What the HELL Were You Thinking?

Show Notes Episode 418: Zay Zomething Different This week Host Dave Bledsoe thinks it’s funny to order a Zima from a bartender who wasn’t alive when Zima was a thing. (The bartender did not.) On the show this week we head back to the early 90’s when Coors decided they wanted to toss their hat in the “clear craze” and released a drink that tasted like nothing ever before, because it tasted like nothing: Zima! (Are there WAY too many S’s pronounced with Z’s in this show? Unfortunately, yes.) Along the way we learn that Dave’s Uncle is going to be in REAL trouble if Dave’s Mom finds out he gave him booze when he was eight years old. (Sorry!) Then we dive right into the story of an obscure brewery that just wanted to make a name for itself in the “youth market” (By which we mean underage drinkers). So they created a new “malternative” to beer that no one asked for and no wanted. (Except maybe David Letterman.) We learn how it tasted (it didn’t) and who it was marketed towards. (Dudes, and they didn’t like it) We find out that David Letterman is really the guy who killed Zima. (Well, that and the dude who created it in the first place.) Finally we chart the longer and much slower than you remember decline of Zima and the rise of its successors. Our Sponsor this week is Malt Liquor, it is any booze you want it to be.We open with two guys who just wanted a beer and close with Zorahna who has a little surprise for us in their trunk. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ Our Website: www.whatthehellpodcast.com Give us your money on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music:https://youtu.be/lgjUv7AQkuM?si=_Bc4lQQJ80M0-1hF We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: Wine Coolers: What Are They And How Are They Made? https://blog.saucey.com/wine-coolers-what-are-they-how-are-they-made/#:~:text=The%20history%20of%20wine%20coolers,sold%20in%20the%20United%20States. Wikipedia: Malt Liquor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malt_liquor Zomething Different: The Rise, Fall, and Recent Comeback of Zima https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/76438/zomething-different-zima-story From "The Top Ten Signs Your U.S. Senator Is Nuts." Number 9: Breakfast, lunch and dinner? Zima. https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/from-the-top-ten-signs-your-us-senator-is-nuts-number-9-breakfast-lunch-and-dinner-zima-6363314?showFullText=true OFFICIALS SAY ZIMA IS A MISLEADING ALCOHOL DRINK https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1995/02/08/officials-say-zima-is-a-misleading-alcohol-drink/ The Long, Slow, Torturous Death of Zima https://slate.com/human-interest/2008/11/the-long-slow-torturous-death-of-zima.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 417: Segassem Lanimilbus Niatnoc Yam This week Host Dave Bledsoe attempts to get a free drink by briefly holding up a 3x5 Index Card with the words “NO PAY” on it to the bartender hoping to subliminally message him. (The bartender made him choose between eating the card or getting thrown out. He ate it.) On the show this week we head back to 1990 when Judas Priest was sued because someone thought they used subliminal messages to kill their fans. (They weren’t and they didn’t) Along the way we discover that Dave was NOT very metal as a teenager, (He was downright cherubic! Which is NOT Metal!) Then we dive right into the dark and sad story of two teenagers who did a terrible and tragic thing and the greedy lawyers who tried to make a buck on it. (Trigger warning: Capitalism) We meet the family who very much want you to believe that Judas Priest was responsible for the terrible and tragic thing and NOT the terrible and tragic lives the kids led, largely due to the parents.Then we follow the twisted logic as a small town lawyer goes after a band and record label on the legal pretext that somehow it makes good business sense for either of them to want fewer customers rather than more. (And are willing to kill to make that happen) Finally, we hear from any number of “experts” who listened to a Judas Priest album and just heard whatever the fuck they wanted to hear. (But somehow missed Rob Halford asking for a peppermint. GIVE ROB HIS PEPPERMINT!) Our Sponsor this week is Sully’s Subliminals, who want you to know it isn’t ILLEGAL to use subliminal advertising! We open the show with Bill Hicks and close with Judas Priest doing the least evil song a metal band ever wrote. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ www.whatthehellpodcast.com Give us your money on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music:https://youtu.be/0IVqI-byCFE?si=JceouMk4f7l-DRTp We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: ALBUM BLAMED IN SUICIDE PACT https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/07/17/album-blamed-in-suicide-pact/f0369825-a29a-4446-a6fd-73e40ff15817/ Teen-Age Suicide, Rock And Parental Deception https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/06/movies/teen-age-suicide-rock-and-parental-deception.html Dream Deceivers Documentary - The Story Behind James Vance vs. Judas Priest 1992 https://youtu.be/MGeNjfRWzXI?si=hdD2NSIHMpjhy0fh ‘My Heart Aches’ : Mothers in Judas Priest Trial Tell of Their Five-Year Ordeal https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-07-ca-342-story.html 2 Families Sue Heavy-Metal Band As Having Driven Sons to Suicide https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/17/arts/2-families-sue-heavy-metal-band-as-having-driven-sons-to-suicide.html Wikipedia: Better by You, Better than Me https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_by_You,_Better_than_Me Judas Priest: The Lawsuit That Shook The Metal World https://rockandrolltruestories.com/judas-priest-lawsuit/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week Jerrod and Dave take the stage to sing the songs Jerrod put in for Dave to sing knowing he was drunk enough to try them.(Even though he knew he couldn’t sing them!) So sit back, put a dollar in the smoking jar and get ready to sing with the Dowers Boys! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 416: Milli Vanilli Were Neither A Milli Nor A Vanilli This week Host Dave Bledsoe INSISTS the person who ran up this bar tab was an imposter and he is NOT responsible for paying them! (This did not work.) On the show this week we talk about the scandal that officially ended the 1980’s, even though it happened in 1990: The Milli Vanilli lip sync affair! (Turns out the real bad guy was capitalism!) Along the way we learn that some told Dave he could sing! (They were wrong, so very, very, wrong!) Then we meet our bad guy Frank Farian and a German record producer with a penchant for exploiting black musicians. (Kind of a cliche in the recording industry.) We follow Frank as he tries to cash in on this whole “rap thing” he’s been hearing about by putting together a band with the right look and the right sound to make a hit! (Sadly, the look and the sound were different people.) Then we watch the rise of Milli Vanilli from the West German Club Scene to taking best new artist at the Grammys only to fall just as fast as the rose when the CD skipped at an MTV Concert. (With all the money they were making you would think they could afford a new CD for every show!) Finally, we see what happens when capitalism meets reality. (The rich get richer, the poors die of drug overdose.) Our Sponsor this week is Fast Eddie’s Talent Management, who want you to know it isn’t fraud unless we get caught. We open with news coverage of Rob and Fab’s downfall and close with Frog Leap Studios professing their love for you girl! Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ www.whatthehellpodcast.com Give us your money on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music:https://youtu.be/M1BPt9fPEo4 We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: Wikipedia Frank Farian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Farian Wikipedia Milli Vanilli https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milli_Vanilli 30 Years Later: The Great Milli Vanilli Hoax https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/601512/milli-vanilli-hoax?a_aid=45648 The Creator of Milli Vanilli Speaks Out--in His Own Words : Pop music: German producer Frank Farian admits that he should have been more candid about the duo’s lip-syncing, but please don’t compare him to Saddam Hussein. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-31-ca-5618-story.html Mime & Punishment? The rise and fall of Milli Vanilli https://traxploitation.com/milli-vanilli Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 415: Beautiful Downtown Calumet WTH Movie Night: Red Dawn This week Host Dave Bledsoe drunkenly climbs on the bar and shouts Wolverines as the bouncers tackle him from all sides. (Again) On the show this week we fire up the popcorn for a What the Hell Movie Night, when we take a classic 80’s movie and ruin it for everyone! This time in the VCR: Red Dawn! (The original, not the shitty remake that we don’t acknowledge as even existing!) Along the way we learned that Dave preserved the peace by preparing for war on the battlefields of his granny’s property. (Honestly, he just bullied his cousin!) Then we dive right into 1984’s Cold War Propaganda Right Wing Fan Wank, Red Dawn! (Told you we would ruin it for you!) We introduce you to the Director John Milius who once left a gun on his desk to intimidate a reporter! (True story!) Then we explain how the Nixon AND Reagan Whitehouse was somehow involved in the making of this movie. (Another True Story!) We meet the cast of up and coming 80’s stars and then we finally get down to business.  (Dissecting the endless glaring plot holes and utterly impossible things that made this move so beloved and annoying.) Finally, we wrap up with a socio-political analysis of the movie's cultural impact. (There are masturbation jokes too!  This IS a comedy podcast!) Our Sponsor this week is Jed’s Bait, Tackle and Paramilitary Supply, when you flyspeck town is overrun by the godless Commie Horde, shop at Jed’s! We open with the trailer for Red Dawn and close with Entombed and the heartache of being a predator. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ www.whatthehellpodcast.com Give us your money on Patreon  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music:https://youtu.be/uNi0tsCU-6g We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: IMDB: Red Dawn (84) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087985/?ref_=ttpl_ov Wikipedia: Red Dawn  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dawn FILM: 'RED DAWN,' ON WORLD WAR III https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/10/movies/film-red-dawn-on-world-war-iii.html Hailey Wattman Red Dawn in the Context of the Cold War https://ucisportfolios.pitt.edu/haileywattman/wp-content/uploads/sites/202/2018/11/Final-Context-Paper-Red-Dawn.docx Red Dawn Its portrait of Russia is dated. Its portrait of America is timely—and terrifying. https://slate.com/culture/2008/10/patrick-swayze-and-charlie-sheen-in-red-dawn.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 219 & 220 Reprise: “Murka and the Moon” This week Host Dave Bledsoe didn’t feel like writing so we kludged up a couple of old scripts into a newish show (He DID record it, because he likes the part where he gets drunk) So sit back and enjoy a cleaned up, De-Trump and somewhat pertinent reprise of a show we did four years ago about that time America went to the Moon with the help of a Nazi. (It all comes back to Nazis!) If you have heard it, the jokes will be new to you, and if you HAVE heard you know the jokes weren’t that good anyway! We will be back next week with new content, unless Dave gets arrested again. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ www.whatthehellpodcast.com Give us your money on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music:https://youtu.be/QEJ9HrZq7Ro We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed:  Wernher von Braun and Peak Whiteness https://medium.com/the-secret-history-of-america/the-whitest-man-who-ever-lived-1350c5a237f5 Bill Kaysing Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Kaysing Why Do So Many Americans Believe the Moon Landing Was Fake? https://slate.com/technology/2019/07/moon-landing-fake-american-conspiracy-why.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 414: “Admiral, It is the Enterprise!” This week Host Dave Bledsoe boldly goes where he has never gone before! (Meaning a bar in Bayonne New Jersey where he hopes they’ve never heard of him!) On the show this week we open hailing frequencies and tell you about the time nerds convinced the President to name a space shuttle after a TV show (Dr Quinn Medicine Woman). Along the way we learn about Dave’s fantasies. (Thank god we are talking about his CHILDHOOD fantasies not the sewer that they are today!) Then we dive right into the Big Dreams NASA had after going to the Moon! (We were gonna get Moon Bases!) and how reality, along with Dick Nixon, brought them back down to Earth. We then learn a little about the American Space Truck, the Flying Ford F-150! (Could have been worse, could have been a Chevy) Then we talk about how even the modest dreams of the shuttle program had to be dialed back in the face of harsh reality. (Do we mention Reagan? Sadly, we do.) Finally, we tell you how a group of very determined nerds used their powers of persuasion not to get someone to finally sleep with them, but convince Gerald Ford to name a shuttle after an imaginary spaceship. (Meaning their girlfriends would continue to be imaginary.) Our Sponsor this week is the PodTrek Podcast, three middle aged white dudes doing five shows complaining about modern Star Trek being “woke”. We open with NASA unveiling the shuttle and close with the Firm boldly going forward because they can’t find reverse. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ www.whatthehellpodcast.com Give us your money on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music:https://youtu.be/FCARADb9asE We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: THE POST-APOLLO SPACE PROGRAM: DIRECTIONS FOR THE FUTURE http://libarchstor2.uah.edu/digitalcollections/files/original/20/1632/Binder1_081110135224.pdf Wikipedia: Space Shuttle program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_program Social, Cultural, and Educational Legacies https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/584743main_Wings-ch6a-pgs459-469.pdf NASA NAMING COMMITTEES https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4402/app-d.htm Grassroots Enterprise: How the Space Shuttle got its name http://startrekdom.blogspot.com/2007/04/grassroots-enterprise-how-space-shuttle.html Declassified Memos Reveal Debate Over Naming the Shuttle "Enterprise" https://gizmodo.com/declassified-memos-reveal-debate-over-naming-the-shuttl-1603073259 45 Years Ago: Space Shuttle Enterprise Makes its Public Debut https://www.nasa.gov/feature/45-years-ago-space-shuttle-enterprise-makes-its-public-debut Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 413: Skylab Fallout This week Host Dave Bledsoe orders up a mixed drink so powerful it can strip the varnish off the bar top. (The last time we saw him, he was passed out in a bathroom stall) On the show this week we turn back to July of 1979 when NASA’s abandoned space station plummeted back to Earth like a GOP Presidential Primary candidate’s poll numbers. (Looking at you Ron DeSantis) We are talking about Skylab!  Along the way we learn how Dave spent a Summer digging a hole in the ground because he thought his parents were on the edge of a divorce. (They weren’t, he was an idiot).  Then we dive right into the story of how some recycled rocket parts, repatriated Nazi and Congressional budget cuts led to America’s first space station! (Tacky Cardassian Fascist Eyesore!) We learn how a slapdash rushed program resulted in multiple repair missions and uncomfortable living conditions for the crew. (The body odor in that tube must have been unspeakable) And then how NASA just turned the lights off and left it to crash in a few years. (Did NOT see that coming!) We also learn how the world and America reacted to the looming threat of orbital armageddon! (Hard hats and t-shirts!)  Our Sponsor this week is Celestial Underwriters, the only insurance that covers falling space debris! We open the show with an English news report on the end of Skylab and close with Mike Offutt singing a little song about disaster!  Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ www.whatthehellpodcast.com Give us your money on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music:https://youtu.be/aRxn35Ketgk We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: Skylab: First U.S. space station https://www.space.com/19607-skylab.html The Forgotten Success of Skylab https://www.realclearhistory.com/historiat/2018/07/11/the_forgotten_success_of_skylab_334.html#:~:text=Skylab%20gathered%20tons%20of%20data,solar%20studies%20to%20this%20day. How to Shower in Space https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/how-shower-space#:~:text=Showering%20on%20the%20Skylab&text=Astronauts%20took%20cumbersome%20showers%20in,to%20a%20hose%20and%20showerhead. Skylab's Path a Diagonal Across U.S https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/07/07/skylabs-path-a-diagonal-across-us/c370933d-e4d7-41fa-b603-2230d44fe88d/ The Last Days Of Skylab https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/1979/04/08/the-last-days-of-skylab/d0887927-a421-4a94-8609-160fad8d6150/ Skylab's Fiery Fall https://web.archive.org/web/20070213023709/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,920502,00.html Matter Wins Again Over Mind https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/05/26/matter-wins-again-over-mind/7ea4f819-8f94-4822-99b3-2f22b9cd5e6c/ A space station fell to Earth. An Australian boy brought it to San Francisco https://www.sfgate.com/sfhistory/article/the-skylab-race-to-san-francisco-18074888.php Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 412: If You Start Me Up, I’ll Never Stop This week Host Dave Bledsoe finally decides he is in need of an upgrade. (Meaning he started buying liter bottles of Jameson instead of his usual 750ml) On the show this week we head back to the most exciting moment of human history, the launch of Windows 95 (Well that is what Bill Gates TOLD us at the time, in retrospect this might not be exactly true.) Along the way we learn that Dave’s septuagenarian parents are still more tech savvy than he is! (He STILL has to call THEM for help with his computer!) Then we dive into the history of Graphical User Interface. (Which is only slightly more interesting than it sounds.) From there we take a brief look at why the world uses PC’s more than Apples. (All the cool video games were on the PC) Finally we get to what Windows 95 was and why everyone in the world was so amped up about it being released. (The 90’s were pretty boring, really) We explain why Bill Gates and Jay Leno danced to a mid tier Rolling Stones song on stage. (They paid three million dollars for it, that’s why) Finally we talk about the mania that accompanied the midnight release of CD-ROM. Our Sponsor this week is Hewlett Packard 486 DX2, all the computer you will EVER need! We open the show with Microsoft’s promotional video for Windows 95 and close with Christian Porter and a MUCH better song choice for Windows! Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ www.whatthehellpodcast.com Give us your money on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/h63LxKAoSsw We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: Windows 95 Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_95 Windows 95: The hype and beyond Nerds wreak their billion-dollar revenge  https://www.theguardian.com/century/1990-1999/Story/0,6051,112728,00.html Windows 95 is 25 years old today https://www.theverge.com/21398999/windows-95-anniversary-release-date-history People were unbelievably excited at the launch of Windows 95\ https://www.businessinsider.com/windows-95-launch-20-years-ago-2015-8 20 years ago, people waited overnight in line for a Microsoft product https://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsofts-windows-95-software-turned-192528654.html Windows 95 opens on a waiting world https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1995/08/23/windows-95-opens-on-a-waiting-world/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

THE DOWERS BOYS: SANGIN’ ‘BOUT MURKA!!! Jerrod and Dave take the stage to sing their favorite patriotic songs, or at least make fun of them! So grab a song slip from the KJ, a beer from the bar and kick up your heels for another set from The Dowers Boys! Featured Songs this week: Born In the USA    America Proud To Be An American Little Pink Houses This Land Is Your Land Courtesy of the Red White and Blue Independence Day The Dowers Boys are Jerrod Tracht and Dave Bledsoe. Produced by Dave Bledsoe and Gavin St James, a Production of Fast Eddies Podcast Hut Podcast Studios and part of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network. You can find more information and follow them on Facebook by searching for the Dowers Boys. The show is because of, but not affiliated with, Dowers Tavern in Yuba City CA.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices