DISGRACELAND

This week in the After Party, all the stars come out to play: Def Leppard, Huey Lewis, Gene Hackman, Odell Beckham, Jr and of course, Thin Lizzy! Plus, we hear from you about your favorite Irish artists. Next week, we're bringing you a story about George Michael, one of the all-time great pop vocalists and a major star of the early MTV era. We want to know: Which early-era MTV star was your favori...

What made the band Thin Lizzy different from your standard 1970s rock and punk? Crime, that’s what. The criminals who populated Phil Lynott’s mother’s bar and the stories they told that influenced the songs Phil wrote. That and a harmonized guitar assault.  Who is your favorite Irish band? Why? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod. To listen to Disgr...

This week, Jake reflects on the recent passing of two legends: David Johansen and Gene Hackman. Plus, we hear from you on rock n' roll actors, great guitarists, and day drinking with punk legends in a strip club. Next week, we're bringing you a story about Thin Lizzy. In honor of Thin Lizzy and of Saint Patrick's day, we want to know: Who is your favorite Irish band? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638,  di...

Dennis Hopper revolutionized American cinema by bringing the counterculture to the mainstream with his 1969 film Easy Rider. But he also lived his life in tandem with his art, on the fringes of society and sanity. His stubborn attitude and crazy ideas quickly transformed him from a hippie prophet into a longhaired loser. Hopper's journey from success to failure and back again took him through jung...

This week, Jake talks about his experience trying to get a movie made and reflects on the obsessive drive that is required for filmmakers like Martin Scorsese to take a film from concept to the screen. On Friday, we're celebrating Oscar week by bringing you our two part episode on Marilyn Monroe. Jake wants to know: Do you think the Kennedys had anything to do with Marilyn's death? Tell Jake at 61...

Dorthy Stratten went from Dairy Queen counter girl to Playboy pinup to murder victim – in just two years. Hugh Hefner called her the next Marilyn Monroe. A major Hollywood director wrote a role in his new film just for her, confident that she would make the leap from centerfold to starlet. But all of that was cut short on August 14, 1980, when a private investigator stumbled upon a brutal murder s...

This week, Jake shares some surprising developments in the Jay-Z case and their ramifications for the ongoing Diddy cases. Plus we hear from you on the Sid and Nancy story, and Jake imagines a better world where hot dogs, coffee and cheap beer cost just one dollar. Next week, we're bringing you part 2 of our Martin Scorcese story, one that features other legendary directors like Brian DePalma and...

This week, Jake is thinking about the CIA and its role in our culture. Has the CIA played a part not just in political dirty tricks overseas, but also in the music and culture that are part of our daily lives? Plus, We hear about Jake's grandfather, whose dream was to join the CIA, but who was rejected...hmmmm...sounds exactly like the kind of cover story a CIA agent would tell! Since Valentine's...

You know Louis Armstrong, right? Jazz icon? Satchmo? Nice guy from the movies with the trumpet? Did you know he was part of a CIA coup in Africa? Did you know he compelled a President into civil rights action? Did you know Louis Armstrong was controlled by gangsters? There’s a lot to learn about this one-of-a-kind musician in DISGRACELAND. Louis Armstrong famously served as a "jazz ambassador" for...

This week, Jake is thinking about Richard Pryor. If Pryor had died after setting himself on fire, would that be the strangest celebrity death of all time? Jake takes a look at some strange celebrity deaths, including Tennessee Williams, William Holden, and more. If you know some strange celebrity death stories, let us know! On Tuesday we're bringing you an episode on one of the most important musi...

Richard Pryor was one of the funniest people who ever lived. He elevated stand-up comedy to an art form. But the real life that informed his stand-up – a life of pool halls, brothels, stabbings, shootings, and lots and lots of cocaine – was a source of constant pain. A pain that he managed with a freebase habit so out of control it nearly killed him before he was even 40 years old. This episode co...

This week, Jake wonders what might be coming in future disclosures about UFOs, the JFK assassination, and the Diddy case. What happens if the stories we tell ourselves, the grand conspiracies, the intriguing theories, turn out to be false? What if they're true? Are these stories no longer compelling if they reach a conclusion? Can a conspiracy theory ever be truly debunked? On Tuesday we're bringi...

The news called the London crime wave an “epidemic”. The Beastie Boys inspired it. Liverpool wanted to kill the group. Ad Rock was in jail. Numerous other musicians were arrested, in part, because of the Beasties. These stories plus the band’s hardcore roots, their hip hop success, how they created a Gen X Sgt. Peppers, and a legacy that will be hard to top for future artists. Bu...

Everyone thought Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge was a joke, until he proved them all wrong. This is the story of government control, aliens, an arrest, a plane crash, a cancer diagnosis, redemption, and (of course) anti-authority punk rock. Do you believe in Non-Human Intelligence? Have you had an experience with UFOs? Let Jake know and tell your story at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on so...

This week, Jake discusses the Beastie Boys and the challenges of creating an episode about a band that was so influential to him personally, as well as the importance of telling the whole story when it comes to rock 'n' roll, not just the tightly controlled version that an artist might want told. On Tuesday we're bringing you an episode on Bink-182 and their unlikely connection to the study of UFO...

Country songwriter Townes Van Zandt was an incredible talent who toiled in obscurity. Most of his albums never sold more than a few thousand copies. Like his idol, Hank Williams, he was willing to push aside everything to chase the muse – everything but the bottle. And like Hank Williams, Townes Van Zandt's legend would only grow greater after his death. This episode was originally published...

This week, Jake wrestles again with the idea that an artist whose work he admires may, in fact, be an a**hole. Plus, a listener's story of rock and roll animalism reignites a dormant memory for Jake! On Tuesday we're bringing you an episode on the one and only Beastie Boys, a band who melded their eclectic influences like no one else, and Jake wants to know: What musician has influenced you the mo...

Before Bill Murray was busting ghosts and living in a loop of deja vu, he was a drug-dealing premed student with a knack for comedy. When he was caught with five bricks of pot at the airport, his career in medicine came crashing down, forcing him to make a living with his smart mouth. His obsession to rise above “medium talent” brought him to volatile blows with musicians, fellow actors, and even...

Who is the most hedonistic entertainer from throughout history? Hint: his name might rhyme with “D. Piddy." Caligula is blushing, and your voicemails, texts, DMs, and more. On Tuesday we're bringing you an episode on comedy legend Bill Murray, and Jake wants to know: What's your favorite Bill Murray performance, on or off screen? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials...

How does a music mogul satiate himself when he’s rich, famous, and can have whatever he wants? When he compares himself to gangster-pimp-king-hustlers from the past? When he’s one of the most powerful men in the music industry? The details behind the Cassie Ventura, Lil’ Rod Jones, and federal indictments charging Sean “Diddy” Combs with horrific acts of abuse –...

In this week's After Party, Jake shares some music and movie recommendations based on the research that went into this year's Disgraceland episodes. On Tuesday we're bringing you a brand new episode on Diddy, and Jake wants to know: Do you think Sean Combs is guilty of his alleged crimes? Why or why not? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more...

Your wild tales of rock ‘n’ roll animalism, UFOs, Christmas songs, SNL characters, Jay Z and Diddy, and so much more; we get way into your comments, your thoughts, and what makes your rock ‘n’ roll souls tick on this Christmas-week episode. Coming up, we're bringing you an episode on Hank Williams, who died on New Years Day in 1953, and Jake wants to know: Who are the songwriters and singers who c...

Everything about Chris Farley was larger than life. His comedy, his laughs, the risks he took in front of a live studio audience – they were all bigger than anyone else's. So were his appetites. Not just for performance, but for life. He plowed through a plate glass window, 15 stories above downtown Chicago. He was kicked out of college for burning down a girl's house. He disappeared with two Play...

This week in the After Party, Jake gets into the great rock 'n' roll myths: we're talking cocaine enemas, ham sandwiches, mud sharks, and stomach pumps. And speaking of rock 'n' roll, we want to hear your stories of rock animalism - what are the important rock tales that we should preserve? Next week, we're bringing you an episode on one of the greatest funnymen of all time - Chris Farley. As Satu...

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...