Jackalope Tales on Radio Misfits

Charles Mooney, Lisa Umbarger
  • 5.0 (36)
  • MUSIC COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Jackalope Tales pulls back the curtain on the strange, spooky, and sometimes shocking urban legends that lurk within the music industry. Hosts, and founding members of the platinum selling band Toadies, Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger explore the weird and wacky stories behind music’s biggest names. Some legends are too bizarre to be true, while others may have a kernel of truth buried beneath the hype. You’ll never listen to your favorite songs the same way again after you hear the outlandish myths behind them on Jackalope Tales.

  1. 5D AGO

    Jackalope Tales – The Show Must Go Wrong

    Some bands want you to feel the music. Others want you to sign a waiver. In The Show Must Go Wrong, Charles and Lisa dive headfirst into the beautiful disaster zone of live music where safety is optional, chaos is guaranteed, and the stage is just another weapon. Charles breaks down the legacy of Hanatarash, the most dangerous live band ever—where bulldozers, power tools, and flying debris were just part of the set list. No encores. No refunds. Possibly no walls left standing. Lisa counters with her own firsthand trauma—seeing Genitorturers live—a show that blurred the line between concert, endurance test, and something you’re pretty sure violated at least three city ordinances. This episode is about bands that didn’t just push boundaries… They sprinted past them, lit them on fire, and asked the crowd to stand closer. If you’ve ever thought, “This show could kill me,” Congratulations—you’re the target audience. Jackalope Tales — where the music is loud, the stories are darker, and the show always goes wrong. [Ep 125] Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content! Produced by: Charles Mooney Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney

    1h 6m

  2. FEB 4

    Jackalope Tales – Tapin’ Pennies

    Tapin’ Pennies is the sound of a nation learning—too late—that nothing in life is cheaper than “11 records for a penny.” In this episode of Jackalope Tales, Charles and Lisa dig up the glorious scam-adjacent era of mail-order music clubs, when all you needed was a ballpoint pen, a form torn from the back of a magazine, and a penny taped on like a hostage note to your future finances. The promise was simple: vinyl, cassettes, or 8-tracks delivered straight to your door. The reality? Lifetime obligations, mysterious billing, and the creeping feeling you’d accidentally entered into a legally binding curse. Lisa opens the case file on Columbia Music Club, the gateway drug of mail-order regret—where every teenager learned the hard way that “no obligation” was more of a vibe than a rule. Charles follows with the velvet-voiced menace of Longines Symphonette, a company that didn’t just sell music, but a dream… and then invoiced you for it forever. It’s a darkly funny tour through fine print, threatening letters, surprise shipments, and the quiet shame of realizing you owe money for albums you never ordered, don’t like, and can’t explain to your parents. Tape the penny. Lick the envelope. Ruin your credit. This is Tapin’ Pennies. [Ep 124] Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content! Produced by: Charles Mooney Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney

    59 min

  3. JAN 28

    Jackalope Tales – We Put The Fed In Feedback

    This week on Jackalope Tales, Charles and Lisa crank the amps, dim the lights, and wave hello to the invisible guy in the trench coat taking notes from across the street. Lisa dives into the rumor-soaked paranoia buffet of Devo—a band so weird, so anti-normal, and so aggressively “we’re all devolving into meat robots” that the feds allegedly kept an eye on them like they were one synth line away from toppling the government. Was it the art? The message? The matching outfits? Or did someone in Washington simply fear the power of a plastic energy dome? Then Charles takes the mic and drags the Monkees into the surveillance spotlight—because apparently even America’s favorite manufactured pop band wasn’t safe once they started getting too mouthy and too independent. When you’re smiling for the cameras but saying the wrong things off-script, Big Brother doesn’t cancel you… he files you. It’s music history with a side of dread, paranoia, and government paperwork—because nothing says “freedom” like a federal employee building a case file titled: “Subject appears to be… funky.” Turn it up. Act normal. And remember: if you’re hearing feedback… it might not be your speaker. [Ep 123] Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content! Produced by: Charles Mooney Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney

    48 min

  4. JAN 21

    Jackalope Tales – Brought Back By Thirst Traps

    Some songs die with dignity. Others get dragged out of the grave by a 7-second video, a suspiciously sweaty dance trend, and a comment section full of people typing “WHAT IS THIS SONG???” like they just discovered music. In “Brought Back By Thirst Traps,” Charles and Lisa dig up the tracks that social media resurrected—songs that went from forgotten relic to algorithmic deity overnight. The kind of tunes that suddenly become more famous now than they ever were back when radio still mattered and people pretended they weren’t obsessed with strangers on the internet. We’re talking about the hits that got reborn through memes, edits, thirst traps, and “POV: you’re falling in love with a villain” montages—only to end up stuck in your head like a cursed chant you didn’t consent to. It’s dark. It’s hilarious. It’s a little tragic/significantly horny (emotionally). And it’s proof that in 2026, nothing stays dead… as long as someone can shake ass to it in perfect lighting. Welcome back to the graveyard, baby. The playlist is haunted. [Ep 122] Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content! Produced by: Charles Mooney Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney

    59 min

  5. JAN 14

    Jackalope Tales – Trudeau… TrueDat!

    In this episode of Jackalope Tales, Charles and Lisa head north of the border to untangle the most musically messy political bloodline Canada ever produced: the Trudeaus. First up, Papa Trudeau himself — Pierre Trudeau — the intellectual heartthrob who governed Canada by day and allegedly ran with rock stars by night. We dive into the long-whispered legend of Pierre’s rumored romance with Barbra Streisand, a pairing so aggressively artsy it may have required a beret and a mirror ball. Was it love, politics, or just two powerful egos colliding over candlelight and show tunes? Canada still won’t say. Then we jump generations to his son, Justin Trudeau, a man who looks like he was genetically engineered in a focus group. Charles and Lisa unpack the current buzz swirling around Justin and pop superstar Katy Perry — a story that lives somewhere between tabloid fantasy, internet conspiracy, and “wait… what?” energy. Along the way, we explore the bizarre gravitational pull between political power and musical fame, why Trudeaus keep orbiting artists like moths to a very glamorous flame, and how Canada somehow stays polite while all this is allegedly happening. It’s politics, pop music, rumors, relationships, and enough maple-syrup-flavored chaos to make you question everything you thought you knew about power couples. Trudeau… TrueDat! Because sometimes the wildest musician stories don’t start backstage — they start in parliament. [Ep 121] Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content! Produced by: Charles Mooney Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney

    51 min

  6. JAN 7

    Jackalope Tales – G.I. Jams

    Attention, maggots. In this episode of Jackalope Tales, Charles and Lisa salute the strange, uncomfortable intersection of rock ’n’ roll and government-issued underwear. Lisa reports for duty with the story of Frank Zappa, whose brief flirtation with the military proved that no amount of discipline can survive contact with sarcasm, long hair, and a brain that refuses to salute. Expect tales of authority figures losing patience and Frank losing interest. Meanwhile, Charles digs into Johnny Cash, a man who joined the military, learned Morse code, possibly learned what not to do with military equipment, and then turned that experience into the emotional backbone of American music — after being politely shown the door. From boot camp boredom to command-level regret, G.I. Jams explores what happens when musicians are briefly forced to follow orders… and how quickly the armed forces realized this might’ve been a mistake. Lock, load, and listen — this episode is not approved by the Pentagon. [Ep 120] Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content! Produced by: Charles Mooney Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney

    47 min

  7. 12/31/2025

    Jackalope Tales – Balls-a-Droopin’

    New Year’s Eve is supposed to be champagne, countdowns, and pretending your life is about to change. But in Jackalope Tales fashion, Charles and Lisa ring in the new year by dragging out the ghosts, glitches, and catastrophic vibes that show up when musicians tempt fate at midnight. Charles revisits the tragic and eerie final moments of Ricky Nelson, whose New Year’s Eve plans ended not with confetti, but with a plane crash that froze time and sealed a legend in the worst way possible. It’s dark, it’s sobering, and it’s the ultimate reminder that not everyone makes it to “Auld Lang Syne.” Meanwhile, Lisa takes us to a very different kind of disaster: Mariah Carey melting down live on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve when technical difficulties turned pop perfection into televised chaos. Lip-syncs died, dignity followed, and America watched in stunned, sparkling horror. From flaming wreckage to hot-mic humiliation, Balls-a-Droopin’ is our annual reminder that New Year’s Eve doesn’t care about your legacy, your vocal cords, or your survival instincts. So pour a drink, lower your expectations, and join us as we toast another year with stories that prove the ball isn’t the only thing that drops at midnight. [Ep 119] Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content! Produced by: Charles Mooney Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney

    47 min

  8. 12/24/2025

    Jackalope Tales – ‘Twas the Night Before Punkmas

    Gather ’round the fire, spike your cocoa (or don’t—we won’t judge), and tuck in your little anarchists. This Christmas Eve, Charles and Lisa invite you into the warm, flickering glow of Jackalope Tales for a holiday tradition that definitely would’ve gotten you grounded as a kid. In ‘Twas the Night Before Punkmas, we read a beloved Christmas story… then drag it behind the venue, give it a leather jacket, and let it smoke behind the dumpster. Expect punk spirit, twisted nostalgia, and enough festive chaos to make Santa rethink his life choices. It’s cozy. It’s cruel. It’s Christmas—Jackalope Tales style. [Ep 118] Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content! Produced by: Charles Mooney Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney

    9 min
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5
out of 5
36 Ratings

About

Jackalope Tales pulls back the curtain on the strange, spooky, and sometimes shocking urban legends that lurk within the music industry. Hosts, and founding members of the platinum selling band Toadies, Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger explore the weird and wacky stories behind music’s biggest names. Some legends are too bizarre to be true, while others may have a kernel of truth buried beneath the hype. You’ll never listen to your favorite songs the same way again after you hear the outlandish myths behind them on Jackalope Tales.

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