The Eagles Pt. 1: International Drug Smuggling, Endless Cocaine, and California Excess
Explicit content warning
04/18/25 • 39 min
2 Listeners
From games of chicken on private planes to one member surviving a private plane crash, the Eagles as a group very narrowly survived themselves. During their early days, they dosed out on Peyote and reimagined and reconfigured a new FM sound for the ages that would result in unimaginable success and excess. When their debut record was released on Geffen Records in 1972, America couldn’t have been more ready for their breezy, countrified Southern California sound. Yet something else came with their that heady, golden age of California in the 1970s, that era of endless cocaine, groupies, money, and excess beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. As the Eagles would soon learn, that “peaceful easy feeling” they were peddling wasn’t built to last.
For the full list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.com
This episode was originally published on March 8, 2022.
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.
Sign up for our newsletter and get the inside dirt on events, merch and other awesomeness - GET THE NEWSLETTER
Follow Jake and DISGRACELAND:
X (formerly Twitter)
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
From games of chicken on private planes to one member surviving a private plane crash, the Eagles as a group very narrowly survived themselves. During their early days, they dosed out on Peyote and reimagined and reconfigured a new FM sound for the ages that would result in unimaginable success and excess. When their debut record was released on Geffen Records in 1972, America couldn’t have been more ready for their breezy, countrified Southern California sound. Yet something else came with their that heady, golden age of California in the 1970s, that era of endless cocaine, groupies, money, and excess beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. As the Eagles would soon learn, that “peaceful easy feeling” they were peddling wasn’t built to last.
For the full list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.com
This episode was originally published on March 8, 2022.
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.
Sign up for our newsletter and get the inside dirt on events, merch and other awesomeness - GET THE NEWSLETTER
Follow Jake and DISGRACELAND:
X (formerly Twitter)
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
Previous Episode
Bonus Episode: Books They Don't Want You to Read and Books We Want Them to Write
This week in the After Party, Jake takes your calls on the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and wonders why some celebrity autobiographies are so hard to find. Plus, Jake looks at which major music stars have not yet written their autobiographies and wonders if they ever will.
Next week, we're bringing you a story on Chris Cornell, lead vocalist of Soundgarden and Audioslave. We want to know: Which artists followup bands were bigger or as impactful as their breakthrough bands? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod.
For more great Disgraceland episodes, dive into our extensive archive, including such episodes as:
To hear an extended version of the After Party and unlock access to a monthly exclusive episode and ad free listening, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership. This month's episode (coming next week!) will be on the Allman Brothers Band.
Visit www.disgracelandpod.com/merch to see the latest Disgraceland merch!
Sign up for our newsletter and get the inside dirt on events, merch and other awesomeness - GET THE NEWSLETTER
Follow Jake and DISGRACELAND:
X (formerly Twitter)
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
Next Episode
The Eagles Pt. 2: Death, a Plane Crash, and Innocence Lost at What Cost
In the 1970s, The Eagles made taking off into the upper stratosphere of the charts look easy. Their near decade-long reign of rock afforded them hobbies like dismantling hotel rooms with chainsaws, playing chicken with private jets, and joining delirious drug dealers on high-speed Corvette rides. But after nearly a solid decade of stadium sell-outs, No. 1 singles, top-selling albums and enough cocaine, sex and tension to make even the hardest, wildest, ’70s rock ‘n’ rollers cry uncle, the Eagles had burned out. They were at the top of their game in a decade that they owned, yet somehow, the greatness they sought had destroyed them.
For the full list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.com
This episode was originally published on March 29, 2022.
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.
Sign up for our newsletter and get the inside dirt on events, merch and other awesomeness - GET THE NEWSLETTER
Follow Jake and DISGRACELAND:
X (formerly Twitter)
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
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Featured in these lists
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/disgraceland-11840/the-eagles-pt-1-international-drug-smuggling-endless-cocaine-and-calif-89592076"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to the eagles pt. 1: international drug smuggling, endless cocaine, and california excess on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy