Badlands was a true crime podcast that explored the real life stories of the famous at their most infamous. The kinds of stories that were once told here can now be found in the DISGRACELAND podcast feed, where you can listen to episodes about Hollywood stars caught up in scandal and true crime, musicians getting away with murder, athletes falling from grace, and more. Remastered versions of past Badlands episodes will continue to roll out in DISGRACELAND, so make sure you follow that show so that you won’t miss out on edge-of-your-seat storytelling from the dark side of entertainment. DI...
Presenting DISGRACELAND - Bobby Brown: Cocaine Chicken, Horny Ghosts, and His Prerogative
Bobby Brown thrusted and gyrated his way to the top of the charts with Don’t Be Cruel, one of the biggest records of the late 1980s and an album that brought hip-hop’s hard-knock sensibilities to R&B. But fame did not change the Boston bad boy. At the height of his superstardom, Bobby Brown was arrested onstage for violating a lewd act law. He claimed to have a sexual encounter with a ghost at his lavish Atlanta mansion. And his party-hard ways may have been the reason why Mike Tyso
Presenting DISGRACELAND - O.J. Simpson: Stolen Memorabilia, Armed Robbery, and Fake Gangsters
This is not the O.J. Simpson story you were expecting. This is the story of what happened after the former running back was acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife and her friend. It’s an insane story that involves sports memorabilia, ex-cons, a gun, a simple plan gone horribly wrong, and one of the most unbelievable armed robberies in Las Vegas’s sordid history.
This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence and graphic depictions of violence.
Badlands is Now Disgraceland
Are you a fan of edge-of-your-seat storytelling about Hollywood icons getting caught up in wild scandals and true crimes? About athletes falling from grace? Rockstars getting away with murder and more? All of these types of stories can be heard in the DISGRACELAND podcast feed, hosted by award winning podcaster Jake Brennan. DISGRACELAND publishes new episodes weekly, each detailing the lives of beloved icons and artists from the dark side of entertainment and is available to listen to
Presenting DISGRACELAND - Jose Canseco: SWAT Teams, Smuggled Drugs, and 'Roid Rage
Jose Canseco was a big league slugger who gave the people what they wanted. Not just massive home runs and a whole lot of stolen bases. He provided entertainment. And his audience, not just baseball fans but the world, ate it up. The private encounter with Madonna in her apartment that nearly cost him a spot on the roster. The obsession with performance enhancing drugs that made him the self-proclaimed godfather of steroids. But entertaining quickly spun out of control. Car crashes. SWAT teams.
Presenting DISGRACELAND - R. Kelly: Superstars, Super Predators, and a 20-Year Reign of Sexual Terror
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 attention away from his own troubling allegations, and he wrote that song while he was illegally married to a 15-year old. That marriage eventually brought about his downfall. But not before R. Kelly went on a 20-year reign of terror – all conducted in plain sight while he was one of the bigg
Presenting DISGRACELAND - William S. Burroughs: Obscenity, a Decapitated Mouse, and the Deadly William Tell Routine
William S. Burroughs was a literary icon whose novel Naked Lunch, one of the signature works of the Beat Generation, was banned and went on trial for obscenity. His writing inspired generations of musicians, from the Rolling Stones and Patti Smith to Nirvana and Sonic Youth. But long before all that, in 1951, when he was an unknown and mostly failed writer, William S. Burroughs made the most fateful decision of his life when he pointed a gun at a highball glass balanced on top of his wife’s head
Adrienne Shelly: Celluloid Dreams, Suicide Coverups, and a Recipe for Murder
Adrienne Shelly found success in the world of independent film…before being found dead in her apartment. They said it was a suicide. Her husband wasn’t convinced. And soon, neither were the cops. A footprint found at the scene of the crime turned the case on its head…and led to new revelations about what really happened inside a Greenwich Village apartment building.
This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including suicide and graphic depictions of violence.
Lear
Presenting DISGRACELAND - Kobe Bryant: The Black Mamba's Revenge
He was a professional killer. A warrior trained from birth. A member of the deadliest squad of assassins in The Association. But that was before he tried to go solo. And before they tried to kill him. They made one mistake though – they didn’t finish the job. Now the Black Mamba is back and he won’t stop until he’s got his hands on the ultimate prize – the assassin’s ring – and his revenge on the ex-partner and boss who double crossed him.
This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to s
Presenting DISGRACELAND: Steve McQueen: Mustangs, Magnums, and Manson's Hit List
Hustling on the streets of New York. Wagering with a U.S. president over who could sleep with more women. Knocking back beers with Elvis. Waving his gun around at the funeral of Jay Sebring, one of the victims of Charles Manson’s murderous family. The same family that had their sights now set on the King of Cool, Steve McQueen, who needed the speed of a Mustang or the power of a Magnum to keep Charlie’s crazy cult at bay.To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.di
Presenting DISGRACELAND: Anthony Bourdain: Junk, Romance, and a Lust for Life
Anthony Bourdain had a lust for life. He went all in on adventure, indulgence, food, romance – including the romance of a heroin addiction that he chased through the restaurant kitchens and grimy rock clubs of 1980s Manhattan. For years he was a struggling cook and writer, but his first book, published when he was 43 years old, was an overnight success. He parlayed success as a writer into success as a TV host, traveling all over the world, dining with rockstars, presidents, and everyon
Presenting DISGRACELAND - Icons Trailer
Welcome to DISGRACELAND in 2024. Jake Brennan will continue to bring you the most insane stories about rock stars getting away with murder and behaving very badly ... and will also tell other stories about icons from beyond the world of music who possess dangerously compelling rock 'n roll hearts. Like Anthony Bourdain. Andy Warhol. Hunter S. Thompson. Kobe Bryant. Garth Brooks. Public Enemy. Van Halen. And so many more. Get the scoop on the exciting 2024 we have planned for you, the biggest and
Paul Newman: Fast Cars, Cold Beers, and Forgotten Memories
Paul Newman didn’t race cars to outrun his demons. His past was easily kept at bay, like the World War II memories he didn’t want to think about. But like many actors of his generation, the Brando generation, Paul Newman wanted to act like he wasn’t acting. And to do that, he had to tap into real emotions. Forgotten memories. Demons and all. Or so said the Method school of acting. So he dug deep and faced his demons–but not before one of those fast cars of his drove him through a hedgerow, a red
Lorenzen Wright: Mexican Drug Cartels, Million Dollar Contracts, and a Murder in Memphis
NBA star Lorenzen Wright went from signing million-dollar contracts to being almost entirely broke in just a few years. He was questioned by the FBI about his connection to a Mexican drug cartel. He was the victim in a murder case that went unsolved for almost a decade. During that time, cops and the feds chased down dead ends and bad leads, all while new details slowly leaked out. Details that, when they finally fell into place, revealed a shocking picture of incredible betrayal.
To see the co
Sharon Stone: Basic Instincts, Baring It All, and the Butcher of Montreal
In a single year, Sharon Stone was nominated for awards for both Best Actress and Worst Actress – for the same role. She launched a million sexual awakenings with one quick display in Basic Instinct. Her performance in that film was so vivid that it inspired stalkers to track her down. It may have even served as the inspiration for one fan to commit murder, cannibalism, and necrophilia.
This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including graphic depictions of violenc
Bonus Episode: Odd Jobs, Bad Reviews, and The Jerry Lee Lewis of Cinema
This week Jake talks Harrison Ford, Anthony Bourdain, and the future of the feeds. What do you think about combining the DISGRACELAND and BADLANDS feeds? Thoughts on the Harrison Ford ep? What's your favorite movie from him? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Harrison Ford: Smashing Bottles, Slinging Weed, and Partying with the Stones
If someone had told Harrison Ford the odds early on, about his chances of making it as an actor in Hollywood, he may have given up. But he wasn’t an odds kinda guy. He was a guy who did what he had to do to make it. Sometimes that meant swinging a hammer and working as a carpenter on the houses of James Caan and Joan Didion. Other times he found work touring with the Doors as the band’s photographer. He even dealt a little weed on the side to people like Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Pa
Presenting Disgraceland - Derek and the Dominos: Clapton, Cocaine, Motorcycles, and Murder
In 1960s London, for young guitar enthusiasts, believing that “Clapton is God” was practically the 11th Commandment. In 1970 he lent his big, sticky tone to yet another band: Derek and the Dominos. The group’s white-hot blues burned bright for barely more than a year, but their impact was massive. Guided by drug, alcohol and heartbreak free-fall, Eric Clapton created one of rock’s most recognizable guitar riffs, while drummer Jim Gordon contributed God’s great piano coda. Except Gordon was guide
Presenting Disgraceland - Mariah Carey: Armed Guards, Gang Burglaries, and the True Meaning of Christmas
Mariah Carey once lived under constant surveillance in her own home. Her husband planted cameras and recording devices around their prison-like mansion to watch her every move. He hired armed guards to follow her everywhere but the bathroom – the same armed guards who nearly shot Mariah’s collaborators when she unexpectedly dipped for a 30-minute joy ride. Despite her record-breaking five-octave pipes, Mariah Carey didn’t didn’t have a voice in her relationship for years. And when she did finall
Bonus Episode: Altitude Adjustments, Non-Christmas Movies?, and Parental Roadmaps
This week Jake is talking Robert Blake, Anthony Bourdain, and the holidays, and taking your VMs, texts, and emails. What are you watching for the holidays? When is it appropriate to show your kids more mature content? Get in touch at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Robert Blake: Child Actors, Killer Roles, and the Murder of Bonny Lee Bakley
Robert Blake was a former child actor and tough-talking TV cop. He was also a tough customer. He talked like a mobster, lived like a cowboy, and was intimately familiar with the rougher side of life. That rough side of life caught up with him in 2001, when he was charged with murder when his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, was found shot dead in the front seat of Blake’s Dodge Stealth. Depending on who you talk to, Robert Blake was either rightfully acquitted…or managed to escape justice.
To see the co
Bonus Episode: Bourdain's Books, Christmas Classics, and Gilmour's Guitar
This week is all about Benedict Cumberbatch in BADLANDS, and Jake is talking the music connection as well as his films and the big story from the full episode, available now. What Christmas content are you enjoying this season? What's your favorite Bourdain content? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Benedict Cumberbatch: Lost in the Himalayas, Stopping a Mugging in London, and a Kidnapping in South Africa
Long before he played a world-famous detective, a comic book superhero, or one of literature’s most famous dragons, Benedict Cumberbatch was robbed by a group of thieves in South Africa, who bound him up and threw him in the trunk of a car...and then drove him to what he thought would be an early death.
To see the complete list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.com/badlands.
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Bonus Episode: Shetland, Christmas Movies, and Firstborn Unicorns
This week Jake talks the new BADLANDS episode on Dorothy Stratten, PI movies and TV, and what makes a Christmas movie. Plus your voicemail and texts. What's your favorite private detective movie or TV? What's the best song about Dorothy Stratten? What are your favorite holiday movies? Drop a line at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Dorothy Stratten: A Playboy Pinup, a Private Investigator, and a Chilling Murder
From Dairy Queen counter girl to Playboy pinup to murder victim – in just two years. Hugh Hefner called her the next Marilyn Monroe. A major Hollywood director wrote a role in his new film just for her, confident that she would make the leap from centerfold to starlet. But all of that was cut short on August 14, 1980, when a private investigator stumbled upon a brutal murder scene that shook the entertainment industry to its core.
To see the complete list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.
Bonus Episode: Clandestine Casinos, Presidential Plotting, and Get Off the Shed!
This week in BADLANDS saw the release of our episode on Thelma Todd, and it's got Jake traveling in the way-back machine. What's your JFK conspiracy theory? Can you recommend a movie by the Marx brothers, Laurel & Hardy, or Buster Keaton? How about your favorite murder mysteries or whodunits? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Thelma Todd: The Ace of Hearts Stalker, Hollywood Mobsters, and the Mysterious Death of the Ice Cream Blonde
Thelma Todd was one of the great comediennes of the 1920s and ‘30s, working alongside Laurel & Hardy, the Marx Brothers, and Buster Keaton. She confronted a stalker on a dark corner of Hollywood Boulevard with just one dollar and a gun in her purse. She stood up to the mob when they tried to start a gambling den in the back room of the café she ran with her lover. She killed off her world-famous name in an attempt to give up comedy for dramatic acting. And then she herself was killed off…or was
Bonus Episode: Whodunnits, The Morning Show, and the Man on the Phone
This week is all about Phil Hartman in BADLANDS, and it's got Jake talking about his acting - as well as his history in the peace and love movement. What's your favorite Phil Hartman moment? Who are your top five SNL cast members? What are your favorite Thanksgiving movies? Your favorite murder mysteries? Get in touch at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Phil Hartman: Blackmail, an Attempted Presidential Assassination, and a Murder-Suicide
Before he was deemed “the Glue” by his castmates at Saturday Night Live, Phil Hartman worked as a rock ‘n roll roadie and a graphic designer. He created album covers for the bands Poco and America, as well as the logo for Crosby, Stills & Nash. He did those things as a card-carrying member of the peace and love movement. A movement that was infamously disrupted by the Manson family, a ragtag group of hippies gone evil that just so happened to include one of his former friends from high school. A
U2: Death Threats, a Song that Inspired a Killer, and the Murder of Rebecca Schaeffer
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 blockbuster album The Joshua Tree, their songs became lightning rods for violence. They received death threats in the States and became targets of terrorists back in their native Ireland. But it was the song “Exit,” written from the POV of a killer, that was linked with pure evil. That song allegedly inspired a man to hop an overnight bus to L
Presenting Disgraceland - Season 14 Trailer
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 are featured in Season 14 of DISGRACELAND. New episodes drop every Tuesday starting November 14, with bonus episodes dropping every Thursday. Rocka rolla.
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Bonus Episode: Suspiria, Batting 1000, and the Story of Sly
This week wraps our Marilyn Monroe saga, and Jake is talking all things Marilyn and The Misfits, in addition to wrapping the Halloween season, and of course your voicemails, texts, and DMs. What’s your favorite Marilyn Monroe movie? Do you like the song and dance stuff? Her comedic turn in Some Like It Hot? Her attempt to play drama in The Misfits? How do you think she died? What actors would you recast in your favorite films? Is “Candle in the Wind” the best song that glamorizes death and immor
The Misfits: Car Wrecks, Heart Attacks, Marilyn Monroe, and One of Hollywood’s Most Cursed Films
Glenn Danzig named his punk band after one of the most cursed Hollywood films of all time. The Misfits was where actor Montgomery Clift, permanently disfigured from a car accident, tried in vain to restart his stalled career. The director, John Huston, lost the film’s entire production budget at a craps table. The lead actor, Clark Gable, suffered a heart attack the day after shooting ended and died ten days later. But was there any truth to the rumor that Gable was driven to an early grave not
Presenting Disgraceland - The Misfits: Robbing Graves, Night of the Living Dead and the Teenagers from Mars
The Misfits were truly unique. Scary. Violent. Angry. Nihilistic. These words can easily describe not only their music, but also the band as people, particularly frontman Glenn Danzig. Rumored to have been arrested for grave robbery, locked up abroad and inciting riots here in the States, the Misfits blazed a path of annihilation trading on fictional B-movie and scandal rag imagery to create one of the most enduring cult followings of all time and combating the very real sense of alienation that
Bonus Episode: Firewalking, A Sam Spade Concept Record, and The Mystery of Dennis Farina
It's John Huston week in BADLANDS, and it's got Jake wondering about your favorite rags-to-riches -- or riches-to-rags -- stories from film history. What's your favorite John Huston movie? Any last-minute horror recommendations? What are your top five horror movies? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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John Huston: A Duel, a Fatal Car Crash, and Living Hand to Mouth
Director John Huston lived the adventurous life that was frequently depicted in his movies. As a young man, he was made an honorary lieutenant in the Mexican army. He was nearly shot during a poker game and challenged to a duel in the middle of the street. His thrill-seeking antics soon turned fatal, when he accidentally struck and killed a woman with his car while driving down Sunset Boulevard. He ran off to London to lay low, but soon found himself with no job, no money, no prospects–and no ch
Bonus Episode: The Addiction, Ed Gein and Danny Rolling, and Improbable Career Transitions
Halloween season continues as BADLANDS releases our episode on Alex Rocco, and Jake has gangsters and serial killers on the mind. Who are your favorite gangsters from Hollywood history? What's your favorite non-Godfather Alex Rocco performance? What's your favorite Moe Greene line? What horror movies are you watching? Plus, send dog pics. Get in touch at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Alex Rocco: A Mob Murder, a Boston Gang War, and Leaving Winter Hill for the Corleones
Organized crime. A brutal assault that kicked off a gang war. Car bombs. The brazen assassination of a mob boss in broad daylight. These things all happened in Francis Ford Coppola’s groundbreaking film The Godfather – but first they happened in the real life of Alex Rocco, one-time Boston gang member turned Hollywood character actor whose star turn as Moe Greene in the classic mobster epic is one of the most improbable career shifts in movie history.
To see the complete list of contributors, v
Bonus Episode: Musician David Lynch, a Young Jeffrey Lebowski, and Bob from the Black Lodge
This week in BADLANDS brings an episode on David Lynch, and Jake is getting into the Halloween mood by wondering what other true crimes inspired movies and series? What is your favorite Lynch movie? Your favorite Lynch villain? And who's the biggest creep in a film? Let him know at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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David Lynch: A Brutal Murder, a Corrupt Small Town, and the Secret Origins of Twin Peaks
In 1908, a girl was brutally murdered in a small town in upstate New York. The town was seemingly idyllic, but beneath the surface, it was crawling with prostitution, orgies, deceit, and corruption. It was fueled by a political machine so powerful it could cover up not just one but multiple murders. The truth behind the murder of Hazel Drew was meant to remain unsolvable. Just like the television show it inspired over 80 years later.
This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some li
Bonus Episode: Trailerization, Horror Films, and Fiddling With a Severed Hand
This week brings the trailer for Season 9 of BADLANDS, and it's got Jake thinking about movie trailers, and the trend of "trailerization" of popular songs. What do you think about this trend? What's your favorite trailerized song? Also your voicemails, texts, and DMs, and the questions: Can you boil down a top five Coen Brothers films? and What are your favorite modern horror films? Get in touch at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
Learn more about your
Badlands Season 9: Hollywoodland (Trailer)
Kidnappings. Blackmail. Banished from the biz and begging on the streets. The mob, mysterious deaths, misfits, and stories that can still haunt us decades later. It's all happening in a brand new season of Badlands.
Badlands Season 9: Hollywoodland launches October 11, 2023, with new episodes on David Lynch, Alex Rocco, John Huston, the curse of The Misfits, Phil Hartman, Thelma Todd, Dorothy Stratten, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Robert Blake. New episodes are released every Wednesday, with bonus
Bonus Episode: First Reformed, Burn After Reading, and Insightful Hillbillies
This week in BADLANDS saw the release of our episode on Jane Fonda, and it's continued the conversation about famous acting families. Plus, your correspondence, and Jake asks: What is the greatest paranoid psychological thriller of all time? Have you seen John David Washington’s new movie the Creator? What’s your favorite Jane Fonda film? What’s your favorite Coen Bros Movie? Let Jake know your thoughts on these and more at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Par
Jane Fonda: Hailed for Heroism, Accused of Treason, and Targeted by the President
Jane Fonda was so beloved that she was once named the fourth most admired woman in the world. She was also so hated that her face was used for target practice in urinals at military bases across the country. This all stemmed from a ten-day tour she took of North Vietnam in 1972: a trip that would forever cement her as either a patriot or a traitor in the eyes of a divided nation and would put her in the crosshairs of the President of the United States.
This episode contains themes that may be di
Bonus Episode: Camp Firewood, Movie Set Deaths, and Great American Jawlines
It's Brandon Lee week in BADLANDS, and Jake is talking actor dynasties, tragic shoots, soundtracks, and more. Plus your voicemails, texts, and DMs, and Jake asks; What are your favorite acting families? Have you seen American Boy? What were some other famous directors who made documentaries on the side? And what books became great movies? Drop a line at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Brandon Lee: Hungry Ghosts, Cursed Movies, and a Goth Masterpiece
Haunted by the legacy of his superstar father. Haunted by an old family curse. Brandon Lee tried to outrun his past, but it came after him all the same. It was said that his father, Bruce Lee, was taken by that family curse at just 32 years old. And that it then followed Brandon, when he was 28, to the set of The Crow, a cross between a superhero blockbuster and a brooding art film that was all goth. The shoot was plagued by injury, electrocution, storms, fires, and car crashes – and culminated
Bonus Episode: Crossing Delancey, The Big Sleep, and Stone-Cold Sexual Charisma
It's Humphrey Bogart week in BADLANDS, and Jake is diving into the actor's massive trove of films and his music connections. Plus, your voicemails and texts, and the questions: Who is the most iconic "bad guy" in a movie? What is your favorite Bogart film? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Humphrey Bogart: Mob Assassins, Rat Packs, and the Downfall of Murder, Inc.
Murder for hire. Murder for business. Murder for profit. In the 1940s, a crew called Murder, Inc. protected the interests of the Commission, a collective of American gangsters who banded together to run the American underworld like a legit business. Murder, Inc. thugs shot, stabbed, and strangled upwards of 1,000 snitches who dared rat on the mob. But the mob never bargained that their chief executive executor would himself turn rat. Or that the story of their downfall would be laid out for all
Bonus Episode: Amadeus, Scorsese on Scorsese, and an (almost) French Pop Star
This week in Badlands, Jake is talking Jodie Foster, child actors, the Blue Zone, and assassinations. Who are your favorite child actors? Favorite Jodie Foster movies? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Jodie Foster: A Teenage Star-Turn, a Deranged Stalker, and the Attempted Assassination of Ronald Reagan
After being nominated for an Academy Award for her role as a child prostitute in the 1976 film Taxi Driver, Jodi Foster gave up acting to go to college. It was there that her Oscar-nominated performance made her the target of a deranged stalker. That stalker, John Hinckley Jr., was obsessed with Jodie Foster. He wrote her letters and called her on the phone. He was convinced she needed to be saved and that he was the one to do it. And in 1981, in Washington, D.C., Jodie Foster was the unknowing
Bonus Episode: The King of Karaoke, Made Men, and the many Hunter S Thompsons
Jake dives into this week's BADLANDS subject, Bill Murray, and his storied career. Is Bill Murray the greatest comedic actor of the 80s? If not, who is? What is your favorite Bill Murray movie? Jake takes your voicemails, texts, and DMs, and wants to know your favorite Jamie Lee Curtis role. Get in touch at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Bill Murray: Airport Drug Busts, Backstage Brawls, and Crashing Elvis’s Burial
Before Bill Murray was busting ghosts and living in a loop of deja vu, he was a drug-dealing premed student with a knack for comedy. When he was caught with five bricks of pot at the airport, his career in medicine came crashing down, forcing him to make a living with his smart mouth. His obsession to rise above “medium talent” brought him to volatile blows with musicians, fellow actors, and even himself. Yet in his cockiest moments and most despairing lows, the universe always found a way to sh
Bonus Episode: Rags to Riches, Westerns, and the Hoover FBI Connection
In Joan Crawford week, Jake dives into the history and continuing relevance of the late icon, and asks you: What is the best example of an actor playing another actor? What are some more great songs about Hollywood icons? And what are your favorite westerns? Drop a line at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Joan Crawford: Stag Films, Dead Presidents, and No Wire Hangers
Joan Crawford once threatened the director of the FBI when she wanted an old stag film destroyed. She accepted an Oscar that wasn’t hers for the sole purpose to get revenge on her co-star. She wrote her daughter out of her will, before she knew the kid was about to permanently ruin her legacy. But how did she wind up at a party with Richard Nixon, J. Edgar Hoover, and Lyndon Johnson – on the eve of the Kennedy assassination? And why did some say the answer to that question was murder?
To see the
Bonus Episode: Divine Goddesses, Steve McQueen, and Telemarketers
In Sigourney Weaver week, Jake dives in to the most badass actresses and female roles in film. What actress or role is the most badass of all time? What are the best group dynamic mission movies? Are you watching Telemarketers? Get in touch at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Sigourney Weaver: A Goddess, Beasts and Demons, and Paying Tribute from Death Row
In classic ‘80s films like Ghostbusters and Aliens, Sigourney Weaver battled beasts and demons. But to one particular inmate on death row in Georgia, Sigourney Weaver battled beasts and demons in real life as well. To Alexander Williams, a convicted murderer, she was a goddess, a divine being sent to this earth to do battle with evil. He worshiped her from the floor of his prison cell. And as his day of reckoning drew closer, he waited for glimmers of hope that his goddess would send in hopes th
Bonus Episode: Rockabilly Haircuts, Rocky is a Love Story, and The Getaway
The Season 8 premiere of BADLANDS brings us Johnny Depp, and Jake is diving in to some of his history, as well as your voicemails and texts. What is the wildest thing an actor has done to prepare for a role? Who are the greatest crime-spree couples on film? And who is the best leading man of the seventies? Let Jake know your thoughts at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Johnny Depp: Homemade Bombs, Bootleg Quaaludes, and Unsolved Disappearances
Johnny Depp prefers the shadows to the limelight, whether he’s building a bomb with Hunter S. Thompson in the Rocky Mountains, or downing bootleg quaaludes laced with arsenic. After emerging as the leading art flick actor of the 1990s, prodding paparazzi’s desire to paint him as a “novelty boy” often drove him to outbursts that ended in arrests, wrecked hotel rooms, and a miffed Kate Moss and Roger Daltrey. Yet even with camera flashes constantly lighting up his private life, plenty of mysteries
Badlands Season 8: Hollywoodland (Trailer)
Homemade bombs, bricks of weed, deranged stalkers, an old family curse, an attempted presidential assassination, and one of the most violent murder crews in American history. It's all happening in a brand new season of Badlands.
Badlands Season 8: Hollywoodland launches August 9, 2023, with new episodes on Johnny Depp, Bill Murray, Jodie Foster, Sigourney Weaver, Brandon Lee, Humphrey Bogart, Joan Crawford, and Jane Fonda. New episodes are released every Wednesday, with bonus episodes released e
Bonus Episode: Jaws, Asteroid City, and the Greatest Movies of the Seventies
This week Jake is talking Roman Polanski's film history and music connections -- and the two crimes that define his legacy. Plus, Jake responds to voicemails, texts, and DMs, and dives in to the greatest movies of the seventies. What are your top five 70s movies? Did you see Asteroid City or The French Dispatch? What are your favorite Wes Anderson films? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Roman Polanski: Nazis, Murder, and Life on the Lam
As a child, Roman Polanski escaped from a Krakow ghetto on the day the Nazis took his father to a concentration camp. As a new filmmaker, he became the toast of young Hollywood with his 1968 horror masterpiece, Rosemary’s Baby. But after the brutal murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, at the hands of the Manson family, Polanski unraveled. He wound up committing a heinous crime that led him to escape yet again – this time fleeing the country when an angry judge was ready to throw the book at him.
To
Bonus Episode: Satanism, Hot Sticky Summertime Noir, and The Dirty Dozen
This week is all about "sexpot" Jayne Mansfield, and Jake is talking more crazy connections - like a supposed collab between her and Jimi Hendrix. What other entertainers got caught up in satanism or the occult? Let's keep the conversation on best summer movies going. Plus, introduce yourself! What's your favorite movie to watch over and over again? What are your favorite Kubrick or Bogart films? How about anti-war movies? Jake wants to get in to English noir; can you recommend any? Let's get in
Jayne Mansfield: Nude Scenes, Satan’s Slave, and a Gruesome Death
Whether she was filming Hollywood’s first major nude scenes, or posing against a backdrop of Satanic skulls and pentagrams, Jayne Mansfield lived for exhibitionism. As a leading sexpot of the 1950s, Jayne was a genius, a bombshell, and a mother in an industry that demanded women be single, dumb, and blonde. When people whispered that Jayne lived in Marilyn Monroe’s shadow, she fled to the Church of Satan and started dancing in the shadows with its founder, Anton LaVey. Her final headlines sensat
Bonus Episode: The Bear, Movie Remakes, and Hugh Grant
It's Hugh Grant week in Badlands, and we're talking leading man meltdowns over the press and paparazzi, The Bear, actors in musician roles, and family movie nights. Jake responds to voicemail and texts, and asks: what are some notable dramatic leading man press meltdowns? Your favorite actors in musician roles? What's your favorite Hugh Grant film? Examples of great actors, past their prime, in batshit roles? And what remakes are better than their originals? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638 or on s
Hugh Grant: Sex on the Sunset Strip, Assault with a Non-Deadly Weapon, and Cracking Open
Hugh Grant infamously almost tanked his budding movie career when he was caught with a sex worker on the Sunset Strip. He was arrested a second time when he assaulted paparazzi outside his house…with a Tupperware container full of baked beans. But perhaps most shocking of all, he wore a wire to interview a tabloid reporter and wound up cracking open a phone-hacking case that implicated both the London police and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
To see the complete list of contributors,
Bonus Episode: Improbable Duos, Congas, and Marlon Brando
This week on the Wrap Party, we're diving in to some strange Marlon Brando stories we didn't tell in the full episode. We've got some more listener Capone reviews and heist movie recommendations, and we're talking season two of The Bear. What are your weird, improbable celebrity combos? Want to recommend a movie? Send a text or leave a voicemail at 617-906-6638 - or message @disgracelandpod on socials - and come join the Wrap Party.
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Marlon Brando: A Fake Kidnapping Gone Wrong, Jungle Madness, and a Dead Boyfriend
Marlon Brando once broke a paparazzo’s jaw with one punch. He hired private investigators to find his son when a fake kidnapping went horribly wrong. He nearly sank an already doomed film shoot all by himself when he arrived in the Philippines overweight, underprepared, and demanding millions of dollars. And at the very moment he was trying to resuscitate his career, he found himself desperately trying to resuscitate his daughter’s dead boyfriend in his own living room.
To see the complete list
Bonus Episode: Great Movies with Not-So-Great Soundtracks, Mel Gibson and the Hungerford Massacre, and The Lion in Winter
In this week's Wrap Party, we're talking Mel Gibson's "Lethal Weapon", a film that grossed over $120 million worldwide, despite its unfortunately timed release date in the UK and its insanely cheesy soundtrack from Eric Clapton. We're also talking Peter O'Toole in "The Lion in Winter", responding to your voicemails, texts, and DMs, and so much more.
What movies were released into unforeseen circumstances and suffered because of it? What are some movies you love with soundtracks you hate? Send y
Mel Gibson: Sin, Salvation, and Staring Down the Barrel of a Gun
Mel Gibson is the explosive action star who plunged straight into Mad Max’s Wasteland and straight into insanity. Molded by a violent childhood and an early taste for alcohol, his reputation as a thrill-hungry lunatic extends from movie sets to the director’s chair, where he’s unflinchingly recreated scene of bone-crushing torture and human sacrifice. His ability to fly off the handle at a moment’s notice made him Hollywood’s most in-demand actor for playing wildcards and antiheroes. That is, un
Bonus Episode: Eerily Similar Celebrity Deaths, The Boston Red Sox, and Anna Nicole Smith
This week on the Wrap Party, we're talking about Anna Nicole Smith, a woman who lived and died almost exactly like Marilyn Monroe. We're also talking about your summertime jams, how great it is to be a Red Sox fan, especially when they're not playing so well, and so much more. If you want to let Jake know about your favorite summertime and/or baseball movies, or any other eerily similar celebrity deaths you can think of, send a text or leave a voicemail at 617-906-6638 or @disgracelandpod on soc
Anna Nicole Smith: Methadone, a Murder Plot, and a Fate Like Marilyn’s
Anna Nicole Smith transcended the laws of celebrity. She was a blond sexpot who was famous for being famous, and that was reason enough for pop culture. People around the world recognized her Marilyn Monroe-esque curves filled out Guess jeans, and her squeaky baby speaking voice on The Anna Nicole Show. In the early 2000s, the FBI investigated her regarding an alleged hit she organized to take out her 60-year-old “stepson.” But when Anna Nicole and her grown son Daniel died under eerily sudden —
Bonus Episode: Jake’s Summertime Jams, Defending HBO’s “The Idol”, and Will Smith, the Double Threat
In this week’s Wrap Party, Jake is ready to talk Will Smith, the subject of the latest Badlands episode. He also lists off his favorite summertime jams, including “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, defends the widely controversial show, “The Idol”, and so much more. Let Jake know what stars are equally talented musicians and actors like Will Smith at 617-906-6638 or on socials at @disgracelandpod and come join the Wrap Party.
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Will Smith: Fist Fights, Jail Cells, and the Slap Heard 'Round the World
In 1989, shortly after winning his first Grammy Award, at just 20 years old, Will Smith was arrested and charged with assault after a brawl at a popular Philadelphia radio station left one man nearly blind. It nearly ended his career just as things were getting started. But Will Smith overcame this challenge, and so many others, to become one of the most successful actors in Hollywood. That is, until decades later, at the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony, when trouble once again bubbled to the surfa
Bonus Episode: Succession Series Finale, Paul Simon, and Star Wars
Jake just finished watching the series finale of Succession and he's ready to dive into why it was so great. But first, we're talking Carrie Fisher and her relationship with Paul Simon. Jake also has a lot of Carrie Fisher related questions for you all like, was Princess Leia her best role? Why doesn't Jake love Star Wars? What is he missing? And what Paul Simon album should he listen to?
Leave your message for Jake at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come join the Wrap Party.
Le
Carrie Fisher: Acid in the Desert, Snakes in the Amazon, and More Postcards from the Edge
Carrie Fisher once dropped acid in the desert with Paul Simon. She did ayahuasca in the Amazon jungle, where she was attacked by a giant snake that may or may not have been real. She did so much cocaine that legendary partyman John Belushi told her to ease up. Her mood swings were such a dramatic part of her personality that she gave them their own names. And her personality was so galvanizing that it became an avatar for real-life resistance fighters.
To see the complete list of contributors, v
Bonus Episode: Hoosier Actors, Bad UFO Documentaries, and The Bling Ring
Jake has exhausted all of your sci fi movie recs and is ready to report on a mediocre U.F.O. documentary he watched, but first, we're talking the Bling Ring and other celebrity scammers, and correcting this week's Badlands episode which said that James Dean is from Illinois, not Indiana. Sorry Hoosiers!
Leave your message for Jake at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come join the Wrap Party.
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Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Sofia Coppola, and The Bling Ring
In the early 2010s, a group of burglars ransacked Hollywood homes like the city was their personal shopping mall. No celebrity was safe from their sticky fingers: Not Lindsay Lohan, not Orlando Bloom, and especially not Paris Hilton, who perhaps lost the most luxury loot of anyone. The thieves pocketed over $3 million dollars' worth of custom couture, cocaine, and cold card cash before they were caught. And when “The Bling Ring” finally traded their designer digs for orange jumpsuits, the world
Bonus Episode: M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs", Your Favorite SNL Sketches, and the Curse of the James Dean Death Car
This week on the Wrap Party, Jake is raving about Signs, the M. Night Shymalan sci-fi masterpiece that plenty of Disgos recommended. But first, we're talking about the "James Dean Death Car" and other Hollywood curses, your favorite SNL sketches and cast members, and more. The Badlands episode on Paris Hilton and the Bling Ring is out next Wednesday and the Disgraceland episode on Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" is out now, wherever you get your podcasts. Leave your message for Jake at 617-906-66
James Dean: A Death Foretold, a Gruesome Publicity Stunt, and a Haunted Car
James Dean died in a high-speed car crash at the age of 24, but his legend lives on. Fan clubs held monthly memorial services and wrote movie studios begging for relics of their patron saint. Professional illusionists swore they could resurrect his body. Rumors that Dean survived the deadly crash were spurred on, and in some cases planted, by a film studio with a financial stake in keeping his memory alive. The car that killed him had a grisly afterlife of its own, taking two more lives before m
Bruce Springsteen: Shootouts, Killing Sprees, and the Making of Nebraska
Unprovoked killing sprees. Nightclub gunfights. Mafia assassinations. True crime stories and modern folklore make up the backbone of many of the characters from Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, one of the Boss’s greatest albums. Which ones are real, and which ones are myth? This is the story of those stories: the story of the making of Nebraska.
This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including graphic depictions of violence.
To see the full list of contributors, see
Bonus Episode: Jake's Favorite SNL Era, Old School Baseball Documentaries, and Your Sci-fi Film Recs
It's baseball season and Jake is consuming all of the '80s and '90s baseball content that he can. We're talking about Paul McCartney, Chris Farley, and Adam Sandler hanging out backstage on Saturday Night Live, we're talking about Sean Penn's "The Indian Runner", and we're still talking about your top five sci-fi movies. Leave a message for Jake at 617-907-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come join the Wrap Party.
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Chris Farley: Raging Bulls, Insatiable Appetites, Dead Comics, and a Four-Day Plunge off the Edge
Everything about Chris Farley was larger than life. His comedy, his laughs, the risks he took in front of a live studio audience – they were all bigger than anyone else's. So were his appetites. Not just for performance, but for life. He plowed through a plate glass window, 15 stories above downtown Chicago. He was kicked out of college for burning down a girl's house. He disappeared with two Playboy models in Los Angeles and woke up the next morning in Hawaii. He modeled his career on an iconic
Presenting Disgraceland Season 12 (Trailer)
Mafia assassinations, drag racing, extortion, eternal life, and doing time at Rikers Island and San Quentin. Find out which music legends are featured in Season 12 of Disgraceland. New episodes drop every Tuesday starting May 16th, with bonus After Party episodes dropping every Thursday. Rocka rolla. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bonus Episode: Comedians and Tragedy, Richard Pryor's Gig with the Prince of Darkness, and John Mulaney's "Baby J"
The first ever Badlands bonus episode is finally here and we're talking about the craziest comedian and musician connections, why so many great comedians die so young, and John Mulaney's new standup special, "Baby J." Leave a message for Jake to reply to at 617-907-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod so we can get the Badlands movie conversation started!
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Richard Pryor: Stabbing, Shooting, F***ing, Burning, and Freebasing
Richard Pryor was one of the funniest people who ever lived. He elevated stand-up comedy to an art form. But the real life that informed his stand-up – a life of pool halls, brothels, stabbings, shootings, and lots and lots of cocaine – was a source of constant pain. A pain that he managed with a freebase habit so out of control it nearly killed him before he was even 40 years old.
This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including descriptions of domestic violence
Badlands Season 7: Hollywoodland (Trailer)
Thieves, guns, dropping acid in the desert, cozying up to the Church of Satan, living life on the lam – and living fast, dying young, and leaving behind a haunted car. It's all happening in a brand new season of Badlands.
Badlands Season 7: Hollywoodland launches May 3, 2023, with new episodes on Richard Pryor, Chris Farley, James Dean, Paris Hilton and the Bling Ring, Carrie Fisher, Will Smith, Anna Nicole Smith, Mel Gibson, Marlon Brando, Hugh Grant, Jayne Mansfield, and Roman Polanski. New ep
REWIND - Sharon Tate Pt 2: Rape, Drugs, and Murdering New Hollywood
Sharon Tate’s entanglement with Charles Manson and her husband, filmmaker Roman Polanski, as well as her involvement in some of the long-rumored hedonistic events at her home on Cielo Drive put her at the center of a counter-narrative that explosively disrupts the supposed motive for the Manson family murders. Was Sharon Tate blissfully ignorant of the darkness that had been bubbling beneath Hollywood’s shiny veneer for years? Or is there more to this story than we’ve been told in the past?
To s
REWIND - Sharon Tate Pt 1: Wild Parties and Dangerous Company
Sharon Tate was a sophisticated beauty who literally stopped traffic when she walked down the street. She began her movie career when America was becoming sexually liberated, and despite the ease with which she was made a sex symbol, she aspired to be respected as a serious actress. Decades later, however, she is perhaps best-remembered as one of the victims found brutally murdered at her Cielo Drive home, the one she shared with her husband, director Roman Polanski. Sharon and Roman welcomed re
Poltergeist Curse: Paranormal Activity, a Plane Crash, and Murder
Four different actors from the 1980s horror franchise Poltergeist died within a 6-year span. Dominique Dunne was murdered. Julian Beck succumbed to stomach cancer. Will Sampson suffered from a degenerative disease. And Heather O’Rourke’s death at the age of 12, was deemed “distinctly unusual.” Was it an eerie coincidence...or something more sinister?
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com/badlands.
This episode contains themes that may be disturbing t
Marilyn Monroe (Part 2): The Three Deaths of an Iconic American Actress
The conspiracy theories surrounding Marilyn Monroe’s death in 1962 continue to entertain the imaginations of those obsessed with celebrity and scandal. The stories, many of them fantastical and one of them true, feature cameos by the likes of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra and Peter Lawford. Somewhere in the pile of countless rumors, innuendos, and crackpot theories is a closer understanding of exactly what happened a
Marilyn Monroe (Part 1): Who killed Marilyn? JFK? RFK? The KKK? Probable Suicide and a Conspiracy Theory That Won’t Quit
Marilyn Monroe is one of the greatest Hollywood stars of all time. She rose from orphan to icon by creating an on screen character America could not peel their eyes away from. And she did it all while battling anxiety, depression and addiction. Along the way she bedded, married, and otherwise conquered America’s most impressive men — Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller, Frank Sinatra and President John F. Kennedy to name a few. And her relationship with JFK and his younger brother, Attorney General Robe
Encore: Robin Williams: A Manic Mind at Breakneck Speed, an Addiction to Laughter, and the Devil’s Dandruff
Robin Williams’ manic mind moved at such a breakneck speed that cocaine had the opposite effect than it had on most other people: it slowed him down. Robin’s primary addiction, however, wasn’t cocaine. He was addicted to the dopamine rush of being on a stage, where he could let his mind run wild with free association, and be rewarded with uproarious laughter. He was addicted to proving himself as a dramatic actor, even if that meant attempting to trigger his own mental breakdown by running in pl
Badlands Oscar Party: Top Gun, Tar, and Best War Movies
Jake and showrunner Zeth Lundy take the upcoming Oscars as a chance to check in, with their takes on the best movies of the year, what should and will win at the awards, what makes for a great film in 2023 and more.
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Encore: Lindsay Lohan: Morgues, Ankle Bracelets, and an Addiction to Chaos
Lindsay Lohan’s arrest record is overcrowded with charges involving theft, cocaine, and the transportation of narcotics. The one-time Disney queen bee shattered her Mercedes and her good girl reputation with back-to-back DUIs when her career was at its peak. After appearing in court 20 times in the span of five years, Lindsay’s acting opportunities downgraded from Mean Girls-level blockbusters to meager microbudget art films, including a career-low role that paid her $100 a day to perform alongs
Presenting Disgraceland - AC/DC: A Satanic Serial Killer, A Police Man Hunt, and a Media Witch Hunt
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 Bon Scott and die-hard Angus Young became rock icons. But when the press caught wind of the disturbing fandom of the serial killer Richard “The Night Stalker” Ramirez, the news quickly dragged the world’s most fun, pure rock ‘n’ roll band straight down the highway to hell and into the center of a media firestorm around Satanic Panic and the inspiratio
Presenting Disgraceland - 50 Cent: Police Raids, Motorcycle Chases, and a Nine-Bullet Wake-up Call
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 still in high school, made a career as a dealer after, got stung and raided by cops, but always had his mind on the mission: to get rich, or die trying. And when he found out he was going to be a father, the idea of getting rich through music rather than drugs suddenly made a whole lot of sense. But it would still take a horrifying nine-bullet wake-up cal
Presenting Disgraceland Season 11 Trailer
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 11 of Disgraceland. New episodes drop every Tuesday starting February 14th. Rocka Rolla.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Encore: Winona Ryder: Drowning, Designer Theft, and a Deadly Kidnapping
Between beatnik parents, an LSD guru godfather, and an unconventional upbringing in Northern California, it’s not surprising that Winona Ryder became America’s endearing weirdo in the 1990s. Her noir starpower shined from an early age in movies like Beetlejuice, Heathers, and Edward Scissorhands, but her penchant for dark roles would lead her towards crime in real life. The only thing weirder than Winona’s $5,000 shoplifting spree and the kidnapping of a girl from her own hometown is how the two
Presenting Disgraceland - Paul McCartney (Beatles Pt. 3): Paul Is Dead, Smuggling Drugs and Composing the World’s Most Beloved Songs
This excerpt from Season 8 of Disgraceland was previously exclusive but is now available wherever you get your podcasts. To hear the full episode, find and follow Disgraceland wherever you get your podcasts.Despite his reputation as “the safe Beatle,” Paul McCartney was a badass. He took wild artistic risks, rubbed elbows with truly dangerous characters and because of his crimes, did hard time in one of the world’s most notorious prisons. His public spats with Beatles bandmate John Lennon are th
Encore: Armie Hammer: Dirty Texts, Bloodthirsty Fetishes, and a Cannibal Kink
With his chiseled jawline and matinee idol good looks, Armie Hammer could have been another leading man like Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt. But Armie Hammer was not most movie stars. He wasn't even most people. On the surface, his life was perfectly curated and appeared picture-perfect, with no major public scandals or dirt-digging by the press. But his increasingly bizarre appearances in interviews and on social media, not to mention leaked videos and texts, led to shocking revelations about what was
Presenting Disgraceland - Gram Parsons: A Stolen Body, Heroin, More Rolling Stones and Cosmic American Music
This episode of Disgraceland was previously exclusive but is now available wherever you get your podcasts. You can now listen to season 7 of Disgraceland in its entirety with episodes on David Bowie, the Ramones, Lil Wayne, the New York Dolls, Lil Peep, a previously unheard two-parter on Tupac, a two-parter on Biggie, a two-parter on Oasis, and a two-parter on the Beatles.Gram Parsons is one of the most influential musicians in rock ‘n’ roll that you’ve maybe never heard of. He created a form of
Lawrence Taylor: Broken Legs, Handshake Drugs, and Undercover Grandmas
Lawrence Taylor, or “LT,” as he was known, was the most feared NFL linebacker in the 1980's. He once sacked a quarterback so hard that he snapped the guy’s leg in two–ending his career. His addiction to winning, to that victorious feeling on the field, was a euphoric high. But after a while, football didn’t get LT high enough. He partied just as hard as he played, a celeb rubbing elbows with megastars in NYC, the only city that could keep up with him. Pretty soon, he was spending $75,000 a month
Bruno Fernandes de Souza: Sex Parties, Paternity Tests, and Murder
Bruno Fernandes de Souza was a soccer star in his home country of Brazil. He played for the country’s largest professional team. He was on the verge of moving on to the biggest international arenas. The sport raised him from a harsh childhood of poverty and crime to a life of celebrity where fans’ adoration came easy and rampant sex even easier. But life in the world of Brazilian soccer wasn’t always so simple; you had to fight for your own survival. When Bruno found himself named as the father
Andrés Escobar: Laundered Drug Money, a Cocaine Kingpin, and the Goal that Led to a Shocking Murder
In the 1980's and 1990's, soccer in Colombia had never been better – thanks to cocaine. Drug cartels laundered their dirty money through soccer clubs. High salaries kept players in their home country, as did the improved facilities, and the money pouring into impoverished neighborhoods. However, Colombian soccer players were caught up in controversy when they attended parties thrown by notorious drug kingpins. One such player, Andrés Escobar, even participated in a wild soccer match held behind
The Hillsborough Disaster: A Fatal Human Crush, Soccer Hooligans, and a Massive Cover-up
The Hillsborough Disaster ruined lives and communities. As a result of the April 15th, 1989 soccer match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, 97 men, women, and children lost their lives. But Hillsborough wasn’t just a disaster, it was a fight for justice. It was a war between the establishment and the people, and a cover-up on the largest scale – one that exploited hooligan culture in order to assassinate the character of the victims. Once the dust settled on the very public and very conten
Paul Gascoigne: A Dead Pool, a Police Standoff, and a Cold-Blooded Killer
Fans loved everything that English soccer player Paul Gascoigne did, whether it was kissing the hand of Princess Diana or crying on the field as the national team lost the World Cup. He was the “unstoppable force.” He was Gazza. He was all over the papers, too, thanks to all of his arrests for drinking and drugs. So many arrests that British tabloid reporters began a dead pool and took bets on how much longer he had left to live. Everyone knew Gazza was bonkers - that was part of his appeal - bu
REWIND - Diego Maradona: Stolen Blood, Italian Gangsters, and the Hand of God
Diego Maradona was busted for drugs, prostitution, and shooting an air rifle at reporters. He was also associated with one of the biggest and oldest organized crime families in Italy. Despite all of this, Diego Maradona somehow still showed up the next day and played a great game of soccer. He even turned a soccer match into a weapon during a centuries-long war between England and Argentina. Diego Maradona was more than one of the greatest of all time on the pitch – he was also one of the most i
Robert Rozier: Severed Heads, Death Angels, and the Devil’s Night Out
Robert Rozier’s tenure in the NFL and Canadian Football League didn’t last very long, but he may well have one of the most insane stories in professional sports. After being rejected by the big leagues, Rozier was drafted by a murder cult in Florida. He became one of the cult’s many “death angels,” disciples who carried out their so-called messiah’s instructions to kill – a messiah with a habit of ordering the beheadings of those who dared speak out against him. In 1986, as Devil’s Night gave wa
Joe Namath: Rubbing Elbows with the Mafia, Accused of Assault, and the Birth of the Rockstar Gladiator
Joe Namath was the Elvis and the Beatles of the gridiron at a time when the NFL was full of players with flat personalities. He was the catalyst that turned athletes into leaders, steering the cultural zeitgeist. Blonde bombshells drove onto the field in Cadillacs to pick him up. He intercepted women from Mick Jagger in New York nightclubs. He wore mink coats and sunglasses on the sidelines during preseason games he didn’t play in. He drank, he gambled, he smoked, and he grew his hair long - and
Michael Vick: Shallow Graves, Dogfights, and Self-Destruction
Armed with superstardom and a $100 million NFL contract, Michael Vick made it to the hallowed national stage, a place where many of his peers could only dream about. Unfortunately his increasingly bad decisions led to his self-destruction. It took just one search warrant for Michael Vick to go from one of the NFL’s most iconic players to its most vilified. There's no turning back from what police found buried on his 15-acre estate in rural Virginia.
To see the full list of contributors, see the
Ray Lewis: Survival in Baltimore, a Brutal Beating in Miami, and a Double Murder in Atlanta
Ray Lewis wasn’t just a Super Bowl MVP, or a 2-time defensive player of the year, or a 13-time Pro Bowl player - he was the scariest player in the league. From an early age, Ray Lewis used football as a tool to survive a his terrifying reality: abusive and neglectful father figures, drugs and violence, and a beloved mentor shot dead. Four years into a professional career as the Baltimore Ravens' take-no-prisoners linebacker, Ray Lewis' reality caught up with him. That was the night that Ray Lewi
Introducing: BADLANDS Season 6
Which NFL player found himself drafted into a murder cult that beheaded its disobedient members? How did one of the most fatal events in sports history start with nearly 100 deaths and end in a large-scale coverup? Why did a hard-partying English soccer player attempt to save a savage murderer from a police standoff...with two fishing rods and a rotisserie chicken? Discover the details behind these unbelievable but true stories in an all-new season of Badlands.As American football gets into full
Wondery Presents - The Rewatcher: Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Welcome to the Hellmouth Weirdos! Your favorite Morbid hosts Ash and Alaina are branching out from true crime and heading to Sunnydale for the ultimate Buffy the Vampire Slayer Rewatch podcast! Alaina is a Buffy superfan and Ash has never watched a single episode, so whether you’re Team Angel, Team Spike, or have no clue who those people are…they’ve got you covered! Join them each week as they slay their way through the series, episode by episode, re-watching, and watching for the very first tim
REWIND - Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: A Teenage Jewel Thief, a Heel Turn Betrayal, and Raising the People’s Eyebrow
Long before he raised the People’s Eyebrow, dropped the People’s Elbow, and laid the smackdown on the candyass world of Hollywood, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson ran a jewelry theft ring in Waikiki. He and his peers worked the posh shopping district, snatching and grabbing whatever they could get their hands on and then pawning their haul for cold, hard cash. As a result, he was arrested nearly ten times before he turned 17 years old. But perhaps the only thing more insane than that story is the tale
Patty Hearst: Brainwashing, Cyanide Bullets, and an Heiress-Turned-Terrorist
Before Patty Hearst appeared as an actress in John Waters' movies, she captivated America on the silver screen as a hostage terrorized by the Symbionese Liberation Army. When the newspaper heiress was kidnapped by the radical organization in 1974, the country sympathized with her plight. But after just a few months, the SLA’s guns weren’t pointing at Patty anymore; suddenly, Patty was firing her own weapons during fistfights and bank robberies as a member of the same terrorist group that once ke
Charlie Chaplin: Japanese Assassins, Murder on a Yacht, and a Stolen Corpse
Charlie Chaplin was a wanted man. Not just by moviegoing audiences that made him one of the biggest stars of the silent and talkie eras. And not just by governments who questioned his politics. He was nearly murdered by a jealous lover, and was likely the intended target of a homicide aboard the yacht of the wealthiest man in America. He survived numerous attempts on his life, only to be targeted by a cabal of Japanese assassins who wanted him dead. And when he did die, Charlie Chaplin remained
John Belushi: Punk Rock Riots, Chicago Street Brawls, and Missions from God
John Belushi may have been one of the funniest comedians of his generation, but he wasn’t just a funny guy. He was a rock star. He partied with the Stones, fronted a world-class band of R&B legends, and was responsible for a punk rock riot in Rockefeller Center. He drew the ire of street gangs in Chicago, attempted to steal a boat with his blues brother, and performed one of his final episodes of Saturday Night Live on death’s door. Everything was heightened. The stakes. The laughs. The sensory
Bob Crane of Hogan’s Heroes: Sex, Lies, Videotape, and Murder
On the surface, the star of one of the most popular television series of the 1960s was a squeaky-clean symbol of America’s innocence. But Hogan’s Heroes’ Bob Crane lived a secret double life that very few people knew about. His custom-built pornographic paradises were hidden behind the closed doors of his dressing room and apartment. He was obsessed with extra-marital sexual exploits, and he documented them with cutting-edge technology. The joy he received from making people smile was matched on
Danny Trejo: A Prison Riot, the Gas Chamber, and Becoming Fear
Danny Trejo holds the record for most on-screen deaths by an actor. His go-to role is the bad guy – the baddest guy. The guy you do not mess with. And for the first 25 years of his life, he was that guy for real. He led a life of violence and drugs that landed him in just about every hardcore prison in California, including Folsom and San Quentin. On the inside, he ran the gym, the drugs, and protection rackets. And then one day, the tables turned and Danny Trejo was the one who needed protectio
Lucille Ball: Gun Wounds, Refugees, and the Redhead Who Survived the Red Scare
Lucille Ball might have been a natural boundary-pusher, but America's top TV comedienne had some ‘splaining to do when a damning news broadcast unveiled her former ties to the Communist Party. The hysteria of the Red Scare threatened to bury this redhead at the bottom of the Hollywood blacklist overnight. Even when America put rampant McCarthyism to rest, the United States government kept watching Lucille Ball – and we’re not talking about I Love Lucy reruns.
To see the full list of contributors
REWIND - Drew Barrymore: Curses, Corpses, and a Coked-Up Child Star in the Club
Drew Barrymore spent her childhood charming audiences on movie screens and cramming cocaine up her nose at the most exclusive clubs in the country. Her breakout role as Gertie in E.T.: The Extraterrestrial rocketed her to such far-reaching fame that she became a regular at Studio 54 when she was only 7 years old. Her early taste for unchaperoned nightlife would lure her into other exceptionally adult addictions, nearly extinguishing her flourishing film career before Drew reached high school. As
Charlie Sheen: Tiger Blood, Porn Stars, and the High-Priest Vatican Assassin Warlock
Not one but two of Charlie Sheen’s Mercedes were found crashed into a ravine off Mulholland Drive on separate occasions. By that point, he was working on running his career off the road for a second or third time, in a haze of alcohol, cocaine, $30,000 one-night stands, awkward dinner dates with porn stars and his ex-wife, livestream rants, LAPD house raids, and a triumphant ascent to a Beverly Hills rooftop with a machete and a bottle of red liquid labeled “Tiger Blood.” And that’s only part of
Armie Hammer: Dirty Texts, Bloodthirsty Fetishes, and a Cannibal Kink
With his chiseled jawline and matinee idol good looks, Armie Hammer could have been another leading man like Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt. But Armie Hammer was not most movie stars. He wasn't even most people. On the surface, his life was perfectly curated and appeared picture-perfect, with no major public scandals or dirt-digging by the press. But his increasingly bizarre appearances in interviews and on social media, not to mention leaked videos and texts, led to shocking revelations about what was
Introducing BADLANDS Season 5: HOLLYWOODLAND
Which muscled action star ran a jewelry theft ring as a teenager in Hawaii? How did a critically-acclaimed actor get chewed out by the public and the police for a scandalous cannibalism kink? And which heiress turned actress found herself firing a submachine gun when she was kidnapped and brainwashed by a terrorist organization?Discover the details behind these unbelievable but true stories in an all-new season of Badlands: Hollywoodland. This season of Badlands dives deeper into the shady chara
Introducing DISGRACELAND’S Newest Season
Introducing the Disgraceland podcast - a show that tells the insane true crime stories of music’s most famous… on their darkest days.Host Jake Brennan, tells the jaw dropping stories of musicians behaving very badly… and some even getting away with murder. In an all new season, he tells the unbelievable histories of the world’s most famous musical artists. Like the story of Britney Spears…locked into an unconventional conservatorship. Or Chris Brown’s gutted reputation and downward spiral. Or th
Robin Williams: A Manic Mind at Breakneck Speed, an Addiction to Laughter, and the Devil’s Dandruff
Robin Williams’ manic mind moved at such a breakneck speed that cocaine had the opposite effect than it had on most other people: it slowed him down. Robin’s primary addiction, however, wasn’t cocaine. He was addicted to the dopamine rush of being on a stage, where he could let his mind run wild with free association, and be rewarded with uproarious laughter. He was addicted to proving himself as a dramatic actor, even if that meant attempting to trigger his own mental breakdown by running in pl
The Dating Game Killer: Persuasion, Charm, and a Depraved Murderer at Large
Rodney Alcala, AKA The Dating Game Killer, was a depraved murderer who eluded authorities for years. He hid his true identity behind charm and persuasion. He worked as a summer camp counselor while on the lam for the savage assault of an eight-year-old girl. He convinced his parole officer to let him take a vacation to the other side of the country, where he proceeded to commit another of his many murders. While New Yorkers were watching their backs for the Son of Sam in the summer of ’77, he ki
REWIND- Mickey Rourke: Organized Crime, the IRA, and Method Acting into Oblivion
Acting came easy to Mickey Rourke. He was admitted to the prestigious Actors Studio after one audition, which is nuts when you consider that it took Jack Nicholson five auditions and six for Dustin Hoffman. But just because something came easy to Mickey Rourke didn’t mean he did things the easy way. His relationships with organizations like the Gambino crime family and the IRA became more talked about than the promising acting career he was busy tanking. He seriously considered carrying out a bl
Woody Harrelson: Contract Killers, JFK Conspiracies, and Fathers & Sons
One of Hollywood’s most eclectic and unpredictable actors, Woody Harrelson has played a hayseed barback, a streetball hustler, a natural born killer, a true detective, and so many more. But his most profound and difficult role might be his real-life role: the son of an infamous contract killer. Woody’s father, Charles Harrelson, was sent to prison for the assassination of a federal judge, only after he had been the subject of one of the largest federal manhunts in U.S. history – a manhunt that e
Judy Garland: Seconals, Benzedrine, and Dexedrine…Oh My
With a few clicks of their ruby slippers, MGM made 16-year-old Judy Garland a box office giant, but their strict rules nearly killed the budding starlet in the process. The studio’s strict diet of chicken soup, uppers, and downers set up teenage Judy for a life fraught with addiction, malnutrition, extreme health complications, and regular visits to rehab. Even years after Judy severed ties with the MGM, the effects of her highly-regulated adolescence creeped into her career, literally poisoning
Sean Penn: A Prison Escape, The Night Stalker, and Madonna’s True Blue Bad Boy
In the summer of 1985, Sean Penn’s marriage to preeminent material girl Madonna was an epochal moment for ‘80s-era Hollywood. The bad boy from Bad Boys and the boy-toy pop superstar blissfully brought together the worlds of movies and music on a Malibu bluff overlooking the Pacific. But their subsequent attempt to make a movie together was anything but blissful. A wild film shoot in China would lead to even wilder things, like the time Sean dangled a photographer upside-down from a ninth-story b
Winona Ryder: Drowning, Designer Theft, and a Deadly Kidnapping
Between beatnik parents, an LSD guru godfather, and an unconventional upbringing in Northern California, it’s not surprising that Winona Ryder became America’s endearing weirdo in the 1990s. Her noir starpower shined from an early age in movies like Beetlejuice, Heathers, and Edward Scissorhands, but her penchant for dark roles would lead her towards crime in real life. The only thing weirder than Winona’s $5,000 shoplifting spree and the kidnapping of a girl from her own hometown is how the two
Lindsay Lohan: Morgues, Ankle Bracelets, and an Addiction to Chaos
Lindsay Lohan’s arrest record is overcrowded with charges involving theft, cocaine, and the transportation of narcotics. The one-time Disney queen bee shattered her Mercedes and her good girl reputation with back-to-back DUIs when her career was at its peak. After appearing in court 20 times in the span of five years, Lindsay’s acting opportunities downgraded from Mean Girls-level blockbusters to meager microbudget art films, including a career-low role that paid her $100 a day to perform alongs
Introducing BADLANDS Season 4: HOLLYWOODLAND
Which 1980's bad boy made a daring escape from prison and later had his freedom negotiated by a former Beatle? Why did the father of a Hollywood A-lister confess to the assassination of JFK? And just how did a serial killer manage to find his own 15 minutes of fame on national television while in the middle of a killing spree?Hear the wild but true stories behind these questions as the fame, fortune, and felonies of tinseltown come alive in BADLANDS Season 4: HOLLYWOODLAND.BADLANDS is a true-cri
Introducing: Dead and Gone Season 2
Despite the Grateful Dead’s ethos of peace and love and communal music, there is a darkness that surrounds the band. Across five decades, a string of unexplained accidents, murders and disappearances have befallen some of the band’s most dedicated fans; affectionately known as "DeadHeads." Some were last seen on their way to Grateful Dead concerts, others simply vanished or were tragically murdered while attending shows. Hosted by Payne Lindsey (Up and Vanished) and Jake Brennan (Disgraceland),
Robert Downey Jr.: Running on Empty, Rock Bottom, and Ironclad Resolve
The man who would be Iron Man was once an unreliable and uninsurable actor who lived many years at the bottom in a haze of drugs and alcohol. His transformation into the highest-paid actor in Hollywood is truly one of the most remarkable stories in the City of Angels.
Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS S3: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.
Learn more ab
The Black Dahlia (Elizabeth Short): A Gruesome Murder, a Corrupt Police Department, and an Unsolvable Mystery
In January 1947, the mutilated body of 22-year old Elizabeth Short was found, literally cut in half, in a vacant lot in Los Angeles. Even though hundreds of suspects were investigated and dozens of confessions were made, her murder remains unsolved to this day. In the years since, the case has gotten warm and cold again. Speculation into motive and method has been endless. And the deeper you look, the murkier the case becomes. It’s a case populated by drunks and junkies, syphilitic ex-cons and p
Robert Mitchum: Reefer Madness, a Daring Escape from a Chain Gang, and Not Giving a Damn
Robert Mitchum was famously busted for marijuana in the 1940s before his career had really taken off. Not so famous is how he managed to save his legacy, and his life: with the unlikely help of one of the most powerful men in the world.
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com/badlands.
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Tim Allen: Cocaine in Kalamazoo, Life in Prison, and Flipping for the Feds
Before he was headed to infinity and beyond, Tim Allen was headed to life in prison for a low-level drug deal in Michigan. This is the story about how his first career ended in a life-changing bust, and what he had to do in order to survive and find a way out.
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com/badlands.
This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including discussions about suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide or a
REWIND – Brittany Murphy: Pills, Paranoia, and Poison
The only thing more shocking than Brittany Murphy’s untimely death at the age of 32 was what happened next: more unexpected deaths, rumors of poisoning, and even murder.
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com/badlands.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sal Mineo: Street Gangs, Ouija Boards, and Unabashed Pride
James Dean’s co-star in Rebel Without a Cause was an early trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community in Hollywood. Over the years he was harassed, heckled, and had his life threatened – just for being himself. When he was mysteriously murdered at the age of 37, the 15-month investigation exposed just how deep intolerance ran in the hearts and minds of many, despite Sal’s efforts to the contrary.
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com/badlands.
This episode
Gianni Versace: Sly Stallone, Madonna, Elton John, a Serial Killer, and the Death of the Sun King
Gianni Versace was a runway iconoclast who outfitted the likes of Madonna, Demi Moore, Prince, Sylvester Stallone, and Don Johnson. He lived like Louis XIV and counted Princess Di and Elton John among his friends. He was plagued by rumors of ties to the Calabrian mafia and a secret health diagnosis. Those rumors continued to persist long after he was gunned down by a serial killer who had been on the lam after murdering four other men in three states.
To see the full list of contributors, see th
Jack Nicholson: Hidden Drugs, Road Rage, and a Shocking Crime
In some of Hollywood’s best-loved movies, Jack Nicholson played jokers, sailors, inmates – even the Devil himself. But he never played by the rules. He allegedly mooned a crowd of thousands at a basketball game. His bedroom kinks were laid bare in the papers. He fought the MPAA and the LAPD. And in 1994, he attempted to establish his own set of rules when he attacked an idling Mercedes-Benz with a two-iron.
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com/badla
Heath Ledger: Baited with Drugs, Beaten to a Pulp, and Beyond the Point of No Return
Heath Ledger’s preparation for and disappearance into his movie roles is legendary, and it’s what helped him play repressed cowboys, junkies, and maniacal clowns equally well. His research led him to junkies who taught him how to properly shoot up using a stolen prosthetic arm and fake blood, and to a personal diary full of cut-and-paste madness. The paparazzi, however, mocked Heath’s method, and took their public quarrel with him to duplicitous lengths.
To see the full list of contributors, see
Introducing BADLANDS Season 3: HOLLYWOODLAND
Which silver screen superstar honed his comedic chops behind bars while doing time for slinging cocaine? Which movie mogul's home in the Hollywood hills played host to one of the most heinous and notorious crimes of the 1970's? And how did ONE movie franchise supposedly curse FOUR different actors, leading them each to an early grave?Hear the unbelievable but true stories behind these questions and more in BADLANDS Season 3: HOLLYWOODLAND.BADLANDS is a true-crime anthology podcast from Jake Bren
Badlands Fixes the Oscars: New Hollywoodland Preview Edition (Bonus Episode)
Jake reveals the full list of subjects for the new season of Hollywoodland by picking their best roles and movies, and righting the historical mistakes we all know the Academy makes every year.This episode was captured live on Twitch on 1/20/22, catch all streams by following https://twitch.tv/disgracelandtalks.Chat with us about the episode by joining our Discord server at https://discord.gg/7WtPB92SVzSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19
Badlands Fixes the Oscars: The Hollywoodland Season 1 Awards (Bonus Episode)
Jake kicks off the coming season of more Hollywood true crime tales by looking back at all the stars of Hollywoodland Season 1, picking their best roles and movies, and righting the mistakes we all know the Academy makes every year by giving out our own honorary awards.This episode was captured live on Twitch on January 20th, 2022. Catch all streams by following https://twitch.tv/disgracelandtalksChat with us about the episode by joining our Discord server at https://discord.gg/7WtPB92SVzSee Pri
Presenting Disgraceland Season 9: Taylor Swift: Interstate Stalking, Vanishing Masters, and Love Letters Gone Wrong (Excerpt)
Deranged stalkers, heroin hounds, and the leering eyes of the FBI – find out who’s visiting Disgraceland this winter in Season 9 of the award-winning music and true crime podcast. Check out this excerpt from the the Season 9 premiere episode on Taylor Swift.Listen to the all new season, as well as the first 8 seasons of Disgraceland, only on Amazon Music: amazon.com/disgraceland. For episode notes and other great shows, visit doubleelvis.com and join the Disgraceland community on Twitch and Inst
Presenting: Disgraceland Season 9 Trailer
Deranged stalkers, heroin hounds, and the leering eyes of the FBI; find out who’s visiting Disgraceland this winter in the Season 9 trailer of Disgraceland. The newest season of the award-winning music and true crime podcast launches January 11, 2022 exclusively on Amazon Music. Visit amazon.com/disgraceland to follow and listen to every episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Marilyn Monroe (Part 1): Who Killed Marilyn? JFK? RFK? The KKK? Probable Suicide and a Conspiracy Theory That Won't Quit (Best-Of Episode)
Relive the episode that started it all for Badlands – Marilyn Monroe. Spend New Year's bingeing the whole season and get hyped for Hollywoodland 2 coming your way in the New Year... more on that soon.Marilyn Monroe is one of the greatest Hollywood stars of all time. She rose from orphan to icon by creating an on screen character America could not peel their eyes away from. And she did it all while battling anxiety, depression, and addiction. Along the way she bedded, married, and otherwise conqu
Presenting Disgraceland: Derek and the Dominos: Clapton, Cocaine, Motorcycles, and Murder
Hey BADLANDS fans: Need a little more true crime in your life? Yeah, us too. If you love BADLANDS, we want to introduce you to host Jake Brennan's other show—the rock and roll true-crime podcast that started it all, DISGRACELAND. Now in its 8th season, DISGRACELAND is an award-winning anthology series about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly, including episodes on the Beach Boys, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitney Houston, the Rolling Stones, Cardi B, Led Zeppelin, and many more.In 1
Badlands Holiday Movie Special: Jake Discusses the Greatest Holiday Movies of All Time
What are your favorite holiday movies? Traditional? Modern? Dark? Funny? Jake, Zeth, and Taylor sound off with their picks to fill out your December viewing lists.Join the conversation live on Twitch at DisgracelandTalks.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Presenting: The Rumor
As their investigation picks up pace in "The Rumor", Sam and Mac land on the trail of a former Baltimore cop with the menacing-sounding nickname of Mad Dog—someone they’ve been told might have insider intel about the rumor. And after parsing a 1997 police report from the Ripken residence for clues, Sam and Mac head for the wealthy Baltimore exurb that appears to have more horses than people. Meanwhile, Sam reveals his intimate connection to the Kevin Costner oeuvre.See Privacy Policy at https://
O.J. Simpson: Stolen Memorabilia, Armed Robbery, Fake Gangsters, and Blood in Brentwood
This is not the O.J. Simpson story you were expecting. This is the story of what happened after the former running back was acquitted for the murder of his ex-wife and her friend. It’s an insane story that involves missing sports memorabilia, ex-cons, a supposedly simple plan, and one of the most unbelievable armed robberies in Las Vegas’ sordid history.
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com/badlands.
This episode contains themes that may be disturbi
Ty Cobb: Playing Smart and Mean, Fighting Dirty and Often, and Separating Truth from Fiction
Ty Cobb was one of the smartest baseball players of all time. He could stretch a single into a double. He could steal second, third, and home base all in the same at-bat. He used the threat of violence to intimidate other players and get what he wanted. He had a short fuse, so violence wasn’t reserved for the basepaths. He fought with teammates, with fans, and with normal people just going about their business. He beat up hecklers with his bare hands. He pointed loaded guns at grocers. Some said
Spider Sabich: Freak Power, Cocaine, and Murder in Aspen
In the 1960s and 1970s, Aspen, Colorado gained a reputation as a trendy hotbed of hippies, beautiful people, liberal politics, and even more liberal drug use. It was a powdery playground for some of the country’s greatest downhill skiers, as well as some of the country’s most famous people looking for some anonymous R&R. And Aspen was all fun and games until the day that America’s most handsome and famous skier, Spider Sabich, was shot dead in his home. His girlfriend, the French singer Claudine
Pete Rose: Full-Throttle Hustle, Gambling with Gangsters, and Winning at Any Cost
Pete Rose was the biggest winner in baseball history. He played more games. He had more hits. The numbers prove he was, unequivocally, the best. But his desire to win became an all-consuming compulsion both on and off the baseball diamond. When he could no longer rack up wins on the field as a player, he sought out other ways to feel like a winner. This led to bets placed with gangsters, debts owed to vengeful bookies, and a web of secrets and lies that would ultimately prove his undoing.
To see
Tonya Harding: Free Will, Bad Luck, a Whack Gone Wrong, and Being Doomed from the Start
The attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan that fellow US Olympian Tonya Harding organized is so well-known that nearly 30 years later, it remains one of the most shocking and infamous events in modern sports. But that attack is only part of the story. The whole story is full of nefarious plots, arrests for assault, drunk car crashes, and sobering realities that are predestined and never, ever subject to change.
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com/
Sonny Liston: Managed by the Mob, Heavyweight Champ of the Prison and then the World, and What It Takes to Be the Baddest of Them All
Sonny Liston transcended a life of petty crime, police busts, and prison time to become the heavyweight champion of the world. He was so feared as a fighter, however, that he made it to the big time with the financial backing of a rogue’s gallery of infamous underworld figures. That dubious association would win him some fights, lose him some fights, and ultimately, lead to more than a few suspicious asterisks next to his boxing record. And it may have even killed him.
To see the full list of co
Evel Knievel: Cracking Safes, a Beatdown with a Baseball Bat, and Jumping the Shark
Evel Knievel’s name is synonymous with motorcycle stunts and repeated personal injury. But the famous daredevil was more than just the guy who repeatedly broke every bone in his body in pursuit of high-flying glory on Wild World of Sports. Evel Knievel was a burglar, a safecracker, a card cheat, a con man, and the kind of hot-tempered control freak that you didn’t want to piss off. You can’t make up the things that happened to Evel Knievel when he wasn’t riding his motorcycle. You may not even b
Aaron Hernandez: A Botched Execution, a Rattled Cage, and a Disgraced Patriot
In April 2015, Aaron Hernandez, a former tight end for the New England Patriots, was found guilty of the cold-blooded murder of a semi-pro footballer and sentenced to life in prison. But there’s more to this story than the tragic death of Odin Lloyd. The story of the most disgraced player in NFL history involves strip clubs, a botched execution, a disgruntled drug dealer, a busted eardrum, ex-con bodyguards, and an unsolved double homicide in the heart of Boston that was on the verge of going co
Oscar Pistorius: Prison Threats, Crime Bosses, the World’s Most Impossible Olympian, and a Valentine’s Day Murder
Oscar Pistorius’s rise from double-amputee sprinter to unprecedented Olympic athlete gave South Africa a feel-good face as the country hoped to heal from a half century of apartheid. But Oscar’s inevitable fall turned that feel-good face into a brave face. It didn’t take long for his athletic accomplishments to be overshadowed by near-death accidents, arrests, guns, confessed murderers, prison gangs, mob bosses, and a Valentine’s Day murder that shook South Africa, and the world, to its core.
To
Mike Tyson: Sidewalk Beatdowns, Downward Spirals, Cocaine, and Self-Destruction
Mike Tyson’s arrival as a prodigious 18-year-old professional boxer in the 1980s represented a major paradigm shift in the sport. But just as quickly as he rose, Mike Tyson began to fall. Tortured by feelings of loss, abandonment, and self-loathing, and manipulated by a promoter who only paid attention to the bottom line, Mike spiraled into violence, drugs, and increasingly bizarre behavior. When he was released from prison on parole for a rape conviction in 1995, Mike Tyson faced a crossroads:
Bonus Episode: BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland Preview with Dan Patrick
A sneak peek into BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland, featuring Jake’s conversation with sportscasting legend Dan Patrick about Pete Rose’s gambling woes, O.J. Simpson, and Dan’s Hollywood turns with Adam Sandler.New episodes of BADLANDS: SPORTSLAND dropping September 22nd.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Introducing BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland
What was a retired running back looking for when he led an armed posse into a Las Vegas hotel? Why did violence outside the ring follow the heavyweight champion of the world all the way up to a small city in Maine? And did the first player ever elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame really kill a man?Hear the unbelievable but true stories behind these questions and many more in BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland.BADLANDS is a true-crime anthology podcast from Jake Brennan, creator and host of the award-w
Introducing: 9/12
How did 9/11 the day become 9/11 the idea? That question drives award-winning host Dan Taberski (Missing Richard Simmons, Running From COPS, The Line) to shift his focus to what happened on 9/12, and every day after that. 9/12 is a poignant, surprising, and surprisingly funny seven episode series about people who wake up on 9/12 having to navigate a new, radically altered world. A teenager gets caught up in an out-of-control conspiracy theory that he helpe
A Look Back at BADLANDS Season 1: Hollywoodland
This is a bonus episode of BADLANDS. Before the launch of BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland, we take a look back at BADLANDS Season 1: Hollywoodland. BADLANDS host Jake Brennan talks with Zeth Lundy, Editorial Director at Double Elvis, about the time Sean Connery punched a real gangster, the mysterious death of Marilyn Monroe, and suspicions surrounding Bruce Lee shortly after the Manson murders.Binge BADLANDS Season 1: Hollywoodland in its entirety now. Beginning September 22, you can hear new epis
Introducing "Blood on the Tracks Season 2: The John Lennon Story" trailer (Double Elvis)
John Lennon: Rebel. Radical. Revolutionary. The story of John Lennon’s post-Beatles years in the turbulent, political, and violent 1970s is told from the perspective of those who knew him best. BLOOD ON THE TRACKS is part true crime, part historical fiction, part spoken word lo-fi beat noir brought to you by Jake Brennan, the host of the award-winning music and true crime podcast, DISGRACELAND. It features the fictionalized voices of David Bowie, Yoko Ono, Harry Nilsson, Richard Nixon, Mark Davi
Introducing Disgraceland: Episode #82, The Beatles
Hey BADLANDS fans: Need a little more true crime in your life? Yeah, us too. If you loved Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND, we want to introduce you to host Jake Brennan's other show—the rock and roll true-crime podcast that started it all, DISGRACELAND. Now in its 8th season, DISGRACELAND is an award-winning anthology series about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly, including episodes on the Beach Boys, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitney Houston, the Rolling Stones, Cardi B, Led Zeppeli
Lana Turner: The Preeminent Pinup Girl, the King of Los Angeles, and the Death of Johnny Stompanato
As captivating as actress Lana Turner was on screen, her personal life off screen was more dramatic than any movie could hope to be. Her father, turning up dead over a poker pot. Her co-star, Sean Connery, throwing down with pre-Bond panache when her boyfriend threatened to beat her up. And that same boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato, winding up dead in her Hollywood home after another of their infamous arguments.
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com/bad
Natalie Wood: Secrets, Prophecies, Pills, and When the Wrong Dreams Come True
Natalie Wood was one of the most loved child stars of the silver screen in the mid-20th century, and the rare celebrity who was able to transition gracefully into grown-up roles all while maintaining an air of dignity and grace. She acted alongside Orson Welles, James Dean, Warren Beatty, and Bette Davis, and many of her roles remain iconic decades later. But beneath her unprecedented professional success was a life unseen by the public – a life full of fears, paranoias, pills, gypsy curses, and
Dennis Hopper: Dynamite, Cocaine, Cheating Death, Subverting Hollywood, and Life on the Fringe
Dennis Hopper revolutionized American cinema by bringing the counterculture to the mainstream with his 1969 film Easy Rider. But he also lived his life in tandem with his art, on the fringes of society and sanity. His stubborn attitude and crazy ideas quickly transformed him from a hippie prophet into a longhaired loser. Hopper’s journey from success to failure and back again took him through jungles, deserts, and mountains, and involved varying degrees of drugs, guns, hallucinations, and ex-wiv
George Reeves: Elusive Truth, Absent Justice, and the American Way...Hollywood Style
Superman may be more powerful than a locomotive, but George Reeves, the actor who famously portrayed the Man of Steel on TV in the 1950s, was very much a mortal man. Did George Reeves really take his own life in June 1959, as the official report stated? Was he actually murdered by an impulsive girlfriend? Or was his death a highly orchestrated hit by one of Hollywood’s most infamous fixers?
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com/badlands.
This episode
Bruce Lee: Fists of Fury, the Death Touch, Murder Suspect #1, and Hollywood’s Ultimate Outsider
Bruce Lee got into so much trouble as a kid in Hong Kong that his parents banished him to the place of his birth: America. There he found all kinds of new trouble to get into. He upset kung fu traditionalists with his revolutionary style of fighting. He challenged long-held perceptions in racist Hollywood. He was an outsider determined to change the system the hard way – but did bringing about change cost Bruce Lee his life?
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgrac
John Holmes: Big Units, Freebase Briefcases, Four on the Floor, and the Wonderland Murders
John Holmes unexpectedly found fame in the 1970s with a freakishly large appendage that proved a gateway into the burgeoning adult entertainment industry. He appeared in over 2,000 porn films and is alleged to have slept with over 14,000 women. But a severe drug habit put him in close contact with some strange bedfellows in the Los Angeles underworld, including a ragtag gang of junkies and dealers, and Eddie Nash, a dangerous criminal mastermind. Drugs, desperation, and double-crossing would eve
Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle: Underground Brothels, Hush Money, Bootlegged Booze, and the Making of Hollywood’s Greatest Scandal
A century ago, at the birth of movie superstardom, silent film star Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was at the center of a scandal that rocked Hollywood to its core. He was accused of a murderous sex crime so depraved that it turned the nation not only against him but against Hollywood itself. It led to the trial of the century, and a test of whether America’s elite veil of privilege could be pierced by the long arm of justice. The tide of public opinion that followed was so strong that it made Hollywoo
River Phoenix: Religious Cults, Street Kids, Speedballs, and Viper Rooms
River Phoenix was a once-in-a-generation talent. In the 1980s, a decade known for artifice and excess, he brought raw acting chops to performances in Stand by Me, Running on Empty, and My Own Private Idaho. His career was only just getting started when he died tragically at the age of 23 outside a notorious nightclub in Hollywood. The story of his short life is as complicated and dramatic as one of his signature roles, and includes brushes with religious cults, skinheads, street hustlers, and L.