Episodes

  • Episode 506: Shamone Now

    Episode 506: Shamone Now
    Sep 8 2025
    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
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    28 mins
  • Episode 505: Thanks For Your Support

    Episode 505: Thanks For Your Support
    Sep 1 2025
    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
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    31 mins
  • Episode 504: We Will Always Have Paris

    Episode 504: We Will Always Have Paris
    Aug 25 2025
    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
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    33 mins
  • Episode 503: Little Ditty About Chuck and Diane

    Episode 503: Little Ditty About Chuck and Diane
    Aug 18 2025
    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
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    33 mins
  • Episode 442-443: Redux Megamix Packing A Purple Shroud

    Episode 442-443: Redux Megamix Packing A Purple Shroud
    Aug 11 2025
    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
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Episode 502: Way Down In Kosovo Pt 4 of Summer Series 2025

    Episode 502: Way Down In Kosovo Pt 4 of Summer Series 2025
    Aug 4 2025
    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
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    32 mins
  • Episode 501: Operation Just Because Pt 3 of Summer Series 2025

    Episode 501: Operation Just Because Pt 3 of Summer Series 2025
    Jul 28 2025
    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
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    37 mins
  • Episode 500(!): Who's Afraid of Grenada Pt 2 of Summer Series 2025

    Episode 500(!): Who's Afraid of Grenada Pt 2 of Summer Series 2025
    Jul 21 2025
    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
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    35 mins