137 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 • 1.3K 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 - Danny Trejo: A Prison Riot, the Gas Chamber, and Becoming Fear

    REWIND - Danny Trejo: A Prison Riot, the Gas Chamber, and Becoming Fear

    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.
    To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com/badlands.
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    • 37 min
    REWIND - Sal Mineo: Street Gangs, Ouija Boards, and Unabashed Pride

    REWIND - Sal Mineo: Street Gangs, Ouija Boards, and Unabashed Pride

    James Dean’s co-star in Rebel Without a Cause was an early trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community in Hollywood. Over the years he was harassed, heckled, and had his life threatened – just for being himself. When he was mysteriously murdered at the age of 37, the 15-month investigation exposed just how deep intolerance ran in the hearts and minds of many, despite Sal’s efforts to the contrary.
    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 sexual assault.
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    • 46 min
    REWIND - The Dating Game Killer: Persuasion, Charm, and a Depraved Murderer at Large

    REWIND - The Dating Game Killer: Persuasion, Charm, and a Depraved Murderer at Large

    Rodney Alcala, AKA The Dating Game Killer, was a depraved murderer who eluded authorities for years. He hid his true identity behind charm and persuasion. He worked as a summer camp counselor while on the lam for the savage assault of an eight-year-old girl. He convinced his parole officer to let him take a vacation to the other side of the country, where he proceeded to commit another of his many murders. While New Yorkers were watching their backs for the Son of Sam in the summer of ’77, he killed again. And at the height of his killing spree, he managed to star in one of the creepiest moments in Hollywood history as a contestant on a popular television game show.
    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 sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and graphic descriptions of violence.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 42 min
    REWIND - Evel Knievel: Cracking Safes, a Beatdown with a Baseball Bat, and Jumping the Shark

    REWIND - Evel Knievel: Cracking Safes, a Beatdown with a Baseball Bat, and Jumping the Shark

    Evel Knievel’s name is synonymous with motorcycle stunts and repeated personal injury. But the famous daredevil was more than just the guy who repeatedly broke every bone in his body in pursuit of high-flying glory on Wild World of Sports. Evel Knievel was a burglar, a safecracker, a card cheat, a con man, and the kind of hot-tempered control freak that you didn’t want to piss off. You can’t make up the things that happened to Evel Knievel when he wasn’t riding his motorcycle. You may not even believe them.
    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.
    This episode was originally published on October 6, 2021.
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    • 39 min
    REWIND - George Reeves: Elusive Truth, Absent Justice, and the American Way...Hollywood Style

    REWIND - George Reeves: Elusive Truth, Absent Justice, and the American Way...Hollywood Style

    Superman may be more powerful than a locomotive, but George Reeves, the actor who famously portrayed the Man of Steel on TV in the 1950s, was very much a mortal man. Did George Reeves really take his own life in June 1959, as the official report stated? Was he actually murdered by an impulsive girlfriend? Or was his death a highly orchestrated hit by one of Hollywood’s most infamous fixers?
    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 suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 40 min
    Presenting DISGRACELAND: Anthony Bourdain: Junk, Romance, and a Lust for Life

    Presenting DISGRACELAND: Anthony Bourdain: Junk, Romance, and a Lust for Life

    Anthony Bourdain had a lust for life. He went all in on adventure, indulgence, food, romance – including the romance of a heroin addiction that he chased through the restaurant kitchens and grimy rock clubs of 1980s Manhattan. For years he was a struggling cook and writer, but his first book, published when he was 43 years old, was an overnight success. He parlayed success as a writer into success as a TV host, traveling all over the world, dining with rockstars, presidents, and everyone in between. He dodged bullets, the real and the figurative kind, the figurative kind from the tabloids having the most impact. But in the end, he was unable to dodge the truth, which to a romantic like Anthony Bourdain, was hard to come to terms with.
    To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com.
    This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault and suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

    Enter the new DISGRACELAND contest to win exclusive prizes and unlock rewards. Visit DISGRACELANDCONTEST.COM
    Hurry, the contest ends on March 6th, 2024!

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    • 59 min

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5
1.3K Ratings

1.3K Ratings

chris.nas25 ,

Great podcast

Been listening for a while but dude, the Anthony Bourdain episode was exceptional!!

Lindywasp ,

The misogyny leapt out

I generally love your show, but you all but blaming Asia Argento for the suicide of a known depressive ADULT Anthony Bourdain was nasty work. I’m not an Argento apologist, far from it. I don’t particularly like her, but blaming someone who has a long history of being abused since she was a child for the mental illness of someone else, is, and I say this as a sufferer of depression, gross. If you thought you were being nuanced, you failed.

maracent ,

So well done!

I’ve been binging this podcast and Disgraceland ever since I came across Jake Brennan on another podcast. The writing is fantastic! Keep up the great work Mr. Brennan!!

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