Oasis, Bad Company, Black Crowes, OutKast, White Stripes, Joe Cocker, Joy Division / New Order, Chubby Checker, Cyndi Lauper, Mana, Phish, Soundgarden, Billy Idol, and Mariah Carey. Which 7 artists would you choose to induct into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Will Billy Idol, the consummate rock 'n' roll animal, make the cut? Next week, we're bringing you a story on Mama Cass Elliot and her connection to Charles Manson and the Tate LaBianca murders. We want to know: Do you believe that the acc...
Apr 10, 2025•31 min•Season 22Ep. 229
With his spiked blond hair, perpetual sneer, and gloved hands clenched in defiance, Billy Idol seemed like an avatar of punk rock dreamed up by central casting. But Idol's look, his attitude, and especially his music were completely authentic. He was a pure rock 'n' roll animal. Few rock stars lived a life as hedonistic and debaucherous as Billy Idol, and even fewer lived to tell the tale. Who is the most debaucherous star you've heard about in Disgraceland? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, disgra...
Apr 08, 2025•37 min•Season 22Ep. 229
This week in the After Party, Jake shares his thoughts on the recent release of formerly classified JFK files and how they relate to Watergate and this week's episode on Bob Dylan. Next week, we're bringing you a story on Billy Idol, and we want to know: who is the most debaucherous rock star ever? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great Disgraceland episodes, dive into our extensive archive, including such episodes as: Episode 64 - P...
Apr 03, 2025•40 min•Season 22Ep. 225
Within the recently released "JFK Files” there is a reference to a “Bobby Dyllon” and informant number “T-3390-S." This recent discovery has led to a quick consensus among many JFK assassination scholars that “Dyllon” is the lynchpin between an unknown FBI informant at the heart of a conspiracy theory that scholars are now just beginning to accept as truth: that the “Watergate” scandal was not at all what it seemed; the downfall of a corrupt politician, but was instead, the overthrow of a presid...
Apr 01, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 22Ep. 228
This week in the After Party, Jake hears from you about the greatest Seattle artists of the grunge era and makes his own list of the top 10 grunge albums. Next week, we're bringing you a special story on "Voice of His Generation" Bob Dylan. We want to know: who is the voice of your generation? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great Disgraceland episodes, dive into our extensive archive, including such episodes as: Episode 63 - Chet B...
Mar 27, 2025•49 min•Season 22Ep. 227
This week in the After Party, Jake looks at video directors from the 80s and 90s who went on to have careers in films. Plus, we hear from you about your favorite early MTV artists, and Jake has big news for fans of Disgraceland, Hollywood, and true crime. Next week, we're bringing you a story about Seattle rockers Alice in Chains, and we want to know: Which Seattle band or artist is your favorite? Thirty five years after the peak of grunge, which bands are you still listening to today? Tell Jake...
Mar 20, 2025•43 min•Season 22Ep. 226
Seven arrests in twelve years and more than a couple sleepless nights inside a London prison. This reads like the description of a stereotypical Sunset Strip metalhead, not that of pop prince George Michael. George’s criminal transgressions include a bust for a “lewd act” in a public place, a crack addiction, numerous car crashes. George Michael was on a collision course with an early death, but he died of a broken heart. Along the way he made great music. Here’s his story. Which early MTV icon ...
Mar 18, 2025•36 min•Season 22Ep. 226
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, disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more ...
Mar 13, 2025•28 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, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, 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•34 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, disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great Disgraceland episodes, dive ...
Mar 06, 2025•36 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•37 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, disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great Disgraceland ...
Feb 27, 2025•35 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•32 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•33 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•36 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•35 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•33 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•30 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•34 min•Season 21Ep. 219
The news called the London crime wave an “epidemic”. The Beastie Boys inspired it. Liverpool wanted to kill the group. Ad Rock was in jail. Numerous other musicians were arrested, in part, because of the Beasties. These stories plus the band’s hardcore roots, their hip hop success, how they created a Gen X Sgt. Peppers, and a legacy that will be hard to top for future artists. Buckle up for a crime and grime Beastie Boys story. This episode was originally released on January 21, 2025. To listen ...
Jan 29, 2025•47 min•Season 21Ep. 217
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, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod. This episode was originally published on January 28, 2025. To listen to Disg...
Jan 28, 2025•40 min•Season 21Ep. 219
Country songwriter Townes Van Zandt was an incredible talent who toiled in obscurity. Most of his albums never sold more than a few thousand copies. Like his idol, Hank Williams, he was willing to push aside everything to chase the muse – everything but the bottle. And like Hank Williams, Townes Van Zandt's legend would only grow greater after his death. This episode was originally published on January 23, 2025. To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to exclusive weekly bonus content a...
Jan 23, 2025•35 min•Season 21Ep. 218
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•39 min•Season 21Ep. 217
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, disgracelandpod@gmail.com ...
Jan 16, 2025•33 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•34 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, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great Disgraceland episodes, dive into our extensive archive, including s...
Jan 09, 2025•38 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. This episode was originally published on January 7, 2025. To listen to Disgraceland a...
Jan 07, 2025•39 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, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great Disgraceland episodes, dive into our extensive archive, including such episodes as: Episode 1...
Jan 02, 2025•36 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•40 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•32 min•Season 21Ep. 213
