DISGRACELAND
Episodes
Bonus Episode: Thanksgiving Routines, Incredible Stories, and Actually, it's Mark-Almond
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Thanksgiving, Disgos! This week Jake talks Blondie and Debbie Harry's run-in with Ted Bundy. Do you think the Debbie Harry/Ted Bundy story is tr...
Blondie: Punk vs. Disco, Held Hostage by Phil Spector, and Riding with Ted Bundy
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Blondie got their start as part of New York’s fertile punk scene in the late ‘70s, a time of great musical innovation. Also a time of great fear. ...
Bonus Episode: Marc Almond, US Festival, and a Denny's "Deposit"
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week is all about U2, and this episode of the After Party is no exception. Jake breaks down his personal history with the band's music, and gets ...
U2: Death Threats, a Song that Inspired a Killer, and the Murder of Rebecca Schaeffer
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Years before a free album made them the most unpopular popular band on the planet, U2 ran into the arms of America. In 1987, touring behind their bloc...
Bonus Episode: Jake x RedHanded Crossover Episode
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A special AFTER PARTY featuring a crossover episode with the award-winning UK-based true crime podcast REDHANDED. Jake joins REDHANDED hosts Suruthi B...
Disgraceland Season 14 Trailer
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Homicidal maniacs, home surveillance, a killer on the loose, attacks in the street, and an evil song that led to murder. Find out which music legends ...
Bonus Episode: Crossover Episodes, Candy Hangovers, and Jake's Music Searches
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week wraps our Halloween countdown, and Jake is closing the loop on all the spooky discussions. Plus, DISGRACELAND and BADLANDS get another cross...
Bonus Episode: Terrifying Tales, Vinyl Vaults, and Funeral Fugues
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Halloween season continues with our daily re-releases of the scariest DISGRACELAND episodes. Jake is wondering: What's the best rock star/horror m...
GZA (Wu-Tang Chapter 10): Quantum Physics, Cop Killers, and a Stock-Trading Scumbag
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
GZA may be the only rapper who lectures about quantum physics at Ivy League institutions including Harvard and MIT. That honor stems from his acknowle...
Masta Killa (Wu-Tang Clan Chapter 9): A Mafia Hit, an Alleged Assault, and the Student Becomes the Master
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Masta Killa grew up in a city shaped and run by organized crime. A city where the most powerful underworld boss could be gunned down on a busy street ...
Bonus Episode: Alter Egos, Sad Sack Songs, and a Tribute to Disgos
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week in DISGRACELAND saw the premiere of the Ol' Dirty Bastard episode, and it's got Jake thinking about other famous alter egos. Plus, Halloween...
Ol’ Dirty Bastard (Wu-Tang Clan Chapter 8): An Attempted Murder Rap, Bloodthirsty Rottweilers, and Self-Immolation
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ol’ Dirty Bastard once saved a four-year old girl who was trapped under a Ford Mustang. He took a limo with an MTV news crew to collect his welfare ...
Bonus Episode: Finding Great Music, Boston and NY Hardcore, and I Want Your Skulls
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Wu-Tang saga continues in DISGRACELAND, and it's got Jake wondering about the most memorable ways that you’ve discovered great music in your lif...
U-God (Wu-Tang Clan Chapter 7): Police Raids, Vengeance, and Mopping Floors at the Statue of Liberty
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
U-God was raised by the streets of Staten Island, where getting beaten up was a rite of passage that made you stronger. He was busted for driving a st...
Cappadonna (Wu-Tang Clan Chapter 6): Someone Else’s Crack Rocks, Turning State’s Evidence, and a Rat in the Inner Circle
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cappadonna may have taught a lot of the guys in Wu-Tang Clan how to rhyme, but he wasn’t around when the group first formed and released their incre...
Inspectah Deck (Wu-Tang Clan Chapter 5): Running Scams, Doing Time, and NYC’s Ongoing War Against the Drug Trade
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At just 15 years old, Inspectah Deck had to learn how to hold his own against older, more dangerous convicts when he was sent to jail for selling crac...
Bonus Episode: The Delfonics, the Ringo Connection, and Major Criminal Organizations
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The After Party returns this week while DISGRACELAND takes a break from our full season on the Wu-Tang Clan, and Jake is talking the Wu's influences, ...
Ghostface Killah (Wu-Tang Clan Chapter 4): Angel Dust, an Unlicensed .357 Magnum, and Attempted Robbery
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ghostface Killah allegedly tried to steal three thousand dollars from a parking lot attendant. They said he was shot in the neck and shoulder in Steub...
Method Man (Wu-Tang Clan Chapter 3): Dice Games, Dodged Bullets, and Murder in the Street
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As a teenager, Method Man won $800 on a $5 bet in a dice game. He used those winnings to set himself up as a crack dealer on Staten Island. Dealing wa...
Raekwon (Wu-Tang Clan Chapter 2): Dealing Crack, Caught in the Crossfire, and the NYPD Goes TNT
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Corey Woods, aka Raekwon, was addicted to the styles, sounds, and crimes of hip-hop street culture in the 1980s. He sold weed, coke, and later crack t...
The RZA: (Wu-Tang Clan Chapter 1): Kung Fu in Times Square, Weed on Wall Street, and Attempted Murder in Ohio
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bobby Diggs (aka the RZA) grew up on a steady diet of kung fu movies and hip-hop music. As a kid he hung around junkies and prostitutes in Times Squar...
Bonus Episode: Tammy Wynette, Powertrip, and Ted Cruz Killed JFK?
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jake dives in to the Wu-Tang Clan as DISGRACELAND embarks on a new season all on the group. Are they the best super group of all time? If not, who is?...
DISGRACELAND Season 13 Trailer
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Wu-Tang Clan made history with some of the most compelling hip-hop music of all time. They also made enemies with the NYPD, the ATF, and the FBI – t...
Bonus Episode: Purple Rain, Tupac investigation developments, and New versus Nü Metal
24 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's re-release of the second part of the Notorious BIG episode comes along with somenew developments in Tupac's murder case - and maybe relate...
Bonus Episode: Tribal Tattoos, The Biggest Beefs, and Disgo Massueses
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this installment of the After Party, we kick off our 50th anniversary of hip-hop by revisiting the two-part episode on The Notorious BIG. Jake asks...
Bonus Episode: The Definition of Cool, Influence Over Success, and FIDLAR
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's Velvet Underground week in Disgraceland, and Jake is wondering if they are the most influential rock band? Plus voicemails, texts, Keith Jarrett,...
The Velvet Underground: Heroin, S&M, and the Attempted Assassination of Andy Warhol
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Velvet Underground put a spike in the status quo. They sang candidly about heroin, speed, and S&M. Their members included drug dealers and junkies...
Bonus Episode: Talent vs. Craft, Meatloaf, and Another Look at Nookie
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In Sonny Rollins week, Jake ponders the powers of talent and craft, and what makes musicians great. Plus, your voicemails, texts, and DMs. Who is the ...
Sonny Rollins: Armed Robbery, Rikers Island, and the Return of the Saxophone Colossus
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 himsel...
Bonus Episode: Classic Country Gateways, the Best Post-Punk Bands, and Peter Cetera's Bauhaus Tee
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jake connects his a-ha moment with country to the greats, specifically this week's DISGRACELAND subject Merle Haggard. Jake takes voicemails, texts, a...
Merle Haggard: 17 Arrests, 17 Breakouts, Hard Time at San Quentin, and the Lonesome Fugitive
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Merle Haggard was what authorities liked to call a “repeat offender.” He was arrested for riding trains, for skipping school, for stealing cars, f...
Bonus Episode: Grinder Men, The Jon Bon Jovi Effect, and the Greatest English Groups of the Post-Punk Era
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 an...
New Order: Blood on the Dance Floor, E in the Bloodstream, and Inventing the 1980s
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Bonus Episode: Aerosmith Encounters, The Jake Brennan Story, and Ariana Grande
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 gr...
Ariana Grande: Terror on Tour, Tragedy in Manchester, and Learning to Sing Again
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Bonus Episode: Loving (and Hating) Aerosmith, Meeting Your Heroes, and the Way Back Machine
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Aerosmith: Toxic Twins, M-80s, Cocaine Eyeliner, and Living on the Edge
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 wit...
Bonus Episode: Hüsker Dü, A Disgo's Unbelievable Red Sox Story, and Lil' Kim's Post-Prison Career
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 sh...
Lil' Kim: Shootouts, Lusty Lyrics, and Loyalty in the Land of the M.A.F.I.A.
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Bonus Episode: The Santa Barbara Punk Scene, Internet Guitar Tutorials, and Foo Fighters' Chris Shiflett Talks "Shred With Shifty"
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 Fest...
Jimi Hendrix: Tear Gas, a Kidnapping, Heroin Hostages, and the Great Escape
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jimi Hendrix spent much of his life pursuing a great escape. Escape from his abusive childhood home. Escape from his court-ordered time in the Army. E...
Bonus Episode: Jake's Disco Gym Playlist, Your Paul Simon Recs, and Jeff Buckley's Influences
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week in the After Party, Jake is ready to dive into the latest Disgraceland episode on Jeff Buckley, and to talk about his crazy influences, like...
Jeff Buckley: Dreaming of Music, Drowning, and Eternal Life
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jeff Buckley released his only studio album, Grace, at the height of grunge rock. But it didn’t sound like grunge. It sounded like nothing else out...
Bonus Episode: Your Top 3 Disgraceland Episodes and Eazy-Motherflippin'-E
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jake has been basking in the New England sunshine and listening to some John Coltrane. But first, we're talking about how moved 15-year old Jake was w...
Eazy-E: A Hidden Coke Stash, Domestic Terrorists, and Death Threats
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Long before he created a paradigm-shifting hip-hop supergroup, Eazy-E lucked into life as a Compton drug dealer when he discovered a dead man’s hidd...
Bonus Episode: Infamous Pop Star Parents and Justin Bieber
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jake is back from his trip to Rhode Island and he's recommending some more music, including a Taylor Swift song or two. But first, we're talking Justi...
Justin Bieber: Murder Plots, Drag Racing, and Deportation Threats
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Justin Bieber is the pop star who went from preteen heartthrob to pure hedonist seemingly overnight. He raced into a bumpy adulthood when he mixed dra...
Bonus Episode: The Del Fuegos, Charles Starkweather, and Writer Warren Zanes Talks Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska"
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Best-selling author and former guitarist of the Del Fuegos Warren Zanes talks with Jake about interviewing the Boss for his new book, Deliver Me from...
Bruce Springsteen: Shootouts, Killing Sprees, and the Making of Nebraska
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Unprovoked killing sprees. Nightclub gunfights. Mafia assassinations. True crime stories and modern folklore make up the backbone of many of the chara...
Bruce Springsteen: Shootouts, Killing Sprees, and the Making of Nebraska
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Unprovoked killing sprees. Nightclub gunfights. Mafia assassinations. True crime stories and modern folklore make up the backbone of many of the chara...
Bonus Episode: Trailer Week, Your Disgraceland Episode Suggestions, and Phil Collins and Philip Bailey's "Easy Lover"
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jake is still watching music videos on his TV like it's 1991 and teases Season 12 of Disgraceland, which hits your feeds on Tuesday, May 16th. He also...
Disgraceland Season 12 Trailer
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mafia assassinations, drag racing, extortion, eternal life, and doing time at Rikers Island and San Quentin. Find out which music legends are featured...
Bonus Episode: Bruce Sprinsgteen's Nebraska, Best '80s Pop Stars, and Richard Pryor Jamming With Sly and the Family Stone
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jake is slowly recovering from the Bruins' humiliating loss the other night but is ready to talk about the latest Badlands episode on Richard Pryor, h...
Bonus Episode: Body Heat, A Disgo's Encounter with Quentin Tarantino, and Willie Nelson, an American Outlaw
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jake is back in the studio after getting some R&R down in Florida last week and is making his way through your texts, emails, DMs and voicemails. But ...
Willie Nelson (Pt 2): Grifters, Con Men, Thieves, and the Reinvention of the Outlaw
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Willie Nelson left Nashville and reinvented himself in Austin, Texas as the ultimate outsider. It was a metamorphosis from freak flag flier to mainstr...
Willie Nelson (Pt 1): A Shootout, a House Fire, and the Ballad of the Red-Headed Stranger
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Broke and depressed, Willie Nelson almost joined the 27 Club on a snowy Nashville street late one night – before he’d even sold a single song. ...
Bonus Episode: Jake's Favorite '80s Horror Movies, A Long-awaited INXS Episode, and Irish Rock 'n Roll
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jake dives deep into the chilling, new Skip James episode and tries to explain what makes an Irish rock 'n roll band just sound so.... Irish. Sharon T...
Skip James: A Sawmill Shootout, Pimping, Bootlegging, and the Son of a Preacher Man
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Skip James’s most famous lyric was “I’d rather be the Devil” and he put his money where his mouth was. He is believed to have shot a man dead,...
Bonus Episode: Slow Train Coming, the Extra Gear of MC5, and the Return of Badlands
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jake has been into everything from disco to Dylan's Christian era this week, but he's making time for a testimonial to the MC5's greatness, to announc...
MC5: Dope, Guns, and F***ing in the Streets
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
MC5 embodied revolution in a way most bands only pay lip service to. The Detroit cops sent riot squads and even a tank to break up their shows, and ev...
Bonus Episode: Muddy Waters, George Benson, The What-If's of Sly Stone, and Alfred Hitchcock's Best Movie
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jake's been listening to guitar greatness and has some classic recs to share. But first, he's fielding your recs in a packed mailbag of Disgo texts, V...
Sly Stone: Guns, PCP, a Psycho Mutt, and a Fugitive from Justice
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At the end of the 1960s, Sly Stone was at the center of a groundbreaking musical movement that intended to break down barriers of race and genre, all ...
Bonus Episode: Bjork's Stalker, Lou Reed's Lyrics Explored, and a Succession Rewatch
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jake dives under the hood of the unique, new 2-part Lou Reed episode. He teases the over-the-top insanity of the Bjork stalker story, now available fo...
Lou Reed (An Origin Story) Pt. 2
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lou Reed blurred the lines between fact and fiction when it came to his past. To him, it was all a walk on the wild side anyway. After exploring his l...
Lou Reed (An Origin Story) Pt. 1
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lou Reed is one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll characters of all time, one known to lie and exaggerate his own mythology during interviews about hi...
Bonus Episode: Best Springtime Records, Your Top 5s, and Last Temptations
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Spring is here and Jake is listening to his all-time springtime records. Peter Tosh and Keith Richards are out on YouTube @disgracelandpod. And a dedi...
Bonus Episode: Disgraceland Origins, Elvis's Dressing Room, and Jake's Top 5 Movies Ever
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rocka Rolla Disgos. It's been a wild week. Jake is riding high off a win for the show at the Ambies in Vegas, a trip to Maine, and yes, your listener ...
Otis Redding: A Chitlin Circuit Shootout, a Fatal Plane Crash, and Crossing Over to the Other Side
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Otis Redding was nearly shot by James Brown while performing at an after hours club. He played sweet soul music to crowds of KKK sympathizers. He took...
Bonus Episode: Rocka Rolla Beer, Chris Rock DGAF, and Deciding Which Episodes are Two-Parters
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The After Party celebrates the Lynyrd Skynyrd episode, provoking the question: how does Jake decide which episodes deserve two parts or even their own...
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Busted Teeth, Saturday Night Specials, and the Smell of Death
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s lead singer, Ronnie Van Zant, was a violent bully from the mean streets of Jacksonville, Florida. He tried to maim one of his guita...
Bonus Episode: Mac Miller's Tragedy, the Real Cocaine Bear, and the Matrix
02 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jake covers it all in this week's After Party: his thoughts on the latest pod episode, our Cocaine Bear coverage on YouTube (yes, it involves music), ...
Mac Miller: Hallucinations, Counterfeit Pills, and a Standoff with the Most Powerful Man in the World
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mac Miller was threatened by the most powerful man in the world. Rejected by some of the most powerful tastemakers in the music industry. Dumped by on...
Bonus Episode: The Daytona 500, AC/DC, and Filmmaker Tiller Russell Talks the Night Stalker
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Friend of the pod and incredible documentary filmmaker Tiller Russell (Netflix's Night Stalker: Hunt for a Serial Killer and the upcoming Waco: Americ...
AC/DC: Serial Killer Fan
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 B...
Bonus Episode: 5 Years of Disgraceland, New Episodes, and Pitter Patter
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jake celebrates Disgraceland's 5 year anniversary happening this week! Season 1 just re-released, Season 11 just started with 50 Cent, and Jake talks ...
50 Cent: Police Raids, Motorcycle Chases, and a Nine-Bullet Wake-up Call
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson was dealing crack by the age of 10, born into the height of the epidemic in Queens. He faced possession charges while sti...
Disgraceland Season 11 Trailer
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Shootouts, drug running, crashing cars and planes, and walks on the wild side. It's almost here: find out which musical icons are featured in Season...
Bonus Episode: The Mamas and the Papas (Pt. 2)
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Got a Disgraceland pitch? Know a cover that beats the original? What are you reading watching and listening to? Jake closes out Season 10 of Disgracel...
Mama Cass Elliot (Pt. 2): Rape, Murder, and Taking Secrets to the Grave
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mama Cass’ role as Hollywood’s hippie den mother pulled her into the orbit of troubling company during the “Summer of Love.” The former singe...
Mama Cass Elliot (Pt. 2): Rape, Murder, and Taking Secrets to the Grave
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mama Cass’ role as Hollywood’s hippie den mother pulled her into the orbit of troubling company during the “Summer of Love.” The former singe...
Bonus Episode: The Mamas and the Papas (Pt. 1)
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The wildest on-stage freak outs (and even deaths), Jake's master movie list, your texts calls and emails, and of course... the down low on the latest ...
Mama Cass Elliot (Pt. 1): Dangerous Drug Dealer Boyfriends, International Arrests, and the Solo Career That Should’ve Been
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cass Elliot, AKA "Mama Cass" from The Mamas and The Papas, broke the mold of female pop superstardom and shattered expectations of what women in music...
Mama Cass Elliot (Pt. 1): Dangerous Drug Dealer Boyfriends, International Arrests, and the Solo Career That Should’ve Been
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cass Elliot, AKA "Mama Cass" from The Mamas and The Papas, broke the mold of female pop superstardom and shattered expectations of what women in music...
Bonus Episode: Charles Manson the Music Man
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Charles Manson the Music Man, the tale of Trent Reznor's time in the Cielo Drive murder house, and Jake's latest takes on All Quiet on the Western Fro...
Charles Manson the Music Man: Lost Records and a Prosecutorial Song too Crazy to Sing
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In and out of juvie and jail since childhood, Charles Manson learned guitar in prison from the last of the great Depression-era gangsters. He also mad...
Charles Manson the Music Man: Lost Records and a Prosecutorial Song too Crazy to Sing
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In and out of juvie and jail since childhood, Charles Manson learned guitar in prison from the last of the great Depression-era gangsters. He also mad...
Robert Johnson: Voodoo, Delta Blues, Cursing God, and a Crossroads
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Johnson didn’t just play the blues. He embodied them. He drank and womanized his way through the South, New York, and Chicago in the 1930s, u...
Chris Brown: Police Standoffs, Rejection from Rehab, and America’s Most Hated Pop Star
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Brown established himself as America’s most hated pop star when he brutally assaulted Rihanna in 2009. But long after the well-publicized atta...
Ringo Starr: Busted by Mexican Federales, Threatened by French-Canadian Separatists, and the King of Feel
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 fina...
Jennifer Hudson: An American Idol, a Triple Homicide, and Undying Faith
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jennifer Hudson shocked her hometown of Chicago when she was eliminated from American Idol in 2004, only to surpass everyone’s expectations when she...
The Sex Pistols (Pt. 2): Crashing the Queen’s Jubilee, Shocking America, and Leaving a Trail of Blood, Spit, and Junk
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Lydo...
The Sex Pistols (Pt. 1): Anarchy, Thievery, and the Death of Rock ‘n’ Roll
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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-addi...
Pink Floyd: Acid Overload, a Psychotic Breakdown, and a Crazy Diamond
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Pink Floyd’s original frontman, Syd Barrett, did so much LSD that he experienced a mental breakdown just as the band began to achieve mainstream suc...
Britney Spears (Pt. 2): Lithium, Las Vegas, and a Long-Awaited Emancipation
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Britney Spears’ 13-year conservatorship was an arrangement so strict and unfeeling that it left her without any control of her career, loopy on lith...
Britney Spears (Pt. 1): Trauma Pop
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
No musician owned pop music quite like Britney Spears at the turn of the century. After graduating from Mississippi tween queen to full-fledged Americ...
George Harrison: Surviving the Beatles, the London Drug Squad, and a Home Invasion
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Temptations: Fame, Drugs, and Paranoia
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Temptations were one of Motown’s signature vocal groups, and they remain one of the most successful R&B acts of all time. But fame and drugs cor...
Miles Davis Pt. 2: Mountains of Pills, Bitches Brew, and the Reinvention of the Original Motherf#%*er
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When it came to music, Miles Davis wasn’t about no safe, tired yesterday bullsh*t. After kicking his heroin addiction, he traded bespoke suits for f...
Miles Davis Pt. 1: Blasting Bebop, Blasting Racism, and a Devastating Heroin Habit
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Miles Davis is jazz’s first and only rock star, with the rap sheet to prove it. He did enough cocaine to run down the entirety of 52nd street, and p...
Juice WRLD: Percocets, Lucid Dreams and a Whole Lotta Lean
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The loss of emo-rap trailblazer Juice WRLD is one of the most sudden, tragic, and graphic celebrity deaths in recent memory. His adolescence experimen...