This week in the After Party, all the stars come out to play: Def Leppard, Huey Lewis, Gene Hackman, Odell Beckham, Jr and of course, Thin Lizzy! Plus, we hear from you about your favorite Irish artists. Next week, we're bringing you a story about George Michael, one of the all-time great pop vocalists and a major star of the early MTV era. We want to know: Which early-era MTV star was your favorite? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more g...
Mar 13, 2025•36 min•Season 22Ep. 225
What made the band Thin Lizzy different from your standard 1970s rock and punk? Crime, that’s what. The criminals who populated Phil Lynott’s mother’s bar and the stories they told that influenced the songs Phil wrote. That and a harmonized guitar assault. Who is your favorite Irish band? Why? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod. To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus content and more, become ...
Mar 11, 2025•41 min•Season 22Ep. 225
This week, Jake reflects on the recent passing of two legends: David Johansen and Gene Hackman. Plus, we hear from you on rock n' roll actors, great guitarists, and day drinking with punk legends in a strip club. Next week, we're bringing you a story about Thin Lizzy. In honor of Thin Lizzy and of Saint Patrick's day, we want to know: Who is your favorite Irish band? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great Disgraceland episodes, dive i...
Mar 06, 2025•43 min•Season 22Ep. 224
Dennis Hopper revolutionized American cinema by bringing the counterculture to the mainstream with his 1969 film Easy Rider. But he also lived his life in tandem with his art, on the fringes of society and sanity. His stubborn attitude and crazy ideas quickly transformed him from a hippie prophet into a longhaired loser. Hopper's journey from success to failure and back again took him through jungles, deserts, and mountains, and involved varying degrees of drugs, guns, hallucinations, and ex-wiv...
Mar 04, 2025•44 min•Season 22Ep. 224
This week, Jake talks about his experience trying to get a movie made and reflects on the obsessive drive that is required for filmmakers like Martin Scorsese to take a film from concept to the screen. On Friday, we're celebrating Oscar week by bringing you our two part episode on Marilyn Monroe. Jake wants to know: Do you think the Kennedys had anything to do with Marilyn's death? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great Disgraceland e...
Feb 27, 2025•43 min•Season 22Ep. 223
Hollywood:1975. Martin Scorsese sits in his apartment, enraged. He wants to literally kill the man who is ruining his to-be-released film, Taxi Driver. Scorsese’s friends, filmmakers Stephen Spielberg, Brian De Palma, John Milius, and Paul Schraeder rush to Scorsese’s side to talk him out of committing murder, but when they arrive, their friend Marty acts less like himself and more like his Travis Bickle character from the film he’s trying to save. This is the story of that night. Martin Scorses...
Feb 25, 2025•50 min•Season 22Ep. 223
Dorthy Stratten went from Dairy Queen counter girl to Playboy pinup to murder victim – in just two years. Hugh Hefner called her the next Marilyn Monroe. A major Hollywood director wrote a role in his new film just for her, confident that she would make the leap from centerfold to starlet. But all of that was cut short on August 14, 1980, when a private investigator stumbled upon a brutal murder scene that shook the entertainment industry to its core. To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get ac...
Feb 21, 2025•39 min•Season 22Ep. 222
This week, Jake shares some surprising developments in the Jay-Z case and their ramifications for the ongoing Diddy cases. Plus we hear from you on the Sid and Nancy story, and Jake imagines a better world where hot dogs, coffee and cheap beer cost just one dollar. Next week, we're bringing you part 2 of our Martin Scorcese story, one that features other legendary directors like Brian DePalma and Steven Spielberg, so we want to know: Who is your favorite filmmaker? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, dis...
Feb 20, 2025•41 min•Season 22Ep. 221
This week, Jake is thinking about the CIA and its role in our culture. Has the CIA played a part not just in political dirty tricks overseas, but also in the music and culture that are part of our daily lives? Plus, We hear about Jake's grandfather, whose dream was to join the CIA, but who was rejected...hmmmm...sounds exactly like the kind of cover story a CIA agent would tell! Since Valentine's Day is nearly upon us, we're bringing you an episode on one of the most disgraceful romances in musi...
Feb 13, 2025•43 min•Season 22Ep. 221
You know Louis Armstrong, right? Jazz icon? Satchmo? Nice guy from the movies with the trumpet? Did you know he was part of a CIA coup in Africa? Did you know he compelled a President into civil rights action? Did you know Louis Armstrong was controlled by gangsters? There’s a lot to learn about this one-of-a-kind musician in DISGRACELAND. Louis Armstrong famously served as a "jazz ambassador" for the United States. If you could choose one musical artist to represent America overseas, who would ...
Feb 11, 2025•43 min•Season 22Ep. 221
This week, Jake is thinking about Richard Pryor. If Pryor had died after setting himself on fire, would that be the strangest celebrity death of all time? Jake takes a look at some strange celebrity deaths, including Tennessee Williams, William Holden, and more. If you know some strange celebrity death stories, let us know! On Tuesday we're bringing you an episode on one of the most important musical figures of the 20th century - Louis Armstrong. But we're going beyond his musical and cultural i...
Feb 06, 2025•40 min•Season 22Ep. 220
Richard Pryor was one of the funniest people who ever lived. He elevated stand-up comedy to an art form. But the real life that informed his stand-up – a life of pool halls, brothels, stabbings, shootings, and lots and lots of cocaine – was a source of constant pain. A pain that he managed with a freebase habit so out of control it nearly killed him before he was even 40 years old. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including descriptions of domestic violence ...
Feb 04, 2025•37 min•Season 22Ep. 220
This week, Jake wonders what might be coming in future disclosures about UFOs, the JFK assassination, and the Diddy case. What happens if the stories we tell ourselves, the grand conspiracies, the intriguing theories, turn out to be false? What if they're true? Are these stories no longer compelling if they reach a conclusion? Can a conspiracy theory ever be truly debunked? On Tuesday we're bringing you an Icons episode on Richard Pryor, one of the greatest and most influential standup comics of...
Jan 30, 2025•41 min•Season 21Ep. 219
Everyone thought Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge was a joke, until he proved them all wrong. This is the story of government control, aliens, an arrest, a plane crash, a cancer diagnosis, redemption, and (of course) anti-authority punk rock. Do you believe in Non-Human Intelligence? Have you had an experience with UFOs? Let Jake know and tell your story at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod. To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive epis...
Jan 28, 2025•47 min•Season 21Ep. 219
This week, Jake discusses the Beastie Boys and the challenges of creating an episode about a band that was so influential to him personally, as well as the importance of telling the whole story when it comes to rock 'n' roll, not just the tightly controlled version that an artist might want told. On Tuesday we're bringing you an episode on Bink-182 and their unlikely connection to the study of UFOs. Jake wants to know: Do aliens exist? Have you had a direct experience with UFOs or non-human inte...
Jan 23, 2025•47 min•Season 21Ep. 217
The news called the London crime wave an “epidemic." The Beastie Boys inspired it. Liverpool wanted to kill the group. Ad Rock in jail. Numerous other musicians arrested, in part, because of the Beasties. The band’s hardcore roots, their hip hop success, creating a Gen X Sgt. Peppers, and a legacy of influence that’ll be hard to top by future artists. Buckle up for a crime and grime influenced Beastie Boys story. Which musician has had the greatest influence on you? In what way? Let Jake know at...
Jan 21, 2025•55 min•Season 21Ep. 217
In the 1970s, the world regarded the Rolling Stones as an insular band of hedonistic and glamorous pansexual junkies. But all of the trouble they’d stirred up during the ’60s and early ’70s would be dwarfed by the mess they would cause in Canada in 1977. Up until that point, the band’s money and collective luck had been enough to fend off destruction. But the scandal they embroiled themselves in touched the highest levels of government, and threatened to destroy the band and their as-yet indestr...
Jan 17, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 7
This week, Jake wrestles again with the idea that an artist whose work he admires may, in fact, be an a**hole. Plus, a listener's story of rock and roll animalism reignites a dormant memory for Jake! On Tuesday we're bringing you an episode on the one and only Beastie Boys, a band who melded their eclectic influences like no one else, and Jake wants to know: What musician has influenced you the most? Which artists have left their mark on you? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, [email protected],...
Jan 16, 2025•40 min•Season 21Ep. 216
Before Bill Murray was busting ghosts and living in a loop of deja vu, he was a drug-dealing premed student with a knack for comedy. When he was caught with five bricks of pot at the airport, his career in medicine came crashing down, forcing him to make a living with his smart mouth. His obsession to rise above “medium talent” brought him to volatile blows with musicians, fellow actors, and even himself. Yet in his cockiest moments and most despairing lows, the universe always found a way to sh...
Jan 14, 2025•41 min•Season 21Ep. 216
Who is the most hedonistic entertainer from throughout history? Hint: his name might rhyme with “D. Piddy." Caligula is blushing, and your voicemails, texts, DMs, and more. On Tuesday we're bringing you an episode on comedy legend Bill Murray, and Jake wants to know: What's your favorite Bill Murray performance, on or off screen? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great Disgraceland episodes, dive into our extensive archive, including s...
Jan 09, 2025•45 min•Season 21Ep. 215
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 – might provide answers. Do you think Sean Combs is guilty of his alleged crimes? Why or why not? Let Jake kno...
Jan 07, 2025•47 min•Season 21Ep. 215
In this week's After Party, Jake shares some music and movie recommendations based on the research that went into this year's Disgraceland episodes. On Tuesday we're bringing you a brand new episode on Diddy, and Jake wants to know: Do you think Sean Combs is guilty of his alleged crimes? Why or why not? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great Disgraceland episodes, dive into our extensive archive, including such episodes as: Episode 1...
Jan 02, 2025•44 min•Season 21Ep. 214
Your wild tales of rock ‘n’ roll animalism, UFOs, Christmas songs, SNL characters, Jay Z and Diddy, and so much more; we get way into your comments, your thoughts, and what makes your rock ‘n’ roll souls tick on this Christmas-week episode. Coming up, we're bringing you an episode on Hank Williams, who died on New Years Day in 1953, and Jake wants to know: Who are the songwriters and singers who can make you tear up, who cut you to the bone? Who gives you all the feels? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638...
Dec 26, 2024•46 min•Season 21Ep. 213
Everything about Chris Farley was larger than life. His comedy, his laughs, the risks he took in front of a live studio audience – they were all bigger than anyone else's. So were his appetites. Not just for performance, but for life. He plowed through a plate glass window, 15 stories above downtown Chicago. He was kicked out of college for burning down a girl's house. He disappeared with two Playboy models in Los Angeles and woke up the next morning in Hawaii. He modeled his career on an iconic...
Dec 24, 2024•39 min•Season 21Ep. 213
This week in the After Party, Jake gets into the great rock 'n' roll myths: we're talking cocaine enemas, ham sandwiches, mud sharks, and stomach pumps. And speaking of rock 'n' roll, we want to hear your stories of rock animalism - what are the important rock tales that we should preserve? Next week, we're bringing you an episode on one of the greatest funnymen of all time - Chris Farley. As Saturday Night Live gets ready to celebrate 50 years, we want to know: Who is your favorite SNL performe...
Dec 19, 2024•46 min•Season 21Ep. 212
Elvis Presley loved the Memphis singer Johnny Ace. Johnny died long before Elvis’ became the King of Rock ‘N’ Roll and the way in which Johnny Ace died was as tragic as it was violent. It involved a game of Russian roulette, a greedy and dubious rock ‘n’ roll impresario, BB King, Big Mama Thornton, Little Richard, and a killer conspiracy and music history myth in desperate need of busting. Buckle up for a Christmas story like no other. What are your favorite rock 'n' roll myths? Which ones need ...
Dec 17, 2024•44 min•Season 21Ep. 212
This week in the After Party, Jake dives into the recent allegations against Jay-Z and hears from you about your favorite Christmas songs. Plus, we've compiled (thanks to djonnit) all your favorites in a special Spotify playlist! Next week, we're bringing you a special Christmas-themed episode on one of the great rock n' roll myths: the tragic story of Memphis R&B singer Johnny Ace. We want to know: what are some other great rock myths? Which myths need busting? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, disgra...
Dec 12, 2024•53 min•Season 21Ep. 211
Shane MacGowan lived his life as an outsider. He was an Irishman living in England, a troublemaking jug-eared punk with rotten teeth and a voracious appetite for drugs and alcohol. And with his band, The Pogues, he created a powerful synthesis of the traditional music of his homeland and a modern punk attitude. It was this gift for melding the sacred with the profane that led to the creation of one of the finest and most unique Christmas songs ever: "Fairytale of New York." What are your favorit...
Dec 10, 2024•43 min•Season 21Ep. 211
This week in the After Party, Jake looks back at John Lennon and gets your take on which Beatle had the best solo career. Next week, we're bringing you the story of a true rock n' roll original, Shane MacGowan, and in honor of his classic song "Fairytale of New York," we want to know: what are your favorite holiday songs? Tell Jake your favorites and why at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod, and he'll curate a killer Disgraceland holiday playlist based on yo...
Dec 05, 2024•48 min•Season 21Ep. 210
This week in the After Party, Jake reflects on Thanksgiving and The Last Waltz. Plus, Jake hears from you on your favorite concert films, and it turns out you really like Talking Heads! Next week, we're bringing you a story about John Lennon in the 1970s. We want to know: which Beatle had the best solo output?. Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great Disgraceland episodes, dive into our extensive archive, including such episodes as...
Nov 28, 2024•49 min•Season 20Ep. 209
