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 Los Angeles, carrying a loaded .357 Magnum and a copy of The Joshua Tree, ready to do whatever it took to meet the women he was obsessed with.
This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including descriptions of stalking.
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com.
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U2: Death Threats, a Song that Inspired a Killer, and the Murder of Rebecca Schaeffer

Disgraceland is the award-winning music podcast hosted by Jake Brennan that explores the alleged true crime antics and criminal connections of musicians we love like Jerry Lee Lewis, the Rolling Stones, Taylor Swift, David Bowie, Cardi B, the Grateful Dead, Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley, and more. Disgraceland is a scripted, single voice narrative storytelling podcast that melds true crime, music history, mystery, and misadventure. Disgraceland is not a journalistic podcast. It is an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. Certain dialogue and scenes are sometimes fictionalized for dramatic purposes as they are in most scripted entertainment based on true events. Sources and credits for each episode are available at disgracelandpod.com. Full scripted episodes are released every Tuesday. Bonus “After Party” episodes are released every Thursday. Disgraceland is available wherever you get your podcasts.
To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership.

Society & Culture

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True crime

Ice-T stoked the wrath of the President of the United States, led the life of a successful jewel thief, ran with one of LA’s most notorious street gangs, the Crips, and was a soldier in the US Army. Along the way, he invented gangsta rap. But it wouldn’t be rap music that would threaten his career—it would be hardcore music, particularly the song “Cop Killer” from his punk band, Body Count.
To view the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com.
This episode was originally published on September 15, 2020.
To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership.
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REWIND – Ice-T: Crip Rhymes, a Cop Killer, Thieving Jewels and Inventing Gangsta Rap

This week in the After Party, Jake talks humans' fascination with true crime, crossing the line, this week's DISGRACELAND episode on Garth Brooks, and of course your emails, texts, DMS, and voicemails. What artist would you be least surprised to find out is a serial killer? What do the real Garth Brooks fans feel about all this? Get in touch at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party.
To hear an extended version of the After Party with stories about Garth Brooks' awkwardness and burying his master tapes under Hollywood Boulevard, and more from the DISGRACELAND community, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership.
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Bonus Episode: The Criminal Element, Awkward Garth, and Armchair Psychoanalysts

Garth Brooks has more albums that have sold over 10 million copies than any other artist in history. He cut one of the biggest record deals in history – bigger than Madonna or Prince, a deal matched at the time only by Michael Jackson. His live shows are just as big, like when he triggered an actual earthquake in Baton Rouge. But it was along Garth Brooks’ seismic tour route that online detectives began to suss out a rumor…a rumor tying together the cities in which Garth Brooks performed and missing persons cases. A rumor that left some people asking, “Where are the bodies, G?”
This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including descriptions of domestic violence.
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com.
To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership.
Visit Tecovas in store or go to tecovas.com and find your new favorite pair of boots today!
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Garth Brooks: Earthquakes, Internet Rumors, and Missing Persons

Frank Sinatra had it all, then lost it all, then got it all back tenfold. He was a man of extreme talent, confidence and insecurity. And he had powerful and dangerous friends. He orchestrated some of the greatest music ever made. And he also orchestrated an alliance between two friends—mob boss Sam Giancana and John F. Kennedy—that would help the latter win the White House and, in the end, prove disastrous for Frank and the country.
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com.
This episode was originally published on July 31, 2019.
To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership.
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REWIND - Frank Sinatra: Frankie Is the Reason...That the President's Dead

This week in the After Party, Jake talks collaborations, new genres, this week's DISGRACELAND episode on Public Enemy, and of course your emails, texts, DMS, and voicemails. Which artist has best represented the world in a "folk music" way? What are your thoughts on PE's Fear of a Black Planet? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party.
To hear an extended version of the After Party with a story about Public Enemy's engineer getting mugged and almost inadvertently leaking Fear of a Black Planet, and more from the DISGRACELAND community, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership.
Visit Tecovas in store or go to tecovas.com and find your new favorite pair of boots today!
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U2: Death Threats, a Song that Inspired a Killer, and the Murder of Rebecca Schaeffer

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