Joe Exotic, the gun toting, mullet wearing, polyamorous subject of the hit Netflix series Tiger King was more than just a murder-minded conman. He could sing! You saw those videos. We did too. As a singer, Joe’s voice belied the tortured Everyman experience of some of the best country music crooners, hinting at deep trauma resulting from unspeakable loss, assault and violence. Most of which was for the most part, left on the cutting room floor of the popular Netflix series and is on display in t...
Apr 07, 2020•41 min•Ep 54•Transcript available on Metacast (This is a bonus April Fools’ episode of Disgraceland that is satire and not true crime.) John Denver was a one of the biggest stars of the Seventies. His easy listening mainstream folk and his squeaky clean, environmentally friendly image made him a favorite in homes all across America. But was John Denver hiding a dark secret? One born of a mysterious military upbringing? A secret he would do anything to protect? A secret he took to his early grave, but that may soon see the light of day depen...
Apr 01, 2020•1 hr•Ep 53•Transcript available on Metacast Little Richard is the originator. Without him it’s hard to imagine the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Elton John or even Led Zeppelin. He blazed a trail through popular culture that previous to him did not exist. His music was completely original for the time, the essence of rock ‘n’ roll, filled with impassioned energy, fueled at times by large quantities of drugs and always brimming with sex. The sex, the drugs, and the party for Little Richard, it was as endless as the manic energy that drove his m...
Mar 31, 2020•44 min•Ep 52•Transcript available on Metacast 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 it almost never happened. All because of a stabbing. A stabbing that was influenced by that same street hustle that created “Jay Z." To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...
Mar 24, 2020•49 min•Ep 51•Transcript available on Metacast 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 the infamous Riverport Riot. To see the full list of contributors, ...
Mar 17, 2020•43 min•Ep 50•Transcript available on Metacast 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 released. Listen to part 1 of Guns N’ Roses saga, complete with highl...
Mar 10, 2020•43 min•Ep 49•Transcript available on Metacast In the aftermath of the Manson Family murders, Hollywood was gripped with fear. Various investigations stitched together a deluded White Album-inspired explanation of the killing spree. But Dennis Wilson knew the truth—that he had made a terrible, irreversible mistake and that now, the sunny dream of the '60s was over. The nightmare it brought about haunted him to his final days. For a full list of contributors, see the show notes at disgracelandpod.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...
Dec 19, 2019•44 min•Ep 48•Transcript available on Metacast In the summer of 1968, the Beach Boys’ drummer Dennis Wilson invited a hippie guru and his grungy harem to squat in his Pacific Palisades home. Dennis was the handsome California surfer that his brother Brian wrote all those hit songs about, while the hippie cult would soon be infamous the world over as the Manson Family. What happened when the Wilsons met the Mansons would forever change Dennis, the band, and American history itself. For a full list of contributors, see the show notes at disgra...
Dec 17, 2019•46 min•Ep 47•Transcript available on Metacast The Rolling Stones, the most dangerous band on the planet, envisioned their free concert at the Altamont speedway outside San Francisco as the triumphant capstone to their 1969 tour: a west coast Woodstock, and a celebration of free love and hippiedom. But the festival, thrown together in under seventy two hours and with security managed by Hell’s Angels paid in beer, was fated for a tragic and violent end... just like the ‘60s themselves. For a full list of contributors, see the show notes at d...
Dec 03, 2019•49 min•Ep 46•Transcript available on Metacast A$AP Rocky’s upbringing; Harlem, Riker’s, and his own instincts and sense of history informed his world view: A view that included not only a healthy respect for the healing powers of LSD, but also a healthy distaste for the political maelstrom surrounding cartoon president Donald J. Trump. The irony is that A$AP Rocky’s own behavior led him straight into the political fray—jailed in an international incident and, in the end, in need of the unlikeliest of political allies to help him escape. For...
Nov 26, 2019•50 min•Ep 45•Transcript available on Metacast Whitney Houston was The Voice. A stunning beauty. An early MTV star and leading actress. But when she passed away in a hotel suite bath, the music industry gala downstairs that she was supposed to attend went on without her. How did it all come to this? The drugs and her husband Bobby Brown weren’t answers, just ways to avoid the question: what was the private tragedy of Whitney Houston? For a full list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.com This episode was originally published on November ...
Nov 12, 2019•39 min•Ep 44•Transcript available on Metacast On a single Saturday in 2000, Marshall Mathers assaulted two separate men with a pistol and fought with his wife outside a nightclub, resulting in lawsuits and charges that hung over the completion of his original trilogy of albums. For that one day, the rap persona Slim Shady had escaped into the real world. How had Slim Shady come to be, and why had he gotten out? For a full list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.com This episode was originally published on November 5, 2019. To listen to ...
Nov 05, 2019•38 min•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast Madonna always knew her life would be art. She rose through the late 70s New York scene reinventing pop iconography and feminism alike. But whether it was Toronto police threatening her for indecency, her short-fuse husband, Hollywood bros exploiting her charisma, or far worse, Madonna learned quick: the world doesn’t know what to do with a truly free woman. To view the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com. This episode was originally published on October 22, ...
Oct 22, 2019•44 min•Ep 42•Transcript available on Metacast Iggy Pop pushed rock further than anyone before him, committing to live acts of sex, sickness, and rumored suicide on stage. From his cocaine fueled bromance with David Bowie, to his search for inspiration in the voodoo rituals of Haiti, Iggy Pop never just crossed the line between art and madness. He bled all over it, and danced on the stains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 15, 2019•42 min•Ep 41•Transcript available on Metacast Motown Records is one of the most successful musical industry endeavors of all time. The music and the megastars Motown produced, like Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, and the Jackson 5, defined a generation. But that success is marred by rumors – rumors that the record label and its innovative owner were controlled by the "black hand" of the white American mob. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com. This episode was originally published o...
Oct 08, 2019•44 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast Led Zeppelin were the biggest band on the planet. The great white shark of the seventies. They defined excess. They designed the avatar for the heavy metal rock star: themselves. Along the way there were violent brawls, car crashes, lots of cocaine, alcohol, satanic sexual rituals and a very freaked out David Bowie. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 01, 2019•48 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast 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. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www...
Jul 31, 2019•33 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast Gun fights, heroin trafficking, burglaries, kidnapping threats, intra-band infidelity and the greatest rock ‘n’ roll record ever made, Exile on Main St. The Rolling Stones created this album as fugitives––tax fugitives––exiled from their homeland to the French Riviera and desperate to keep their career afloat after a near decade of scandal and near financial ruin amidst a cast of colorful characters including Gram Parsons, Anita Pallenberg, starlets, aristocrats, drug dealers, junkies and thieve...
Jul 23, 2019•39 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast This is a bonus episode of Disgraceland that is satire and not true crime. Originally released on April 1, 2019 as an April Fools joke, this episode fooled many. However, it was quickly taken off the Internet. The joke worked too well for some. After editing the episode lightly to protect the identity of the victims, here is the episode as it originally appeared in its entirety along with the original episode description below: A special emergency episode of Disgraceland that hopes to contextual...
Jun 25, 2019•44 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast Slick Rick has one of the most iconic voices in hip hip history. His style is completely his own, and his success owes as much to his delivery as it does to his hustle. Slick Rick worked hard to get to the top, and once he made it he was nearly cut down by drugs and violence - violence inflicted upon him by someone from his inner circle. Listen to hear how Slick Rick fought back and continued his flow. This episode was originally released on June 11, 2019. To see the full list of contributors, s...
Jun 11, 2019•41 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast Johnny Cash took no shit. Was a total original. Could maneuver that big baritone around a ballad or a rave up like nobody’s business. He also burned down a national forest, crashed cars, overdosed, was arrested for drug trafficking, and was obsessed with June Carter. Their love affair is one for the ages. Through it all, Johnny maintained his sense of empathy and his big heart. His story is unlike any other. Listen to Disgraceland to hear how Johnny Cash played with fire both figuratively and li...
May 28, 2019•37 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast Rehab, arrests, fights, hitting on Prince Harry, dramatic stage breakdowns, slagging off the press, Amy Winehouse was a rockstar’s rockstar and she was also one of the greatest musical talents of the past 20 years. Her voice was unlike any other. She modernized jazz. She gave weight to pop. When she was inspired, she was untouchable. Driven by her muse, haunted by her addictions, and harassed endlessly by the paparazzi, Amy Winehouse’s story is tragic and all too familiar, but her music and the ...
May 14, 2019•45 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast XXXTentacion was one of Generation Z’s most talented hip hop stars but his ascent was marked by violence and drama; beatdowns, beefs (what’s up, Drake?) and abuse. XXXTentacion’s music quickly rose from Soundcloud to the top of the charts due in part to the relative loneliness and alienation he repped in his lyrics, sentiments his audience quickly latched onto. XXXTentacion’s connection to his audience was (and still is even in death) unique and powerful. Their connection via social media-fueled...
Apr 30, 2019•45 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast The Grateful Dead became one of the most influential bands of all time and propelled themselves with improvisation, LSD and an ethos of “freedom”. Through drug busts and CIA surveillance, they thrived and created one of the largest, most fervent and commercially consequential fan bases of all time. Freedom, LSD and improvised blues in the key of bummed the fuck out on this episode of Disgraceland. For a full list of contributors, see the show notes at disgracelandpod.com Learn more about your ad...
Apr 16, 2019•46 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast Ike Turner very well may have invented rock ‘n’ roll; Tina Turner is one of the most electrifying entertainers to ever take the stage. Together, the pair ascended to icon status through the music they made together. But the couple’s road to the top was anything but smooth. It was rough and violent. Ike Turner, for all of his talent as a musician, was abusive and heavily addicted to cocaine, and in the end did everything he could to bring his wife down with him. This is the story of the couple's ...
Apr 02, 2019•46 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast Snoop Dogg, (AKA Calvin Broadus) has worn many hats: inmate, pimp, Martha Stewart’s BFF. In 1994, Snoop was the biggest name in hip hop, yet his career was about to be derailed just as it was taking off due to the murder of Philip Woldemariam, a murder that Snoop was being charged with. The streets that made Snoop, the streets he came up on and that infiltrated the raps he made and the smooth style he patented, were the very same streets he could not leave behind. To see the full list of contrib...
Mar 26, 2019•36 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast Spade Cooley was one of Postwar America’s biggest celebrities and most talented musicians. He was also a violent drunk and homicidal psychopath with no heart. Mean, jealous, abusive, and almost totally driven by the deep-seated insecurity that he wasn’t good enough for any of the women who flocked to see him in concert, on television, and on the movie screen, Spade Cooley couldn’t bear the thought of his wife with another man so he he did the unthinkable—and what followed was, at the time, the t...
Oct 30, 2018•30 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast Rick James may have been born into a life of crime, but he was determined to make his way in life through music. He intimidated George Clinton, inspired Prince, and more than likely saved Jim Morrison’s life. Rick James was rock ‘n roll’s Zelig. He was also sex-crazed, dangerous, and heavily addicted to crack cocaine. These three traits led to two separate arrests for the kidnapping and torture of two different women. Listen to this episode of Disgraceland to hear the tale of the one and only Su...
Oct 23, 2018•37 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast Big Lurch didn’t just rap about standard hip-hop culture; he rapped about serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer and horror movie villains like Freddy Krueger. In the process, he contributed to a sub-genre of hip-hop called “horrorcore." He also smoked way too much PCP – so much that he could not separate his horrorcore lyrics and the horror movies he watched from reality. The result? Unspeakable. Not just murder. Cannibalism. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracel...
Oct 16, 2018•32 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast Keith Moon of the Who was the prototype for rock drummers, both onstage and off. His drumming was wholly unique. Like his bandmates' behavior, it was violent, and like his personality, it was electric. Everyone loved Keith Moon aka “Moon The Loon” and it seemed that people never tired of his always hilarious and sometimes violent, drunken hijinks until one fateful night when a crew of British skinheads took issue with the drummer’s rockstar excess. The results were disastrous. To see the complet...
Oct 09, 2018•33 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast 
