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.
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This episode was originally published on March 8, 2022.
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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
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Chris Cornell: Bad Trips, Crooked DEA Agents, and Four Octaves of Sheer Power
As a teenager, Chris Cornell was traumatized by a bad PCP trip that turned him into a recluse for years. Music pulled him out of the darkness when he discovered his four-octave voice by accident – A voice he used to incredible effect as the frontman for both Soundgarden and Audioslave. But the darkness never really went away – it was there in his hometown of Seattle, where tragedies closed the chapter on grunge, and in his music, which was authentic to the very end.
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.
This episode was originally published on May 22, 2024.
To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com.
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