Sonny Liston transcended a life of petty crime, police busts, and prison time to become the heavyweight champion of the world. He was so feared as a fighter, however, that he made it to the big time with the financial backing of a rogue’s gallery of infamous underworld figures. That dubious association would win him some fights, lose him some fights, and ultimately, lead to more than a few suspicious asterisks next to his boxing record. And it may have even killed him.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND 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.

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.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In April 2015, Aaron Hernandez, a former tight end for the New England Patriots, was found guilty of the cold-blooded murder of a semi-pro footballer and sentenced to life in prison. But there’s more to this story than the tragic death of Odin Lloyd. The story of the most disgraced player in NFL history involves strip clubs, a botched execution, a disgruntled drug dealer, a busted eardrum, ex-con bodyguards, and an unsolved double homicide in the heart of Boston that was on the verge of going cold.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND on demand right now at amazon.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.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oscar Pistorius’s rise from double-amputee sprinter to unprecedented Olympic athlete gave South Africa a feel-good face as the country hoped to heal from a half century of apartheid. But Oscar’s inevitable fall turned that feel-good face into a brave face. It didn’t take long for his athletic accomplishments to be overshadowed by near-death accidents, arrests, guns, confessed murderers, prison gangs, mob bosses, and a Valentine’s Day murder that shook South Africa, and the world, to its core.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mike Tyson’s arrival as a prodigious 18-year-old professional boxer in the 1980s represented a major paradigm shift in the sport. But just as quickly as he rose, Mike Tyson began to fall. Tortured by feelings of loss, abandonment, and self-loathing, and manipulated by a promoter who only paid attention to the bottom line, Mike spiraled into violence, drugs, and increasingly bizarre behavior. When he was released from prison on parole for a rape conviction in 1995, Mike Tyson faced a crossroads: continue on a path to redemption, or be tempted back into the dark abyss of self-destruction.

Follow BADLANDS wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: SPORTSLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of SPORTSLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence and sexual assault.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A sneak peek into BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland, featuring Jake’s conversation with sportscasting legend Dan Patrick about Pete Rose’s gambling woes, O.J. Simpson, and Dan’s Hollywood turns with Adam Sandler.

New episodes of BADLANDS: SPORTSLAND dropping September 22nd.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What was a retired running back looking for when he led an armed posse into a Las Vegas hotel? Why did violence outside the ring follow the heavyweight champion of the world all the way up to a small city in Maine? And did the first player ever elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame really kill a man?

Hear the unbelievable but true stories behind these questions and many more in BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland.

BADLANDS is a true-crime anthology podcast from Jake Brennan, creator and host of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND.

BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland is all about the shocking rise and fall of sports legends. Beginning September 22nd, listen each week for wild stories about Mike Tyson, Oscar Pistorius, Aaron Hernandez, Evel Knievel, Tonya Harding, Pete Rose, Sonny Liston, Spider Sabich, Ty Cobb, and, of course, O.J. Simpson.

Follow BADLANDS on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Wondery+, or wherever you get your podcasts. BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland premieres September 22nd with new episodes available every Wednesday. Or, beginning September 22nd, you can binge the whole season of 10 episodes on Amazon Music.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is a bonus episode of BADLANDS. Before the launch of BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland, we take a look back at BADLANDS Season 1: Hollywoodland. BADLANDS host Jake Brennan talks with Zeth Lundy, Editorial Director at Double Elvis, about the time Sean Connery punched a real gangster, the mysterious death of Marilyn Monroe, and suspicions surrounding Bruce Lee shortly after the Manson murders.

Binge BADLANDS Season 1: Hollywoodland in its entirety now. Beginning September 22, you can hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 2: Sportsland every Wednesday wherever you get podcasts, or binge all 10 episodes exclusively on Amazon Music.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey BADLANDS fans: Need a little more true crime in your life? Yeah, us too. If you loved Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND, we want to introduce you to host Jake Brennan's other show—the rock and roll true-crime podcast that started it all, DISGRACELAND. Now in its 8th season, DISGRACELAND is an award-winning anthology series about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly, including episodes on the Beach Boys, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitney Houston, the Rolling Stones, Cardi B, Led Zeppelin, and many more.

In this episode, with a special intro from Jake: 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.

This is Part Three of a four-part Disgraceland episode on the Beatles. To hear all episodes of Disgraceland for free, visit amazon.com/disgraceland. Show notes are available at disgracelandpod.com. Follow us @disgracelandpod on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for music news, bonus episodes, and more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As captivating as actress Lana Turner was on screen, her personal life off screen was more dramatic than any movie could hope to be. Her father, turning up dead over a poker pot. Her co-star, Sean Connery, throwing down with pre-Bond panache when her boyfriend threatened to beat her up. And that same boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato, winding up dead in her Hollywood home after another of their infamous arguments.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence and child sexual assault.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Natalie Wood was one of the most loved child stars of the silver screen in the mid-20th century, and the rare celebrity who was able to transition gracefully into grown-up roles all while maintaining an air of dignity and grace. She acted alongside Orson Welles, James Dean, Warren Beatty, and Bette Davis, and many of her roles remain iconic decades later. But beneath her unprecedented professional success was a life unseen by the public – a life full of fears, paranoias, pills, gypsy curses, and secrets. And when she drowned at the age of 43, more secrets would come floating to the surface.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dennis Hopper revolutionized American cinema by bringing the counterculture to the mainstream with his 1969 film Easy Rider. But he also lived his life in tandem with his art, on the fringes of society and sanity. His stubborn attitude and crazy ideas quickly transformed him from a hippie prophet into a longhaired loser. Hopper’s journey from success to failure and back again took him through jungles, deserts, and mountains, and involved varying degrees of drugs, guns, hallucinations, and ex-wives – all part of a lifelong search to save his career, and his life.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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?

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.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.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bruce Lee got into so much trouble as a kid in Hong Kong that his parents banished him to the place of his birth: America. There he found all kinds of new trouble to get into. He upset kung fu traditionalists with his revolutionary style of fighting. He challenged long-held perceptions in racist Hollywood. He was an outsider determined to change the system the hard way – but did bringing about change cost Bruce Lee his life?

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: 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 Holmes unexpectedly found fame in the 1970s with a freakishly large appendage that proved a gateway into the burgeoning adult entertainment industry. He appeared in over 2,000 porn films and is alleged to have slept with over 14,000 women. But a severe drug habit put him in close contact with some strange bedfellows in the Los Angeles underworld, including a ragtag gang of junkies and dealers, and Eddie Nash, a dangerous criminal mastermind. Drugs, desperation, and double-crossing would eventually lead to the infamous murders at 8763 Wonderland Avenue on July 1, 1981.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including domestic violence and sex with minors.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A century ago, at the birth of movie superstardom, silent film star Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was at the center of a scandal that rocked Hollywood to its core. He was accused of a murderous sex crime so depraved that it turned the nation not only against him but against Hollywood itself. It led to the trial of the century, and a test of whether America’s elite veil of privilege could be pierced by the long arm of justice. The tide of public opinion that followed was so strong that it made Hollywood change the way Hollywood did business – at least on the surface.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

River Phoenix was a once-in-a-generation talent. In the 1980s, a decade known for artifice and excess, he brought raw acting chops to performances in Stand by Me, Running on Empty, and My Own Private Idaho. His career was only just getting started when he died tragically at the age of 23 outside a notorious nightclub in Hollywood. The story of his short life is as complicated and dramatic as one of his signature roles, and includes brushes with religious cults, skinheads, street hustlers, and L.A.’s drug underworld.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including child sexual abuse and sex trafficking.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The conspiracy theories surrounding Marilyn Monroe’s death in 1962 continue to entertain the imaginations of those obsessed with celebrity and scandal. The stories, many of them fantastical and one of them true, feature cameos by the likes of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra and Peter Lawford. Somewhere in the pile of countless rumors, innuendos, and crackpot theories is a closer understanding of exactly what happened and why the world lost its most iconic American actress at the young age of 36.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marilyn Monroe is one of the greatest Hollywood stars of all time. She rose from orphan to icon by creating an on screen character America could not peel their eyes away from. And she did it all while battling anxiety, depression and addiction. Along the way she bedded, married, and otherwise conquered America’s most impressive men — Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller, Frank Sinatra and President John F. Kennedy to name a few. And her relationship with JFK and his younger brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, would prove disastrous and result in long-running rumors and conspiracy theories about her death that are as hard to debunk as they are to dismiss.

Follow Badlands wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND each Wednesday. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on demand right now at amazon.com/badlands.

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.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BADLANDS is a new true-crime anthology podcast from Jake Brennan, creator and host of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND. 

Season 1 of BADLANDS, entitled “HOLLYWOODLAND,” explores the true crimes and scandalous careers of Hollywood’s most infamous stars. Listen each week for new stories on the mysterious death of Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Lee’s relationship with Hong Kong street fighters, John Holmes’ role in the bloody Wonderland Murders, and a cocaine and acid fueled Dennis Hopper, plus stories about River Phoenix, original Superman George Reeves, disgraced silent film star Fatty Arbuckle, Natalie Wood, and Lana Turner.

Follow BADLANDS on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Media, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a bonus, Amazon Music listeners can hear all 10 episodes of BADLANDS Season 1: HOLLYWOODLAND on-demand right now at amazon.com/badlands, or by saying, “Alexa, play the Badlands podcast.”

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.