James Dean died in a high-speed car crash at the age of 24, but his legend lives on. Fan clubs held monthly memorial services and wrote movie studios begging for relics of their patron saint. Professional illusionists swore they could resurrect his body. Rumors that Dean survived the deadly crash were spurred on, and in some cases planted, by a film studio with a financial stake in keeping his memory alive. The car that killed him had a grisly afterlife of its own, taking two more lives before mysteriously disappearing forever. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com/badlands.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mafia assassinations, drag racing, extortion, eternal life, and doing time at Rikers Island and San Quentin. Find out which music legends are featured in Season 12 of Disgraceland. New episodes drop every Tuesday starting May 16th, with bonus After Party episodes dropping every Thursday. Subscribe to Disgraceland wherever you get your podcasts, and for more information on the show, visit disgracelandpod.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ron “Pigpen” McKernan’s lifelong devotion to drinking wasn’t the cause of his medical issues – chalk those up to a genetic disease. But no matter how he tried, Pig couldn’t kick the illness, he couldn’t repair the damage that had been done. He played music, followed his diet, and hoped against all hope that something would turn around. But nothing ever really did. He could never quite get up that hill. And just as Pig had slowly departed from the Dead, he was now slowly departing from the world. Sources: A Long Strange Trip: The Inside Story of the Grateful Dead, by Dennis McNally Living with The Dead: Twenty Years on the Bus with Garcia and the Grateful Dead, by Rock Scully with David Dalton Searching for the Sound, by Phil Lesh The Grateful Dead FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Greatest Jam Band in History, by Tony Sclafani This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead, by Blair Jackson and David Gans Death Don't Have No Mercy: Pigpen, Ten Years Gone (Relix) Pigpen Forever: The Life and Times of Ron McKernan, by Blair Jackson Grateful Dead's Bob Weir and Phil Lesh reflect on bandmate Pigpen (Marin Independent Journal) Grateful Dead Guide: Pigpen Solo (Dead Essays) Greatest Stories Ever Told - "Stella Blue" (Dead.net) Unsolicited Endorsement: Wake of the Flood by the Grateful Dead (Triad City Beat) Jerry Garcia’s final show (YouTube) So Many Roads: Remembering Jerry Garcia's Last Grateful Dead Show (Classic Rockers) Listen to Grateful Dead perform 'Box of Rain' as their final encore before Jerry Garcia's death (Far Out) "It was the tour from hell": Inside the Grateful Dead's last shows, and Jerry Garcia's final days (Salon) Bruce Hornsby Looks Back on Jerry Garcia's Last Days: 'I Miss Him So Much' (Rolling Stone) A Grateful Dead Analysis: The relationship between concert and listening behavior (First Monday) Grateful Dead Guide: Pigpen Solo (Dead Essays) For behind the scenes info and news on this episode, follow: Instagram: @DoubleElvis @Disgracelandpod  Twitter: @DoubleElvisFm @Disgracelandpod Tik Tok: @Disgracelandpod Pinterest: @doubleelvisfm  Facebook: Double Elvis Productions Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse and many more musical icons all died at the age of 27. Scandalous, tortured, dramatic, and incredibly talented, these artists torched a wild path to their early graves and shifted and shaped our culture along the way. 27 Club tells their stories. 27 Club is hosted and created by Jake Brennan, host and creator of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND. 27 Club is not a journalistic podcast. It is an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. For more shows like 27 Club, check out www.doubleelvis.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Against doctor’s orders, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan hit the road one more time with the Grateful Dead. The band’s 1972 tour of Europe is legendary. But at the time, Pigpen was just trying to stay above ground. You could hear it in his voice when he took the mic onstage. Close your eyes and his voice was a window into the past. But listen closer, and you’d hear something else. Something you couldn’t quite put your finger on. A distance. Some pain. Truth was, Pigpen was on borrowed time. Sources: A Long Strange Trip: The Inside Story of the Grateful Dead, by Dennis McNally Living with The Dead: Twenty Years on the Bus with Garcia and the Grateful Dead, by Rock Scully with David Dalton Searching for the Sound, by Phil Lesh The Grateful Dead FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Greatest Jam Band in History, by Tony Sclafani This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead, by Blair Jackson and David Gans Grateful Dead live at Chateau D’Herouville, France, 6/6/1971 (YouTube) Château d'Hérouville: The Castle Studio Where Bowie, Elton, and Pink Floyd Recorded (Reverb) June 21, 1971: Herouville, France (Dead Sources) Grateful Dead at the The Honky Chateau (06-21-71) (Holiday at the Sea) Grateful Dead live at the Fillmore East, 4/28/1971 April 1972: Weir & Pigpen Interview (Dead Sources) Donna Jean Godchaux interview (YouTube) The Lasting Impact, and Sudden Death, of the Grateful Dead's Keith Godchaux (Ultimate Classic Rock) Enter Keith Godchaux (Dead.net) Donna Jean MacKay 3/28/98 (Levity) Grateful Dead live at the Boston Music Hall, 12/2/1971 April 1972: Weir & Pigpen Interview (Dead Sources) Grateful Dead live at the Hollywood Bowl, 6/17/1972 Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions - Top of the Tangent (1964) (The Savage Saints) For behind the scenes info and news on this episode, follow: Instagram: @DoubleElvis @Disgracelandpod  Twitter: @DoubleElvisFm @Disgracelandpod Tik Tok: @Disgracelandpod Pinterest: @doubleelvisfm  Facebook: Double Elvis Productions Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse and many more musical icons all died at the age of 27. Scandalous, tortured, dramatic, and incredibly talented, these artists torched a wild path to their early graves and shifted and shaped our culture along the way. 27 Club tells their stories. 27 Club is hosted and created by Jake Brennan, host and creator of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND. 27 Club is not a journalistic podcast. It is an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. For more shows like 27 Club, check out www.doubleelvis.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A dark cloud of death hung over the Grateful Dead as they went into the studio to make what is arguably their masterpiece, American Beauty. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones…they were all gone. All dead at the age of 27. But time didn’t stop. Time marched on. The cold hands of death could close in on any of them. But who? When would they go? And how would they go? Sources: A Long Strange Trip: The Inside Story of the Grateful Dead, by Dennis McNally Living with The Dead: Twenty Years on the Bus with Garcia and the Grateful Dead, by Rock Scully with David Dalton Searching for the Sound, by Phil Lesh The Grateful Dead FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Greatest Jam Band in History, by Tony Sclafani This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead, by Blair Jackson and David Gans Euphoria Ballroom - July 16, 1970 (Dead.net) The Story Behind the Song: The burden lifted by Grateful Dead's 'Box of Rain' (Far Out) Grateful Dead live at Winterland, 10/4/1970 The Story of the Grateful Dead 'American Beauty'  (Classic Album Sundays) 50 Years Later; Grateful Dead's American Beauty (Open Chord Music) How Grateful Dead Rose Above Hard Times on 'American Beauty' (Ultimate Classic Rock) October 1970: Jerry Garcia Interview (Dead Sources) Pigpen Solo Projects 1969, 1971, 1973 (Why?) (Lost Live Dead) “Operator” take 5 Greatest Stories Ever Told - "Operator" (Dead.net) Janis Joplin Remembered After Her Death (Rolling Stone) The Day Grateful Dead's Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan Died (Ultimate Classic Rock) Ron "Pigpen" McKernan Dies | World History Project (World History Project) For behind the scenes info and news on this episode, follow: Instagram: @DoubleElvis @Disgracelandpod  Twitter: @DoubleElvisFm @Disgracelandpod Tik Tok: @Disgracelandpod Pinterest: @doubleelvisfm  Facebook: Double Elvis Productions Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse and many more musical icons all died at the age of 27. Scandalous, tortured, dramatic, and incredibly talented, these artists torched a wild path to their early graves and shifted and shaped our culture along the way. 27 Club tells their stories. 27 Club is hosted and created by Jake Brennan, host and creator of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND. 27 Club is not a journalistic podcast. It is an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. For more shows like 27 Club, check out www.doubleelvis.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.