A cosmic-country dust-up with Gram Parsons. A months-long cocaine spiral. An alien obsession, and a bleak Christmas single that wouldn’t quit. Death threats, pistols, pardons, and “Pancho & Lefty.” Listen to find out how Merle Haggard survived another December and lived to rewrite country music. For the full list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.com To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to exclusive content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracel...
Dec 02, 2025•33 min•Season 25Ep. 258
Why The Last Waltz is the greatest concert film of all time plus, in the exclusive section of this bonus episode, a long list of other favorites and some criminally overlooked live gems with Jake and Zeth. You can become an All Access member and hear this and more exclusive content, along with ad-free listening of all Disgraceland episodes, by going to disgracelandpod.com and signing up via Patreon or Apple Podcasts. If you're an All Access member and you're having trouble accessing the ad-free ...
Nov 27, 2025•38 min•Season 25Ep. 257
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 Scorse...
Nov 21, 2025•43 min•Season 22Ep. 223
“The Devil’s Right Hand" – the gun. Many have died by it in music history. From the unknown piano player who helped influence rock ‘n’ roll to iconic stars like Marvin Gaye and John Lennon. On the heels of our Dr. John episode detailing the shooting that changed the trajectory of his career, and in advance of our Martin Scorsese archive episode detailing the rock ‘n’ roll director’s plan to shoot and kill his producer, we are giving you a brief history of gun violence in music history with a spe...
Nov 20, 2025•35 min•Season 25Ep. 257
A gunshot ended his career as a guitar player, but opened up a path to becoming an iconic piano man. Heroin, pimping, and federal prison nearly ended him, but Voodoo––and music––saved him. Listen to find out how one of New Orleans’ most notorious musicians, Mac Rebennack, became Dr. John. For a full list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.com To listen to Disgraceland ad free and hear an exclusive mini-episode that explores Dr. John's stay in a psychiatric hospital and ...
Nov 18, 2025•32 min•Season 25Ep. 257
Gangsters, rude boys, drug dealers, soviet bootleggers, ticket scalping syndicates, and psychedelic chemists—why do criminals like the “Nitrous Mafia” associated with Phish, and the Italian Mafia linked to Tommy James, so often infiltrate and influence music culture? This topic, along with your voicemails, texts, and emails, and in the All Access portion, Jake and Zeth unpack the fascinating history of violence in Jamaican music. You can become an All Access member and hear this and more exclusi...
Nov 13, 2025•32 min•Season 25Ep. 256
A parking lot ruled by shady nitrous oxide dealers. And a bandleader whose addiction nearly killed him. This is the story of Trey Anastasio and Phish – and their improbable comeback. For a full list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.com To listen to Disgraceland ad free and hear an exclusive mini-episode that further explores Phish and the Nitrous Mafia, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership . Sign up for our newsl...
Nov 11, 2025•36 min•Season 25Ep. 256
This episode is being published for the first time on Friday, November 7th. An episode of the same title was mistakenly published previously. The media blamed AC/DC for inspiring a serial killer. Rebecca Shaefer’s murderer claimed inspiration from a U2 song. When the next incel murder happens, will we blame Morrissey? Radiohead? Or will we finally learn our lesson and treat the music as a mirror, and not a weapon? This topic, along with your voicemails, texts, and emails, and in the All Access p...
Nov 07, 2025•34 min•Season 25Ep. 255
This is the story of the greatest rock ’n’ roll band on earth. AC/DC was forged in discipline, sharpened by grief, resurrected by obsession … and nearly undone by one final dirty deed that no one saw coming: murder. For a full list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.com To listen to Disgraceland ad free and hear an exclusive mini-episode about the making of Back in Black , become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership . Sign up...
Nov 04, 2025•38 min•Season 25Ep. 255
This week in the After Party, Jake wonders why horror film soundtracks, despite their importance to the mood of their films, are so often ignored by Hollywood when it comes to award season. Plus, we hear from you on the movies that scare you. Next week we're bringing you a brand new part 2 episode on AC/DC. AC/DC's Back in Black is the biggest selling rock album of all time. Jake wants to know: What do you think is the greatest rock album ever? Share your thoughts at 617-906 6638, ...
Oct 30, 2025•32 min•Season 25Ep. 254
This week in the After Party, Jake looks back at the 1980s satanic panic and the uproar over supposed "backmasking" – the spurious claim that rock stars were hiding demonic messages in their music. Plus, we hear from you on your favorite Heavy Metal bands. Next week we're bringing you an episode on The Exorcist, and Jake wants to know: what movies scare you? Share your thoughts at 617-906 6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod. To hear an ...
Oct 23, 2025•34 min•Season 25Ep. 254
They helped create the genre of heavy metal, and then Satan and the censors tried to destroy them. Judas Priest defended the metal faithful on stage and in the courts, and became icons in the process. For a full list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.com This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. To...
Oct 21, 2025•41 min•Season 25Ep. 254
This week in the After Party, Jake is thinking about monsters – the fictitious kind and the kind that are all too real. Plus, we hear more spooky stories from you and get your recommendations on scary music. Next week we're bringing you an episode on Judas Priest and the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, and Jake wants to know: who is your favorite heavy metal band? Share your thoughts at 617-906 6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more ...
Oct 16, 2025•35 min•Season 25Ep. 254
This week in the After Party, Jake suggests some songs for spooky season and wonders if ChatGPT will replace the musical sherpas who guided us in our youth. Plus, we hear your stories about who turned you on to your favorite music. Next week we're bringing you an episode on Harry Houdini (with a side of Red Hot Chili Peppers), and Jake wants to know: what scary music do you play this time of year? What songs, bands or albums creep you out? Share your thoughts at 617-906 6638, dis...
Oct 09, 2025•36 min•Season 25Ep. 253
In 1971, a teenage metalhead named Bobby Liebling flipped a five-pointed star upside-down, gave his band a cursed name, and summoned a sound so heavy it would echo for generations. But for Bobby and his bandmates, doom metal wasn’t just a genre – it was a prophecy. Drug addiction, jail time, sabotage, and strange hauntings followed, all as the myth of Pentagram grew louder underground. This is the story of the greatest band you’ve never heard – and the curse they could never shake. For a full li...
Oct 07, 2025•37 min•Season 25Ep. 253
This week in the After Party, Jake reacts to the news that Bad Bunny will perform at this year's Superbowl halftime show. And as we kick off spooky season, we hear from you about our recent Led Zeppelin episode, your creepy stories, and more. Next week we're bringing you an episode on Pentagram, and Jake wants to know: who was your musical sherpa? Who introduced you to great music in your formative years? Share your thoughts at 617-906 6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com...
Oct 02, 2025•35 min•Season 25Ep. 252
Big news for Disgraceland All Access Members! Rocka Rolla subscription members on Apple Podcasts and Patreon will now receive a special, exclusive mini-episode in their feed on Tuesdays, immediately following the release of that week's new full episode. In Disgraceland, you know we dive deep to uncover the wildest true stories about music legends. But what happens to all the stories that don't make it into an episode of Disgraceland? What about the EXCESS excess? That's where these mini-episodes...
Oct 01, 2025•1 min
In 1971, Led Zeppelin holed up in an old English house in the countryside to make the album that would crown them the biggest rock band on earth. But they weren’t alone inside Headley Grange. This is a story about obsession, occult rituals, and music made in the shadows. About pentagrams. About black magick. About a song that felt like it was being written by an unseen spirit. And about a house that went from forgotten ruin to something far stranger—and the band that may have changed that house ...
Sep 30, 2025•38 min•Season 25Ep. 252
This week in the After Party, takes a look at the latest true crime and music in the news. Plus, your voicemails, DMs, and emails on rock 'n' roll movies and lots of other subjects. Spooky season is just around the corner, and we've got an episode on Headley Grange, the haunted estate where Led Zeppelin created their greatest work. Jake wants to hear your spooky stories - ghosts, hauntings, the paranormal... share your thoughts at 617-906 6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com...
Sep 25, 2025•33 min•Season 14Ep. 148
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—and enduring—acts in rock history. This episode was originally released on September 24...
Sep 24, 2025•34 min•Season 25Ep. 251
This week in the After Party, Jake is thinking about movies that have a rock 'n' roll attitude. Plus, your voicemails, DMs, and emails on what artists you couldn't stand, but now kind of like. Jake wants to know: What are your favorite rock 'n' roll movies? Share your thoughts at 617-906 6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod. To listen to an extended version of the After Party and hear Jake and Zeth's movie and music recommendations, beco...
Sep 18, 2025•35 min•Season 25Ep. 250
Key West drug traffickers, God’s Own Bad-Ass, flying bullets, and the billion-dollar business of escape. Jimmy Buffett wasn’t just the “Margaritaville Guy” – he was a hustler, a ham, and a near pirate who turned a hangover into an empire. For a full list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.com To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership . Sign up for our newslet...
Sep 16, 2025•34 min•Season 25Ep. 250
This week in the After Party, Jake contrasts the cultural irrelevancy of the MTV Video Music Awards with the triumphant return of Oasis to stadiums and the public consciousness. Plus, your voicemails, DMs, and emails, including a report from a listener who attended a recent Oasis concert. On Tuesday, we're bringing you a new episode on Jimmy Buffet, and Jake wants to know: Are there artists that you once couldn't stand that now you find yourself loving? Which artist has grown on you over time? S...
Sep 11, 2025•31 min•Season 24Ep. 249
Curtis Jackson took his name from a stickup man – and then proceeded to play by that dead man’s rules. This episode traces the violent legacy of the original 50 Cent and the rise of 50 Cent the rapper through his feud with Ja Rule, the Lorenzo brothers, Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff, and Murder Inc. Records. This is about how Curtis Jackson a/k/a 50 Cent became a rap king, despite a nine-shot assassination attempt that failed to kill the man—or the myth. For a full list of contributors, visit di...
Sep 09, 2025•34 min•Season 24Ep. 249
This week in the After Party, Jake takes a closer look at the tales of mysterious rumored recordings from music history. Plus, your voicemails, DMs, and emails! On Tuesday, we're bringing you a new episode on 50 Cent, and Jake wants to know: Which hip hop artist (living or dead) would you most want to have a drink with?" Share your thoughts at 617-906 6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod. To listen to an extended version of the After Par...
Sep 04, 2025•35 min•Season 24Ep. 248
Brian Wilson was the quiet one. The genius in the bathrobe. The ghost at the piano bench. He wrote Pet Sounds, rewrote pop music history, and was nearly destroyed for it. This is the story of how mercy, murder, theft, and family fractured the mind behind the Beach Boys—and how Brian Wilson reclaimed his music, his story, and his soul. For a full list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.com To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus cont...
Sep 02, 2025•43 min•Season 24Ep. 248
This week in the After Party, Jake takes a look at the important musical history of Compton. Plus, your voicemails, DMs, and emails on subjects ranging from mercy to Lemmy to Frankie Goes to Hollywood(?). On Tuesday, we're bringing our episode on the late Brian Wilson, and Jake wants to know: Who is the best example from music history of a "tortured genius?" Share your thoughts at 617-906 6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod. To listen t...
Aug 28, 2025•33 min•Season 24Ep. 247
Before Kendrick Lamar became one of the greatest lyricists of his generation, he was K.Dot—a kid from Compton with a front-row seat to trauma, loyalty, violence, and survival. This is the story of good kid, m.A.A.d city and the real-life events that fueled it. It’s about a drive-by shooting that changed Kendrick forever. About a murder. About a robbery. About friends who vanished and others who couldn’t be saved. It’s about escaping the cycle without forgetting where you came from. And above all...
Aug 26, 2025•35 min•Season 24Ep. 247
This week in the After Party, Jake looks into some of the rumors and conjecture surrounding the death of Ozzy Osbourne. Plus, we hear from you about your concert going experiences! On Tuesday, we're bringing our episode on Kendrick Lamar, and Jake wants to know: What artists have shown mercy, forgiveness or kindness? Share your thoughts at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod. To listen to an extended version of the After Party a...
Aug 21, 2025•36 min•Season 24Ep. 246
This week in the After Party, we’re digging up the stories they didn’t want told. Jake throws back to a formative encounter with a record store burnout who unknowingly set him on the path to Disgraceland. Jake talks AC/DC, Bon Scott, and the rock and roll myths that shaped him (and you)—and tees up a deeper dive in the bonus section into some of the most suspicious musician deaths of all time. From Elliott Smith’s stab wounds to Al Jackson Jr.’s unsolved murder, these are stories too sketchy, to...
Aug 14, 2025•35 min•Season 24Ep. 245
