What the HELL Were You Thinking‪?‬ Dave Bledsoe

Episode 291: “The Ruror Furor” Redux
This week Host Dave Bledsoe is taking off to recharge his batteries. (Meaning he suddenly came into some money we are unable to find which shitty bar he is currently on a bender within.) So while we waited for him, we thought we would run a companion piece from the archives to last week’s AND next week’s show.  It is one of our favorites and includes the single finest topic segue in podcasting history.  (According to Dave anyway.) So  sit right back and hear a tale about the time CBS canceled every show featuring a pig on their network! It was called “the rural purge”

Show Theme: 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 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
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/hV85sDCRGkE
We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/








Citations Needed:

Rural Purge Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_purge

American Rural Comedies of the Sixties Part Six
http://mercurie.blogspot.com/2013/09/american-rural-comedies-of-sixties-part_23.html

All In the Family Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_in_the_Family

Mobituaries Podcast The Rural Purge: Death of the Country Broadcasting System
https://www.mobituaries.com/the-podcast/the-rural-purge-death-of-the-country-broadcasting-system/



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 449: “Good Evening From Captain Midnight”


This week Host Dave Bledsoe was found trapped on the 8th floor fire escape of his building after drunkenly trying to install an illegal cable hook up.(Which is odd since he doesn’t own a TV, but again, he was drunk at the time.) On the show this week we travel back to the golden age of satellite dishes when millions of Americans had a big ass dish in the front of their trailer homes. 

Along the way we discover that Dave’s parents TRIED to teach him valuable skills as a child but he just wanted to become a podcaster. (He CLAIMS he was very ahead of his time!)  Then we dive into a brief history of all the ways one could get a television signal into your home. (Many of them are kind of illegal) Then we take you to the brief heyday of free pay cable channels if you had a couple of thousand dollars for a satellite dish. (A surprising number of people went for it!) Finally we explain how HBO ruined it for everyone and what one man would do in the name of justice.  (Briefly interrupt HBO’s signal in the middle of the night.)

Our sponsor this week is Mega Dish, because bigger is BETTER! We open the show with news coverage of Captain Midnight and close with Luca Carpenter’s space obsession..


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
The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq
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/5s1pGVCawKs?si=PMo4aYojvt7EEeWn&t=8
We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/

Citations Needed:

Wikipedia Telstar Sattelites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telstar#:~:text=Telstar%201%20launched%20on%20top,was%20launched%20May%207%2C%201963.

Deep Dish: For a short period in the early 1980s, giant satellite dishes ruled the land.
https://tedium.co/2015/08/27/early-satellite-dish-history/

TUNING INTO SATELLITE TV
https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/14/business/tuning-into-satellite-tv.html

SATELLITE DISHES SURVIVE GREAT SCRAMBLE OF 1980S
https://web.archive.org/web/20171007120130/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/81378/SATELLITE-DISHES-SURVIVE-GREAT-SCRAMBLE-OF-1980S.html?pg=all

Signal to Noise dot net archive: The Story of Captain Midnight
https://archive.robertianhawdon.me.uk/sites/~ian/pages/signal_hijacking/captain_midnight_hbo/



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 448: Outrageous, Egregious, Preposterous!


This week Host Dave Bledsoe angrily insists he should NOT have to pay for the drink that he drunkenly spilled all over himself because the bartender clearly knew he was too drunk to lift it! (The case was settled out of court when the bouncers appealed to his sense of self preservation) On the show this week we talk about that time that McDonald’s burned an old lady’s vay jay jay and refused to pay!

Along the way we discovered where Dave’s terrible taste in coffee originated. (He takes it black, like his men) Then we dip into the history of coffee (because we have a formula and we stick to it) and finally get around to telling you about that time in the 1990’s when an old lady suffered massive burns on her Hoo Hah because McDonald’s crappy coffee was served WAY too hot! We also explain how the media helped their corporate masters spin the story to fuck over all us little people in court. (Again!)

Our Sponsor is “Cuppa Damn Coffee” the place where you can get a cup of damn coffee!  We open the show with Kramer seeking legal counsel and close with La La Life starting their 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
The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq
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/HfjPrbatsMg?si=g8df5a5_EJWXnAYC
We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/

Citations Needed:

How America’s Coffee Got Bad — and Then Got Great
https://www.eater.com/22966312/coffee-history-america-third-wave-dark-roast

A Brief History Of American Coffee Culture
https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/a-brief-history-of-american-coffee-culture

Did Cocaine Users Cause McDonald's to Replace Their Coffee Spoons?
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/stirring-response/

Remember the Hot Coffee Lawsuit? It Changed the Way McDonald’s Heats Coffee Forever
https://www.rd.com/article/hot-coffee-lawsuit/

Calculating the optimum temperature for serving hot beverages
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18226454/#:~:text=Hot%20beverages%20such%20as%20tea,can%20cause%20significant%20scald%20burns.

Liebeck v. McDonald’s The Hot Coffee Case
https://www.tortmuseum.org/liebeck-v-mcdonalds/


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 447: Tell Him About the Twinkie


This week Host Dave Bledsoe insists he cannot be legally responsible for this bar tab because he was drunk when the charges were incurred! (The bartender dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning the bouncers threw him in the dumpster out back. Again.) On the show this week we examine how a snack cake entered the lexicon of American jurisprudence. (Hint: It was the media.)

Along the way we learn why Dave was such a fat little boy! (Little Debbies ARE delicious!) Then we explain the history of the Twinkie, which has absolutely NOTHING to do with the court case we eventually get around to talking about! (This is a very circuitous episode.) Finally we get into the court case in which case the aforementioned Twinkie is tangentially relevant. (We have a formula, folks.) We talk about the San Francisco murders of Harvey Milk and George Moscone. But mostly we talk about the defense their murderer Dan White used in court. (Ergo, the Twinkie Defense.)

Our Sponsor this week is Low Rent Legal, because even bad lawyers are still technically lawyers.  We open the show with an explanation of the Twinkie and close with Larry Groce, who has a problem.

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
The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq
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/jQnIL-XPerQ?si=rFol2hlE5KBieNUl
We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/
Citations Needed: 

LGBT culture in San Francisco
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_culture_in_San_Francisco#:~:text=San%20Francisco%27s%20LGBT%20culture%20has,a%20town%20where%20anything%20goes%22.

SUSPECT SOUGHT JOB
https://www.nytimes.com/1978/11/28/archives/suspect-sought-job-moscone-had-been-asked-to-reappoint-him-as-a.html

The Trial of Dan White: An Account
https://www.famous-trials.com/danwhite/599-home

Myth of the 'Twinkie defense' / The verdict in the Dan White case wasn't based on his ingestion of junk food
https://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Myth-of-the-Twinkie-defense-The-verdict-in-2511152.php

Dan White's Motive More About Betrayal Than Homophobia
https://web.archive.org/web/20120805184657/http://www.sfweekly.com/2008-01-30/news/white-in-milk/1/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 446: Many Fools Were Pitied

This week Host Dave Bledsoe is kicked out of a bar for bar tab he claimed he did not commit and is desperately searching for the A-Team to help. (The A-Team in this case is asking Gavin to loan him fifty bucks until Friday.) On the show this week we examine life and career or 80’s pop culture phenom Laurence Tereaud. You know him as Mr. T.

Along the way we discover why Dave never wears any jewelry. (He is a cheapskate) Then we dive right into how much America loves to make myths out of men, whether those men deserve it or not.  However, in the case of Mr. T.,he kind of does.

We trace T’s origins from the South Side of Chicago (It’s the baddest part of town) to a riot on a college campus, then to T’s lumberjacking in the military and finally to Dingbats, the disco where Mr. T’s personae was developed. (And the lawsuit over the proceeds). We follow his movie and television career to the inevitable moment Nancy Reagan sits on his lap and kisses him. (It was a strange moment in America).  In the end we discover something about Mr. T. and about ourselves. (Meaning Dave couldn’t find anything horrible to say about Mr. T.)

Our Sponsor this week is Fools Gold, because REAL gold is expensive.  We open the show with words of advice from Mr. T. and close with Eric Berts explaining an origins story.

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
The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq
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/XTd6ZFpQKfs?si=wGaFRdLE7Wtpxn0C
We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/
Citations Needed:

Actor and professional wrestler Mr. T, known for his mohawk and gold chains, starred in 1980s TV programs like 'The A-Team' and 'Mister T.'
https://www.biography.com/actors/mr-t

“Silence is a very good weapon”
https://pvpantherproject.com/2023/02/silence-is-a-very-good-weapon/

Wikipedia: Mr T
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._T

Famous Veteran: Mr. T
https://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/career-advice/military-transition/famous-veterans-mr-t.html#:~:text=In%201975%2C%20he%20became%20Pvt,leader%20at%20Fort%20McCoy%2C%20Wisconsin.

Mr. T loses in court
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/07/25/Mr-T-loses-in-court/7214838267200/#:~:text=%27I%20was%20the%20originator%20of,and%20promoted%20him%20as%20Mr.

How The A-Team sparked the cult phenomenon that was Mr. T
https://www.metv.com/stories/how-the-a-team-sparked-the-cult-phenomenon-that-was-mr-t

Mr. T Reveals How 'That' Photo of Nancy Reagan Sitting on His Lap Came to Be
https://people.com/politics/mr-t-reveals-the-story-behind-nancy-reagan-sitting-on-his-lap/

Mr. T dressed as Santa. Nancy Reagan sat on his lap. It was the most shocking first lady photo ever.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2018/12/21/mr-t-dressed-santa-nancy-reagan-sat-his-lap-it-was-most-shocking-first-lady-photo-ever/

'The A-Team' 's Mr. T
https://people.com/archive/cover-story-the-a-teams-mr-t-vol-19-no-21/

Words of Wisdom from Mr. T
https://www.beliefnet.com/entertainment/celebrities/words-of-wisdom-from-mr-t.aspx

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 445: “What We’re Talking When We’re Talking Taco Tuesday”


This week Host Dave Bledsoe passes out face down in a Big Beef Burrito Supreme and is kicked out of Taco Bell. (Again) On the show this week talk tacos, specifically we are talking out the origins of Taco Tuesday! (Who doesn’t love tacos, right?)

Along the way we discover that Dave probably missed out on his once chance for a meaningful relationship but not understanding the fundamental nature of “cruising”. Then we dive right into the history of food wrapped in tortillas, going all the way to Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica! We trace the tasty treats journey from south of the border to the boardroom of megacorporations as they squabble over who owned the rights to use the phrase “taco tuesday” (Come to find out, the legal owner is a bar in New Jersey!) Then we take the time to examine the beauty of the taco and how it can heal us as a nation.

Our Sponsor this week is the return Tacopocalypse It’s HERE!  We open the show with a very smart Chihuahua and close with Lucky Diaz singing the national anthem of Taco Tuesday!

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense
The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast
The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/
The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq
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/XTd6ZFpQKfs?si=wGaFRdLE7Wtpxn0C
We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/
Citations Needed:

Wikipedia: Taco
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taco

Where Did the Taco Come From?
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/where-did-the-taco-come-from-81228162/

The Trademarking of “Taco Tuesday”
https://priceonomics.com/the-trademarking-of-taco-tuesday/

The Crazy Contentious History of Taco Tuesday
https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/history-of-taco-tuesday-when-did-it-start

The Surprisingly Contentious Origins of Taco Tuesday
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/taco-tuesday-history-origins

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices