Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
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 r...
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 ...
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 fo...
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 squa...
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 fieldi...
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 inten...
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 ins...
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 w...
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 exagg...
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 Richar...
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 ...
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...
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 ...
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 Jackso...
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 B...
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 powerf...
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...
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 bes...
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, Se...
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 epidemi...
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: f...
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 li...
Mama Cass Elliot (Pt. 2): Rape, Murder, and Taking Secrets to the Grave
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Mama Cass’ role as Hollywood’s hippie den mother pulled her into the orbit of troubling company ...
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 ...
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 em...
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 • Default Dataset
Cass Elliot, AKA "Mama Cass" from The Mamas and The Papas, broke the mold of female pop superstardom...
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...
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 J...
Charles Manson the Music Man: Lost Records and a Prosecutorial Song too Crazy to Sing
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In and out of juvie and jail since childhood, Charles Manson learned guitar in prison from the last ...
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 ...
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 throug...
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 Rihann...
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 tha...
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, ...
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 l...
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 d...
Pink Floyd: Acid Overload, a Psychotic Breakdown, and a Crazy Diamond
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Pink Floyd’s original frontman, Syd Barrett, did so much LSD that he experienced a mental breakdow...
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 he...
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 f...
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...
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 succe...
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 h...
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 coca...
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 ...
Billie Holiday: Heroin Hounds, ‘Whorehouse Music,’ and the Queen of Jazz
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Billie Holiday ascended from the rough and tumble streets of Baltimore and Harlem, through reform sc...
The Eagles Pt. 2: Death, a Plane Crash, and Innocence Lost at What Cost
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In the 1970s, The Eagles made taking off into the upper stratosphere of the charts look easy. Their ...
The Eagles Pt. 2: Death, a Plane Crash, and Innocence Lost at What Cost
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1970s, The Eagles made taking off into the upper stratosphere of the charts look easy. Their ...
The Eagles Pt. 1: International Drug Smuggling, Endless Cocaine, and California Excess
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
From games of chicken on private planes to one member surviving a private plane crash, the Eagles as...
The Eagles Pt. 1: International Drug Smuggling, Endless Cocaine, and California Excess
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From games of chicken on private planes to one member surviving a private plane crash, the Eagles as...
The Eagles Pt. 1: International Drug Smuggling, Endless Cocaine, and California Excess
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
From games of chicken on private planes to one member surviving a private plane crash, the Eagles as...
Bonus Episode: Just A Cook, Napkin Hats, and Big Country
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week Jake talks the inspiration and background behind this week's brand-new DISGRACELAND episod...
Hank Williams: Sanatoriums, Poison Pills, and Fired from the Grand Ole Opry
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hank Williams defined the genre we now call country with a guitar in one hand and a bottle of booze ...
Sublime: Hoodlums, Police Helicopters, and Getting Dirty at Denny’s
08 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With their newfangled ska-punk, Sublime preached the gospel of Long Beach’s seedy shores unlike an...
Tom Petty: House Fires, Hiding a Heroin Habit, and Run-Down Dreams
25 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When a mystery arsonist set Tom Petty’s house on fire in the late 1980s, he barely escaped with hi...
Taylor Swift: Horrifying Stalkers
11 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Taylor Swift has a list of stalkers longer than her stadium tour setlists. One drove over 900 miles ...
Derek and the Dominos: Clapton, Cocaine, Motorcycles, and Murder
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 1960s London, for young guitar enthusiasts, believing that “Clapton is God” was practically t...
Woodstock Pt. 2: A Disaster Movie
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The original Woodstock was a literal disaster, declared so on its first day by the state of New York...
Woodstock Pt. 1: A Disaster Movie
02 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Woodstock is remembered as the generation-defining moment when the baby boomers demonstrated to the ...
Black Sabbath: Satanists, Severed Limbs, Dismembered Fingers, Mountains of Cocaine and the Invention of Heavy Metal
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Black Sabbath are solely responsible for conjuring the diabolical power of heavy metal. When guitari...
Fleetwood Mac Pt. 2: Going to #1, and Going Your Own Way
21 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Fleetwood Mac’s mid-’70s merger with the musical duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks chan...
Fleetwood Mac Pt. 2: Going to #1, and Going Your Own Way
21 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Fleetwood Mac’s mid-’70s merger with the musical duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks chan...
Fleetwood Mac Pt. 1: Guns, God, Cocaine and Rumours
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Few bands can boast a rock ’n’ roll lore at the level of Fleetwood Mac. The band lost not one bu...
Fleetwood Mac Pt. 1: Guns, God, Cocaine and Rumours
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Few bands can boast a rock ’n’ roll lore at the level of Fleetwood Mac. The band lost not one bu...
Tommy James and the Shondells: Mony Mony and Mafia-Sanctioned Hits
17 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tommy James came up during a time when the music industry was in part controlled by New York’s Ita...
Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell: A Murderous Fan, Brotherly Love and Cowboys from Hell
03 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Gunned down onstage by a delusional fan who thought his metal heroes had stolen lyrics from him, Dim...
Ray Charles: Busted for Heroin and Busting Genres with the Best Damn R&B
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ray Charles was hooked on heroin, arrested by federal agents, and once survived a near-death plane r...
John Lennon: Violence, Protests, Provoking the FBI, and Pissing off the President
29 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 1970s, John Lennon was suspected of conspiring to disrupt an American political convent...
Paul McCartney: Paul Is Dead
15 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Despite his reputation as “the safe Beatle,” Paul McCartney was a badass. He took wild artistic ...
The Notorious B.I.G. Pt. 2: A Dead Rivalry, New Inspiration and a Murder Mystery for the Ages
25 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In part two of the Notorious B.I.G. story we see the young star trying to deal with life after the d...
The Notorious B.I.G. Pt. 2: A Dead Rivalry, New Inspiration and a Murder Mystery for the Ages
25 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of the Notorious B.I.G. story we see the young star trying to deal with life after the d...
The Notorious B.I.G. Pt. 1: Dealing Crack on the Corner, Spitting Beef and Creating One of the Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The Notorious B.I.G. entered adulthood as a crack dealer and left this world as one of the most famo...
The Notorious B.I.G. Pt. 1: Dealing Crack on the Corner, Spitting Beef and Creating One of the Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Notorious B.I.G. entered adulthood as a crack dealer and left this world as one of the most famo...
Lil Wayne: Murder Squads, A Pre-Teen Suicide Attempt, a Year at Rikers and More Hits than Elvis
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Lil Wayne grew up on the mean streets of New Orleans. His father split when he was two, and his step...
Oasis Pt. 2: The Biggest Band on the Planet, Britop, Private Islands, A Drowning Rolls-Royce, Liam and Noel Off Their T*ts and at Each Other’s Throats
13 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Oasis were the biggest band on the planet for a moment. They famously warred with Britpop rivals Blu...
Oasis Pt. 1: Hooliganism, Hedonism, Rock Star Anthems and the “Greatest Rock ‘N’ Roll Band on the Planet”
30 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Few bands have come from as little and made as much of themselves as Oasis. Along the way they were ...
The New York Dolls: Born to Lose, Lipstick Killers and R&B in four-inch heels
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The New York Dolls were one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands of all time. They came to life w...
Lil’ Peep: A new hip-hop and emo fusion; trap beats, tender lyrics, too much Xanax and an overdose that’s still mysterious.
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Lil’ Peep was a once-in-a-generation talent. Poised to become a new Cobain, Bowie or Dylan, but wh...
The Beatles (Pt. 2): Kamikaze Assassins, Acid Smuggling, Suicide, Kidnapping, and the Breakup the Greatest Band of All Time
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
At the height of their world-changing and culture-defining popularity, the Beatles faced death threa...
The Beatles (Pt. 1): Stoned with Dylan, Dosed with Acid, Outrunning Knife Wielding Maniacs, and Driving the World to the Brink with Beatlemania
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Beatles caused fans to enter into manic states, literally. People died because of it. The band s...
The Ramones: TV Bombs, Psycho Therapy, Toilet Syringes, Turning Tricks and Saving Rock ‘N’ Roll
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sniffing glue, hooking for drug money, hurling rocks at the Beatles, and writing infectious sunshiny...
David Bowie: The occult, cocaine, orgies, arrests, exorcisms, a weird flirtation with fascism and a dead body.
09 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
No musical artist better personified the hedonism of the ’70s than David Bowie. He captivated the ...
Tupac Shakur Pt. 2: Life Behind Bars, Suge Knight Saves The Day, East Coast/West Coast Beef, and What Could Have Been
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of the Tupac Shakur story, we see the young star trying to deal with life behind bars an...
Tupac Shakur Pt. 1: 1960s Radicalism Gives Way to Socially Conscious Rap, a Charismatic Screen Star, and Deadly Violence
26 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tupac Shakur was many things. He was a supremely talented MC and was wildly charismatic in front of ...
Gram Parsons: A Stolen Body, Heroin, More Rolling Stones and Cosmic American Music
12 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Gram Parsons is one of the most influential musicians in rock ‘n’ roll that you’ve maybe never...
Chuck Berry: Systemic Racism, Sexual Depravity and the Invention of Rock ‘N’ Roll
24 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Chuck Berry was imprisoned numerous times. He was a victim of violent systemic racism and accused of...
Selena: Tejano, Deception, and the Death of the Madonna of Mexico
10 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Selena Quintanilla Pérez ushered in the Golden Age of Tejano music in Texas with a meteoric rise up...
The Misfits: Robbing Graves, Night of the Living Dead and the Teenagers from Mars
27 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Misfits were truly unique. Scary. Violent. Angry. Nihilistic. These words can easily describe no...
The Grateful Dead Pt. 2: The Ballad of Pigpen and Old, Weird America—an Origin Story
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Bootlegging whiskey, acid tests, grass, and songs about murder. The origins of the Grateful Dead are...
The Grateful Dead Pt. 2: The Ballad of Pigpen and Old, Weird America—an Origin Story
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Bootlegging whiskey, acid tests, grass, and songs about murder. The origins of the Grateful Dead are...
Chet Baker: Heroin, Romance, Missing Teeth and the James Dean of Jazz
29 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Chet Baker, with his natural talent, unique voice and beautiful looks was known as “the James Dean...
Ice-T: Crip Rhymes, a Cop Killer, Thieving Jewels and Inventing Gangsta Rap
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ice-T stoked the wrath of the President of the United States, led the life of a successful jewel thi...
The Rolling Stones Pt. 2: Swinging London, Stolen Jewels, the Mars Bar Myth, and Busted at Redlands
30 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Establishment strikes back in this second installment of the Rolling Stones time in Swinging Lon...
Rolling Stones Pt. 1: Swinging London, a Prison Break, East End Gangsters and the Anti-Beatles
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
London was swinging. Keith Richards was in jail. The Kray Twins were menacing about. Brian Jones was...
Prince: Dark Funk and Fentanyl
09 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Few pop artists achieved the dizzying creative and career highs that Prince did. An artist who famou...
Prince (Pt. 1): Dark Funk and Fentanyl
09 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Few pop artists achieved the dizzying creative and career highs that Prince did. An artist who famou...
Studio 54: Disco Decadence, a Dead Body and Bags of Cash
26 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In the late seventies, Studio 54 was the place to be for musicians and celebrities alike. John Lenno...
Nipsey Hussle: A Crenshaw Murder, Community Activism, Rollin 60s Crips, and Lost Potential
12 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Nipsey Hussle was more than just one of this generation’s most promising voices in hip hop. He was...
Nipsey Hussle: A Crenshaw Murder, Community Activism, Rollin 60s Crips, and Lost Potential
12 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nipsey Hussle was more than just one of this generation’s most promising voices in hip hop. He was...
Ozzy Osbourne: The Prince of Darkness, Randy Rhoads’ Plane Crash and the Saving Grace of a Strong Woman
28 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Ozzy Osbourne, along with his bandmates in Black Sabbath, invented heavy metal, and throughout Ozzy’...
Run DMC: Innovation, Evolution and the Mysterious Death of Jam Master Jay
14 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Run DMC is directly responsible for elevating hip hop to previously unimagined heights. They took ra...