In the 1980s, AC/DC’s biggest fan was a notorious serial killer. The band was an international best-selling hit machine, and members like the late Bon Scott and die-hard Angus Young became rock icons. But when the press caught wind of the disturbing fandom of the serial killer Richard “The Night Stalker” Ramirez, the news quickly dragged the world’s most fun, pure rock ‘n’ roll band straight down the highway to hell and into the center of a media firestorm around Satanic Panic and the...

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: Which artists, musicians, actors, or athletes died too young ? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638,...

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 terrible events in music history - in your opinion, what was music's darkest day? Let us know...

Part two of the N.W.A story finds the group dead center in America’s crosshairs, due in part to their own violent behavior, and at a crossroads creatively. Death Row’s Suge Knight, Public Enemy’s Chuck D., and a young hustler from the east coast all ride shotgun to Dre, E, Cube, Yella and Ren as the group finds itself having predicted yet another one of America’s darkest moments. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com. This episode was originally...

N.W.A, the self proclaimed “most dangerous group in America,” were seen as violent, thuggish, profanity-spewing criminals, but they had nothing on those who were sworn to serve and protect them in South Central Los Angeles. The group’s hard hitting beats and reality rhymes launched a “gangsta rap” trend in music that still thrives today, and their album Straight Outta Compton predicted one of the most notoriously violent events in American history. To see the full list of contributors, see...

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, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great Disgraceland episodes, dive into our extensive archive, including such episodes...

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 as his day of reckoning drew closer, he waited for a glimmer of hope that the goddess would...

We're peeking into the DISGRACELAND vault to take a look at some of our greatest episodes from the past. With nearly 200 (!) episodes in the archive, DISGRACELAND has all the bases covered: Rockstars behaving badly, actors embroiled in controversy, authors struggling with their demons – if it's a dark, edge-of-your seat story from the world of entertainment, we've probably got an episode on it in the DISGRACELAND archive. Check out these great stories from the DIGRACELAND archive: N.W.A....

Cardi B is one of the biggest artists on the planet and one of the most successful female hip hop artists of all time. She is accused of two counts of felony assault stemming from a fight in a Queens strip club. Her public brawl with rival Nicki Minaj is well documented as is her rise from the Bronx to superstardom via strip clubs and reality television. It’s the stuff of legend, as is her big personality and unique form of feminism. Her trial looms, but has Cardi B already committed and...

This week in the After Party, Jake gets into the latest news on the indictment and arrest of Sean "Diddy" Combs, the greatest television shows of all time, and of course, your emails, DMs, texts, and voicemails. As we prepare for next week's episode on Sigourney Weaver, Jake is looking for your recommendations on the best space/alien themed movies –let Jake know at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great Disgraceland episodes, dive into our...

Friends star Matthew Perry battled addiction through the white-hot glare of fame while having the number one show on television and the number one movie in theaters at the same time while dating the biggest movie star on the planet. He was a celebrity who experienced unimaginable popularity and crushing loneliness, a dichotomy that drove his addiction, an addiction that caused him to suffer through a coma, various stints in rehab, nine surgeries, broken teeth, broken ribs, and ultimately...

Grunge, grief, the Grateful Dead and a “teenage whore.” Part 2 of the Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love story picks up with Courtney’s ascent and the couple’s heroin-hazed pregnancy. An escape from rehab and a punk as f*ck group hug for Gen X. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. To see a full list of contributors,...

Kurt Cobain is a celebrated and defiant icon of Generation X. His wife, Courtney Love, was once the most hated woman in America. Courtney, like Kurt, was unapologetic, fierce, determined, ambitious, authentic, and a total hypocrite. They were both totally in love and for a minute shined brighter than most. They challenged gender norms and the music industry patriarchy and reluctantly played the roles of their generation’s John and Yoko by way of Sid and Nancy all while making great music, but...

This week in the After Party, Jake looks back at the fateful night of October 31, 1993, when River Phoenix collapsed and died at the Viper Room in Los Angeles. We announce a special Disgraceland Live Stream event coming on October 9th, plus, we hear from listeners on the greatest actors of the 1990s and more. As we prepare for next week's episode on Matthew Perry, we want to know: What do you think is the greatest television show of all time? Why? Let Jake know at...

River Phoenix was a once in a generation actor. His death shocked Hollywood and is still hard for many to accept. His deadly drug overdose has never been fully explained, but his back story—born into a religious cult, steeped in immersive movie role research, constantly toying with his famous identity—does explain the big talent he brought to the screen and the big heart he brought into the world. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including child sexual...

Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil totaled his Ford Pantera on a beer run, and in the process took the life of his friend Razzle Dingley, drummer for Hanoi Rocks. Bassist Nikki Sixx survived multiple heroin overdoses. Guitarist Mick Mars walked away from a blackout drunk drowning and drummer Tommy Lee lived through his own Caligula-like Sunset Strip sexcapades. Mötley Crüe, a degenerate band of death-cheating rock gods has us asking, “how are these dudes still alive?” Maybe they’re the...

This week in the After Party, Jake talks about gambling and its role in his family. Plus, listeners weigh in on disgraceful athletes, Lana Del Rey songs, and Courtney Love. As we prepare for next week's episode on River Phoenix, we want to know: Who is the greatest actor of that most glorious decade, the 1990s? Why? What Leonardo DiCaprio roles would've gone to River Phoenix had he lived? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great...

The image of the National Football League is one of integrity. It’s a squeaky clean brand that NFL commissioners have gone to great lengths to protect. This episode tells the story of a different NFL; the mystery of a dead team owner, gambling, mob-adjacent hall of fame league founders, and murdered bagmen are all part of the history of America’s pastime. There's more about the dark origins of the NFL coming to your feed on Thursday in the After Party bonus episode. We want to know: Which...

Oasis were the biggest band on the planet for a moment. They famously warred with Britpop rivals Blur, and the Brothers Gallagher feuded with each other in public and came to blows numerous times behind closed doors. The success of their massively popular second album skyrocketed the band to international fame and brought unwanted, intense pressure from the British tabloids, causing frontman Liam Gallagher to slide into a drunken stupor that would threaten to break up the band and distract...

Few bands have come from as little and made as much of themselves as Oasis. Along the way they were wildly entertaining — unlike anything England or the United States had ever seen — and fully committed to the life of the rock star and to making the greatest rock ‘n’ roll music the world had ever heard. Through it all they famously fought, with fans, with police and with each other. They drank excessively and did copious amounts of drugs and didn’t care who knew about it. They were England’s...

This week in the After Party, Jake wrestles wonders why certain artists, especially female artists, have a harder time with the critics and the press. Plus, Jake gets your takes on if the 90s really were "peak life." As we prepare for next week's episode on the sordid criminal history of the National Football League we want to know: Who is the most disgraceful athlete of all time? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod. To hear an extended...

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 episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including child sexual abuse and domestic...

Frank Sinatra had it all, then lost it all, then got it all back tenfold. He was a man of extreme talent, confidence and insecurity. And he had powerful and dangerous friends. He orchestrated some of the greatest music ever made. And he also orchestrated an alliance between two friends—mob boss Sam Giancana and John F. Kennedy—that would help the latter win the White House and, in the end, prove disastrous for Frank and the country. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes...

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 and from critics? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials...

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 controlling auteur by having his way with an actress who he assumed to be powerless. That actress, Tippi...