DISGRACELAND

Tupac Shakur was many things. He was a supremely talented MC and was wildly charismatic in front of the camera. He was also violent, angry and completely unable to keep himself out of trouble. Part one of his story traces his rise through the radical influence of his Black Panther lineage, the deadly violence that seemed to follow him wherever he went, and the inevitability of both prison and supe...

Finally! The mystery is over! We know who killed Tupac and why. Or do we? This and more, plus your voicemails, text, DMs, and emails in this week’s After Party bonus episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A special look at the new artists we’re covering in the second half of 2026, along with a peek into the breaking Reggie Watts story, and how you can be directly involved in the choosing of Disgraceland episode subjects. To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at  disgracelandp...

They tried to take her songs. They tried to take her fame. They even threatened to take her life – not once, but multiple times. Listen to find out how Dolly Parton avoided becoming just another tragic heroine in a murder ballad – and instead became one of the most commercial and critically acclaimed artists in music history. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to...

Dolly Parton has passed away. Dolly Parton was a musical giant, an American songwriter worthy of a place on the same page in the music history books as Bob Dylan, Kurt Cobain, Johnny Cash, Taylor Swift, or anyone else you can think of. More importantly, she was a first-class human, and an inspiration to me and many, many others.   For more great stories at the intersection of music and t...

In 1977, punk rock took root in Los Angeles just as a prolific serial killer began to terrorize the city. For months, the bodies of young women were being discovered on hillsides – including one woman who was a regular at an underground punk club in Hollywood where seminal L.A. bands like The Bags cut their teeth. Listen to hear how the story of the leader of that band, Alice Bag, overlaps i...

R. Kelly openly groomed teenage victims while on trial for child pornography – a trial based on sex tapes that were once sold at Tower Records. He wrote a song designed to help Michael Jackson turn attention away from his own troubling allegations, and he wrote that song while he was illegally married to a 15-year old. That marriage eventually brought about his downfall. But not before R. Ke...

The murder from Allman Brothers Band history that didn’t make it into our full episode, your take on the greatest southern bands, and more on this bonus episode of Disgraceland. For more great stories from the intersection of true crime and music, check out our archive, including episodes like:  Oasis part 1 Oasis part 2 Derek & the Dominos     See omnystudio.com/listener...

When The Allman Brothers Band arrived on the scene in Macon, Georgia in 1969, they made an immediate impression. They rehearsed at full volume all day long, and spent their nights taking mushrooms together in a graveyard. To top it off, their band was integrated, which ruffled a lot of feathers in the deep South. But the biggest transgression the Allman Brothers would make was crossing the Dixie M...

Blondie got their start as part of New York’s fertile punk scene in the late ‘70s, a time of great musical innovation. Also a time of great fear. Violent crime had the five boroughs in a stranglehold. Muggers, rapists, thieves, criminal deviants of all stripes ran wild in the streets. Or so they said. True New Yorkers like Blondie were tough, jaded, immune to the fears foisted upon tou...

I wanted to talk this week about Billy Corgan’s outrageous shapeshifting claim and how it relates to who he is as a musician, but the Internet had other plans. It was all about to go to sh*t until Low Cut Connie saved us all on national television. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the story about how a drug-related death led to the fracturing of the ‘90s alt-rock giants, how competing narratives amongst band members complicated their legacy, and what Billy Corgan’s strange interaction with a shapeshifter has to do with it all. To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgrace...

Woodstock is remembered as the generation-defining moment when the baby boomers demonstrated to the world the power of peace, love and communalism. In reality, what went down at Old Man Yasgur’s farm in August 1969 involved extortion, deaths, countless overdoses, near-mass electrocution, and a state of emergency. Not to mention a restless crowd that doubled in size seemingly every time festi...

The original Woodstock was a literal disaster, declared so on its first day by the state of New York. There were fights, onstage, armed black-shirted hippie gestapo on patrol, and most notably, two dead kids on record. The festival was born of violence, sparked into existence out of organizer Michael Lang’s standoff with hillbilly armed guards and cops from down in Florida. The lasting image...

We pay tribute to Sick Of It All’s Lou Koller, dive deeper into the theories surrounding River Phoenix’s death and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ guitarist John Frusciante’s alleged involvement, and of course answer your questions, voicemails, texts, emails and more, See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Someone handed River Phoenix a deadly drink containing a liquid speedball. Some claim Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante handed it to him. This is the story of how River Phoenix really died. To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at  disgracelandpod.com/membership . Vi...

From 1976 to 1977, unsuspecting young people in New York City were snuck up on in the darkness and shot in cold blood. Six dead, murdered by David Berkowitz, AKA the Son of Sam, a serial killer who held all five boroughs in the grip of fear for one year. A year in which punk rock and new wave took hold, the Yankees went on a tear, a garbage strike left trash rotting in the heat, a blackout plunged...

On this episode, Jake is stuck in Boston so guest host Dr. Lundy is talking about extreme music being blamed for extremely bad things, from Slipknot to Ozzy to Judas Priest. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 harasse...

Disgos, the World Cup is over and rock ‘n’ roll lost, so now what? Well, here are my recommendations on how to pass time for the rest of your summer; my fav summer listening, reading, watching and binging recs, and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

England? Argentina? Spain? You know who the winner of this year’s World Cup really is? Oasis. Plus, it’s Happy Mondays week in Disgraceland, has us asking, who do you think is the most transgressive, debaucherous band ever? We get into it with your voicemails, texts, DMs and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Explores the influential Madchester group's influence on UK culture and transgressive behavior involving the planned kidnappings of Donovan and the Smith's Johnny Marr. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.disgracelandpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to exclusive bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at ⁠⁠...

Disgos, Jim Morrison is dead, and he didn’t die in a night club in Paris, but this doesn’t make the wild theories about Jim any less interesting, nor does it prevent us from discussing the insane Jim Morrison “sightings” over the years and theories on how Jim “faked his death” and how he’s been spending his time over the coming years. Can you say “Ro...

But wait, Jim Morrison overdosed on heroin because he was a drug addict rockstar just like Janis Joplin, right? Wrong. Who exactly was “the Count," the French aristocrat who was there at the scene of Jim’s death? The same man who was with Janis Joplin hours before she died? Was rumored to somehow be involved with Jimi Hendrix? The friend of Keith Richards and Gram Parsons? And why did...

Illicit romance. An abduction. An international manhunt. Starlets, sex appeal, and psychopaths. Sexual liberation and a scandalous story that’s almost too scandalous to talk about. These are some of the dark stories inspired by Lana Del Rey, an artist who doesn’t fit into a box, and whose music and image are as evocative and compelling as the myth she’s built around herself. This...