Weekend Buff

DISGRACELAND 2018 - Present

There is a different angle for this edition of Weekend Buff.

I am a constant listener to podcasts. Most of my news and politics info comes from a wide spectrum of podcasters. I also satiate my love of history with a podcast on occasion. One topic I don’t hit on too often is the true crime genre. It seems like the “true” part is a little too tenuous for most cops to listen to. The genre is filled with novice “investigators” spinning conspiracy theories from the couch, glass of wine in hand.

But recently I found one that is worth a listen. It’s called DISGRACELAND. This is a rock and roll / true crime mashup that covers the wild stories of the music industry. It covers crimes from drug sales to homicide in the music scene.

You see all the usual suspects here. Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones, The Sex Pistols all get their dutiful nods here. Disgraceland doesn’t just cover rock though. I was surprised at some of the tales from country music, jazz, soul, rap, and some Hollywood for good measure.

Many episodes cover band histories in general and their ties to crime, while others review specific incidents. Everything from the serial killer who followed AC/DC, to the long running shenanigans at Motown Records.

Being a bit of a Deadhead, I started with two of the episodes that cover the Grateful Dead. A mix of hilarity, conspiracy, and downright incredulity mark the episodes. Disgraceland relates The Dead’s appearance on Hugh Hefner’s “Playboy After Dark” TV show in 1969. Jerry Garcia and his sound engineer Bear Stanley decided to add LSD to the coffee urn on set.

The results are exactly what you would expect. TV execs, the audience, the band all on a long strange trip. It funny from 45 years in the future, when you aren’t the victim. Hugh Hefner seemed fine with it. He wrote them a nice letter thanking them for their time.

Like many of the True Crime podcasts, this one takes some liberty with the truth, floating into the realm of the probable rather than the known, but you get the gist of the story. And these topics usually not as serious as some of podcasts that spin conspiracies on active murder investigations, so no harm - no foul.

There are over 300 episodes of the show, so plenty of material, and you can pick and choose your topics. I’m looking forward to hearing about the criminal antics of Merle Haggard – apparently Merle had quite the criminal career – who knew! Each episode runs about 45 minutes. The host and creator is Jake Brennan, a writer and musician. He gives a dynamic voice to the pod.

You can catch the episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on the Disgraceland website at disgracelandpod.com. Enjoy a trip through sex, drugs, rock-n-roll, and crime.

Thanks for reading The Ops Desk. Stay Safe!