Episode 513: Ballot With Butterfly Wings Part 1 of the 2020 Election This week host Dave Bledsoe got kicked out of an Andrew Cuomo election rally for constantly drunkenly screaming “Andy, let’s go pick up some bitches!” (Again) On the show this week we turn the clock back twenty five years to the election that broke America. (We could have had a Lockbox!) Along the way we learn that Dave voted for Ralph Nader. (What an asshole) Then we dig into why we have an Electoral College. (Slavery.) From there we meet the men who were vying to lead the country into the 21st Century, one a boring politician and the other a dumbass fratboy with a drinking problem and a famous last name. From there we head to Florida for an explanation of why Florida is like it is. (Weird, filled with old people and alligators).  We discuss the election night faux pas that left the media with egg on its face and shit in their nickers. Then we take a listen to the recently discovered recording of Al Gore’s retracted concession speech to George W Bush. Our Sponsor this week is Ballot Express, when you need to rig an election fast, you need Ballot Express.  We open with a painfully young Jon Stewart FINALLY calling the 2020 Election and close with Joel Goguen who has anger issues. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/sNYJ5ELTxBM?si=_hmhHHaK-cCTvf4M Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: THE 2000 CAMPAIGN: THE POLLS; Poll Shows Either Candidate Within Reach of Victory https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/06/us/the-2000-campaign-the-polls-poll-shows-either-candidate-within-reach-of-victory.html The Florida Recount Of 2000: A Nightmare That Goes On Haunting https://www.npr.org/2018/11/12/666812854/the-florida-recount-of-2000-a-nightmare-that-goes-on-haunting Contested presidential elections Bush v. Gore https://millercenter.org/contested-presidential-elections/bush-v-gore Election night has been a big media event since electric lights first announced the winner in 1892 https://theconversation.com/election-night-has-been-a-big-media-event-since-electric-lights-first-announced-the-winner-in-1892-148413 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 512: Granny Are You OK? Part 4 of Spooktacular 2025 This week Host Dave Bledsoe was arrested for setting up a moonshine still next to the Loch in Central Park, he claimed he was merely celebrating his people’s culture.  (Sure, Dave) On the show this week we wrap up Spooktacular 2025 99 Problems But A Witch Ain’t One with America’s own Granny Witches!  Along the way we discover Dave’s complicated relationship with his grandmother. (It’s complicated) Then we head over to Northern Ireland for only LOOKS like a digression, before heading back to the New World with the folks that used to live in Northern Ireland.  We follow the Scotch Irish as they head west into the mountains and create a culture that is both complex and fully hillbilly. Then jump ahead to modernity where some people pretend they know how to cure the gout with a hogs tooth and henbane. (Use rectally) Finally we wrap up the entire Spooktacular with Dave explaining in fact, a witch WAS one of his ninety-nine problems. Our Sponsor this week is Cleetus and Boggs Holler Real Estate, don’t dig a new hole where the old outhouse was, you call Cleetus and Boggs.  We open with Liz Pardue talking Holler Magick and close with Van Izak who knows it’s strictly taboo.  Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/evxVrtftylU?si=X1EUVLDzYCdqxZ7J Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Appalachian Folk Magic: Generations of “Granny Witchcraft” and Spiritual Work https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/appalachian-folk-magic Byron Ballard keeps Appalachian folk magic practices alive https://mountainx.com/living/wellness/byron-ballard-keeps-appalachian-folk-magic-practices-alive/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 511: Something Wiccan This Way Comes Part 3 of Spooktacular 2025 This week Host Dave Bledsoe was arrested at the Lizard Lounge in Bohemia for getting hammered, stripping off all his clothes and proclaiming he was performing Witchy Woman by the Eagles “skyclad”. (Again) On the show this week we look at the state of modern witchcraft when we talk about the Wiccans. Along the way we learn that Dave DID try not be a godless heathen. (Just not very hard.) Then we dive right into that time the Romans did some Roman shit to people in what would become Wales. (Somehow, this IS relevant) before coming back to talk about an English Post Clerk who decided that pretending to believe in witchcraft might get him laid. (Unfair and untrue, Gerald was probably ACE) Then we follow the rise of Wicca as a religion as it spread around the world in the 70s until it exploded in the late 90s. (Alyson Hannigan was just so damn cute!) We explain how Wicca got popular then Hollywood made it suck and how Wicca is today.  Finally, Dave explains why he isn’t a Wiccan. (They kicked him out of the coven for being too eager to get Skyclad.) Our Sponsor this week is Coven FInder,because a coven of one isn’t a coven at all! We open with Nat Geo explaining Wicca and close with Liam St John is risking himself with the Three Fold Law. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/7yDf0nYJCf4?si=YOka_JgYWuWRl1Bz Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: The Consequences Roman Contact Had on British Religion https://druidry.org/resources/the-consequences-roman-contact-had-on-british-religion What is Wicca? A Beginner’s Guide to the Wiccan Religion https://wiccaliving.com/what-is-wicca/ Wiccan Views on Sex https://discover.hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Wicca-For-Beginners-Wiccan-Views-on-Sex Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 510: “Smack My Witch Up” Part Two of Spooktacular 2025 This week Host Dave Bledsoe got drunk and lost in a Haunted Corn Maze and terrified an entire Church Group when he stumbled out without any pants. (Again) On the show this week the Spooktacular takes us to witch panics and trials throughout history. (Modern included) Along the way we learn Dave considered himself a victim of witch hunt because he was accused of trying to sleep with college age women. (Which he was definitely doing.) Then we move right into the Protestant Reformation, which reformed Europe into a WHOLE bunch of brutality wars. (Not that they needed an excuse.) Then we dig into how random old women with skin conditions were accused of sexual liaisons with demons all over Europe and America.  (Warts are a demon turn on) We turn to the colonies to learn how and why Salem was a hot bed of witch activity and why it stopped. (Religion and Money.  Spoiler alert.) Finally we examine the status of witch hunts today. Our Sponsor this week is Turgidson and Smythe, Barristers of Witches, for not every hag is, in truth, a witch. We open the show with a visit from the Witchfinder and close with The Gitarinet Duo who are disciplinarians.  Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/s7oxOEa4ZbY?si=lKswHO7E6b4uRq6k Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Witchcraft and the Reformation https://tudorblogger.com/2013/05/02/witchcraft-and-the-reformation-2/ Wikipedia: Witch Hunt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_hunt The ‘Malleus Maleficarum’: Ancient book offers ways to identify a witch https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/malleus-maleficarum-ancient-books-offers-ways-identify-witch/B5PRVNGF3BF2JAPEEC4YRM6HGE/ A brief and true narrative of some remarkable passages relating to sundry persons afflicted by witchcraft at Salem village, which happened from the nineteenth of March to the fifth of April, 1692 collected by Deodat Lawson. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A49794.0001.001/?view=toc SALEM WITCHCRAFT TRIALS: THE PERCEPTION OF WOMEN IN HISTORY, LITERATURE AND CULTURE http://facta.junis.ni.ac.rs/lal/lal201001/lal201001-01.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 509: Shaman Me? Shaman You! This week Host Dave Bledsoe visited the Old Wise Woman at the edge of the village for herbs that would help him experience enlightenment.  (Meaning he bought some weed at an unlicensed dispensary.) Along the way we learn that Dave was scared by an old lesbian when he was a kid.  (Lesbians are nothing to be afraid of!) Then we dive right in by dispelling some myths about the matriarchy.  From there we explore the role of the shaman in pre-history and how they were much more than just some dudes with horned masks and good weed. (A lot of them had shrooms as well!) We discuss how the tribal shaman became the village healer once humanity settled down to an agrarian lifestyle and how important they were in society for over a thousand years.  We wrap up with why they went from a vital part of rural life to demonic sin peddlers.  (Yep, it was capitalism!) Our Sponsor this week is the Herb Hut, don’t cast your spells without us! We open with Christine O’Donnell who wants us to know she isn’t a witch and close with Armen Chakmakjian who wonders if maybe she is.  Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/H2OgKpcvMYw?si=69jc_XHyoJSCqVD1 Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/e/eller-myth.html The Evidence of Shamanism Rituals in Early Prehistoric Periods of Europe and Anatolia https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/1715302 History of magic in Western worldviews https://www.britannica.com/topic/magic-supernatural-phenomenon/History-of-magic-in-Western-worldviews What is Cunning Craft and who are Cunning Folk? https://medium.com/@crystalcavendish/what-is-cunning-craft-and-who-are-cunning-folk-993102962a01 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 284-285 Redux Mega-Mix “The Rendlesham Forest UFO Incident” We are off this week prepping for Spooktacular 2025 so enjoy this double episode megamix from 2020 about that time in the 80s some Air Force cops lied about seeing a UFO to cover their asses after getting caught fucking around on post. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/H2OgKpcvMYw?si=69jc_XHyoJSCqVD1 Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed:  Rendlesham Forest Incident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendlesham_Forest_incident New Light on Rendlesham https://drdavidclarke.co.uk/secret-files/secret-files-4/ The Rendlesham Forest UFO Case http://www.ianridpath.com/ufo/rendlesham.htm The Rendlesham Forest UFO Case by Ian Ridpath http://www.ianridpath.com/ufo/rendlesham.htm New Light on Rendlesham https://drdavidclarke.co.uk/secret-files/secret-files-4/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 508: “John’s Detachable Penis” This week Host Dave Bledsoe woke up screaming after a bender to find a red mess and half a weiner on his lap, only to discover he passed out while eating a hot dog. (What kind of monster puts ketchup on a hot dog?) On the show this week we discuss a similar situation that ended much worse, we talk about John Bobbitt’s detached penis and why Americans thought it was funny! Along the way we discover all the ways Dave has been a disappointment to the women in his life. (Starting with his Mom) Then we dive right in clarifying the difference between regular old castration and emasculation. (Never say we don’t tackle the hard topics!) Then we met John and Lorena, a couple of kids, who met, fell in love and discovered that was a really BAD idea.  After delicately weaving around some fairly gruesome subjects we arrive at why Americans thought a dude’s dong landing in a 7-11 parking lot was so funny. (We are terrible people) Then we wrap up with something that might be considered a metaphor for modern times. Our Sponsor this week is Total Package Protection, never have a penis without it. We open with Eddie Murphy (again) talking about why dick threats aren’t funny and close with Dr Bootyu Quiver who is looking for something. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/H2OgKpcvMYw?si=69jc_XHyoJSCqVD1 Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Lorena Bobbitt and John Bobbitt: The True Story Behind The Case That Played Out Like a Soap Opera https://www.insideedition.com/lorena-bobbitt-and-john-bobbitt-true-story-behind-case-played-out-soap-opera-50706 You Know the Lorena Bobbitt Story. But Not All of It. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/30/arts/television/lorena-bobbitt-documentary-jordan-peele.html John Bobbitt speaks out 25 years after wife infamously cut off his penis: 'I want people to understand… the whole story' https://abcnews.go.com/US/john-bobbitt-speaks-25-years-wife-infamously-cut/story?id=60023049 Letterman Top 10 1994 https://www.oocities.org/jaylipp/Letterman/topten94.html Severance Pay https://www.maryellenmark.com/bibliography/magazines/article/people/severence-pay-637521259802825072/P He's not wounded by the humor https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1993/12/21/he-s-not-wounded-by-the-humor/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spooktacular 2025 kicks off in October! All month long we talk about Witches! The good ones, the bad ones, the ones who dress all sexy and drive Dave wild! So join us for a month of MORE WITCHES than you could imagine for Spooktacular 2025! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 507; Tito Get Me Some Tissue This week Host Dave Bledsoe passed out at a petting zoo and woke up making out with a llama.  (It was the closest he came to getting laid in years.) On the show this week take a look at the oddities and eccentricities of the King of Pop .  (Yes, we DO talk about THAT, but we do not make any jokes.) Along the way we discover that Dave was not the most bullied kid in school. (Only because of that one kid that ate other people’s boogers.) Then we dive into a short history of musicians behaving badly from Mozart's poop poems to Jerry Lee Lewis trying to kill Elvis.  Then we pick up with Michael as his career cools off and people start to notice how weird he is. (Like who wears one glove?) We follow along as Mike collects animal\ friends, builds an amusement park, turns white and gets a new nose every two years. (We guess he was leasing?) Then we discuss his dating, his marriage, and finally that other thing he allegedly did. (But probably definitely did) Before we wrap up with his sad but predictably bizarre ending. Our Sponsor this week is Ron’s Rhinoplasty, don’t like the nose on your face, get a new one to take its place.  We open with MJ being mad at Ed and close with Eve St Jones who wants to hear what you have to say. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/s4VORb6BSt0?si=Bw-u0uyIxQh6KgSx Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Five of the Craziest Classical Composers https://www.tumblr.com/thestarvingpianist/137229986238/five-of-the-craziest-classical-composers The Mayo Clinic: Vitiligo https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vitiligo/symptoms-causes/syc-20355912 Why Freddie Mercury never finished three duets with Michael Jackson — and it involves a llama: ‘The last straw’ https://nypost.com/2025/04/28/entertainment/why-freddie-mercury-never-finished-3-duets-with-michael-jackson-it-involves-a-llama/ Inside Michael Jackson's zoo of horrors - giraffes on fire and bear in bumper car https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/inside-michael-jacksons-zoo-horrors-26809558 Center for Great Apes: Bubbles https://centerforgreatapes.org/chimpanzee/bubbles/ Surgeon: Michael Jackson A 'Nasal Cripple' https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Cosmetic/story?id=131910&page=1 Lisa Marie Presley was engaged 5 times and married 4 times. Here is what to know about her relationships with Michael Jackson, Nicolas Cage and other husbands. https://www.businessinsider.com/lisa-marie-presley-marriages-michael-jackson-nicolas-cage-danny-keough-2023-1 Wikipedia: Philanthropy of Michael Jackson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philanthropy_of_Michael_Jackson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 506: Shamone Now This week Host Dave Bledsoe won third prize in a “Moonwalking” competition when he lost his balance trying to get up to take a piss and stumbled backward across the stage. (It was a $10 Gift Certificate to Hardees) On the show this week it is part one of a two part show about the biggest pop star of the 80s, Michael Bolton. (We kid, we are talking about Michael Jackson!) Along the way we find out that Dave once thought he was gay because he accidentally liked Michael Jackson’s music. (He had a very sheltered childhood) Then we dive into a brief history of Motown for script reasons before, and speaking of sheltered childhoods, we meet the Jacksons.  (All dozen of them) We follow the rise of young Michael from his childhood parental abuse to the pinnacle of cultural dominance before the age of 30 years old. (Can’t imagine why Mike turned out the way he did). We talk about this music, the videos, the cultural impact and the world fell in love with him.  We do NOT talk about the weird stuff.  (We’re saving that for NEXT week!) Our Sponsor this week is Sequin Hut, all we sell is sequins, which was a pretty bad business choice.  We open the show with the news about Thriller and close with Gipsy Danger inquiring about Annie. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/NU4LsUPWZxI?si=iDcOK-3X5buMjkhP Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Wikipedia: The Motown Sound https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motown#Motown_sound Joe Jackson was one of the most monstrous fathers in pop https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jun/27/joe-jackson-one-of-the-most-monstrous-fathers-in-pop Michael Jackson’s 1987 Cover Story: ‘The Pressure to Beat It’ https://www.spin.com/2014/06/michael-jackson-bad-1987-cover-story/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 505: Thanks For Your Support This week Host Dave Bledsoe tried to impress an age appropriate woman by telling her he was in a wine cooler commercial, only to have his feelings hurt when she asked if played Bartles or Jaymes. (Ouch!) On the show this week we look back at that time when America was crazy about low rent Sangria in a bottle, only they called it a wine cooler. Along the way we discover that Dave lost his virginity much later in life. (Probably in his late 40s) Then we take a look at why Americans started worrying about their fitness (Boomers turned 30) and how advertisers used it to make money. (By selling them alcoholic fruit juice.) Then we meet the man who “invented” the wine cooler and ask the hard questions. (What does Lodi California have to do with “fun beach drinks”?) We met the two men who personified the wine cooler industry in the 80s and their direct connection to the election of Ronald Reagan. (He is EVERYWHERE) Finally, we learn why no one drinks wine coolers anymore. (That is on the first George Bush.) Our Sponsor this week is Super Happy Fun Booze, it only LOOKS like we are marketing it to kids! We open the show with a Canadian worrying about underage drinking. (We thought Canadians drank beer at birth!) and close with Weird Paul and his drink order. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/0-dKNMYc1dg?si=ffvU_9dF9ziI-Wsb Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Michael Crete: Local boy becomes cooler king https://www.lodinews.com/opinion/columnists/rich_hanner/article_99f6ddd1-9598-5bf2-8cae-bdc762fce2bd.html The Weird and Wavy History of Wine Coolers https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-weird-and-wavy-history-of-wine-coolers/ Wikipedia: Bartles and Jaymes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartles_%26_Jaymes WHO ARE BARTLES AND JAYMES? ONLY ERNEST, JULIO KNOW FOR SURE https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1986/09/27/who-are-bartles-and-jaymes-only-ernest-julio-know-for-sure/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 504: We Will Always Have Paris This week Host Dave Bledsoe gate crashed a celebrity event by carrying a camera and claiming he was “with the media” just to get access to the open bar. (The only photo taken was his mugshot. Again.) On the show this week we pick up with Chuck and Diane after their fairy tale wedding and following it to its tragic conclusion of Chuck wishing he were a tampon. Along the way we discover why Dave never had any children. (He doesn’t like them and women don’t like him.) Then we dive right into why Chuck chose the crown over love because of his great uncle Eddie. From there we learn how neither of our two love birds really tried all THAT hard to make it work. (A lot easier to have affairs.) We see their marriage through to the bitter end and then we discuss Diana’s bitter end in a Paris tunnel.  Do we talk about how the Queen and MI6 are responsible? Of COURSE we do! Our Sponsor this week is The Firm, you can check out any time you like but only WE say when you can leave.  We open the show with new coverage of the fateful night that broke the world's heart and close with Alexander Mills with some traffic safety tips. (And it is still better than our first choice) Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/pvX4khWrFt8?si=lA8t-OHrvow5WXPn Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed:  Prince Charles Found This Aspect of His Marriage to Princess Diana “Very Difficult to Cope With” https://www.instyle.com/prince-charles-found-marriage-princess-diana-difficult-cope-with-11700298 A Timeline of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s Tumultuous, Tragic Relationship https://www.vogue.com/article/a-timeline-of-prince-charles-and-princess-dianas-tumultuous-tragic-relationship In pictures: how the world mourned and marked Princess Diana’s death https://theweek.com/news/society/957790/how-the-world-mourned-princess-diana-death Elton John's Diana tribute among most hated hits https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1313402/Elton-Johns-Diana-tribute-among-most-hated-hits.html?ICID=continue_without_subscribing_reg_first 'The Express' and Diana: Cover-ups, spies and conspiracies https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/the-express-and-diana-coverups-spies-and-conspiracies-429277.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 503: Little Ditty About Chuck and Diane This week Host Dave Bledsoe found himself officiating a wedding for complete strangers after he showed up drunk dressed as fat Elvis.  (This happens more than you might imagine.) On the show this week we head back to 1981 for the Wedding that captured America’s heart, Luke and Laura! (Kidding, we mean Charles and Diana!) Along the way we discover why Dave never married but performed the wedding of so many people.  (Two Words: Open Bar) Then we dive right in with the history of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. (You know them better as the Windsors, the Royal Family of the UK.) Then we move along to a young man who only wanted to ride his Polo Ponies, pretend to be in the Royal Navy and bang this hot chick named Camilla. (She was pretty tasty back in the day!) Later, we learn how his granny made him marry a kindergarten teacher way younger than he was! From there we follow along as the whole world falls in love with the two in a way that Lady Diana could only wish Charles loved her! Finally, we examine the peculiar relationship us Yanks had with the royals and ceremonies! Our Sponsor this week is Reality Weddings, because you have to be realistic about these things.  We open with coverage from 1981 and close with a horrible karaoke singer doing a parody song! Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/okyHgnVgiC8?si=8hexKv_JXXIaiB5A Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed:  Princess Diana https://www.biography.com/royalty/princess-diana Legacy of Diana and the British Press https://niemanreports.org/legacy-of-diana-and-the-british-press/ A Ringside Seat at the Weddinghttps://web.archive.org/web/20240213111957/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1947/12/06/a-ringside-seat-at-the-wedding From the archives: Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/nation-world/2017/08/27/archives-prince-charles-and-princess-diana-s-wedding/15770534007/ Why Americans are obsessed with the British royal family https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/29/us/royal-wedding-us-interest-meghan-harry-intl Wikipedia July 1981 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_1981 What's the most horrific thing you've seen? https://b3ta.com/questions/horriblesights/post83204 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Summer Series is over, and we have a lot empty spaces to fill before Spooktacular in October. So naturally, Dave is nowhere to be found. (If you see him an Upstate dive bar, please call us!) So we are giving you this redux/megamix of two episodes from 2024 about Heaven's Gate. If you haven't heard it, it's new to you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 502: Way Down In Kosovo Part 4 of Summer Series 2025 This week Host Dave Bledsoe was savagely ejected from a bar in the Little Serbia neighborhood of Queens when he ordered a Belgrade Car Bomb. (Yes, there is a Little Serbia in Ridgewood Queens) On the show this week we finished up the Summer Series with that time the United States bombed the Balkans because the President couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. We talk about 1999’s Operation Allied Force in Kosovo. Along the way we hear about yet another time Dave almost got kicked out of the military but didn’t. (It’s like they never should have let him in!) Then discover why the Balkans is such a trouble spot in Europe. (Colonialism, but in this case, Roman Empire colonialism.) Then we dive right into post World War Two Yugoslavia. (Do we mention the car, you know that we do!) and how this created a lot of people in a small area who all hated each other's guts.  When the Berlin Wall dropped, followed by the dropping of Bill Clinton’s trousers, the US and our NATO allies found ourselves blowing up some huts and bombing some schools! (Don’t worry, a lot of them were Muslim schools!) Finally we examine why doing the right thing for the wrong reasons kind of nullifies doing the right thing. Our Sponsor this week is Safe-Tern,we find interns you won’t WANT to have sex with!  We open the show with Bill explaining where and why we are bombing and close with Talon Sei demonstrating why Ska can turn even the worst song into something GREAT!  Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/TDDC7-Ymfeg?si=nA5xcFZ8YSlFoCOq&t=481 Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: ‘It’s getting out of hand’: genocide denial outlawed in Bosnia https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/24/genocide-denial-outlawed-bosnia-srebrenica-office-high-representative Wikipedia: Operation Deliberate Force https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Deliberate_Force The Kosovo War in Retrospect https://warontherocks.com/2019/03/the-kosovo-war-in-retrospect/ From Watergate to Monicagate https://archive.org/details/fromwatergatetom00foer/page/132/mode/2up Where’s the Evidence of Genocide of Kosovar Albanians? https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-29-me-27493-story.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 501: Operation Just Because Pt 3 of Summer Series 2025 This week host Dave Bledsoe drunkenly demands someone liberate him from the tyranny of paying for his own drinks only to find the pee of liberty can only be watered with cash from drunk podcasters. (Again) On the show this week Summer Series 2025 continues with the Most Expensive Drug Raid in History, the US invasion of Panama in 1989. Along the way we learn why Dave never made it to the military major leagues (he was fat, drunk, slacker). Then we dive into a brief history of Panama, from Spanish Empire’s dream of the shortcut to the Pacific, to the French dream of a short cut to the Pacific to the Americans saying fucking, we’ll dig our way to the Pacific. (and kill a bunch of people doing so!) Then we meet Manuel Antonio Noriega, Panamanian military officer, CIA asset and drug kingpin and how finally stopped being useful to the CIA. (Reagan left office) Then we learn how George HW Bush got sick of Manny’s shit and launched a legally dubious military action to arrest (and prove to America he wasn’t a wimp!) Our Sponsor this week is Blue Spoon Military Marketing, make the most of your illegal invasion with a catchy Operation Name to rally the folks back home with Blue Spoon!  We open with Poppy Bush explaining why we have to invade Panama and close with Patty PerShayla who sings about Panama. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/6sHNd_2F0es?si=dW9olPdwnrR5Gy5h Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Operation Just Cause https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/History/Monographs/Just_Cause.pdf How Manuel Noriega surrendered to the sanity-destroying power of mallrat music https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2017/may/30/noriega-panama-music-playlist Music To Annoy Dictator and Priest With https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0VGlbfQvcSXggt2r2gYrun?si=fsfY_Sp0T76XakOPKTz7CQ Bush plays only some cards right https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/01/23/bush-plays-only-some-cards-right/ The Noriega Case: Public Opinion;   Panamanians Strongly Back U.S. Move https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/06/us/the-noriega-case-public-opinion-panamanians-strongly-back-us-move.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 500(!): Who's Afraid of Grenada? Part 2 of Summer Series 2025 This week Host Dave Bledsoe dressed up in his old Air Force dress uniform and staggered into a bar insisting he was there to “liberate” the Jameson. (His invasion was repulsed by an annoyed bouncer) On the show this week part two of Summer Series 2025 “You Can Have A Little War, As A Treat” continues with 1983’s Invasion of Grenada. Along the way we discover that Dave may have covered up a brutal murder in the late 1980’s. (Admittedly, the victim was a swan.) Then we dive right into the history of the tiny island nation of Grenada, from its discovery by Columbus, to colonization by the French and the British. From there we discuss how the long claws of Communism grabbed the peaceful island via the construction of an airport. (That was actually paid for by the United Kingdom.) Then we learn why Ronald Reagan sent thousands of US Troops to “rescue” some perfectly safe medical students. (Hint: It was politically expedient.) Our Sponsor this week is the Grenada Tourism Board, who invite you to try a little Pure Grenada! We open the show with news from 1983 and close with Berbice who loves his island. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/goEb2ll6yYo?si=PcnTBG6jZH40Unj0 Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Address by Prime Minister Maurice Bishop of Grenada (10 October 1979) https://web.archive.org/web/20081006090208/http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/carriers-torch/3103-maurice-bishop-speech-34th-general-assembly-united-nations-new-york.html Wikipedia: Maurice Bishop https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Bishop Touching Down in Granada https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/26/us/briefing-058430.html Wikipedia: United States invasion of Grenada https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_invasion_of_Grenada Grenada Invasion: History and Significance https://www.thoughtco.com/grenada-invasion-4571025 TRAPPED IN THE INVASION OF GRENADA https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/30/nyregion/trapped-in-the-invasion-of-grenada.html STUDENTS REFLECT ON GRENADA INVASION https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/06/nyregion/students-reflect-on-grenada-invasion.html National archives: Reagan blindsided Thatcher over 1983 Grenada invasion https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/aug/01/margaret-thatcher-reagan-grenada-invasion-national-archives Grenada Move Earns Reagan Broad Political Gains, Poll Shows https://web.archive.org/web/20240709084950/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/11/09/grenada-move-earns-reagan-broad-political-gains-poll-shows/6c7b2ecd-5c9c-4aea-946c-408eef6b61a6/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 499.5: “Was It Something We Said?” Part 1 of Summer Series 2025 This week Host Dave Bledsoe attempts to convince the other barflies to stage a coup against the bartender and take over the bar for themselves. (Turns out three old drunks against one bartender lose every time.) On the show this week we kick off Summer Series 2025 “You Can Have A LIttle War, As A Treat” with the prelude of all the little wars, the Iran Hostage Crisis. Along the way we discover that Dave is not one to hold a grudge. (A lot of time he can’t remember why he was even mad, mostly because he blacked out. Again.) Then we dive into the long history of Iran, from the Persian Empire to the Islamic Republic.  We discover that Iranians have some pretty good reasons for not liking America. (Sorry about that coup thing) Then we dip into how a deposed king dying of cancer led to Ronald Reagan getting elected and four decades of increasingly bad relations with Iran.  FInally we draw a tenuous connection between Iran and the topic of our Summer Series. Our Sponsor this week is The Special Relationship, even when it is a really bad idea, we stand together.  We open our show with news coverage of the storming of the US Embassy in Tehran and close Vince Vance offering foreign policy advice. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/O_LmLlh_bS4?si=SaOatHy7sjujSJ0k Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Nothing new in the world https://web.archive.org/web/20040915080838/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FI15Ak03.html The Reason Iran Turned Out to Be So Repressive https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/10/iran-mahsa-amini-protests-islam-ayatollah-ruhollah-khomeini/671624/ Wikipedia Mohammad Reza Pahlavi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Reza_Pahlavi The Iran Hostage Crisis https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2021/11/29/the-iran-hostage-crisis/ Jimmy Carter and the Iran Hostage Crisis https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/jimmy-carter-and-the-iran-hostage-crisis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week Host Dave Bledsoe was overcome with patriotism he was unable to work. (We couldn't figure out what shitty bar he was hiding in, again) So in honor of what is probably our nation's last birthday, we give you a rerun megamix about Desert Storm. The last time American really felt good about itself. We are back next with Summer Series 2025 kicking off, so stay tuned! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What the HELL Were You Thinking covers all the Little Wars, so convenient to make a politician LOOK good without killing too many Americans! Join us as we go from the Iran Hostage Crisis all the way to the Balkans as three Presidents wagged the dog for their ratings! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices