DISGRACELAND: Led Zeppelin Pt 1 – Dark Power, Cocaine, Backstage Brawls and Heavy Metal Magick

Podcast: DISGRACELAND
Host: Jake Brennan
Episode Air Date: September 29, 2025
Episode Theme:
An enthralling, true crime-tinged dive into the wild, decadent, and dangerous world of Led Zeppelin. Through stories of occult obsession, violence, groupie culture, industry revolution, and personal tragedy, DISGRACELAND uncovers the myth, music, and chaos behind one of rock’s most infamous bands.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

DISGRACELAND pulls back the curtain on Led Zeppelin, illuminating the band’s ferocious rise and the personal and professional costs that came wreathed in their blend of heavy music, magick, debauchery, and power games. Host Jake Brennan chronicles the true (and murky) stories behind their notoriety, grounding Zeppelin’s saga in broader questions about art, violence, fame, and how far stars will push the limits of freedom and control. From violent backstage brawls and spectral rituals at Aleister Crowley’s mansion to the insatiable pursuit of musical dominance—and the group’s harrowing decline—this episode is a fittingly thunderous portrait of rock’s darkest legends.

KEY TOPICS AND INSIGHTS

1. Led Zeppelin’s Wild Reputation: Roots and Realities

• Opening Mythos ([04:12]): The episode sets the scene with tales of satanic rumors, violence, theft, and tales of groupies—questioning what was real and what was legend.
  • “The stories about the mighty Led Zeppelin are insane. They were supposed followers of Satan and Aleister Crowley’s dark arts. They traveled with a goon squad of ultra violent hooligans. They raided and robbed drugstores to satiate their habits… They defiled young women… Led Zeppelin was led by the extremely talented and driven English guitar player Jimmy Page, an artist captivated by the occult and the potential dark power it unlocked.” (A, 04:27)
• Intentional Image Crafting: Describes Jimmy Page’s vision: build a band more powerful, glamorous, and mysterious than any before.

2. Backstage Violence: Oakland Coliseum Incident

([05:30–09:30])

• Story: Zeppelin’s massive 1977 U.S. tour devolves into violence after a backstage altercation between John Bonham, manager Peter Grant, and Bill Graham’s crew.
  • Bonham drunkenly attacks a stagehand; Grant and goons beat him severely.
  • The beating leads to their arrest and Zeppelin’s permanent exit from American touring.
• Quote – On Bonham’s Reaction:
  • “Bonham was fuming. It wasn’t even soundcheck and he was already blitzed on vodka and pills ... Bonham kicked Jim straight into the crotch, knocking him ass over tea kettle.” (A, 06:00)

3. Band as Muscle Car: Artistic and Criminal Appropriation

([10:00–13:45])

• Metaphor: Bonham’s love of “tricked out” cars mirrored Zeppelin’s borrowing and supersizing of the blues—transforming and selling it back to America with explosive energy.
• Musical Appropriation:
  • Zeppelin “borrowed liberally”—often without credit—from blues and folk artists (Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf, Joan Baez).
  • Iconic songs (“Dazed and Confused,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “Stairway to Heaven”) mired in plagiarism controversies.
  • “All rock and roll is on some level derivative. The Beatles and Stones stole from Chuck Berry and Willie Dixon, liberally…” (A, 13:45)
• Dismissal by Critics: Led Zeppelin panned for supposed lack of originality, only increasing their outsider allure.

4. Power Games and Occult Ritual: The Magick of Jimmy Page

([18:26–24:30], [28:01–32:30])

• Page’s Occult Fascination:
  • Embedded in the teachings of Aleister Crowley; bought Crowley’s notorious Boleskin House.
  • Deeply believed in magick as a form of power—both creative and personal.
  • “Through Crowley, Page knew the world’s deeper meaning, that glamour is a kind of magic spell, a Jedi mind trick produced through sheer charismatic power. And for those truly in the know, esoteric ritual.” (A, 22:55)
• Memorable Supernatural Encounter:
  • While at Boleskin House, Page recalls a night of ghostly terror—bed moving, dog’s howl, the presence of a “beast.”
  • “The bed began to move slowly ... there was a demonic growl ... Page let go, resigned himself to the fact that whatever was on the other side was summoning him ... but once he fully gave in, it all stopped.” (A, 31:30)
  • Quote – Crowley:
    • “There is no law beyond do what thou wilt … Love is the law, love under will.” (A, 31:39)

5. Sexual Exploitation, Statutory Rape and Groupie Culture

([18:35–20:10])

• Laurie Maddox Story:
  • Page’s sexual relationship with a 15-year-old groupie, highlighting the era’s permissiveness and moral blindness.
  • “Jimmy was hardcore... But Laurie wasn’t. She was too young, too innocent... 15 years old, she had Jimmy Page entranced, powerless even.” (A, 18:37)
  • Host condemns the behavior, noting, “It was wrong and Jimmy knew it. Otherwise he wouldn’t have tried to hide it.” (A, 19:32)
• Groupie Treatment:
  • Bonham used handcuffs to restrain groupies “cuffed to his bedpost ... waiting for him,” claiming it kept “a sense of domesticity.”

6. Hotel Destruction and the Infamous Mud Shark Myth

([20:25–22:00])

• Legend:
  • Tales of fish, destruction, and groupie humiliation at Seattle’s Edgewater Inn.
  • Host refuses to recount details, wryly acknowledging the mix of fact and fiction:
    • “It would be salacious and ridiculous for me to recreate the sounds of a group of degenerate rock stars defiling a young woman with a fish. I’m not going to do it. It’s beneath me.” (A, 21:12)
  • “Regardless of what did or didn’t happen, the hotel manager was pissed ... There was the destroyed piano, the missing televisions, the dirty stank of fish, sex and grass blanketing the hotel suite.” (A, 22:03)

7. Zeppelin’s Luxury and Decadence: The Starship and the Traveling Circus

([22:00–23:40])

• The Starship:
  • Their custom Boeing jet, equipped with bar, shag suite, TVs, and organ, symbolizes rock's overindulgence.

8. Crowley’s Influence and Ritualistic Mysticism

([28:01–32:30])

• Crowley’s Doctrines:
  • “Do what thou wilt” inscribed into the band's ethos.
  • Sex, ritual and magick as creative engines and means of attaining superhuman power.
  • “Sex was power, especially if practiced correctly... if practiced correctly could light every sense in your body on fire and bind you tighter to the universe.” (A, 30:12)
• Dark Inspiration: Host notes how Boleskin House had a legacy of tragedy and alleged hauntings.

9. Celebrity, Rivalry and Occult Paranoia: Page and Bowie

([33:00–36:00])

• The Bowie Encounter:
  • Bowie seeks Page’s occult secrets; Page responds with cold silence.
  • Bowie feels haunted and “would have his home exorcised for fear of the presence Jimmy Page had left behind.” (A, 36:13)
  • “Forever after, whenever the two crossed paths, Bowie would do his best to immediately leave the room. The power of Jimmy Page was dark and real.” (A, 36:34)

10. Violence, Addiction, and Tragedy

([36:35–44:20])

• Bonham’s Rage:
  • Nearly kills Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes in a drunken, paranoid fit.
• Plant’s Personal Hell:
  • Loses his five-year-old son while on tour; trauma is compounded by Bonham and Grant’s arrest after the Oakland backstage brawl.
  • “The glamour was gone. The seedy underbelly of the band was raw and exposed.” (A, 41:27)
• Bonham’s Final Days:
  • Drowns his pain with alcohol, rehearses with the band, and finally dies by choking on vomit due to alcohol poisoning.
  • “He poured a tall pint of vodka, shot it down with one slug, then another... lay back on the sofa, closed his eyes and never opened them again.” (A, 44:06)

11. The End and the Aftermath: Cost of Power

([44:20–48:15])

• Fall of Zeppelin:

  • The engine—Bonham—dies; the band cannot continue.
  • Host connects their downfall to the ‘do what thou wilt’ creed, but questions whether it was magick or merely the inevitable burn-out from unchecked ego and indulgence.
  • “But in the end, Led Zeppelin’s band members, unlike the devil, were mortal like everyone else, their shadows taller than their souls. And fairly or unfairly, they paid the price.” (A, 47:56)

• The Enduring Allure:

  • “Have you seen Jimmy page lately? He’s 75 years old ... looks great, is dating a beautiful 29 year old poet, seemingly doesn’t have a care in the world ... His relatively untarnished image and legacy either Magick—M A G I C K—or disgrace.” (A, 48:39)

MEMORABLE QUOTES & MOMENTS

• On Appropriation in Rock

  • “All rock and roll is on some level derivative. The Beatles and Stones stole from Chuck Berry and Willie Dixon ... But more than any of these artists on their first release, Led Zeppelin took borrowed elements and crafted something unique.” (A, 13:45)

• On Page’s Dark Power

  • “The power of Jimmy Page was dark and real.” (A, 36:34)
  • “Through Crowley, Page knew the world’s deeper meaning, that glamour is a kind of magic spell... And for those truly in the know, esoteric ritual.” (A, 22:55)

• On Consequences of Excess

  • “Thuggery, statutory rape, drug addiction, alcoholism, a car crash, a dead kid, and a dead drummer... Had Led Zeppelin and those they encountered suffered in proportion to how deeply the band drank from the Devil's cup? Of course not. But ... they were rock gods and they could live as they pleased ... But in the end, Led Zeppelin’s band members, unlike the devil, were mortal like everyone else, their shadows taller than their souls.” (A, 47:23)

• On Groupie Culture and Exploitation

  • “Statutory rape laws were in place for a reason. Children are often incapable of making adult decisions ... It was wrong and Jimmy knew it. Otherwise he wouldn’t have tried to hide it.” (A, 19:32)

IMPORTANT TIMESTAMPS

• Zeppelin’s Reputation, Mythos, and Occult (Intro): 04:27
• Oakland Coliseum Brawl and Aftermath: 05:30–09:30
• Band as Muscle Car Metaphor, Artistic Theft: 10:00–13:45
• Critics and Mystique: 13:45–16:20
• Page’s Occult Rituals, Laurie Maddox, Groupie Abuse: 18:26–20:40
• Hotel Destruction, Mud Shark Legend: 20:25–22:00
• The Starship—Jet as Symbol of Excess: 22:00–23:40
• Boleskin House, Supernatural Night, Crowley Influence: 28:01–32:30
• Bowie Meets Page, Occult Paranoia: 33:00–36:00
• Bonham’s Rage and Decline: 36:35–44:20
• Tragedy and End of Zeppelin: 44:20–48:15
• Concluding Reflections on the ‘Cost’ of Led Zeppelin: 47:23–48:54

EPISODE TONE & HOST’S STYLE

Jake Brennan’s delivery is noir-tinged, skeptical but fascinated, mixing pulp storytelling, acerbic critique, and moments of real empathy for the artists’ suffering and the victims along the way. He revels in the chaos but spares no scorn for hypocrisy or abuse, capturing both the heady magic and corrosive darkness at the heart of Led Zeppelin’s legend.

BOTTOM LINE

This episode is a riveting, unflinching chronicle of Led Zeppelin’s dark mythos: how power (musical and otherwise) was both conjured and corrupted; how the band—through occult obsession, musical theft, violence, and excess—summoned both glory and tragedy. Whether you see these stories as cautionary tales or fuel for rock legend, they remain as dangerous, seductive, and haunting as the riffs that made the band immortal.