What the HELL Were You Thinking?

Show Notes Episode 401: It’s Morning Again In America Pt 2 of Reagan This week Host Dave Bledsoe claims his overdue bar tabs are actually deficit spending and they are the only way we can stand up to Soviet dominance! (The bartender impeached his ass out of the bar) On the show this week talk about Reagan the President and his long lasting impact on America. (He broke it, so we bought it.) Along the way we learn that Dave’s dad looks nothing like Richard Gere. Then we dive right in with the 1980 election, an election Reagan was always going to win, but he had to cheat anyway. (How very Nixon of him!) Then we take a look at what Ronnie promised he would do (Make America great again) and what he actually DID. (Make rich people great again.) We examine all the ways The Gipper ripped up the protections put in place to keep poisons out of our water, criminals out of our bank accounts and our bosses from fucking us over in pursuit of their buying a private jet. (They already had their yachts.) From there, we tell you how the entire Reagan expansion of the military was like a college student with their first credit card! (Only instead of a keg fridge, Ronnie bought aircraft carriers and space lasers.) Lastly, we breakdown why it worked (humans are very bad at long term thinking) and why we are still struggling with everything he did today. (Republicans are stupid and evil.) Our Sponsor this week is The Timeline Where Jimmy Carter Won, it isn’t perfect but it is a hell of a lot better than where we are! We open the show with Reagan’s ‘84 campaign ad and close with The Valentine Brothers experiencing Reaganomics. 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/5W-2AK2zLZE We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: The evangelical presidency: Reagan's dangerous love affair with the Christian right https://www.salon.com/2014/05/18/the_evangelical_presidency_reagans_dangerous_love_affair_with_the_christian_right/ Wikipedia: Reaganomics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaganomics What Reagan Has Done to America https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/what-reagan-has-done-to-america-79233/ ‘A Nation at Risk’ demanded education reform 35 years ago. Here’s how it’s been bungled ever since. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2018/04/26/the-landmark-a-nation-at-risk-called-for-education-reform-35-years-ago-heres-how-it-was-bungled/ Reagan's Defense Buildup Bridged Military Eras https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/2004/06/09/reagans-defense-buildup-bridged-military-eras/ec621466-b78e-4a2e-9f8a-50654e3f95fa/ Uncited Additional Reading: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/18/us/politics/jimmy-carter-october-surprise-iran-hostages.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_United_States_presidential_election https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/what-reagan-has-done-to-america-79233/ https://theintercept.com/2021/08/06/middle-class-reagan-patco-strike/ https://patrickjuli.us/2016/01/20/how-reagan-ruined-america/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/column-how-reaganomics-deregulation-and-bailouts-led-to-the-rise-of-trump https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/nov/12/the-reagans-showtime-docuseries https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/03/did-reagan-teams-iran-hostage-sabotage-defeat-jimmy-carter.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 400: Win One for the Gipper (Reagan Pt 1) This week Host Dave Bledsoe asks his “friends” to say a little something about four hundred episodes of this dumb podcast, and they do NOT disappoint! (We found him sobbing in the bathroom, again) On the show this week we FINALLY get around to talking about the  Bête noire of the show, Ronald Reagan! (Insert Peter Griffin shouting “He Said It!”) Along the way we learn that Dave was a Young Republican until he realized he would be one doing the bleeding and dying for the GOP. (He was a slow learner) Then we dive right into the back story of Ronald Wilson Reagan, from his time doing B List movies, to his lackluster military career, through his years stabbing his fellow actors in the back as president of the Screen Actors Guild, to his marriage to arch conservative but extremely skilled at oral Nancy Davis. We go on to chart his entry into politics and his time as governor of California fucking over poor people through his conniving to fuck over Dick Nixon and Gerry Ford. (Ronnie was back stabber, Nancy was a knob slobber) Our Sponsor this week is the Simian Actors Guild, who want you to know they NEVER voted for the guy. We open the show with Reagan shivving Nixon and close with the Austin Lounge Lizards and their history of The Gipper.   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/Dx1zJPuO_s8?t=23 We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: No Method to His Madness https://www.filmcomment.com/article/ronald-reagan-film-career-actor-president/ How Ronald Reagan’s Time at General Electric Pushed Him to Conservatism https://lithub.com/how-ronald-reagans-time-at-general-electric-pushed-him-to-conservatism/ Wikipedia: Ronald Reagan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bonus Edition: Friends Going to Low Places Host Dave Bledsoe asked his friends to give him their thoughts on 400 episodes of this dumb podcast.  They did not hesitate to give him the unvarnished truth.  The only thing harsher than his friends, was Chat GPT.  The AI was brutal. A VERY special thanks to all of those who sent  us their thoughts on the show:  Kimberly Steele, Andrew Roedell, Sean Crespo and Carol Hartsell, Jerermy Balon, Amy Shepphard, CJ Oliver, John-Michael Bassett, Brett Hall, Jerrod Tracht, Ben Bennick and Chat GPT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dowers Boys: We Never Hit the Breaks and We Were Shifting Gears Jerrod and Dave are wall to wall and tree top tall in a brand new episode of the Dowers Boys talking about Trucking Songs! Them Boys picked three trucking songs and talk about ‘em. So y’all get your ears on and get ready to ride the line with the Dowers Boys! The Dowers Boys is hosted by Jerrod Tracht and Dave Bledsoe, it is produced by Dave Bledsoe and Gavin St James at the Heart of Harlem Studio for the Seltzer Kings Podcast. You can follow the show by searching Dowers Boys on Facebook. Both Jerrod and Dave send all their love to their spiritual home, Dowers Tavern, 315 Colusa Ave, Yuba City California. If you are passing through drop, and drop a karaoke slip for a country song! See y’all real soon!  The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DowersBoys/ www.whatthehellpodcast.com Give us your money on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(Originally broadcast March 11th 2017) SHOW NOTES Episode #100: “What the HELL Was I Thinking?” This week Dave Bledsoe wakes up, stumbles past the empty whiskey bottles and takes a long look in the mirror and finally asks himself what the hell was he thinking? (Hint: I need to clean up all the empty bottles). On the show this week we look back at 100 Episode of a low rated podcast and what we’ve learned. (Hint: We need to get out of the house more.) Along the way, we learn about the history of podcasting from the early form of Dave getting drunk and recording himself with his friends to a more evolved form of Dave getting drunk and recording himself alone. (It’s evolved because he learned it is cheaper to drink alone.) We also discover that the iPod was NOT the original name Steve Jobs preferred, we find that podcasts are where failed radio DJ’s go to die, and just that Dennis Miller deserves an Executive Producer credit on this show. (Sane Dennis Miller, not current Dennis.) We also look forward to the inevitable death of podcasting with a quiet, desperate longing.   Our show is sponsored this week by all of sponsors, without whom you would be listening to a much better show. We open with Howard Stern’s wisdom on the podcast format and close with the Greatest American Hero. (Not Reagan, settle down!) Citations Needed: Alas, we never knew ye, And now a word from our sponsors Show Music: https://www.jamendo.com/track/421668/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 Soundcloud www.whatthehellpodcast.com The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 399: Waco Me Up, Before You Go-Go (Pt 2 of the Waco Siege) This week Host Dave Bledsoe flashes his old cop badge and informs the bartender he is the State Liquor Inspector and will need to check their Jameson for “quality assurance” (He was lucky he was only thrown out, not arrested) On the show this week we wrap up our two-parter on the Waco Siege with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (who sounds like a real fun bunch, but aren’t) and how the screwed up pretty much EVERYTHING! Along the way we hear a little story about that one time where Dave got to be a hero, or something close. (We’re not saying he made it up, but we wouldn’t be surprised) Then we jump right into the way the country was in the early 1990’s and the Federal Government was making it worse. (Not to sound all Republican, but they REALLY were!) Then head down to Waco Texas (Technically, the Branch Davidian Compound was not IN Waco, more Waco adjacent!) where the ATF is looking into the activities of the Branch Davidians in the most painfully obvious ways possible. (They might as well have put a sign that read “ATF Stakeout In Progress”). Then we look at all the ways things went wrong before the raid ever happened. (We’re not saying all this WOULD have been avoided with a phone call, but it might have) Finally, we wrap up with a look at how Waco left the country and how its echoes sound today. Our Sponsor this week is Spin Doctors, when your reputation is on life support, call in a specialist, call in Spin Doctors! We open the show with news footage from thirty years ago and close with the Middle Ages who are putting in a wakeup call for early tomorrow morning.  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/PVmxXnqETBk We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: Tripped Up By Lies A report paints a devastating portrait of ATF's Waco planning -- or, rather, the lack of it https://web.archive.org/web/20070930153817/http://www.time.com/time/daily/newsfiles/waco/101193.html Wikipedia Waco Siege https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waco_siege Trojan Horse: Inside the ATF Raid at Waco, Texas https://web.archive.org/web/20131108094342/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/cops_others/waco_raid/index.html  Waco Must Get a Hearing https://web.archive.org/web/20110713105220/http://jimbovard.com/blog/2007/04/19/waco-rip/ What Really Happened at Waco https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/what-really-happened-at-waco/ Uncited Additional Reading: https://www.atf.gov/our-history/remembering-waco https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-waco-atf/ex-atf-agents-recall-storm-of-gunfire-in-deadly-1993-waco-raid-idUSBRE9170JC20130208 https://apnews.com/article/4fc8745f6c835ce802ad68ee054aef0e https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-waco-raid-at-25-enough-with-the-fabulist-lies https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-106hrpt1037/html/CRPT-106hrpt1037.htm https://abcnews.go.com/US/atf-agents-fatal-1993-waco-raid-describe-barrage/story?id=52148324 https://robertbryce.com/killing-the-messenger-whos-really-to-blame-for-the-botched-raid-in-waco/ https://www.justice.gov/archives/publications/waco/report-deputy-attorney-general-events-waco-texas-prosecutions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Show Notes Episode 397: All Bun, No Beef This week Host Dave Bledsoe goes on a date only to have it end badly when he experiences a “Clara Peller Moment”. (He claimed it was a very cold evening.) On the show this week we head back to 1984 when America had our hearts stolen by a crank octogenarian demanding to know where the beef was kept! That’s right, we talk Clara Peller and Where’s the Beef! Along the way we learn that despite not eating fast food for almost four years, Dave was somehow still fat! (He claims he was just “big boned", his latest date would beg to differ!) Then we dive right into the history of a totally different Dave, a Dave with a dream that did not involve a specific brand of Irish whiskey, Dave Thomas. We learn how Wendy’s went from a plucky upstart to the third largest burger chain in the United States. Moreover, we learn how Wendy’s had a plan to take on the Clown and King and become Number One! How? With the Platonic Ideal of the Little Old Lady. We chart Clara’s improbable rise from Chicago manicurist to national overnight sensation! (They were wearing her face at football games!) Finally, we discuss how it all ended over a jar of spaghetti sauce. (As these things so often do) Our Sponsor this week is Meef, a meat substitute that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike meat! We open with Clara Peller’s star turn commercial and close with Clare and Coyote McCloud demanding to know where the HELL is the beef! 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/bdq6TZwepg0 We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: FOUNDING WENDY'S https://www.wendys.com/who-we-are-daves-legacy-founding-wendys “Where’s the Beef?” The Story of the Most Famous Slogan Ever https://bettermarketing.pub/wheres-the-beef-the-story-of-the-most-famous-slogan-ever-550d3f0c48c FEISTY CLARA PELLER, 86; `WHERE`S THE BEEF?` LADY https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-08-12-8703010403-story.html Wikipedia: Clara Peller  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Peller Face the Nation https://youtu.be/K6a-FLKMxUs Clara Peller, the Actress In 'Where's the Beef?' TV Ad https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/12/obituaries/clara-peller-the-actress-in-where-s-the-beef-tv-ad.html WHERE'S THE JOB? CLARA FIRED FOR MAKING SPAGHETTI SAUCE AD https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1985-03-23-8501110180-story.html Uncited Additional Reading: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/639775/clara-peller-wendys-wheres-the-beef-lady https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1267167-clara-peller?language=en-US https://www.discogs.com/release/9267805-Coyote-McCloud-Featuring-Clara-Peller-Wheres-The-Beef https://www.campaignlive.com/article/history-advertising-no-182-clara-pellers-hamburger/1421235 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where%27s_the_beef%3F#:~:text=%22Where's%20the%20beef%3F%22%20is,idea%2C%20event%2C%20or%20product. https://www.wideopeneats.com/wheres-the-beef/ https://onlykutts.com/index.php/2021/10/07/wendys-wheres-the-beef/ https://www.yahoo.com/news/the-inside-story-of-wendys-wheres-the-beef-ad-140051010.html https://www.tampabay.com/blogs/80s/2018/01/10/on-this-date-wendys-first-asked-wheres-the-beef/ http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/10/how-wendys-1984-wheres-beef-commercial.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 396: BALLOONS! Menace from Above! This week, Host Dave Bledsoe ducks his bill collectors by huffing helium and pretends to be a child when he answers the phone. (He could let it go to voicemail). On the show this week we examine the existential threat of the most dangerous flying object ever devised: The Balloon! (Someone tell the Montgolfier Brothers they finally made it!) Along the way we discover that Dave had no friends as a child. (Shocker, we know) Then we provide you with three tales of perfidy and panic all created by the diabolical auspices of the BALLOON! Beware listeners, you cannot know how heinous these latex harbingers of doom truly can be!  From the deserts of New Mexico, to the sunny skies of Southern California all the way to the shores of Lake Eerie, the Balloon Threat has terrorized and intimidated innocent Americans guilty of nothing more than living their lives! Why do these inflated horrors hate us with such unmitigated passions, we may know never. All we know is that Balloons are an existential threat! (Trust us, we did the research) Our Sponsor this week is Helium, so much more than a way to make your voice sound silly. We open the show with a dangerous toy from the 1980’s and close with Kaye and Rob attempting to lure you into their death machine!  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/RvnjKIbLRKw We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: In 1947, A High-Altitude Balloon Crash Landed in Roswell. The Aliens Never Left https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/in-1947-high-altitude-balloon-crash-landed-roswell-aliens-never-left-180963917/ Lawn Chair Larry 1982 Honorable Mention Confirmed True by Darwin https://darwinawards.com/stupid/stupid1998-11.html Late Night with David Letterman July 12, 1982 https://youtu.be/FtdLo1Mug8A Wikipedia: Lawnchair Larry flight https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawnchair_Larry_flight Cleveland marks 35 years since 1.5 million balloons fell on city in disastrous balloonfest https://www.wivb.com/news/cleveland-marks-35-years-since-1-5-million-balloons-fell-on-city-in-disastrous-balloonfest/ Wikipedia: Balloonfest ‘86 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloonfest_%2786 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 395: America Onthropocene This week Host Dave Bledsoe goes looking for love by staggering up to a bachelorette party and slurring Age/Sex/Location to the bride. (The bruises are finally starting to fade.) On the show this week are talking about how America went online with a little dial up service called Q-Link! You might know it better by its later name: American Online. (Or, just AOL) Along the way we find out that Dave was a Wordstar Wizard! (He earned an Air Force medal for his brave embrace of DOS based software!) Then we dive right into the history of how people downloaded porn from the Internet before their phones. (Those ASCII nudes were HOT!) Then we get on the story of two General Electric employees who had a dream that computers could be used for more than designing microwaves! Eventually, they sold their dream to a company that let you connect your Atari 2600 to a server and download a game. (You only got to keep the game for a week, and it took longer than that to download.) From there we explain how AOL came to dominate the Online Service Provider field by blanketing the landscape with one BILLION Compact Discs! Finally, we chart the slow, painful demise of AOL as the company committed one stupid move after another until it became irrelevant. (Kind of like Facebook is doing right now with that whole Meta thing!) Our Sponsor this week is Duane’s Dial Up, keeping kids safe from the internet by keeping them at 56.6 kbps! We open the show with an explainer on this new “online thing” and close with Bob River’s frustrations trying to connect to AOL. 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/G6tRQsfueoc We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: What is a walled garden on the internet? https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/walled-garden#:~:text=On%20the%20internet%2C%20a%20walled,prevent%20access%20to%20other%20material. The Lamest Things About The Early Internet Era https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/10/worst-things-about-early-internet-years You've Got Mail: A History of AOL's Free Trial CDs https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/87291/youve-got-mail-history-aols-free-trial-cds Hollywood Flashback: Time Warner, AOL Entered a Doomed $182 Billion Alliance 20 Years Ago https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/hollywood-flashback-time-warner-aol-entered-a-doomed-182-billion-alliance-20-years-1267322/ What happened to AOL? Here's the fascinating story behind America Online https://slidebean.com/story/does-aol-still-exist#:~:text=AOL%20was%20unable%20to%20change&text=It%20focused%20on%20dial%2Dup,but%20only%203%25%20had%20broadband. About 1.5 million people still pay for AOL — but now they get tech support and identity theft services instead of dial-up internet https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/03/aol-1point5-million-people-still-pay-for-service-but-not-for-dial-up-internet.html Uncited Additional Reading:  https://www.vox.com/2015/5/12/8594049/aol-free-trial-cds#:~:text=1%20billion%20CDs%20with%20free%20trial%20software. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOL#:~:text=The%20service%20traces%20its%20history,as%20America%20Online%20in%201989. https://www.wired.com/1995/09/aol-2/ https://web.archive.org/web/20180627202125/http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-verizon-buys-faded-internet-pioneer-aol-for-4.4-bn-2015-5?IR=T https://techcrunch.com/2010/12/27/aol-discs-90s/ https://money.cnn.com/1996/11/25/technology/excite/ https://searchengineland.com/history-of-aol-search-11634 https://money.cnn.com/1996/11/01/technology/aol/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dowers Boy 5: A Little Salt and Lime This week Jerrod and Dave belly up the bar and talk country music drinking songs! The boys picked three booze themed songs each and shot the shit about them for a while. Like we do. So join us for some country drankin’ songs! The Dowers Boys is part of the What the HELL Were You Thinking podcast it features Jerrod Tracht and Dave Bledsoe, it is produced by Gavin St James who resents every second of doing so. We are part of the Fast Eddie's Podcast Hut Podcast Studios and the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network. You can find more information on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DowersBoys.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 394: Bomb In the Bathroom Window (Part 2 of Operation Desert Storm) This week Host Dave Bledsoe sets his crosshairs on a valuable asset, meaning he found a bar where they haven’t heard of him. (Yet) On the show this week we come back with Part Two of Operation Desert, the shooty part! Don’t worry we would never glorify violence, in fact we find it entirely disturbing. (Except on television, that is cool.) Along the way we learn why Dave doesn't watch horror movies. (He’s a big fraidy cat!) Then we dive right into everything that happened once the bombs started dropping. (Bernie Shaw hid under a table!) We then discuss the feared Iraqi SCUD missile. (You can just call it Al!) And of course, who could forget the famous Patriot Missile! (We suppose the Iraqis would like to.) We talk ground combat from the ill fated Khafji Offensive all the way to the Highway of Death! (They had such descriptive names in this war!) Finally, we talk about homecoming, parades and how short a time the discounts at Denny’s lasted. (Dave is bitter he didn’t get one!) We spent some time how quickly everyone got over liking George HW Bush, and went right back to thinking he was useless. Finally, we talk about consequences and how karma is a real bitch. Our Sponsor this week is Nate’s Night Vision, shining a light on savings! We open the show with footage of the luckiest man in Iraq and close with Stephen R. Archambault talking about alternative entries.   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/G6tRQsfueoc We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: The Epic Little Battle of Khafji https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/0298khafji/ Wikipedia: Highway of Death https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_of_Death DESERT STORM PARTY DRAWS HEROES LAKE TO HAVE LARGEST PARADE EVER https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1991-05-14-9105140399-story.html "It appeared Washington was under attack": Inside the 1991 Washington military parade https://youtu.be/PDv0ZG0AFDw Uncited Additional Reading:   https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/02/the-mother-of-all-battles-20-years-later/71804/ https://timeline.com/photos-gulf-war-cnn-effect-press-manipulation-66680a20cf42 https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/desert_storm-timeline.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_coverage_of_the_Gulf_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Hussein_(missile) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 393: A Feel Good War! Part 1 of Operation Desert Storm On the show this week Host Dave Bledsoe demands to drink for free on the anniversary of Operation Desert Storm and gets beat up in the VFW Hall. (Again) On the show this week we talk about the time America got its mojo back by going to war in Iraq! (That isn’t very specific, we mean the FIRST time!) Along the way we learn that Dave turned down a lucrative career in the fast food drive through for a wasted decade in the military. (He was never Taco John’s material) Then we dive right into the backstory that would lead America to the first war in the Persian Gulf.  (George HW Bush=WIMP!) Then we examine the “reasons” for the war and how we arm twisted the world into going along with us.  (I mean you can’t trust Dick Cheney, who CAN you trust?)  We time out for a tangent to explain a fight between Dave and his dad before we tell you why everyone was so on-board with this whole war thing in 1990!  (Wolf Blitzer’s beard was dead sexy!)  Finally, we look at the most important part of Desert Storm, the marketing! Our Sponsor this week is Second Hand Boom, our guns aren’t new but we reckon they will do.  We open with Poppy Bush explaining why we have to start killing brown people and close with Moxy Furious who has a little song about the Gulf War for us! 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/DktM16tVAD4 We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: Two-thirds of military teens want to follow in their parents’ footsteps. But these kids ‘are not okay,’ survey finds https://www.militarytimes.com/pay-benefits/2021/10/07/two-thirds-of-military-teens-want-to-follow-in-their-parents-footsteps-but-these-kids-are-not-okay-survey-finds/ Bush Battles the 'Wimp Factor' https://www.newsweek.com/bush-battles-wimp-factor-207008 A First-Lens Analysis George H.W.  Bush: Chief Diplomat https://wwnorton.com/college/polisci/lenses/demo/print/dm_cs_pg_bush2.htm A Brief History of Everything That Happened Because of George H.W. Bush’s Insecurity https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/george-h-w-bush-wimp-766076/ Manuel Noriega's Favorite Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7ssB--7GJVy9mgGTxBXhJD50gkR25qkB Iraqi Author: Saddam Planned to Invade Saudi After Kuwait https://apnews.com/article/43a1ca8f080fe18ce186d6d0f0fee6a0 Wikipedia: The Gulf War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War#Diplomatic_means War Policy, Public Support, and the Media by WILLIAM M. DARLEY https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA485899.pdf TRADING CARDS OF WAR GAINING POPULARITY https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1991/rt9103/910302/03020367.htm 20367.htm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 392: Your Parent’s Old Polaroids This week Host Dave Bledsoe finds some horrifying Polaroids in a shoebox in his parent’s garage. (They were for his 5th birthday party, my GOD he was a fat little kid!) On the show this week talk about how the Apple of the 1970’s revolutionized photography and changed  how we all took pictures: Polaroid. Along the way we discover why Dave is the schlubby dresser he is today. (His parents didn’t waste money buying him fashionable clothes, because he was a fat little kid.) Then we dive right into a history of photography that nobody asked for and nobody wants, but is relevant to the topic. Then we move right along to the Polaroid camera and the role it played in pop culture in the 1970’s.  (Very easy to use while very coked up!) We talk about how it changed not only how we took photos, but WHY we took photos. (Even Boomers wanted homemade porn!) Then we see how technology changed everything, from the way art was created to how our Mamaws documented our birthday parties.  Finally, we talk about what happened to Polaroid and why even today and still shake the damn photos even though we never needed to.(Insert Outkast song here.) Our Sponsor this week is Analog Sanitzers, we find those old photos and videos of you, so your kids won’t have to.  We open the show with James Garner getting smacked down by Mariette Hartley and close with Mixed Up Everything who would like you to take a selfie with them. 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/lVd5UvnUmMw We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: Polaroid: How a square-shaped nostalgia symbol paved the way for social media https://www.cnn.com/style/article/how-polaroid-changed-photography/index.html Andy Warhol’s Polaroids of Pop Culture Icons https://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/10098/andy-warhols-polaroids-of-pop-culture-icons Polaroid Queen and 80s icon Maripol on capturing NYC’s downtown movement https://hero-magazine.com/article/181652/maripol-interview-polaroid-new-york-underground-80s-andy-warhol The 5 Real Reasons Polaroid Failed https://history-computer.com/the-x-real-reasons-polaroid-failed/ Why Brands fail: How Polaroid lost grip of the market as a industry leader https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-brands-fail-how-polaroid-lost-grip-market-industry-temitope-ajayi Uncited Additional Reading:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_H._Land https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polaroid_Corporation#:~:text=The%20company%20was%20founded%20in,was%20%243%20billion%20in%201991.\ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/01/09/kodak-to-end-its-instant-camera-line/801f5963-d731-4e19-ad58-12c2f35cb15c/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-polaroid-pioneered-the-instant-photography-revolution https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts/polaroid-instantly-changed-photography-and-its-legacy-lives-on-1.369318 https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/10/back-to-the-future-what-makes-polaroids-cool/263117/ https://mymodernmet.com/history-of-polaroid/ https://garage.vice.com/en_us/article/wj48y4/andy-warhols-polaroids-are-his-most-influential-works Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 391: Did She F**k That Duck This week Host Dave Bledsoe kicks off the New Year by showing up at a New Year’s Eve costume party wearing a fedora and pants claiming to be Howard the Duck. (He left after everyone just pointed and laughed at his tighty whities.) On the show this week, we talk about the second worst movie George Lucas ever produced after Phantom Menace: Howard the Duck. Along the way we learn how Dave basically thought Archie and Veronica were porn when he was growing up. (Honestly, we can see tossing one off to Veronica!) Then we dive right into the backstory of a misanthropic statement on existentialism that became one of the worst movies ever made. (By taking out the misanthropy and existentialism mostly.) We trace the lineage of Howard from his creation as a one off joke in a Marvel horror comic to his rise as a solo series and his brief run for President in 1976. (Howard would have handled the Iranian hostage situation quite differently!) Then we explain how this fairly cult comic book character came to the big screen via the auspices of one of the most influential directors and producers of the 20th Century: Cecil B DeMille. (We’re kidding it was George Lucas) Then we simply explain what went wrong to bring us the movie that was Howard the Duck. (Everything) Our Sponsor this week is the Anthropomorphic Waterfowl Association of America who ask is not a duck man both a duck AND man, both deserving of respect? We open with the Howard trailer and close with Cherry Bomb singing the praises of Howard!  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/fTeiBSiEA8M We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: All Quacked Up: Steve Gerber, Marvel Comics, and Howard the Duck https://web.archive.org/web/20140529143308/http://www.hoodedutilitarian.com/2014/05/all-quacked-up-steve-gerber-marvel-comics-and-howard-the-duck/ 11 Far Out Facts About Howard the Duck https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/78156/11-far-out-facts-about-howard-duck?a_aid=45648 ‘Howard The Duck’: The Oral History https://decider.com/2016/03/11/howard-the-duck-the-oral-history/?_ga=1.192178989.608980329.1302539496 Wikipedia Howard the Duck Movie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_the_Duck_(film)#Box_office Uncited Additional Reading: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/67473/brief-introduction-howard-duck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_the_Duck https://collider.com/howard-the-duck-influence-marvel-lucasfilm-pixar/ https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Howard_the_Duck https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/howard_the_duck/reviews?type=top_critics https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/01/movies/screen-from-george-lucas-howard-the-duck.html https://www.flavorwire.com/473030/so-bad-its-good-howard-the-duck-the-marvel-movie-wed-all-like-to-forget https://web.archive.org/web/20100729163458/http://www.comicsbulletin.com/foom/126874125950897.htm https://www.slashfilm.com/800962/how-george-lucas-howard-the-duck-led-to-toy-story/ https://decider.com/2016/03/11/howard-the-duck-the-oral-history/?_ga=1.192178989.608980329.1302539496 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 390: A Boxing Day Miracle This week Host Dave Bledsoe and Producer Gavin St James switch places in a traditional celebration of Boxing Day! (This is an outright lie because that is not how Boxing Day works and Dave only thinks that because of a MASH episode he saw as a kid) On the show this week, it is our annual year in review where we talk about all the stupid shit that happened in 2022!   Our Sponsor this week is The Year 2023, who wants you to keep your expectations in check. We open with a New Year’s montage from Ghostbuster 2 and close with Odi Acoustic singing about Boxing Day! 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/i7LXPdrzc88 We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 389: Don’t Throw ME In that Cabbage Patch This week, Host Dave Bledsoe staggers into the Cabbage Patch looking for a little action only to get kicked out of the community garden for not wearing pants. (Again) On the show this week, we head down to the toy store to beat the shit out of a mother of four who grabbed the last Cabbage Patch Doll before us. (She had it coming!) Along the way we learn that Dave’s parents loved him enough to buy him guns, but not enough to buy him bullets. (Smart thinking there) From there we dive right into the story of a 21 year old art student who blatantly rips off a middle aged doll maker to create the biggest shit show toy craze of the 1980s! (Capitalism at work folks!) Then we discover how Cabbage Patch Dolls are actually conceived, and find it…disturbing. (THIS IS A KID’S TOY?!?!) We follow along as a 70’s toy company makes it rich on fat, ugly babies only to lose it all on a laughably bad home computer system! (Those were the times.) Our returning Sponsor this week is Gavvie the Lovable Producer Plush doll, with a life-like smell! We open the show with parental riots and close with a song as treacly as the dolls that inspired it.  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/PoOHeZpUSYc We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: Who Invented The Cabbage Patch Kids? https://thevibrantcrafter.com/who-invented-cabbage-patch-kids/ The Strange Cabbage Patch Craze https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,921419,00.html The strange story of the Cabbage Patch Kid Riots of 1983 https://abc13.com/cabbage-patch-dolls-crazy-riot-the-vault/5713681/ The weird, rabid history of the Cabbage Patch craze https://timeline.com/cabbage-patch-craze-867ce8d076c Uncited Additional Reading: https://groovyhistory.com/cabbage-patch-kids/2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage_Patch_Kids https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1257&context=sumagazine https://web.archive.org/web/20080218053854/http://www.cabbagepatchkids.com/pages/History_folklore/Milestones/milestones.html https://www.yahoo.com/news/the-cabbage-patch-kids-twisted-history-117266351832.html https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a32201/cabbage-patch-dolls-history/ https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/what-happened-to-cabbage-patch-kids https://abc13.com/cabbage-patch-dolls-crazy-riot-the-vault/5713681/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleco https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,967387,00.html https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,955377-1,00.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Show Notes Episode 388: As Seen on TV This week Host Dave Bledsoe is making a one time special offer for the low, low price of him not paying this bar tab if you just act now! (The bartender didn’t take him up on it.) On the show this week we take a look back at the origins of every late night bad decision in your life that did not involve a fellow bar patron with one eye and prison tattoo on their forehead, the infomercial.  Along the way we discover how Dave blocks commercials all the while making you listen to them so he can get paid. (Fucking hypocrite!) Then we dive right into the history of late night television and why you can only see cheesy products and washed up celebrities after 1 AM. (They need jobs too!) Then we explain why infomercials are so cheap and ubiquitous. (Do we play a bunch of them, you bet we do!) Then we tell you the tale of the man who almost (well he wasn’t even close) became President using the power of infomercials. (He actually just made Bill Clinton President.) Our Sponsor this week is the Beer Bladder, why pay outrageous prices for beer when you can squeeze it right out of your Beer Bladder. We open the show with a little practical advice and close with some cheesy corporate soft rock commercial music.   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/9fn2kUnyCr4 We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: About Kevin Harrington https://kevinharrington.tv/ Wikipedia Informercials https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infomercial TV Infomercials Draw Mixed Reactions https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/04/nyregion/tv-infomercials-draw-mixed-reactions.html?pagewanted=2 Remind Me, Why Was It That We Ever Watched Infomercials? https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/style/infomercials-television-prozac.html Selling Salvation? https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3164858&page=1 Uncited Additional Reading:   https://www.bustle.com/p/16-things-you-wanted-from-infomercials-in-the-90s-7994328 https://www.yesteryearretro.com/2022/05/15-totally-awesome-90s-infomercial.html https://www.ranker.com/list/worst-infomercials-from-the-1990s/melissa-sartore https://finance.yahoo.com/news/19-infomercial-toys-90s-werent-164602771.html https://cafemom.com/news/198143-13_fly_infomercial_products_from’ https://www.cnbc.com/2014/05/02/meet-the-members-of-the-infomercial-hall-of-fame.html https://www.thedailybeast.com/12-favorite-infomercial-pitchmen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infomercial https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-11-24-ca-1245-story.html https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/infomercial.asp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Perot https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/27/nyregion/the-1992-campaign-the-media-perot-s-30-minute-tv-ads-defy-the-experts-again.html https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/22/business/media/22adco.html https://www.fastcompany.com/1794515/greatest-infomercial-parodies-all-time Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 387: Dumb Dave Was So Dumb (How Dumb Was He?) This week Host Dave Bledsoe is violently ejected from a pub trivia night for answering every question with “Who is Charles Nelson Reilly?”. (Again) On the show this week we talk about the raunchiest drinking party that ever pretended to be a game show in history, the Match Game. Along the way we learn that Dave doesn’t clearly remember much of anything. (Particularly when it is time to cut staff paychecks) Then we dive right into the origin stories of game shows and one game show specifically. (It is the Match Game, come we just told you that!) From its origins as a vanilla quiz panel to the heyday of the dirtiest show on TV!   Our Sponsor this week is That One Team at Pub Trivia, who want you to know they are IN THIS TO WIN THIS! We open with Match Game 74 and close with it as well!   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: The Match Game theme We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: The Secret(s) to Being a Successful Game Show Host https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/secrets-being-a-successful-game-show-host-977908/ Match Game Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Match_Game 11 Fun Facts About Match Game https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/82089/11-fun-facts-about-match-game The Real Match Game Story-Behind The Blank: November 26, 2006 https://archive.org/details/the-real-match-game-story-behind-the-blank-november-26-2006  Uncited Additional Reading:  https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/25/arts/television/25blan.html https://ask.metafilter.com/270781/Are-there-any-salacious-history-books-of-1970s-gameshows https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/match-game https://www.primetimer.com/watch/the-match-game-premiered-on-nbc-58-years-ago-today-and-became-a-new-years-eve-tradition https://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1960s/the-match-game/ https://markgoodson.fandom.com/wiki/Match_Game https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/heres-what-happened-to-match-game-host-gene-rayburn/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices