Johnny Thunders: Murder or Overdose?

DISGRACELAND

Jake Brennan

Society & Culture, Music, True Crime

4.6 • 13.1K Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2026

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A punk junkie nightmare in a New Orleans hotel. A turf war with Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers. A poisonous friendship with Dee Dee Ramone and a doomed alliance with Wayne Kramer. Missing cash, hotshot rumors, and a body in Room 37. Listen to find out how Johnny Thunders’ death went from an open-and-shut overdose case to a sadder, stranger rock ‘n roll myth. To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at ⁠⁠⁠disgracelandpod.com/membership⁠⁠⁠. Sign up for our newsletter and get the inside dirt on events, merch and other awesomeness - ⁠⁠⁠GET THE NEWSLETTER⁠⁠⁠ Follow Jake and DISGRACELAND: ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠ (formerly Twitter) ⁠⁠⁠Facebook Fan Group⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Double Elvis
0:05.0	Hi, just leaving work now. Sorry, it's a bit loud.
0:10.0	Um, basically, so I was thinking we could get Macies tonight.
0:13.0	Had a big Mac on my mind all day, and delivery fee on the app is now from 99P.
0:17.0	So you win? Of course you are. Ha! Love you. Bye!
0:20.0	Exclusively on the McDonald's app. 18 plus, service fee and small order fee may apply. Participating restaurants. Serving times and teas and seas apply. Right, time to get you. Pet insurance with pet jevity. Roots. Pet jevity. You know, like longevity, but for your pets, long and healthy life? They have no upper age limit for dogs or cats.
0:38.3	Meow!
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0:45.0	Look for Pet Jevity wherever you shop online for insurance.
0:48.9	For vet video calls, if your pet is in need of urgent medical assistance,
0:52.3	contact your local vet immediately.
0:54.1	Visit Petjevity.com.uk for full details.
0:57.3	Disgraceland is a production about heartbreakers. It's about a hotel room and a body on the floor.
1:24.5	It's about corporate rock dreams and punk junky nightmares and the distance between the two.
1:30.8	It's also a story about conspiracy theories and rock and roll myths about self-fulfilling prophecies
1:37.3	and stacks of missing cash. This is a story about Johnny Thunders, which means it's a story about great music.
1:47.8	Some of the greatest and most authentic music to come out of the punk era and beyond.
1:53.5	Unlike that clip I played for you at the top of the show, that wasn't great music.
1:58.4	That was a preset loop from my Melotron called Second Line Stompbox, MK, 2.
2:04.8	I played you that loop because I can't afford the rights to You're in Love by Wilson Phillips.
2:10.9	And why would I play you that specific slice of nepo cheese could I afford it?
2:16.5	Because that was the number one song in America on April 23, 1991.
	...

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