R. Kelly: Superstars, Super Predators, and a 20-Year Reign of Sexual Terror (Rewind)

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 marr…

Bonus Episode: A Murder On Tour, Southern Bands and Brother Bands

The murder from Allman Brothers Band history that didn’t make it into our full episode, your take on the greatest southern bands, and more on this bonus episode of Disgraceland. For more great stories from the intersection of true crime and music, check out our archive, including episodes like:  …

The Allman Brothers Band: Drug Beefs, the Dixie Mafia, and the Making of a President

When The Allman Brothers Band arrived on the scene in Macon, Georgia in 1969, they made an immediate impression. They rehearsed at full volume all day long, and spent their nights taking mushrooms together in a graveyard. To top it off, their band was integrated, which ruffled a lot of feathers in …

Blondie (Rewind): Punk vs. Disco, Held Hostage by Phil Spector, and Riding with Ted Bundy

Blondie got their start as part of New York’s fertile punk scene in the late ‘70s, a time of great musical innovation. Also a time of great fear. Violent crime had the five boroughs in a stranglehold. Muggers, rapists, thieves, criminal deviants of all stripes ran wild in the streets. Or so they sa…

Bonus Episode: Addressing the Tila Tequila Rumor, Billy Corgan’s Shapeshifter, and a Glorious Rock ‘N’ Roll Jimmy Kimmel Performance.

I wanted to talk this week about Billy Corgan’s outrageous shapeshifting claim and how it relates to who he is as a musician, but the Internet had other plans. It was all about to go to sh*t until Low Cut Connie saved us all on national television.

Smashing Pumpkins: Billy Corgan and the Shapeshifter

This is the story about how a drug-related death led to the fracturing of the ‘90s alt-rock giants, how competing narratives amongst band members complicated their legacy, and what Billy Corgan’s strange interaction with a shapeshifter has to do with it all. To listen to Disgraceland ad freeand ge…

Woodstock Pt. 2: A Disaster Movie (Rewind)

The original Woodstock was a literal disaster, declared so on its first day by the state of New York. There were fights, onstage, armed black-shirted hippie gestapo on patrol, and most notably, two dead kids on record. The festival was born of violence, sparked into existence out of organizer Micha…

Woodstock Pt. 1: A Disaster Movie (Rewind)

Woodstock is remembered as the generation-defining moment when the baby boomers demonstrated to the world the power of peace, love and communalism. In reality, what went down at Old Man Yasgur’s farm in August 1969 involved extortion, deaths, countless overdoses, near-mass electrocution, and a stat…

Bonus Episode: Tribute to Sick of it All’s Lou Koller, Plus More John Frusciante and River Phoenix

We pay tribute to Sick Of It All’s Lou Koller, dive deeper into the theories surrounding River Phoenix’s death and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ guitarist John Frusciante’s alleged involvement, and of course answer your questions, voicemails, texts, emails and more,

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ John Frusciante and the Death of River Phoenix

Someone handed River Phoenix a deadly drink containing a liquid speedball. Some claim Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante handed it to him. This is the story of how River Phoenix really died. To listen to Disgraceland ad freeand get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus c…