132 episodes

Badlands is a true crime podcast that explores the real life stories of the famous at their most infamous. Badlands is voiced by Jake Brennan, host of the award-winning podcast DISGRACELAND. In Badlands, each episode digs into the crimes and scandals of our most beloved cultural figures. How did Marilyn Monroe really die? What caused Heath Ledger to end up on the bad side of revenge-seeking paparazzi? How did Winona Ryder help solve a kidnapping case in her adoptive hometown? New scripted episodes of Badlands are released every Wednesday while bonus episodes are released every Friday. Badlands 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/badlands. Badlands is available wherever you get your podcasts.

BADLANDS Double Elvis

    • History
    • 4.4 • 1.4K Ratings

Badlands is a true crime podcast that explores the real life stories of the famous at their most infamous. Badlands is voiced by Jake Brennan, host of the award-winning podcast DISGRACELAND. In Badlands, each episode digs into the crimes and scandals of our most beloved cultural figures. How did Marilyn Monroe really die? What caused Heath Ledger to end up on the bad side of revenge-seeking paparazzi? How did Winona Ryder help solve a kidnapping case in her adoptive hometown? New scripted episodes of Badlands are released every Wednesday while bonus episodes are released every Friday. Badlands 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/badlands. Badlands is available wherever you get your podcasts.

    REWIND - Mickey Rourke: Organized Crime, the IRA, and Method Acting into Oblivion

    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 bloody revenge/suicide plot. And then he turned his back on the silver screen for a new life in the boxing ring. When he returned to Hollywood, his face was so pulverized and surgically altered that he was unrecognizable. So unrecognizable that he had to begin his journey all over again. And at the end of the line was either one of two things waiting for him: redemption or purgatory.
    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 domestic violence, suicide, and graphic descriptions of violence. If you're thinking about suicide or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
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    • 41 min
    REWIND - Diego Maradona: Stolen Blood, Italian Gangsters, and the Hand of God

    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 infamous.
    To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com/badlands.
    This episode was originally published on November 23, 2022.
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    • 40 min
    REWIND - Drew Barrymore: Curses, Corpses, and a Coked-Up Child Star in the Club

    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 Drew’s grandfather and father before her already proved, no one acts – or parties – quite like a Barrymore. No one crashes and burns quite like a Barrymore, either. 
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    • 41 min
    Presenting DISGRACELAND - William S. Burroughs: Obscenity, a Decapitated Mouse, and the Deadly William Tell Routine

    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…and pulled the trigger.
    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.
    Go to badlandsfood.com/DISGRACELAND to learn how you can see incredible changes in your dog’s health!
    Visit Tecovas in store or go to tecovas.com and find your new favorite pair of boots today!
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    • 41 min
    REWIND – Brittany Murphy: Pills, Paranoia, and Poison

    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.
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    • 45 min
    Adrienne Shelly: Celluloid Dreams, Suicide Coverups, and a Recipe for Murder

    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.
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    • 37 min

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5
1.4K Ratings

1.4K Ratings

lkulm ,

Adrienne shelly

Hello Jake! Wanted to thank you so much for this wonderful story on Adrienne Shelly! A beautiful woman who had so much more to give this world, you are the best Jake. Rock A rolla☮️

colbyjack.tampa ,

Absolutely LOVE your show

You are freaking awesome. I can’t get enough

Elaine in Baltimore ,

You’ve got my attention

Love your storytelling style and subjects.

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