DISGRACELAND
You know the myths. You’ve seen the biopics. But if you’re the kind of music fan who craves the rest of the story—the stuff they buried or cleaned up for streaming and theaters—this is your podcast. DISGRACELAND is the award-winning show that reveals the deeply human, highly dramatic, true crime–fueled chaos behind legendary musicians like Amy Winehouse, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sean “Diddy” Combs, the Grateful Dead, Blondie, and more. While we dig into the dark side, we do so with reverence for the artists—and an understanding of the extreme highs, lows, and personal costs that come with f...
Episodes
The Temptations Pt 2: The Tammi Terrell Tragedy
When Motown singer Tammi Terrell died at the age of 24, Marvin Gaye was the only one from her label allowed at her funeral. The rest – especially her former boyfriend, the Tempations’ David Ruffin – were banned. So what happened between the…
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 corrupted them from the beginning. Lineup changes were as frequent as their chart-topping hits.…
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, and completely silenced for the sake of seeing her sons and boyfriend. As Britney suffe…
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 superstar, her fame exploded at a time when tabloids circled celebrities like prey. 30 …
Bonus Episode: The Culture Changed Every Ten Years… Until It Didn’t
From the Beatles to Nirvana to Pulp Fiction and Friends, every decade used to bring a cultural reset—new sounds, new voices, new aesthetics that changed the way we dressed, talked, and thought. But for the past 25 years, that cycle stopped.…
Run-DMC (Pt. 2): Loyalty, Betrayal, and Who Shot Jay
Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay helped take hip-hop global, but behind the decks was a man under pressure – fiercely loyal yet financially strapped, and secretly entangled in a dangerous world he couldn’t spin his way out of. So when the music ind…
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 mainstream the genre. They were beloved as musicians, innovators, and people – none …
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 else. Jay Z has reached unprecedented heights as an entertainer and an entrepreneur, and i…
Bonus Episode: Sanitized Biopics, California Wildfires, and Underrated Rock Stars
This week in the After Party, Jake looks further into the CASSM (Corporate Algorithmic Studio Storytelling Machine) and explores the reasons behind the sanitized versions of music history that are served up everywhere but in Disgraceland. …
Mark Lanegan: Kurt Cobain’s Drug Runner, Liam Gallagher’s Tormentor, and Matt Dillon’s Firestarter
Mark Lanegan was grunge’s darkest secret – a gravel-voiced hellraiser who ran dope for Kurt Cobain, scared Liam Gallagher into quitting Oasis, and nearly lost his arm (and his mind) chasing the next high. He brawled his way out of a dead-en…
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, self-destructive forms of sabotage. Arrested at an early age for breaking and entering, Ozzy…
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 to a less painful style of playing— a style that produced a new, genre-defining t…
Bonus Episode: Uncovering Grift, Country Punks, and RIP Ozzy
This week, Jake looks into some possible malfeasance related to the proceeds of a benefit concert for the victims of the LA fires and shares his thoughts on the passing of the legendary Ozzy Osbourne. Plus, your voicemails and DMs on the m…
Introducing: HOLLYWOODLAND…
…the Hollywood and true crime spinoff from the award winning music and true crime podcast, DISGRACELAND, and the newest expansion from the folks at Double Elvis. The most dramatic non-fiction stories ever heard come from the world of ente…
Waylon Jennings: Surviving Buddy Holly, the DEA, and Himself
Waylon Jennings’ musical career began with tragedy. On tour as the bass player for his friend Buddy Holly, Waylon gave up his seat on the tiny plane that, just hours later, crashed, killing Buddy and three others. That experience alone near…
Presenting Hollywoodland - Robin Williams: A Manic Mind at Breakneck Speed, an Addiction to Laughter, and the Devil’s Dandruff
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 o…
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. His drug use began as mind-altering inspiration for his art, but quickly became a copi…
Bonus Episode: CASSM, Nikki Sixx, and the Gospel According to Jimmy Buffett
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 voi…
Motley Crue Pt. 2: The Ballad of Nikki Sixx – Dead, Doped Up, and Running Naked with a Loaded .357
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…
Mötley Crüe Pt. 1: Sex, Drugs, and Even More Sex and Drugs: How Are These Dudes Still Alive?
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 walke…
Bonus Episode: The Greatest Band That Never Was
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 surprisin…
The Replacements: Stink Bombs, Broken Guitars, and Self-Sabotage
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 stum…
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 others all famously hung out at the notorious club where hedonism was part of the ven…
Bonus Episode – The Verdict is in
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…
Frank Sinatra Pt 2: New Evidence, Secret Favors, and Three Dead Men. This is Frank Sinatra — Connected, Compromised, and Cornered
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 h…
Bonus Episode – True Crime Songs, Singer Songwriters, and the Worst Draft Pick in NBA History
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 w…
Bonus Episode – Concert Tragedies, Concussions, and Brian Wilson
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 jo…
The Who Pt 2: A Crowd Crush, a Death Trap, and a Tragedy in Cincinnati
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 …
Introducing: Clues with Morgan Absher & Kaelyn Moore
Join hosts Morgan Absher and Kaelyn Moore as they take you deep into the world of the most notorious crimes ever — where a single clue can crack a case wide open. From shocking murders to serial killers, Clues dives into all the forensic de…
Bonus Episode – Obsessions, Earworms, and RIP Sly Stone
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…
Bjork: The Package, the Fan, and a Deadly Obsession
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 …
Bonus Episode - Suffering Souls, Subversion, and More Great Girl Groups
This week in the After Party, Jake is thinking about the connection between psychopathy, artistry, and trauma. So many great artists are also undeniably damaged people. Is their trauma at the root of both their artistry and their disgracefu…
Marilyn Manson: A Car Crash, a Planned Murder, Nihilism, Abuse, and Inhumanity
Discover the controversial story behind Marilyn Manson, aka Brian Warner. Accused by multiple women of abuse—allegations he denies—what do his own revelations of past inhumanity reveal about him? And what can those admissions tell us about …
Bonus Episode - Great Girl Groups au Go Go
This week in the After Party, Jake ponders the greatest girl groups of all time and wonders about our AI-driven future if AI doesn't even have the Go-Gos on its radar as one of the all time great girl groups. Next week, we're presenting our…
The Go Go’s: Serial Killers, Drug Addiction, an Historic Album, and “the Rumor”
Serial killers, drug addiction, avoiding death, destruction, punk rock cliches and surviving an unmentionable “rumor” all while doing something no group of female musicians had ever done before. Which "girl group" is the greatest of all-ti…
Bonus Episode – Upcoming Episodes, the Diddy Trial, and More Mount Rushmore
This week in the After Party, Jake takes a look at the upcoming slate of episodes in Disgraceland and hears from you on the Diddy trial, Phish, and more. Next week, we're presenting our episode on the Go-Gos, and Jake wants to know: Are the…
Bonus Episode - Sign o' the Times: the Diddy Trial Begins
This week in the After Party, Jake shares his thoughts on the start of the Diddy trial and (of course) takes your calls, emails, texts and DMs.. Next week, we're presenting our episode on legendary artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Jake want…
Prince (Pt. 2): Bodyguards, Guns, Gangs, and a Revolution
1984. Prince is at his commercial and creative peak. "Purple Rain" – the album, the soundtrack, and the film – is a sensation. But that's when the backlash sets in. That's when Prince's public persona sours, thanks in part to a tell-all sto…
Bonus Episode: The Mount Rushmore of Guitarists
This week in the After Party, Jake hears from you about the Mount Rushmore of Guitarists and opines on a recent performance from David Lee Roth. Next week, we're presenting part 2 of the Prince story, and Jake wants to know: Which artist b…
Van Halen Pt. 2: Pulling a Gun on Fred Durst, Racing Ferraris and Lambos, and Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Most Faithful Servant
In 1985, David Lee Roth was out and Sammy Hagar was in. One of the biggest lead singer shakeups in music history led to some of the biggest sales of Van Halen's career. It also led to more drama, to Lamborghinis and Ferraris racing through …