Listen Now

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 the stuff of legend, as is the “Paul is dead” conspiracy at the end of their time together as a band, but the truth may be even stranger. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 really going on behind closed doors. And what was going on was wilder than the untamed dreams of a Hollywood screenwriter. Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes every Wednesday, or binge the entire new season right now only on Amazon Music amazon.com/badlands. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault and graphic descriptions of violence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 music that has been copied by everyone from the Eagles to Ryan Adams. He directly influenced the Rolling Stones’ greatest album, possibly the greatest rock ‘n’ roll album of all time, Exile on Main Street. And when he died his body was stolen and unceremoniously disposed of. This is the story of Gram Parsons' life, death and very strange aftermath. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 on his two off-field addictions: sex and cocaine. Nothing could stop him – not even failed drug tests or undercover grandmas busting his drug deals - until the day he had the barrel of a loaded gun pressed against his head. Then... everything changed. Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes every Wednesday, or binge the entire new season right now only on Amazon Music amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 in a controversial paternity lawsuit, murder seemed like the only way to keep his dream alive.  This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including graphic depictions of violence. Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes every Wednesday, or binge the entire new season right now only on Amazon Music amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the 1980's and 1990's, thanks to cocaine, soccer in Colombia had never been better. 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 prison walls, featuring an audience of armed guards and the country’s most feared man. Soccer was serious business in Colombia – life or death business. Andrés Escobar would find out just how serious when he scored a dreaded own goal during the 1994 World Cup. Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes every Wednesday, or binge the entire new season right now only on Amazon Music amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 contentious collision of fandom and greedy capitalism, soccer – and, for that matter, all sports – would never be the same again. Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes every Wednesday, or binge the entire new season right now only on Amazon Music amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 - but they had no idea just how bonkers until he showed up to rescue a cold-blooded killer from a tense police standoff, loaded on cocaine and armed with some bottles of lager, two fishing rods, and a rotisserie chicken. Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes every Wednesday, or binge the entire new season right now only on Amazon Music amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 infamous. Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes every Wednesday, or binge the entire new season right now only on Amazon Music amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 way to Halloween, Robert Rozier found himself on the run – not down a football field, but into haunted woods - with authorities hot on his tail. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including graphic depictions of violence. Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes every Wednesday, or binge the entire new season right now only on Amazon Music amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 people noticed. The mafia. The feds. The media. Even crazed fans…who wanted him dead. Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes every Wednesday, or binge the entire new season right now only on Amazon Music amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including graphic depictions of violence involving animals. Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes every Wednesday, or binge the entire new season right now only on Amazon Music amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 Lewis was arrested and charged with a shocking double murder. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including child abuse, domestic violence, and graphic depictions of violence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 swing, we’ll explore the intersection of gridiron giants and true crime, with stories about Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, Joe Namath, Robert Rozier, and Lawrence Taylor. And just in time for the World Cup, we’re tackling the sins and scandals of the soccer world, with episodes on Diego Maradona, Andrés Escobar, Paul Gascoigne, Bruno Fernandes de Souza, and of course, the infamous Hillsborough Disaster of 1989. Listen to new episodes of Badlands beginning October 26 wherever you get your podcasts, or binge the entire new season exclusively on Amazon Music at amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 of how Dwayne Johnson transcended a life of petty street crime to become one of the biggest cultural icons of the 21st century. Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of Hollywoodland each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of Badlands: Hollywoodland on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 kept her locked in a closet. In court, Patty claimed she was brainwashed and that she played along for her own safety. It’s true that Patty Hearst gave the performance of a lifetime — but we still don’t know which part of her life was the performance. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including graphic depictions of violence. Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of Hollywoodland each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of Badlands: Hollywoodland on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 in high demand. Just ask the guy who dug up his corpse and held it for ransom. Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of Hollywoodland each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of Badlands: Hollywoodland on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 overload of lights, camera, action. He worked hard, and played harder. And when it all came to a crashing halt in a Hollywood bungalow, one question remained: Was John Belushi’s death the result of foul play? Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of Hollywoodland each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of Badlands: Hollywoodland on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 only by his need to fulfill his darkest desires…a need that would end in murder. Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of Hollywoodland each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of Badlands: Hollywoodland on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 protection. After the dust settled on a bloody prison riot, Trejo found himself staring down the death penalty. Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of Hollywoodland each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of Badlands: Hollywoodland on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.