DISGRACELAND

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...

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 t...

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 on...

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,  disgracelandpod@gmail.com...

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, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandp...

Martin Scorsese’s death wish. Bob Dylan’s theft. Robbie Robertson’s cocaine purchase. Four thousand pounds of turkey. Two thousand pounds of candied yams. Eight hundred pounds of pies and ninety gallons of gravy. What’s it all mean? It means that Disgraceland has a Thanksgiving episode about the making of The Last Waltz that you’ll be grateful you listened to. This episode contains themes that may...

This week in the After Party, Jake looks forward to the possibility of 2025 being a year of disgraceful disclosures about JFK, UAPs, Jeffrey Epstein, and Diddy. Plus, Jake gets your takes on the JFK assassination: the CIA, LBJ, UFOs, La Cosa Nostra, MK Ultra, the Secret Service and more. We're through the looking glass here, people! Next week, we're serving up an episode on The Band, Martin Scorce...

One of Hollywood’s most eclectic and unpredictable actors, Woody Harrelson has played a hayseed barback, a streetball hustler, a natural born killer, a true detective, and so many more. But his most profound and difficult role might be his real-life role: the son of an infamous contract killer. Woody’s father, Charles Harrelson, was sent to prison for the assassination of a federal judge, only aft...

This week in the After Party, Jake wonders about celebrities and the sincerity of their political convictions and hears more from you on great sports cities and films. As we ready next week's episode on actor Woody Harrelson and the possible connection between his father and the assassination of John F. Kennedy, we want to know: what's your take on the JFK assassination? Who do you think killed Pr...

This week in the After Party, Jake talks about the 1986 New York Mets and what made them such a special baseball team. Jake hears your thoughts on great sports cities and muses on great sports films. We're preparing next week's episode on the late R&B singer Aaliyah, and we want to know: who are your favorite female R&B singers? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or...

The World Series-winning 1986 New York Mets were, in a word: assholes. But their fans loved them anyway. The Mets were brash, scandalous, addicted, violent, and when you got right down to it, a perfect reflection of their hometown of Queens, New York, and the perfect opposite of Manhattan and the hated New York Yankees who played there. The ‘86 Mets made headlines with their drug use, their on and...

Happy Halloween, disgos! This week in the After Party, Jake hears from you about the scariest books you've read and catches you up on the latest Diddy developments. As the World Series caps off the 2024 baseball season, we're preparing next week's episode on the rowdiest team to ever put on a New York uniform, the 1986 Mets. There's no doubt New York is a great sports city, but what's the greatest...

William Friedkin's film  The Exorcist  terrified audiences upon its release in 1973. They fainted, vomited, and went into hysterics in the theaters. Some overwhelmed viewers left early, only to return the next day, buying another ticket to see if they could make it to the end. But the story behind  The Exorcist  is just as compelling as the story on the screen. The film's production was marred by...

This week in the After Party, Jake sits down with Adam Weiner of Low Cut Connie to discuss the state of rock n' roll and Adam's new film "Art Dealers." Plus, we hear from you about the movies that scared you when you were a kid. As we prepare for next week's episode on the ultimate scary movie, "The Exorcist" and the book that inspired it, we we want to know: What is the scariest book you've ever...

Harry Houdini was the world's greatest escape artist and at the height of his powers was one of the world's most famous people. His unearthly ability to escape any prison and to break free of any bondage was matched only by his aggressive self-promotion. Anyone who tried to get in his way, rewrite his story, steal his thunder or question his abilities would find themselves in his crosshairs. When...

Four different actors from the 1980s horror franchise  Poltergeist  died within a 6-year span. Dominique Dunne was murdered. Julian Beck succumbed to stomach cancer. Will Sampson suffered from a degenerative disease. And Heather O’Rourke’s death at the age of 12, was deemed “distinctly unusual.” Was it an eerie coincidence...or something more sinister? This episode contains themes that may be dist...

This week in the After Party, Jake wonders if every disgraceful story covered in Disgraceland is mere child's play when compared to the latest Diddy allegations. We hear from you and get your thoughts on the greatest rock n' roll bands of all time. As we prepare for next week's episode on the cursed film "Poltergeist," we we want to know: Which movies scared the hell out of you when you were a kid...

The Cramps, led by the husband and wife team of Lux Interior and Poison Ivy Rorschach, had one one mission: To save rock n' roll from the corporate monsters who threatened its destruction. The band blended rockabilly, blues, garage rock and the aesthetic of 1950s B-movies into a wholly unique and singular rock and roll concoction that set them apart from their punk contemporaries. But as they bega...

This week in the After Party, Jake hears from you on which artists were taken from us too soon, and continues to dive into the latest scuttlebutt on Sean Combs. As Jake gets ready for Hurricane Milton and we prepare for next week's episode on the great rock n' roll band The Cramps, we we want to know: Which rock n' roll band is the greatest of all time? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, disgracelandp...

Haunted by the legacy of his superstar father and by an old family curse, Brandon Lee tried to outrun the past. But the past came after him all the same. It was said that his father, Bruce Lee, was taken by that family curse at just 32 years old, and that it then followed Brandon to the set of  The Crow , a cross between a superhero blockbuster and a brooding art film that was all goth. The shoot...

This week in the After Party, Jake weighs in on the latest development in the explosive Diddy saga: the 120 alleged victims being represented by Texas attorney Tony Buzbee, the man who previously represented the victims of the Astroworld tragedy. As we prepare for next week's episode on the late actor Brandon Lee, we're reminded of the Billy Joel song "Only the Good Die Young" and we want to know:...

Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld music festival turned out to be a deadly disaster. Was it greed? Satanism? Or was something even more mysterious and evil behind the events that took the lives of ten concertgoers and injured and traumatized many others?  To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at  www.disgracelandpod.com . The Astroworld tragedy has Jake thinking about other terribl...

This week in the After Party, Jake takes a closer look at the Diddy indictment and gets your recommendations on sci fi. Spooky Season is just around the corner – as we prepare for next week's episode on the horror that was Travis Scott's Astroworld, we want to know: What was the darkest event in music history? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638,  disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @disgracelandp...

The Libertines were at the vanguard of the early 2000s garage rock revival. Fronted by friends Pete Doherty and Carl Barat, the band was seen by the UK press as the next in a long line of groups animated by combustible and competitive partnerships, such as the Beatles, Oasis, and the Kinks. But despite their success, the Libertines would be plagued by internal conflicts, erratic behavior, and copi...

In classic ‘80s films like Ghostbusters and Aliens , Sigourney Weaver battled demons and beasts. But to one particular inmate on death row in Georgia, she battled those demons and beasts in real life as well. To Alexander Williams, a convicted murderer, Sigourney Weaver was a goddess – a divine being sent to this earth to do battle with evil. He worshiped her from the floor of his prison cell. And...