prodigy. A big brother in an ill-fitting bodysuit on national television. A drummer playing chicken with the cops on his motorcycle. And one of the greatest singer-songwriters to ever pick up a guitar and stumble towards a microphone. These were the Replacements: shambolic and chaotic, just like the best rock ‘n roll often is. In 1986, the Minneapolis quartet delivered a legendary performance on Satur...
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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 others all famously hung out at the notorious club where hedonism was part of the venue’s allure. The success of Studio 54 was sudden and massive, resulting in mountains of cash, cocaine, jealousy, revenge, an FBI raid, and an ironic ending for one of its owners. To view the ful...
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July 3, 2025 35 mins
This week in the after party, Jake hears from you about your favorite singer/songwriters and which artists are the most gangster. Plus, Jake gets into what he's reading. Oh, and also the Diddy verdict came in - so there's that. On Tuesday, we're bringing you our previously exclusive episode on the Replacements. Jake wants to know: Which band or artist never made it big, but should have? Share your thoughts at 617-906-6638, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
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Frank Sinatra was never just a pop star. In this second chapter of his story, Frank isn’t merely brushing shoulders with gangsters—he’s one of them. Backed by new research and newly released secret intelligence files, this episode unpacks how the Voice became a mafia asset. When Sinatra’s son is kidnapped, before he calls the police—he calls notorious gangster Sam Giancana. And what follows is one of the darkest, bloodiest chapters...
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Frank Sinatra had it all, then lost it all, then got it all back tenfold. He was a man of extreme talent, confidence and insecurity. And he had powerful and dangerous friends. He orchestrated some of the greatest music ever made. And he also orchestrated an alliance between two friends—mob boss Sam Giancana and John F. Kennedy—that would help the latter win the White House and, in the end, prove disastrous for Frank and the country...
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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 to Top 40 mega-fame and cocaine-fueled excess. At the core of it all were rampant Rumours — both the album and the literal gossip. Breakups, divorce, drama: the same intra-band personal dynamics that stressed the group simultaneously led to the creation of one of the top-selling albums ...
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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 band members were arrested on gun charges. They encountered doom brought on by drugs, money, and Jesus Christ. Most famously, the band involved themselves with each other romantically in ways that brought on jealousy, distrust, anger, divorce and resulted in one of the most successful a...
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This week in the after party, Jake is thinking about great singer songwriter albums - what is your favorite? Plus, we hear from you on your favorite true crime songs. On Tuesday, we're bringing you part 2 of our Frank Sinatra story. Jake wants to know: Is Frank Sinatra the most gangster musical artist of all time? Share your thoughts at 617-906-6638, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠disgracelandpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or on socials @disgracelandpod. ...
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Unprovoked killing sprees. Nightclub gunfights. Mafia assassinations. True crime stories and modern folklore make up the backbone of many of the characters from Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, one of the Boss’s greatest albums. Which ones are real, and which ones are myth? This is the story of those stories: the story of the making of Nebraska. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including graphic ...
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This week in the after party, Jake reflects on the recent deaths of Sly Stone and Brian Wilson, and discusses concert tragedies. Plus, Jake talks baseball and dishes on his recent visit to a water park. And as always, he invites you to join the conversation. On Tuesday, we're bringing you the story of the crimes that inspired Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska. Jake wants to know: Which songwriter do you think best told a true crime s...
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They came for the loudest rock band in the world. They got a death trap. In a freezing plaza outside Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum, thousands of Who fans surged forward to get a spot up close in the general admission crowd. But when the doors stayed locked, panic set in – and the crush began. Eleven never made it out. This is a true story of maximum rock ‘n roll, deadly chaos, and the Who.‬ What do you think was the greatest tr...
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This week in the After Party, Jake goes down a rabbit hole as he thinks about great songs about obsession. What are some of your favorites? And speaking of songs and obsession, what is that 90s earworm Jake has stuck in his head? Plus we hear from you on where you are and what you're doing when you listen to Disgraceland. Next week, we're bringing you the tragic story of the Who and the Riverfront Coliseum disaster , and Jak...
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