Homemade bombs, bricks of weed, deranged stalkers, an old family curse, an attempted presidential assassination, and one of the most violent murder crews in American history. It's all happening in a brand new season of Badlands. Badlands Season 8: Hollywoodland launches August 9, 2023, with new episodes on Johnny Depp, Bill Murray, Jodie Foster, Sigourney Weaver, Brandon Lee, Humphrey Bogart, Joan Crawford, and Jane Fonda. New episodes are released every Wednesday, with bonus episodes...

Sonny Rollins did time at Rikers Island twice: first for armed robbery and again for using dope. He was a fiend and a pickpocket. He nearly got himself killed when he ran to Miles Davis’ defense after a bloody scuffle with a cop outside Birdland. At the same time, Sonny Rollins was universally acknowledged as the greatest living tenor saxophone player. But he wanted to get better. He knew he could kick dope and kick petty crime. He also knew that in doing so, he could improve his own playing....

On this episode of the Pre-Party, Jake talks Sonny Rollins and the myth of the sixties. Jazz heads, what are your recommendations? And which rock star would you want showing up at your high school reunion? Let Jake know with a text or voicemail at 617-906-6638, on socials @disgracelandpod, or [email protected] with your answers, and stay tuned for our episode on Sonny Rollins, dropping on Tuesday August 1st. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jake connects his a-ha moment with country to the greats, specifically this week's DISGRACELAND subject Merle Haggard. Jake takes voicemails, texts, and DMs, and offers his best post-punk bands list. What are your top five music movies of all time? Introduce yourselves! Hit Jake up at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Merle Haggard was what authorities liked to call a “repeat offender.” He was arrested for riding trains, for skipping school, for stealing cars, for robbing gas stations, and for attempting to knock over a restaurant – during the Christmas Eve rush. He was committed to juvenile halls, correctional facilities, and reform schools 17 times, and 17 times he escaped. When he was arrested for the final time, he was sent to do hard time at San Quentin. He turned 21 in prison. And it was in prison...

Jake kicks off Merle Haggard with some insight on the legendary criminal musician, and provides some updates on current artists caught up with the law. We take a minute to remember the late Jane Birkin, and Jake takes some emails. What musicians are still in need of biopics? Let Jake know with a text or voicemail at 617-906-6638, on socials @disgracelandpod, or [email protected] with your answers, and stay tuned for Merle Haggard, dropping on Tuesday July 25th. Learn more about your...

Britney Spears’ 13-year conservatorship was an arrangement so strict and unfeeling that it left her without any control of her career, loopy on lithium, and completely silenced for the sake of seeing her sons and boyfriend. As Britney suffered in silence, she worked nearly non-stop, generating more hits — and revenue — so her father could claim his cut of the profits. But after hundreds of shows in Las Vegas and $137 million in box office sales, Britney buckled and told her conservators “no.”...

No musician owned pop music quite like Britney Spears at the turn of the century. After graduating from Mississippi tween queen to full-fledged American superstar, her fame exploded at a time when tabloids circled celebrities like prey. 30 to 45 predatory paparazzi would follow Britney’s every move during 12 to 14 hour shifts, eager to document the collapse of her marriage and social circle. As her public image crumbled, it’s no wonder Britney ended 2007 with a bald head and a “blackout.” The...

On this week's After Party, Jake is talking the classic film Almost Famous, John Lee Hooker's baseball song Grinder Man, and taking your voicemails and texts. Who are the greatest English groups of the post-punk era? Does New Order make the cut? Jake wants to get to know you. Plus, what is "it" about your favorite artists? was 1994 the best year for music? Is Almost Famous the best movie about music? And what is so appealing about Jon Bon Jovi? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638,...

New Order proved that a rock band could make dance music and actually become cooler in the process. The musical hybrid they created helped define the sound of the 1980s. It also defined the growing subculture in their hometown of Manchester, England, specifically at the Haçienda, the nightclub they owned. But beyond a fine time, the club scene brought gang violence, a notorious crime family, cocaine, ecstasy, a mental breakdown, and an arrest at the height of New Order’s fame. For the full...

It's New Order week in DISGRACELAND - and speaking of new orders, Morgan Wallen's reign has finally been usurped! Jake takes emails and DMs, gets in to some current music history-in-the-making, discusses a lost episode, and asks the question: who invented rock n' roll? Send a text or leave a voicemail at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod with your answers, and check out the next episode on New Order, dropping on Tuesday July 18th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

After a week's break from the After Party, Jake catches up on voicemail, wraps up our musical mashup conversation, and explores Billboard's top rap groups kerfuffle. We get into season two of The Bear, Fourth of July songs, and Jake offers some insight into his own history. What is your favorite hip hop group? Can you recommend some weird, obscure 90s hip hop? Leave a message for Jake at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad...

On May 22, 2017, a terrorist detonated a bomb outside Ariana Grande’s performance at Manchester Arena. The blast killed 22 people. It injured over a thousand more. The attack remains one of the most heartbreaking events in music history. Parents were terrified. Younger fans suddenly feared going to concerts. But Manchester’s story doesn’t end on May 22, or in the days that followed. It ends with one woman organizing the One Love concert, healing a new generation of young pop devotees. This is...

This week in DISGRACELAND brings a new episode on Ariana Grande. Jake ponders what it takes to become a mega pop star, responds to listener emails, and reviews Billboard's selections for their top ten rap groups of all time. What is it about Taylor Swift for you? What makes her such an incredible, larger-than-life figure? How do you feel about Billboard's top ten? Send a text or leave a voicemail at 617-906-6638, or on socials @disgracelandpod with your answers, and stay tuned for the latest...

In honor of Independence Day, Jake continues to reflect back on clips from past DISGRACELAND episodes that best demonstrate the America that we know and love. In Pt. 2 of this special episode, we revisit moments featuring Whitney Houston and the Star Spangled Banner, James Brown and his old fashioned American work ethic, the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson tearing down the PCH in Sam Cooke's old Ferrari, Gram Parsons and the origins of Cosmic American music, and many more. Learn more about your ad...

Happy Independence Day! Jake is celebrating the Fourth of July by looking back on clips from past DISGRACELAND episodes that best demonstrate the America that we know and love. Featuring scenes about Ray Charles and the aftermath of 9/11, Skip James and the Washington Monument, Frank Sinatra and the Kennedys, the Grateful Dead's Pigpen and the old, weird America, and many more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the 4th of July, and we’re celebrating by dropping TWO compilation episodes of the most all-American Disgraceland stories. Jake talks Danzig’s birthday, Pink assaulted in the UK, and euphemism songs - plus responds to voicemail and texts! What’s on your playlist for the Fourth? Who are the best emcees and rap groups? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638 or [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than a decade since Michael Jackson’s death, his legacy remains complicated and unresolved. Think Twice: Michael Jackson is an exploration of the King of Pop’s life and impact – and an investigation into why his global influence continues to endure, despite the disturbing allegations against him. In this ten-part series, journalists Leon Neyfakh and Jay Smooth bring you a new perspective on the Michael Jackson story, based on dozens of original interviews with people who watched it...

On this week's After Party, Jake is digging into why he loves and hates Aerosmith with a dive into a personal story from his way back machine. We ask the question: is it worth it to meet your heroes? More Hüsker Dü, more Fidlar, and more of your voicemails, texts, and DMs. Leave a message for Jake at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At their peak, Aerosmith was sex, drugs, and rock and roll in the flesh, wrapped up in spangly scarves and jumpsuits. They crossed target practice with black tar heroin. Trained roadies how to feed them cocaine onstage. Frontman Steven Tyler claims he spent $6,000,000 on coke alone. Their chemical highs launched them to career highs that were equally staggering, until addictions and attitudes splintered the band into solo projects and a shadow of the band they once were. No group ever lived...

It's Aerosmith Week and Jake is honoring our Bad Boys from Boston by diving into hilarious sex euphemisms in song titles. Can you think of a cheesier euphemism than "walking the dog"? In this mini episode, we're also talking about Ike Turner Jr. getting arrested for cocaine possession, reading some of Billboard Magazine's list of top 50 hip-hop groups, and more. Who's your number one hip-hop group of all time? And how do you think Glenn Danzig celebrated his 68th birthday? Send your answers...

On this week's After Party, Jake is ready to dive into this week's Disgraceland episode on Lil' Kim, and to talk about how her career thrived after she was released from prison. A Disgo shares a literal heartbreaker of a story about the 2004 Red Sox, Jake talks Hüsker Dü and FIDLAR, and so much more. Jake also wants to know which musician had the best post-prison career - Lil' Kim, Merle Haggard, Lil Wayne, or Paul McCartney? Send a message at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and...

Lil’ Kim is the queen of hard core. She practically invented hard core sex positivity with her raunchy raps and head-turning getups. She survived a hard core beef that ended in a spur-of-the-moment shootout. Then she became the first female rapper to serve hard core time in prison…and release a full-length album from her cell. As Lil’ Kim blazed through the 1990s and early 2000s with searing bars about what she did in the bedroom, listeners idolized her unpolished and truthful takes on...

It's Lil' Kim Week here in Disgraceland and Jake is talking about her bizarre and forgotten late-90s collab with Tommy Lee, Paul McCartney using AI to create one final Beatles record, a $300 limited-edition Steve Nicks boxset, and so much more. Jake also wants to know, can you think of any other weird music collaborations? What are your thoughts on an AI-generated Beatles album? And who is more likely to end up in a true crime documentary about themselves, Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift? Send a...

This week on the After Party, Jake is sharing an interview he did with Foo Fighters' guitarist Chris Shiflett at this year's Boston Calling Music Festival. They're talking about how inaccurate guitar tutorial videos inspired Chris's new podcast, "Shred With Shifty", about Chris's beginnings in the Santa Barbara punk scene, and so much more. Leave your own message for Jake at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come join the After Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...