DISGRACELAND

You know the myths. You’ve seen the biopics. But if you’re the kind of music fan who craves the rest of the story—the stuff they buried or cleaned up for streaming and theaters—this is your podcast. DISGRACELAND is the award-winning show that reveals the deeply human, highly dramatic, true crime–fueled chaos behind legendary musicians like Amy Winehouse, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sean “Diddy” Combs, the Grateful Dead, Blondie, and more. While we dig into the dark side, we do so with reverence for the artists—and an understanding of the extreme highs, lows, and personal costs that come with fame and making great art. This is music history like you’ve never heard it—edge-of-your-seat stories exploding with drama and the kind of information that’ll make you dangerous at dinner parties.

New, fully scripted and sound-designed episodes drop every Tuesday. On Thursdays, we hand the mic to you—and feature listener voicemails, texts, and emails in our interactive bonus episodes. And on Fridays, we revisit the wildest stories from our 250+ episode archive with “Rewind” drops that’ll transport you back into music history’s most entertaining moments.

DISGRACELAND is not a journalistic podcast—it’s an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. Certain dialogue and scenes are occasionally fictionalized for dramatic effect, as is common in scripted entertainment based on real stories. Sources and credits for each episode are available at www.disgracelandpod.com.

To hear every episode ad-free—and get access to exclusive monthly episodes, weekly bonus content, and stories too wild for the main feed—become a Disgraceland All Access member at www.disgracelandpod.com/membership.

Music
True Crime
Society & Culture
326
Joe Exotic: Tiger King, Budding Country Star, C...
Joe Exotic, the gun toting, mullet wearing, polyamorous subject of the hit Netflix series, Tiger King was more than just a murder-minded conman. He could sing! You saw those videos. We did too. As a singer, Joe’s voice belied the tortured Everyman experience of some of the best country music crooners, hinting at deep trauma resulting from unspeakable loss, assault and violence. Most of which was for the most part, left on the cutting room floor of the popular Netflix series and is on display in this special Covid-19 bonus content episode of Disgraceland.
36 min
327
John Denver: A Folk Singer, a Sniper and Americ...
54 min
328
Little Richard: Sex and the Duality of the King...
Little Richard is the originator. Without him it’s hard to imagine the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Elton John or even Led Zeppelin. He blazed a trail through popular culture that previous to him did not exist. His music was completely original for the time, the essence of rock ‘n’ roll, filled with impassioned energy, fueled at times by large quantities of drugs and always brimming with sex. The sex, the drugs, and the party for Little Richard, it was as endless as the manic energy that drove his music and it all nearly derailed him––several times––landing him behind bars and on the wrong side of the gun. 
39 min
329
Jay Z: Street hustle, a Nightclub Stabbing, a N...
44 min
330
Guns N’ Roses Pt. 2: Real life Rocket Queen, Ra...
38 min
331
Guns N’ Roses Pt. 1: Brawling with Bowie, Juven...
37 min
332
The Rolling Stones at Altamont: Bikers, Blood, ...
43 min
333
A$AP Rocky: Love Sex Dreams/LSD and Locked Up O...
A$AP Rocky’s upbringing; Harlem, Riker’s, and his own instincts and sense of history informed his world view: A view that included not only a healthy respect for the healing powers of LSD, but also a healthy distaste for the political maelstrom surrounding cartoon president Donald J. Trump. The irony is that A$AP Rocky’s own behavior led him straight into the political fray—jailed in an international incident and, in the end, in need of the unlikeliest of political allies to help him escape.
45 min
334
Whitney Houston: Cracks in the Mirror, Crack o...
Whitney Houston was The Voice. A stunning beauty. An early MTV star and leading actress. But when she passed away in a hotel suite bath, the music industry gala downstairs that she was supposed to attend went on without her. How did it all come to this? The drugs and her husband Bobby Brown weren’t answers, just ways to avoid the question: what was the private tragedy of Whitney Houston?
33 min
335
Eminem: Taking His Shot, Pulling a Glock, and F...
On a single Saturday in 2000, Marshall Mathers assaulted two separate men with a pistol and fought with his wife outside a nightclub, resulting in lawsuits and charges that hung over the completion of his original trilogy of albums. For that one day, the rap persona Slim Shady had escaped into the real world. How had Slim Shady come to be, and why had he gotten out?
32 min
336
Madonna: Music as Sex and Sex as Power in the R...
38 min
337
Iggy Pop: Mad Artistry, Mental Wards, and Gapin...
37 min
338
Motown Records: Pimps, Prostitutes, the Detroit...
Motown Records is one of the most successful musical industry endeavors or all time. The music and the megastars Motown produced; Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and the Jackson 5 defined a generation. But that success is marred by rumors. Rumors that the record label and its innovative owner were controlled by the quote unquote black hand of the white American mob.
38 min
339
Led Zeppelin: Dark Power, Cocaine, Backstage Br...
Led Zeppelin were the biggest band on the planet. The great white shark of the seventies. They defined excess. The designed the avatar for the heavy metal rock star; themselves. Along the way there were violent brawls, car crashes, lots of cocaine, alcohol, satanic sexual rituals and a very freaked out David Bowie.
42 min
340
N.W.A Pt. 2: Beatdowns, Band Beef, Death Row an...
36 min
341
N.W.A Pt. 1: Street Hustle, Reality Rap and Cul...
38 min
342
Frank Sinatra Pt. 1: Frankie Is the Reason...Th...
28 min
343
The Rolling Stones: Fugitives in Exile
33 min
344
Cardi B: Felony Assault
30 min
345
Jim Morrison: Zodiac Killer Qu'est-ce Que C'est
This is a bonus episode of Disgraceland that is satire and not true crime. Originally released on April 1, 2019 as an April Fools joke, this episode fooled many. However, it was quickly taken off the Internet. The joke worked too well for some. After editing the episode lightly to protect the identity of the victims, here is the episode as it originally appeared in its entirety along with the original episode description below: A special emergency episode of Disgraceland that hopes to contextualize today’s fast developing story about America’s most mysterious serial killer and his relationship to one of the most infamous musicians of all time. Warning; this story is currently breaking. Information is coming in fast and furious. The episode will be updated periodically throughout the day to reflect new info as we get it. 
38 min
346
Slick Rick: Hustle, Iconic Flow and a Menacing ...
35 min
347
Johnny Cash: Pills & Playing With Fire
Johnny Cash took no shit. Was a total original. Could maneuver that big baritone around a ballad or a rave up like nobody’s business. He also burned down a national forest, crashed cars, overdosed, was arrested for drug trafficking, and was obsessed with June Carter. Their love affair is one for the ages. Through it all, Johnny maintained his sense of empathy and his big heart. His story is unlike any other. Listen to Disgraceland to hear how Johnny Cash played with fire both figuratively and literally.
31 min
348
Amy Winehouse: Rehab, the Muse and a Rare Talent
40 min
349
XXXTentacion: Mellow Beats and Ultra Violence
XXXTentacion was one of Generation Z’s most talented hip hop stars but his ascent was marked by violence and drama; beatdowns, beefs (what’s up, Drake?) and abuse. XXXTentacion’s music quickly rose from Soundcloud to the top of the charts due in part to the relative loneliness and alienation he repped in his lyrics, sentiments his audience quickly latched onto. XXXTentacion’s connection to his audience was (and still is even in death) unique and powerful. Their connection via social media-fueled him, inspired him and ironically alienated him, just like his penchant for violence. What, if any of it, all led to his untimely demise?
39 min
350
Grateful Dead Pt. 1: Freedom's Just Another Wor...
40 min