DISGRACELAND is an award-winning music and true crime podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. Jerry Lee Lewis's 5th wife? Dead. Sid and Nancy? Both dead. Why? Because musicians are insane, and insane things happen to them.
Why did we lose Amy Winehouse at 27? Was Debbie Harry really abducted by Ted Bundy as she claims? Is Patti Smith not just the "Godmother of Punk", but also the "Original True Crime Girl"? What really happened the night of the Jay Z nightclub stabbing? What do the Diddy indictments truly reveal? All these stories and more, on artists from every genre and their true crimes, in our massive 260-plus story archive. The Dead, the Stones, Johnny, Willie, Frank, Kurt, Courtney, Gaga, Lana, Taylor, and too many to name.
DISGRACELAND is music history come to life through audio storytelling as you've never heard it before, with revealing facts: yes, assassins are the real reason the Beatles quit touring—reclaimed myths: no, Mama Cass didn't die from choking on a ham sandwich––and constant reckoning between art and artist––all told through the lens of true crime.
This is the podcast for the self-proclaimed "Disgos", the musically obsessed and the true crime heads; the outsiders, the independent thinkers who know that the best history is the history that gets buried. DISGRACELAND is where host Jake Brennan tells the stories they didn't want told. The kind you'll end up telling someone else. Get ready to uncover hidden truths and buckle up for truly edge-of-your-seat storytelling.
New, fully scripted, sound-designed episodes are released every Tuesday. Bonus chat-style episodes where Jake responds to voicemails, texts, and emails from Disgos hit on Thursdays, and "Rewind" episodes from our archive drop on Sundays.
DISGRACELAND is not a journalistic podcast. It's an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. Certain dialogue and scenes are dramatized, as is common in scripted entertainment based on real stories. Sources and credits for each episode are available at www.di
PodSkip has analyzed 3 episodes of DISGRACELAND, averaging 6.0 ads per episode (0% of runtime).
Bonus Episode: A Tribute to Dolly Parton
Aug 27, 2026
Dolly Parton has passed away. Dolly Parton was a musical giant, an American songwriter worthy of a place on the same page in the music history books as Bob Dylan, Kurt Cobain, Johnny Cash, Taylor…
Alice Bag: The Punk Rock Scene That Soundtracked a Serial Killer
Aug 25, 2026
In 1977, punk rock took root in Los Angeles just as a prolific serial killer began to terrorize the city. For months, the bodies of young women were being discovered on hillsides – including one…
R. Kelly: Superstars, Super Predators, and a 20-Year Reign of Sexual Terror (Rewind)
Aug 23, 2026
R. Kelly openly groomed teenage victims while on trial for child pornography – a trial based on sex tapes that were once sold at Tower Records. He wrote a song designed to help Michael Jackson turn…
Bonus Episode: A Murder On Tour, Southern Bands and Brother Bands
Aug 20, 2026
The murder from Allman Brothers Band history that didn’t make it into our full episode, your take on the greatest southern bands, and more on this bonus episode of Disgraceland. For more great…
The Allman Brothers Band: Drug Beefs, the Dixie Mafia, and the Making of a President
Aug 18, 2026
When The Allman Brothers Band arrived on the scene in Macon, Georgia in 1969, they made an immediate impression. They rehearsed at full volume all day long, and spent their nights taking mushrooms…
Blondie (Rewind): Punk vs. Disco, Held Hostage by Phil Spector, and Riding with Ted Bundy
Aug 16, 2026
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. Violent crime had the five boroughs in a…
Bonus Episode: Addressing the Tila Tequila Rumor, Billy Corgan’s Shapeshifter, and a Glorious Rock ‘N’ Roll Jimmy Kimmel Performance.
Aug 13, 2026
I wanted to talk this week about Billy Corgan’s outrageous shapeshifting claim and how it relates to who he is as a musician, but the Internet had other plans. It was all about to go to sh*t until…
Smashing Pumpkins: Billy Corgan and the Shapeshifter
Aug 11, 2026
This is the story about how a drug-related death led to the fracturing of the ‘90s alt-rock giants, how competing narratives amongst band members complicated their legacy, and what Billy Corgan’s…
Woodstock Pt. 2: A Disaster Movie (Rewind)
Aug 09, 2026
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…
Woodstock Pt. 1: A Disaster Movie (Rewind)
Aug 09, 2026
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…
Bonus Episode: Tribute to Sick of it All’s Lou Koller, Plus More John Frusciante and River Phoenix
Aug 06, 2026
We pay tribute to Sick Of It All’s Lou Koller, dive deeper into the theories surrounding River Phoenix’s death and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ guitarist John Frusciante’s alleged involvement, and of…
Red Hot Chili Peppers’ John Frusciante and the Death of River Phoenix
Aug 04, 2026
Someone handed River Phoenix a deadly drink containing a liquid speedball. Some claim Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante handed it to him. This is the story of how River Phoenix really…
Talking Heads: Punk Rock, New Wave, Blackouts, and Psycho Killers (Rewind)
Aug 02, 2026
From 1976 to 1977, unsuspecting young people in New York City were snuck up on in the darkness and shot in cold blood. Six dead, murdered by David Berkowitz, AKA the Son of Sam, a serial killer who…
Bonus Episode: Extreme Music, Extremely Bad Things, and Always Doing the Right Thing
Jul 30, 2026
On this episode, Jake is stuck in Boston so guest host Dr. Lundy is talking about extreme music being blamed for extremely bad things, from Slipknot to Ozzy to Judas Priest.See…
Slipknot: Death, Destruction, and Des Moines
Jul 28, 2026
Slipknot was the most extreme thing to come out of Iowa since taco pizza was invented there in 1974. Their sound was massive: nine masked members played with brutal force, propelling their fans…
Amy Winehouse: Rehab, the Muse and a Rare Talent (Rewind)
Jul 26, 2026
Rehab, arrests, fights, hitting on Prince Harry, dramatic stage breakdowns, slagging off the press, Amy Winehouse was a rockstar’s rockstar and she was also one of the greatest musical talents of the…
Bonus Episode: My Summer Listening, Reading, Watching Recs And More
Jul 23, 2026
Disgos, the World Cup is over and rock ‘n’ roll lost, so now what? Well, here are my recommendations on how to pass time for the rest of your summer; my fav summer listening, reading, watching and…
Dolly Parton: How the Country Icon Nearly Became the Subject of Her Own Murder Ballad
Jul 21, 2026
They tried to take her songs. They tried to take her fame. They even threatened to take her life – not once, but multiple times. Listen to find out how Dolly Parton avoided becoming just another…
The Notorious B.I.G. Pt. 2: A Dead Rivalry, New Inspiration and a Murder Mystery for the Ages (Rewind)
Jul 19, 2026
In part two of the Notorious B.I.G. story we see the young star trying to deal with life after the death of his rival (and one-time friend), Tupac Shakur. We also get a glimpse into the motivation…
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 (Rewind)
Jul 19, 2026
The Notorious B.I.G. entered adulthood as a crack dealer and left this world as one of the most famous hip-hop stars of all time. He was murdered mysteriously and before that was arrested almost too…
Bonus Episode: A Rock ‘N’ Roll World Cup, Criminal Minded English Musicians and Here’s Wonderwall
Jul 16, 2026
England? Argentina? Spain? You know who the winner of this year’s World Cup really is? Oasis. Plus, it’s Happy Mondays week in Disgraceland, has us asking, who do you think is the most transgressive…
Happy Mondays: How Thieves, Drug Dealers, and Would-Be Kidnappers Took Over Madchester’s Music Scene
Jul 14, 2026
Explores the influential Madchester group's influence on UK culture and transgressive behavior involving the planned kidnappings of Donovan and the Smith's Johnny Marr. To see the full list of…
John Lennon (Pt. 2): “The phony must die, said the catcher in the rye.” (Rewind)
Jul 12, 2026
John Lennon was a walking contradiction: a violent pacifist and a creative genius marred by creative inconsistency. Just as he was getting his groove back he was gunned down by Mark David Chapman, a…
John Lennon (Pt. 1): “John Lennon, I’m going to kill you, you phony bastard.” (Rewind)
Jul 12, 2026
John Lennon was a walking contradiction: a violent pacifist and a creative genius marred by creative inconsistency. Just as he was getting his groove back, he was gunned down by Mark David Chapman, a…
Bonus Episode: The Best, Wildest, and Most Unbelievable Jim Morrison Death/Faked Death Theories.
Jul 09, 2026
Disgos, Jim Morrison is dead, and he didn’t die in a night club in Paris, but this doesn’t make the wild theories about Jim any less interesting, nor does it prevent us from discussing the insane Jim…
Jim Morrison: Who Killed Jim Morrison?
Jul 07, 2026
But wait, Jim Morrison overdosed on heroin because he was a drug addict rockstar just like Janis Joplin, right? Wrong. Who exactly was “the Count," the French aristocrat who was there at the scene of…
Lana Del Rey: Three Dark Stories Inspired by an American Risk Taker (Rewind)
Jul 05, 2026
Illicit romance. An abduction. An international manhunt. Starlets, sex appeal, and psychopaths. Sexual liberation and a scandalous story that’s almost too scandalous to talk about. These are some of…
Bonus Episode: My Chance Encounter With One of My Favorite Artists on the Streets of Europe
Jul 02, 2026
Art is tough business. Wendy O. Williams’ tragic end taught us that this week, but beauty is everywhere if you know where to look. Especially when it’s into the eyes of one of your favorite artists…
Wendy O. Williams: The Shocking Final Act of a Shock Rock Provocateur
Jun 30, 2026
This is the story of one of the most extreme shock rockers in music history. On stage, Wendy O. Williams would smash TV sets with a sledgehammer, chainsaw electric guitars in half, and blow up…
Bonus Episode: The Sonic Youth New York Kool Thing Walking Tour
Jun 25, 2026
A mythic trip through some of New York City’s most rock ‘n’ roll addresses. Beyond the Chelsea to beatdowns with Bob Dylan, stoopside hangs with the Stones, Miles backstage with Iggy, Jackson and…
