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 exclusive, bonus, and behind the scenes content––the stories they don't want you to hear—become a Disgraceland All Access member at www.disgracelandpod.com/membership.
326
Ringo Starr: Busted by Mexican Federales, Threa...
Ringo Starr’s first show as the Beatles’ new drummer was nearly ruined by a hostile audience that wanted him out of the band. Although he was finally accepted as one of the Fab Four, he was still targeted by those who did not wish him well. French-Canadian separatists in Montreal threatened to kill him. Mexican Federales tried to lock him up and throw away the key. And a decades-long running gag that he wasn’t creatively on par with his fellow Liverpool lads nearly undermined his legacy. It wasn’t until Ringo conquered his own beaucoups of blues that he got the respect he deserved and the world recognized him for what he is: in the words of his old mate John, “the greatest.”This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners and includes descriptions of domestic violence and 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 hear all episodes of Disgraceland for free, visit amazon.com/disgraceland. Show notes are available at disgracelandpod.com. Follow us @disgracelandpod on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for music news, bonus episodes, and more.
35 min
327
Jennifer Hudson: An American Idol, a Triple Hom...
Jennifer Hudson shocked her hometown of Chicago when she was eliminated from American Idol in 2004, only to surpass everyone’s expectations when she later raked in awards and rave reviews for her role in Dreamgirls. Yet grief washed over Chicago again when her mother and brother were found slain in their Englewood home, and the smallest member of the Hudson family was declared missing. Their tragic story begins with betrayal and ends with a heartbreak so severe, only Jennifer’s long-standing faith could put it back together.This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including graphic depictions of violence. To hear all episodes of Disgraceland for free, visit amazon.com/disgraceland. Show notes are available at disgracelandpod.com. Follow us @disgracelandpod on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for music news, bonus episodes, and more.
36 min
328
The Sex Pistols (Pt. 2): Crashing the Queen’s J...
In 1977, the world’s most controversial band didn’t stop when they were dropped by their major label only months after they were signed. John Lydon, Steve Jones, and the Sex Pistols continued their feud with the corporate music world, the English monarchy, and a horrified public. It was a struggle made all the more difficult by the introduction of the group’s most volatile member, a junkie who was barely clean–or competent enough–to find his way around four strings. The band’s grand plan to conquer America royally backfired and ultimately led to an explosive and bloody downfall. To paraphrase Neil Young, "this is the story of a Johnny Rotten," but it’s also a story about how great music can shock, scandalize, and galvanize the world. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners and includes descriptions of self-harm.To hear all episodes of Disgraceland for free, visit amazon.com/disgraceland. Show notes are available at disgracelandpod.com. Follow us @disgracelandpod on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for music news, bonus episodes, and more.
36 min
329
The Sex Pistols (Pt. 1): Anarchy, Thievery, and...
Punk rock’s greatest debut record was penned by a singer who saw traditional rock ‘n roll as a disease that needed to be eradicated and a sex-addicted guitarist who stole wallets, bikes, cars, and more than a few pieces of musical equipment to outfit the band. They cut their teeth performing for hardened criminals at a maximum security prison. They destroyed other bands’ gear and slept with their girlfriends. They scammed the working class system that had scammed them for years, by convincing the biggest record label in the world to release their controversial music. And they did all of this before the most infamous Pistol of all ever strapped on a bass guitar and pretended he knew how to play.This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including self-harm and child sexual abuse.To hear all episodes of Disgraceland for free, visit amazon.com/disgraceland. Show notes are available at disgracelandpod.com. Follow us @disgracelandpod on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for music news, bonus episodes, and more.
35 min
330
Pink Floyd: Acid Overload, a Psychotic Breakdow...
37 min
331
Britney Spears (Pt. 2): Lithium, Las Vegas, and...
36 min
332
Britney Spears (Pt. 1): Trauma Pop
35 min
333
George Harrison: Surviving the Beatles, the Lon...
George Harrison famously survived the dissolution of the Beatles, a bust by London’s drug squad, a potentially bloody visit from the Hell’s Angels, and a few rounds with cancer. But on the final day of the 20th century, his strength and faith were put to the ultimate test. A crazed fan, convinced that the Beatles were evil and George was a sorcerer who had possessed him, broke into George’s Friar Park estate in the dead of night with one goal: to murder George Harrison.To hear all episodes of Disgraceland for free, visit amazon.com/disgraceland. Show notes are available at disgracelandpod.com. Follow us @disgracelandpod on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for music news, bonus episodes, and more.
37 min
334
The Temptations: Fame, Drugs, and Paranoia
40 min
335
Miles Davis Pt. 2: Mountains of Pills, Bitches ...
32 min
336
Miles Davis Pt. 1: Blasting Bebop, Blasting Rac...
34 min
337
Juice WRLD: Percocets, Lucid Dreams and a Whole...
The loss of emo-rap trailblazer Juice WRLD is one of the most sudden, tragic, and graphic celebrity deaths in recent memory. His adolescence experimenting with bold beats, prescription pills, and lean set him up to become Gen Z’s new spokesperson. His music helped hit the reset button on popular music, transforming a once-bubbly genre into an all-consuming wormhole of depression, tension, and heartache. But his music earned more than just a global audience — it also drew the attention of the FBI, a force that was very present during Juice WRLD’s final days.To hear all episodes of Disgraceland for free, visit amazon.com/disgraceland. Show notes are available at disgracelandpod.com. Follow us @disgracelandpod on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for music news, bonus episodes, and more.
38 min
338
Billie Holiday: Heroin Hounds, ‘Whorehouse Musi...
36 min
339
The Eagles Pt. 2: Death, a Plane Crash, and Inn...
33 min
340
The Eagles Pt. 1: International Drug Smuggling,...
32 min
341
Bonus Episode: Just A Cook, Napkin Hats, and Bi...
30 min
342
Hank Williams: Sanatoriums, Poison Pills, and F...
41 min
343
Sublime: Hoodlums, Police Helicopters, and Gett...
With their newfangled ska-punk, Sublime preached the gospel of Long Beach’s seedy shores unlike any band before them. They also incited a riot at the first show, vandalized their record label’s headquarters, and did unspeakable deeds to a Dennys kitchen with their mobile home’s septic tank. The group’s musical legacy is inseparable from their reputation as hoodlums and hedonists, in part because those are precisely the people Sublime wrote about. Sublime was born in California, raised in California, but before they could get much farther, Sublime died in California, too.To hear all episodes of Disgraceland for free, visit amazon.com/disgraceland. Show notes are available at disgracelandpod.com. Follow us @disgracelandpod on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for music news, bonus episodes, and more.
37 min
344
Tom Petty: House Fires, Hiding a Heroin Habit, ...
Tom Petty: House Fires, Hiding a Heroin Habit, and Run-Down Dreams
41 min
345
Taylor Swift: Horrifying Stalkers
Taylor Swift has a list of stalkers longer than her stadium tour setlists. One drove over 900 miles to hand-deliver his “love” letters to her then-record-label, Big Machine Records. Others have showed up to her homes bearing rope, lock picks, and tools to break her windows. The threats on her life have become so persistent that her security team once installed facial recognition software at the venues she performed in, specifically to distinguish her stalkers from her fans. While making some of the most recognizable pop songs in music history, Taylor Swift also became one of the most recognizable women in the celebrity sphere – a title that on many occasions has nearly cost her life.
39 min
346
Derek & The Dominos: Clapton, A Christmas Shoot...
35 min
347
Woodstock Pt. 2: A Disaster Movie
The original Woodstock was a literal disaster, declared so on its first day by the state of New York. There were fights, onstage, armed black-shirted hippie gestapo on patrol, and most notably, two dead kids on record. The festival was born of violence, sparked into existence out of organizer Michael Lang’s standoff with hillbilly armed guards and cops from down in Florida. The lasting image of Woodstock as a time of idyllic harmony is a nostalgic gimmick, as is the 1970 documentary about the events that took place up in Bethel, New York that fateful weekend. If any director were to make a truly realistic movie about Woodstock, their film would be an unhinged disaster movie.To hear all episodes of Disgraceland for free, visit amazon.com/disgraceland. Show notes are available at disgracelandpod.com. Follow us @disgracelandpod on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for music news, bonus episodes, and more.
40 min
348
Woodstock Pt. 1: A Disaster Movie
Woodstock is remembered as the generation-defining moment when the baby boomers demonstrated to the world the power of peace, love and communalism. In reality, what went down at Old Man Yasgur’s farm in August 1969 involved extortion, deaths, countless overdoses, near-mass electrocution, and a state of emergency. Not to mention a restless crowd that doubled in size seemingly every time festival producer Micheal Lang lifted his head to survey the drug-addled chaos. All he wanted was a new kind of festival—a celebration of utopian hippie idealism. Instead, for three long, lawless days, Lang got much more than he bargained for during one of the messiest moments in American music history.To hear all episodes of Disgraceland for free, visit amazon.com/disgraceland. Show notes are available at disgracelandpod.com. Follow us @disgracelandpod on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for music news, bonus episodes, and more.
45 min
349
Black Sabbath: Satanists, Severed Limbs, Dismem...
42 min
350
Fleetwood Mac Pt. 2: Going to #1, and Going You...
31 min