Episode #151 | 11.14.23

U2: Death Threats, a Song that Inspired a Killer, and the Murder of Rebecca Schaeffer

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In this episode

Years before a free album made them the most unpopular popular band on the planet, U2 ran into the arms of America. In 1987, touring behind their blockbuster album The Joshua Tree, their songs became lightning rods for violence. They received death threats in the States and became targets of terrorists back in their native Ireland. But it was the song “Exit,” written from the POV of a killer, that was linked with pure evil. That song allegedly inspired a man to hop an overnight bus to Los Angeles, carrying a loaded .357 Magnum and a copy of The Joshua Tree, ready to do whatever it took to meet the women he was obsessed with.

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Sources

Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, by Bono

U2: At the End of the World, by Bill Flanagan

U2: From the Sky Down (2012, dir. Davis Guggenheim)

Bono & the Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with Dave Letterman (2023, dir. Morgan Neville)

U2: Rattle & Hum (1988, dir. Phil Joanou)

Bono (Smartless podcast)

29-CA v. Bardo: Dr. Park Dietz PT7 (Court TV)

25-CA v. Bardo: Dr. Park Dietz PT3 (Court TV)

Police Directed to Evidence in Actress' Death (LA Times)

U2, The Virgin Prunes, and the Path Less Travelled (Mongol Cult)

U2 Joshua Tree Tour (U2Gigs.com)

U2 Washington, 1987-09-20, Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Joshua Tree Tour (U2 Gigs)

Suspect on Tape Tells of Actress's Last Words (LA Times)

Bardo rocks, drums to song played in trial (UPI Archives)

The dark reason why U2 refused to play 'Exit' live for 28 years (Far Out)

The Still Terrifying Details of the Murder of Rebecca Schaeffer: A Star on the Rise and an Obsession Turned Deadly (E! Online)

Fan Convicted of Murder in Actress' Slaying : Trial: Judge also rules that the obsessed Robert Bardo lay in wait for Rebecca Schaeffer, requiring a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. (LA Times)

EVEN BETTER THAN THE SURREAL THING (Hotpress)

Bono: The Rolling Stone Interview (Rolling Stone)

BOMBING IN ULSTER KILLS 11 IN CROWD; I.R.A. IS SUSPECTED (NY Times)

Disgraceland is a podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. It melds music history, true crime and transgressive fiction. Disgraceland is not journalism. Disgraceland is entertainment. Entertainment inspired by true events. However, certain scenes, characters and names are sometimes fictionalized for dramatic purposes.

Credits

Hosted by Jake Brennan.

Written by Zeth Lundy.

Additional writing by Bob Proehl.

Copy edited by James Sullivan.

Scored and mixed by Matt Beaudoin.

Additional music and score elements by Ryan Spraker.

DISGRACELAND theme song, “Crenshaw Space Boogie,” written and produced by Jake Brennan. Performed by Jake Brennan, Bryce Kanzer, Jay Cannava, and Evan Kenney. Mixed and engineered by Adam Taylor.

*illustrations by Avi Spivak @avispivak