DISGRACELAND

This week in the After Party, Jake wrestles with the works of problematic genius Alfred Hitchcock and gets your take the dilemma presented by such artists. And as we prepare for next week's episode on the unique artistry of the oft-maligned Lana Del Rey, we want to know: Which entertainers do you think have been unfairly treated by the media? Which artists do you think get a bum rap from the press...

A teenage bass-playing f*ck-up prodigy. A big brother in an ill-fitting bodysuit on national television. A drummer playing chicken with the cops on his motorcycle. And one of the greatest singer-songwriters to ever pick up a guitar and stumble towards a microphone. These were the Replacements: shambolic and chaotic, just like the best rock ‘n roll often is. In 1986, the Minneapolis quartet deliver...

Alfred Hitchcock grew up on murder. He was the OG crime junkie; obsessed with true stories of stranglers, bodysnatchers, necrophiliacs, and serial killers. He was also afraid – not so much with these ghoulish figures, but of authority, the dark, crowds, and of being alone. He channeled his obsessions and his fears into some of the greatest movies of all time. And he abused his power as a controlli...

This week in the After Party, Jake looks at Brittany Murphy's mysterious death and the history of bad moms in Hollywood and crime. As we prepare for next week's episode on the brilliant yet problematic Alfred Hitchcock, we want to know: Which films can you not go without despite the horrific behavior of their creators? How do you handle the dilemma presented by these creators? Join the party at 61...

When actress Brittany Murphy died of pneumonia at the age of just 32 years old, it seemed that all of Hollywood had questions about her death. All but her husband, who did not find his wife’s death suspicious in the slightest. Then, shortly after, Brittany Murphy’s husband died of the same highly suspect cause of death, pneumonia, and then, things really got weird. To see the full list of contribu...

This week in the After Party, Jake looks at Metallica's rise from the vanguard of a niche sub-genre of Heavy Metal to become one of the most successful bands of all time. And in preparation for next week's episode on Brittany Murphy, we want to know: Which celebrity deaths seem suspicious to you? Which explanations of celebrity death just don't hold water with you? Join the party at 617-906-6638, ...

In the early days of Metallica, their bass player carried a hammer on tour and had a gun that shot knives – or so the story goes. Their former lead guitarist was a drug dealer who kept two pitbulls for protection. They were blamed when a teenager, high on LSD, murdered a man in cold blood and quoted the band’s lyrics. And in 1986, long before they became a household name, they suffered a sudden an...

This week in the After Party, Jake dives into your thoughts on the greatest actors of the 1970s and ponders the road not taken by Al Pacino in this week's episode. Plus, another tale of juvenile delinquency from Jake's past! And we're getting ready for next week's episode on Metallica and the late, great Cliff Burton - we want to know: Which artist or musician affects you so deeply that you couldn...

The death of a neighborhood friend, an attempted robbery that almost went horribly wrong, good vs. evil, and the road not taken: this is the Al Pacino origin story. It all culminates in the role of a lifetime. Not Michael Corleone. Not a role on stage or screen. The most important role of Al Pacino’s young life played out in front of a couple of detectives and a district attorney. To see the full...

This week in the After Party, Jake has the 1970s on his mind as he prepares for next week's episode on Al Pacino. We want to know: Who is the greatest actor of the 1970s? What films and performances from the 70s do you continually revisit? Plus, the conversation about great female singers of the 21st century continues - join the party at 617-906-6638,  disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @di...

Motörhead influenced some of the most important acts in heavy metal and punk rock history. Led by the inimitable Lemmy Kilmister, they invented a sound and a style that didn’t exist before the original trio went into the recording studio for the first time. The story of Motörhead is also a story about speed, revenge, good and evil, a brutal murder, and some of the greatest – and meanest – rock ‘n...

This week in the After Party, Jake talks about how his sixteen-year-old self influenced who he is today. We want to know: What were you listening to when you were a teenager? Whose poster was on your wall? How did your cultural obsessions when you were a teen shape who you are today? Jake takes your emails, texts, and voicemails and gets into your takes on who the greatest female singer of the 21s...

This week in the After Party, Jake talks about the artists who have faced challenges to their mental health and wonders if they actually have a truer perception of reality beyond what the rest of us can see. Jake takes your emails, texts, and voicemails, and explains the origins of his unique accent. Plus, we want to know: who is your favorite female singer from the 21st century, and what makes he...

Donny Hathaway was a singer, songwriter, and performer so inspiring that he compelled Stevie Wonder to change the way he sang, got Amy Winehouse to name-check him in her lyrics, and made musical giants like Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin stand up and take notice. But he was as troubled as he was talented. He suffered from hallucinations and paranoia, and was haunted in the recording studio just h...

This week in the After Party, Jake talks about the unique social conditions that created the vibrant 1970s NYC music scene that birthed Talking Heads, the subject of this week's episode. Crime, grime, sanitation strikes, baseball, blackouts - Jake covers it all, plus your emails texts, and voicemails. What are the best books and films about 1970s New York? Where were you when the lights went out?...

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...

Gianni Versace was a runway iconoclast who outfitted the likes of Madonna, Demi Moore, Prince, Sylvester Stallone, and Don Johnson. He lived like Louis XIV and counted Princess Di and Elton John among his friends. He was plagued by rumors of ties to the Calabrian mafia and a secret health diagnosis. Those rumors continued to persist long after he was gunned down by a serial killer who had been on...

This week in the After Party, Jake talks different music scenes, balancing points of view, this week's DISGRACELAND episode on Bobby Brown, and of course your emails, texts, DMs, and voicemails. What is the greatest music scene of all time? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638,  disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. To cop some new merch, head to disgr...

Waylon Jennings’ musical career began with tragedy. On tour as the bass player for his friend Buddy Holly, Waylon gave up his seat on the tiny plane that, just hours later, crashed, killing Buddy and three others. That experience alone nearly put an end to Waylon’s musical dreams. But he continued, persevering by doing only the things he wanted to do – which included hiding...

Bobby Brown thrusted and gyrated his way to the top of the charts with  Don’t Be Cruel , one of the biggest records of the late 1980s and an album that brought hip-hop’s hard-knock sensibilities to R&B. But fame did not change the Boston bad boy. At the height of his superstardom, Bobby Brown was arrested onstage for violating a lewd act law. He claimed to have a sexual encoun...

This week in the After Party, Jake talks boring versus exciting news, charitable organizations, this week's DISGRACELAND episode on OJ Simpson, and of course your emails, texts, DMs, and voicemails. What charitable organization benefiting victims of drunk driving should Jake donate to? Which three disgraced athletes would you team up with for your fantasy charity golf tournament? Where were you wh...

This is not the O.J. Simpson story you were expecting. This is the story of what happened  after  the former running back was acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife and her friend. It’s an insane story that involves sports memorabilia, ex-cons, a gun, a simple plan gone horribly wrong, and one of the most unbelievable armed robberies in Las Vegas’s sordid history. This episode contains themes that...

This week in the After Party, Jake talks the super-fame of José Canseco, the exploits of Dock Ellis, performance... altering? drugs, this week's DISGRACELAND episode on José Canseco, and of course your emails, texts, DMs, and voicemails. What athletes embody the rock star vibe? Get in touch at 617-906-6638,  disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party....

Jose Canseco was a big league slugger who gave the people what they wanted. Not just massive home runs and a whole lot of stolen bases. He provided entertainment. And his audience, not just baseball fans but the world, ate it up. The private encounter with Madonna in her apartment that nearly cost him a spot on the roster. The obsession with performance enhancing drugs that made him the self-procl...

This week in the After Party, Jake talks the nefarious nature of social media, the public's denial of obvious horrors, this week's DISGRACELAND episode on R. Kelly, and of course your emails, texts, DMs, and voicemails. Is R. Kelly the most evil villain in music history? Drop a line at 617-906-6638,  disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. To hear...