DISGRACELAND – Dr. John: A Shooting, Federal Prison, and Voodoo Healing
Host: Jake Brennan
Release Date: November 18, 2025
Podcast Network: Double Elvis Productions
Episode Overview
This riveting episode tells the untold, true-crime-tinged story of New Orleans legend Dr. John, born Mac Rebennack—a story mixing voodoo, violence, addiction, outlaws, and ultimate musical rebirth. It peels back the curtain on Dr. John’s gritty journey from the underbelly of New Orleans to federal prison, before his transformation into a world-renowned musical force powered by roots, rhythm, and spiritual healing. The episode walks the line between fact and engrossing, dramatized storytelling, drawing listeners into the heart of darkness and redemption that is Dr. John’s legacy.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Real Voodoo: Not Hollywood (03:00)
- Jake Brennan immediately sets the tone:
"This is a story about voodoo. Not the Hollywood version ... This is a story about real Louisiana voodoo, the kind with the power not only to hurt and to hex, but also to heal." (03:00)
- Establishes the episode as a study of intertwined myth, crime, and the power of music and ritual.
2. A Christmas Eve Shooting – The Origin Story of Dr. John (05:00 – 11:50)
- The episode flashes back to December 24, 1961:
- Mac Rebennack is shot in the hand while defending his lead singer, Ronnie Barron, in Jacksonville, Florida, after an enraged club owner discovers an affair.
- The shooting nearly ends Mac’s career as a guitarist:
“Mack screamed in agony as a .30 caliber bullet tore through his hand. Blood was streaming everywhere. Mack lifted up his left hand and that’s when he realized his finger, not to mention his future as a guitarist, were both hanging by a thread.” (11:25)
- This life-altering injury pushes Mac toward keyboards—and fate.
3. Vice, Crime, and Music in 1960s New Orleans
(14:05 – 16:30)
- Vivid scene-setting inside New Orleans’ infamous clubs:
- A comedian from Las Vegas gets badly beaten for breaking the “rules” around pimps and strippers.
- Mac, always aware of the rules, keeps the music going, even as violence is commonplace.
- The French Quarter’s illicit music and vice scene is painted as both dangerous and vibrant.
- The rise of DA Jim Garrison (16:30):
- Garrison’s crusade against vice and music leads to club closures and a shrinking scene:
“With every club he shut down, that was one less stage for a gigging musician like Mac, because vice and live music went hand in hand in New Orleans.” (16:45)
- Garrison’s crusade against vice and music leads to club closures and a shrinking scene:
4. Addiction and Survival
(17:05 – 19:50)
- The realities of heroin addiction, backroom deals, and hustling—Mac’s Juicy Fruit wrapper trick for transporting drugs exemplifies the street smarts and desperation musicians needed to survive.
- Mac’s eventual bust:
- A gum-wrapper stash is found by police in a sting.
- Sentenced to two years: first New Orleans Parish Prison, then federal prison in Texas.
“After his bust, Mack was sentenced to two years in lockup ... When he got out ... the judge had just one piece of advice for him: Don’t go back to New Orleans.” (21:00)
5. Exile and Outlaw Survival in LA
(23:44 – 25:50)
- Mac attempts new beginnings as a session player in LA:
- Living hand-to-mouth, running scams with associates like Gloria “Hot Tamale.”
- A near-arrest after a high-speed car chase with the police.
“Mac started pulling the stash out of his pocket. He was just about to eat it when the car swerved viciously ... Gloria screamed as she rammed the car into a concrete highway barrier.” (24:10)
6. Musical Vengeance and the Occult (Rooftop Ritual)
(25:50 – 27:40)
- Mac, British occult-enthusiast Graham Bond, and Texan Wayne Talbot attempt to “hex” a recalcitrant record exec who stiffed them for payment, through a voodoo death curse on a studio rooftop.
“An unlikely trio gathered on the rooftop... supposed to be working on a new album... instead, trying to conjure up a death curse.” (26:20)
- Spoiler: The gris-gris fails. The revenge is derailed by another drug bust.
7. Return to New Orleans: Rediscovering Voodoo as Healing
(27:40 – 29:00)
- Mac finds renewal at a Third Ward voodoo healing ceremony, presided by “Mother Shannon.”
- He reconnects with community—and the healing, communal energy of ritual rhythm.
- “It felt good to come home and play these familiar New Orleans rhythms ... reminded Mac of the true voodoo. The way the music continues vibrate the spirit, the way it could heal the body, the way it could bring people together.” (29:10)
8. The Real Dr. John: Myth & Inspiration
(29:25 – 31:00)
- Mother Shannon shares the legend of Jean Montanet—a.k.a. "Dr. John," a Senegalese root doctor whose spirit and story inspire Mac's new musical identity.
- Mac adopts “Dr. John” as the stage persona for his New Orleans musical gumbo.
“He seemed like the perfect character to front a new musical gumbo ... ever since he landed back home in New Orleans.” (30:36)
9. Spiritual and Musical Rebirth in California
(31:40 – 34:40)
- In Topanga Canyon, Mac and other New Orleans musicians gather, transforming a canceled Sonny and Cher session into a spontaneous nature jam.
- The healing, inclusive power of rhythm again echoes the voodoo healing of New Orleans.
“It felt like a healing ceremony ... made him convinced that it was time to bring Dr. John into the world.” (34:20)
10. Dr. John’s Legacy
(35:00 – 36:00)
- Dr. John releases more than 30 albums, wins six Grammys, and becomes a symbol of New Orleans’ enduring, if changed, spirit.
- “But Dr. John, his music, his legacy, it lives on and will for a long, long time to come ... Mac Rebenac was healed through music, great music, and inspired to use music to propel himself beyond a life of crime, beyond a life of Disgrace, to become Dr. John.” (35:50)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “It was a special blend of three ingredients. Dirt from a graveyard, grease from a church bell, and snakeskin. It was goofer dust, a powerful conjuring agent.” (06:05)
- “He couldn’t find his lead singer...It was that damn kid, Ronnie Barron. Ronnie had a knack for disappearing just before showtime. Usually making time with some girl he just met.” (09:20)
- “Mack launched himself forward ... he heard a bang. And that’s when Mack realized he was holding onto the barrel of the gun.” (11:10)
- “French Quarter Justice in 1963. Laws didn’t matter and the police didn’t run the show. The gangsters who operated these New Orleans clubs did. Which wasn’t all bad. In fact, it made the French Quarter 24/7 party—as long as you knew which rules to follow.” (15:35)
- “Mack spat on the ground and cursed Garrison’s name. For years Garrison had been a low level assistant district attorney. Mack had seen his face darken the doors of French Quarter bars and brothels more than once.” (17:10)
- “The cop gave a big, shit-eating grin. ‘Is it Juicy Fruit?’ The other cop pulled the two bundles out of the ditch and held them up. The headlights reflected off the foil gum wrapper. Mack Rebenak knew his mojo had just run out.” (19:25)
- “On the rooftop, the Englishman was blues-rock musician Graham Bond, who claimed to be the bastard son of Aleister Crowley.” (26:00)
- “But the gris failed, the record executive didn’t have a heart attack in his sleep. ... Mac knew he had to put his plan for revenge on ice.” (27:35)
- “After the healing ceremony, Mac stayed and talked to Mother Shannon into the night. She told Mac about a root doctor in New Orleans, a man born in Senegal. Some said he was a prince ... but most people just called him Dr. John.” (29:48)
- “Matt couldn’t help himself. He dug in and began to sing louder. ... It felt like a healing ceremony that Mac had witnessed back in New Orleans. ... and it made him convinced that it was time to bring Dr. John into the world.” (34:30)
Important Segments and Timestamps
| Timestamp | Segment | |----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:00–05:00 | Real voodoo vs. Hollywood voodoo, scene-setting | | 06:00–12:00 | The Christmas Eve shooting, Mac's life-changing injury | | 14:05–16:45 | The French Quarter's wild side, beatdowns, musician code | | 16:45–19:30 | Attorney General Garrison and the crackdown on vice | | 19:45–21:15 | Addiction, drug bust, and prison | | 23:44–25:50 | Outlaw life and escape in LA, car chase with “Hot Tamale” | | 25:50–27:40 | Rooftop death curse ritual with Graham Bond | | 27:40–29:20 | Voodoo healing, homecoming in New Orleans | | 29:25–30:36 | The origin of the Dr. John persona, voodoo legend | | 31:40–34:40 | Topanga Canyon jam, realization of Dr. John's purpose | | 35:00–36:00 | Dr. John’s music and enduring legacy |
Conclusion
This episode of DISGRACELAND delivers a dramatic, gripping tale of Dr. John’s journey from the crime-tinged, vice-soaked clubs of New Orleans, through personal tragedy, addiction and hustling, to spiritual and musical rebirth. Jake Brennan’s narrative style, rich in gritty detail and mythic overtones, echoes the voodoo-infused music and persona that Dr. John crafted from pain, survival, and the healing power of rhythm.
For more outrageous Dr. John stories—like his escape from a psych ward and how it led to "Right Place, Wrong Time"—tune into Disgraceland’s All Access mini-episode.
“Mac Rebenac was healed through music—great music—and inspired to use music to propel himself beyond a life of crime, beyond a life of Disgrace, to become Dr. John, not just a New Orleans icon, but a music icon.” (35:50, Jake Brennan)
For the full, immersive story and more, visit disgracelandpod.com or check your favorite podcast app.