As a teenager, Method Man won $800 on a $5 bet in a dice game. He used those winnings to set himself up as a crack dealer on Staten Island. Dealing was dangerous. Meth was chased by drug squads and dragged down the street when a potential buyer stole his product. His life was saved by a friend who pulled him out of the wrong place at the right moment – a moment in which he literally dodged a bullet. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com. Learn more a...
Sep 12, 2023•39 min•Ep 143•Transcript available on Metacast Corey Woods, aka Raekwon, was addicted to the styles, sounds, and crimes of hip-hop street culture in the 1980s. He sold weed, coke, and later crack to fund his expensive taste in clothes and parties. But that life wasn’t all glamor. He was shot four times and nearly killed when he was caught in the crossfire. And times were changing. The NYPD launched a street-level anti-drug task force to target low-level dealers – dealers like Raekwon, who found life as he knew it was about to suddenly change...
Sep 07, 2023•40 min•Ep 142•Transcript available on Metacast Bobby Diggs (aka the RZA) grew up on a steady diet of kung fu movies and hip-hop music. As a kid he hung around junkies and prostitutes in Times Square. As a teenager he hustled dime bags of weed to day traders on Wall Street. But on Christmas Eve 1991, in Ohio, he was caught up in a shooting that landed him in a fight for his life. 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
Sep 05, 2023•40 min•Ep 141•Transcript available on Metacast Jake dives in to the Wu-Tang Clan as DISGRACELAND embarks on a new season all on the group. Are they the best super group of all time? If not, who is? Plus, Bumblefest, Low Cut Connie, and your correspondence. Get in touch at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 31, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Wu-Tang Clan made history with some of the most compelling hip-hop music of all time. They also made enemies with the NYPD, the ATF, and the FBI – the latter of which classified them as a "major criminal organization." The story of Wu-Tang's rise from the streets of New York to the world's stage is full of hustle, paranoia, bad drug deals, police shootouts, federal informants...and it's also the subject of the 13th season of DISGRACELAND. The first serialized season of DISGRACELAND starts Tuesda...
Aug 29, 2023•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week's re-release of the second part of the Notorious BIG episode comes along with somenew developments in Tupac's murder case - and maybe related to BIG's murder. Who do you think killed BIG? What about Tupac? Jake also talks Prince's acting career, nü metal, new metal, and non-biopic music movies. Drop Jake a line about these topics at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.f...
Aug 24, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this installment of the After Party, we kick off our 50th anniversary of hip-hop by revisiting the two-part episode on The Notorious BIG. Jake asks about the biggest musical beefs of all time, he wants to know what job you're NOT doing while listening, and about your tattoo regrets. Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 17, 2023•38 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast It's Velvet Underground week in Disgraceland, and Jake is wondering if they are the most influential rock band? Plus voicemails, texts, Keith Jarrett, FIDLAR, and the question: what are your favorite end-of-the-workday songs? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 10, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Velvet Underground put a spike in the status quo. They sang candidly about heroin, speed, and S&M. Their members included drug dealers and junkies. Their stage show was so perverted that it offended even the most liberal of peacenik hippies. Their benefactor and so-called manager, Andy Warhol, was nearly killed in an assassination attempt that shocked the country. But their songwriter, Lou Reed, wanted more than shocking headlines and offensive stage shows. He wanted to be a rock ‘n roll sta...
Aug 08, 2023•39 min•Ep 140•Transcript available on Metacast In Sonny Rollins week, Jake ponders the powers of talent and craft, and what makes musicians great. Plus, your voicemails, texts, and DMs. Who is the GOAT musician? What are the best duets? What's your desert island Dead album? And is talent or craft more important? Jake wants to know at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 03, 2023•42 min•Ep 139•Transcript available on Metacast Sonny Rollins did time at Rikers Island twice: first for armed robbery and again for using dope. He was a fiend and a pickpocket. He nearly got himself killed when he ran to Miles Davis’ defense after a bloody scuffle with a cop outside Birdland. At the same time, Sonny Rollins was universally acknowledged as the greatest living tenor saxophone player. But he wanted to get better. He knew he could kick dope and kick petty crime. He also knew that in doing so, he could improve his own playing. So...
Aug 01, 2023•41 min•Ep 139•Transcript available on Metacast Jake connects his a-ha moment with country to the greats, specifically this week's DISGRACELAND subject Merle Haggard. Jake takes voicemails, texts, and DMs, and offers his best post-punk bands list. What are your top five music movies of all time? Introduce yourselves! Hit Jake up at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 27, 2023•35 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast Merle Haggard was what authorities liked to call a “repeat offender.” He was arrested for riding trains, for skipping school, for stealing cars, for robbing gas stations, and for attempting to knock over a restaurant – during the Christmas Eve rush. He was committed to juvenile halls, correctional facilities, and reform schools 17 times, and 17 times he escaped. When he was arrested for the final time, he was sent to do hard time at San Quentin. He turned 21 in prison. And it was in prison that ...
Jul 25, 2023•37 min•Ep 138•Transcript available on Metacast On this week's After Party, Jake is talking the classic film Almost Famous, John Lee Hooker's baseball song Grinder Man, and taking your voicemails and texts. Who are the greatest English groups of the post-punk era? Does New Order make the cut? Jake wants to get to know you. Plus, what is "it" about your favorite artists? was 1994 the best year for music? Is Almost Famous the best movie about music? And what is so appealing about Jon Bon Jovi? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmai...
Jul 20, 2023•40 min•Ep 137•Transcript available on Metacast New Order proved that a rock band could make dance music and actually become cooler in the process. The musical hybrid they created helped define the sound of the 1980s. It also defined the growing subculture in their hometown of Manchester, England, specifically at the Haçienda, the nightclub they owned. But beyond a fine time, the club scene brought gang violence, a notorious crime family, cocaine, ecstasy, a mental breakdown, and an arrest at the height of New Order’s fame. For the full list ...
Jul 18, 2023•38 min•Ep 137•Transcript available on Metacast After a week's break from the After Party, Jake catches up on voicemail, wraps up our musical mashup conversation, and explores Billboard's top rap groups kerfuffle. We get into season two of The Bear, Fourth of July songs, and Jake offers some insight into his own history. What is your favorite hip hop group? Can you recommend some weird, obscure 90s hip hop? Leave a message for Jake at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad choices....
Jul 13, 2023•46 min•Ep 136•Transcript available on Metacast On May 22, 2017, a terrorist detonated a bomb outside Ariana Grande’s performance at Manchester Arena. The blast killed 22 people. It injured over a thousand more. The attack remains one of the most heartbreaking events in music history. Parents were terrified. Younger fans suddenly feared going to concerts. But Manchester’s story doesn’t end on May 22, or in the days that followed. It ends with one woman organizing the One Love concert, healing a new generation of young pop devotees. This is th...
Jul 11, 2023•38 min•Ep 136•Transcript available on Metacast On this week's After Party, Jake is digging into why he loves and hates Aerosmith with a dive into a personal story from his way back machine. We ask the question: is it worth it to meet your heroes? More Hüsker Dü, more Fidlar, and more of your voicemails, texts, and DMs. Leave a message for Jake at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 29, 2023•36 min•Ep 135•Transcript available on Metacast At their peak, Aerosmith was sex, drugs, and rock and roll in the flesh, wrapped up in spangly scarves and jumpsuits. They crossed target practice with black tar heroin. Trained roadies how to feed them cocaine onstage. Frontman Steven Tyler claims he spent $6,000,000 on coke alone. Their chemical highs launched them to career highs that were equally staggering, until addictions and attitudes splintered the band into solo projects and a shadow of the band they once were. No group ever lived on t...
Jun 27, 2023•39 min•Ep 135•Transcript available on Metacast On this week's After Party, Jake is ready to dive into this week's Disgraceland episode on Lil' Kim, and to talk about how her career thrived after she was released from prison. A Disgo shares a literal heartbreaker of a story about the 2004 Red Sox, Jake talks Hüsker Dü and FIDLAR, and so much more. Jake also wants to know which musician had the best post-prison career - Lil' Kim, Merle Haggard, Lil Wayne, or Paul McCartney? Send a message at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come...
Jun 22, 2023•38 min•Ep 134•Transcript available on Metacast Lil’ Kim is the queen of hard core. She practically invented hard core sex positivity with her raunchy raps and head-turning getups. She survived a hard core beef that ended in a spur-of-the-moment shootout. Then she became the first female rapper to serve hard core time in prison…and release a full-length album from her cell. As Lil’ Kim blazed through the 1990s and early 2000s with searing bars about what she did in the bedroom, listeners idolized her unpolished and truthful takes on feminine ...
Jun 20, 2023•35 min•Ep 134•Transcript available on Metacast This week on the After Party, Jake is sharing an interview he did with Foo Fighters' guitarist Chris Shiflett at this year's Boston Calling Music Festival. They're talking about how inaccurate guitar tutorial videos inspired Chris's new podcast, "Shred With Shifty", about Chris's beginnings in the Santa Barbara punk scene, and so much more. Leave your own message for Jake at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...
Jun 15, 2023•28 min•Ep 133•Transcript available on Metacast Jimi Hendrix spent much of his life pursuing a great escape. Escape from his abusive childhood home. Escape from his court-ordered time in the Army. Even an escape from his own band, the Experience, who he felt limited his groundbreaking sound. But when two wannabe mobsters lured Jimi into a hostage situation with the promise of heroin, Jimi came face to face with the most extreme – and rarely discussed – escape of his life. For the full list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.com Learn more...
Jun 13, 2023•40 min•Ep 133•Transcript available on Metacast This week in the After Party, Jake is ready to dive into the latest Disgraceland episode on Jeff Buckley, and to talk about his crazy influences, like Nina Simone, Edith Piaf, and more. We're also talking your Paul Simon album recommendations, why working out to disco is so great, and much more. If you wanna let Jake know what your favorite disco song is, or why you don't like disco, send a text or leave a voicemail at 617-906-6638 and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad choices....
Jun 08, 2023•42 min•Ep 132•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff Buckley released his only studio album, Grace, at the height of grunge rock. But it didn’t sound like grunge. It sounded like nothing else out there. It defied categorization. It was full of originals and covers, some complex and cerebral, others straight-up pop. From the pissed-off punk takes to the Eastern-influenced meditations, the constant was Jeff’s voice. A voice unlike any other. A voice that could do anything. A voice that was singing out loud on May 29, 1997, when Jeff Buckley, ju...
Jun 06, 2023•39 min•Ep 132•Transcript available on Metacast Jake has been basking in the New England sunshine and listening to some John Coltrane. But first, we're talking about how moved 15-year old Jake was when he heard Eazy-E for the first time and going through your top three Disgraceland episodes. What artists moved you when were 15 years old? Let Jake know via text or voicemail at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 01, 2023•40 min•Ep 131•Transcript available on Metacast Long before he created a paradigm-shifting hip-hop supergroup, Eazy-E lucked into life as a Compton drug dealer when he discovered a dead man’s hidden stash of money and cocaine. He used the lessons of hustling on the streets when he went legit and became a media mogul. He also became a target. He was extorted. His life was threatened. And it was later discovered that he was on the kill list of a white supremacist group that planned to start a war in the aftermath of the Rodney King trial and th...
May 30, 2023•37 min•Ep 131•Transcript available on Metacast Jake is back from his trip to Rhode Island and he's recommending some more music, including a Taylor Swift song or two. But first, we're talking Justin Bieber, parents of pop stars, and more. Let Jake know what your top 3 Disgraceland episodes are at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 25, 2023•49 min•Ep 130•Transcript available on Metacast Justin Bieber is the pop star who went from preteen heartthrob to pure hedonist seemingly overnight. He raced into a bumpy adulthood when he mixed drag racing with a DUI. His frat bro of a father steered him towards a life of intense partying that encouraged smoking hazardous amounts of pot on private planes. The boy who once sang the hit single “Baby” was suddenly an unbearable man, barreling towards an early death with a smug attitude. Americans called for his deportation. One deranged fan plo...
May 23, 2023•38 min•Ep 130•Transcript available on Metacast Best-selling author and former guitarist of the Del Fuegos Warren Zanes talks with Jake about interviewing the Boss for his new book, Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska, touring with the Del Fuegos in the '80s, and more. A brand new Disgraceland episode on Justin Bieber comes out next Tuesday and a Badlands episode on James Dean comes out next Wednesday. Leave your own message for Jake to reply to at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come join the A...
May 18, 2023•52 min•Ep 129•Transcript available on Metacast 
