This week on Jackalope Tales, Charles and Lisa crank the amps, dim the lights, and wave hello to the invisible guy in the trench coat taking notes from across the street.

Lisa dives into the rumor-soaked paranoia buffet of Devo—a band so weird, so anti-normal, and so aggressively “we’re all devolving into meat robots” that the feds allegedly kept an eye on them like they were one synth line away from toppling the government. Was it the art? The message? The matching outfits? Or did someone in Washington simply fear the power of a plastic energy dome?

Then Charles takes the mic and drags the Monkees into the surveillance spotlight—because apparently even America’s favorite manufactured pop band wasn’t safe once they started getting too mouthy and too independent. When you’re smiling for the cameras but saying the wrong things off-script, Big Brother doesn’t cancel you… he files you.

It’s music history with a side of dread, paranoia, and government paperwork—because nothing says “freedom” like a federal employee building a case file titled:

“Subject appears to be… funky.”

Turn it up. Act normal. And remember: if you’re hearing feedback…

it might not be your speaker. [Ep 123]

Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content!

Produced by: Charles Mooney
Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney

Some songs die with dignity. Others get dragged out of the grave by a 7-second video, a suspiciously sweaty dance trend, and a comment section full of people typing “WHAT IS THIS SONG???” like they just discovered music.

In “Brought Back By Thirst Traps,” Charles and Lisa dig up the tracks that social media resurrected—songs that went from forgotten relic to algorithmic deity overnight. The kind of tunes that suddenly become more famous now than they ever were back when radio still mattered and people pretended they weren’t obsessed with strangers on the internet.

We’re talking about the hits that got reborn through memes, edits, thirst traps, and “POV: you’re falling in love with a villain” montages—only to end up stuck in your head like a cursed chant you didn’t consent to.

It’s dark. It’s hilarious. It’s a little tragic/significantly horny (emotionally). And it’s proof that in 2026, nothing stays dead… as long as someone can shake ass to it in perfect lighting.

Welcome back to the graveyard, baby. The playlist is haunted. [Ep 122]

Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content!

Produced by: Charles Mooney
Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney

In this episode of Jackalope Tales, Charles and Lisa head north of the border to untangle the most musically messy political bloodline Canada ever produced: the Trudeaus.

First up, Papa Trudeau himself — Pierre Trudeau — the intellectual heartthrob who governed Canada by day and allegedly ran with rock stars by night. We dive into the long-whispered legend of Pierre’s rumored romance with Barbra Streisand, a pairing so aggressively artsy it may have required a beret and a mirror ball. Was it love, politics, or just two powerful egos colliding over candlelight and show tunes? Canada still won’t say.

Then we jump generations to his son, Justin Trudeau, a man who looks like he was genetically engineered in a focus group. Charles and Lisa unpack the current buzz swirling around Justin and pop superstar Katy Perry — a story that lives somewhere between tabloid fantasy, internet conspiracy, and “wait… what?” energy.

Along the way, we explore the bizarre gravitational pull between political power and musical fame, why Trudeaus keep orbiting artists like moths to a very glamorous flame, and how Canada somehow stays polite while all this is allegedly happening.

It’s politics, pop music, rumors, relationships, and enough maple-syrup-flavored chaos to make you question everything you thought you knew about power couples.

Trudeau… TrueDat!

Because sometimes the wildest musician stories don’t start backstage — they start in parliament. [Ep 121]

Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content!

Produced by: Charles Mooney
Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney

Attention, maggots. In this episode of Jackalope Tales, Charles and Lisa salute the strange, uncomfortable intersection of rock ’n’ roll and government-issued underwear.

Lisa reports for duty with the story of Frank Zappa, whose brief flirtation with the military proved that no amount of discipline can survive contact with sarcasm, long hair, and a brain that refuses to salute. Expect tales of authority figures losing patience and Frank losing interest.

Meanwhile, Charles digs into Johnny Cash, a man who joined the military, learned Morse code, possibly learned what not to do with military equipment, and then turned that experience into the emotional backbone of American music — after being politely shown the door.
From boot camp boredom to command-level regret, G.I. Jams explores what happens when musicians are briefly forced to follow orders… and how quickly the armed forces realized this might’ve been a mistake. Lock, load, and listen — this episode is not approved by the Pentagon. [Ep 120]

Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content!

Produced by: Charles Mooney
Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney

New Year’s Eve is supposed to be champagne, countdowns, and pretending your life is about to change. But in Jackalope Tales fashion, Charles and Lisa ring in the new year by dragging out the ghosts, glitches, and catastrophic vibes that show up when musicians tempt fate at midnight.

Charles revisits the tragic and eerie final moments of Ricky Nelson, whose New Year’s Eve plans ended not with confetti, but with a plane crash that froze time and sealed a legend in the worst way possible. It’s dark, it’s sobering, and it’s the ultimate reminder that not everyone makes it to “Auld Lang Syne.”

Meanwhile, Lisa takes us to a very different kind of disaster: Mariah Carey melting down live on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve when technical difficulties turned pop perfection into televised chaos. Lip-syncs died, dignity followed, and America watched in stunned, sparkling horror.

From flaming wreckage to hot-mic humiliation, Balls-a-Droopin’ is our annual reminder that New Year’s Eve doesn’t care about your legacy, your vocal cords, or your survival instincts. So pour a drink, lower your expectations, and join us as we toast another year with stories that prove the ball isn’t the only thing that drops at midnight. [Ep 119]

Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content!

Produced by: Charles Mooney
Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney

Gather ’round the fire, spike your cocoa (or don’t—we won’t judge), and tuck in your little anarchists. This Christmas Eve, Charles and Lisa invite you into the warm, flickering glow of Jackalope Tales for a holiday tradition that definitely would’ve gotten you grounded as a kid.

In ‘Twas the Night Before Punkmas, we read a beloved Christmas story… then drag it behind the venue, give it a leather jacket, and let it smoke behind the dumpster. Expect punk spirit, twisted nostalgia, and enough festive chaos to make Santa rethink his life choices.

It’s cozy. It’s cruel. It’s Christmas—Jackalope Tales style. [Ep 118]

Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content!

Produced by: Charles Mooney
Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney

Part 2 of our descent into the beautiful chaos that is Marky Ray—and this time, the guitars don’t survive.

In this episode, Marky pulls back the curtain on life on the road with Nine Inch Nails, where industrial rage wasn’t just a vibe, it was a line item in the budget. Hear how touring with Trent Reznor meant nightly onstage meltdowns, flying instruments, and Marky becoming less of a guitarist and more of a full-time guitar ER surgeon—repairing, replacing, and emergency-buying axes just to keep the show moving.

Broken necks. Snapped strings. Shattered bodies (of guitars… mostly). And the unspoken rule: If Trent is in a mood, hide the vintage gear.

Dark, hilarious, and louder than your tinnitus, this episode is a love letter to road warriors, techs, and anyone who’s ever watched a perfectly good instrument die for the art.

Plug in, brace yourself, and remember:
In industrial rock, the guitars are expendable.

Be sure to click the link below to purchase Rock And Roll Mercenary by Marky Ray, a no-BS collection of insane road stories from deep inside the music world, told by someone who actually survived it. From legendary tours and volatile artists to shattered guitars, blown budgets, and backstage chaos, nothing is cleaned up or romanticized. It’s the brutal, hilarious truth about what really happens when rock ’n’ roll goes to work. [Ep 116]

Link to Marky’s amazing book:
https://ebay.us/m/ihHqRd

Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content!

Produced by: Charles Mooney
Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney

This week, Charles and Lisa crack open the tour-stained, whiskey-splashed saga of a true road warrior: Professor Marky Ray, Cleveland’s own Master of Music and the man lovingly (and fearfully) known as The Rock and Roll Mercenary.

For five decades, Marky Ray has been everywhere—onstage, backstage, under the stage, lost behind the stage—and playing with more bands than most of us can name without passing out. A former member of Jim Rose Circus, The Lyres, the terrible parade, Death of Samantha, and New Salem Witch Hunters, Marky has performed, toured, and occasionally survived gigs alongside Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Butthole Surfers, The Cramps, The Pagans, Human Switchboard, Toadies, Die Warzau, and half the Lollapalooza lineup of ’91-’92.

He’s a musician, artist, entertainer, emcee, voiceover chameleon, and the only man brave enough to front Akron’s own Walking Clampetts. These days he also wrangles 25+ bands as the Outdoor Stages Production Manager of the Tri-C JazzFest—because apparently he didn’t rack up enough chaos backstage in the first forty years.

In Part 1, Marky joins Jackalope Tales to share his wildest stories, strangest encounters, and a few things we’re pretty sure should have stayed sealed in a road case.

Dark, funny, and full of rock-and-roll shrapnel—don’t miss it. [Ep 116]

Link to Marky’s amazing book:
https://ebay.us/m/ihHqRd

Become a J-Lope and follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, TikTok, and check out our YouTube page for more exclusive content!

Produced by: Charles Mooney
Executive Producers: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Original Music by: Charles Mooney and Lisa Umbarger

Kazoo Solo by: Courtney Mooney