What the HELL Were You Thinking?

Dave Bledsoe
What the HELL Were You Thinking?

All the things that made the world the way it is now.   Welcome to the podcast takes your nostalgia, tells you the history behind it and makes you ask What the HELL Were You Thinking. Host Dave Bledsoe takes the history, politics and pop culture of the past fifty years and explains what it was like to live through it and why it is still ruining the world today. So join Dave, his hapless Producer Gavin St James every Monday for time capsule of truth! Find us at whatthehellpodcast.com, @whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social and the show name on Facebook. 

  1. 6 DAYS AGO

    Episode 483: Girl...I Want to Take You to a Fern Bar

    Show Notes Episode 483: “Girl…I Want to Take You to a Fern Bar” This week Host Dave Bledsoe goes through a bitter breakup with Mrs. Maria Santamarino who accuses him of stepping out with Mrs. Alice Dougherty, her arch rival at Arbor Terrace Teaneck. (He was.) On the show this week we wind up Romance Month with the rise and fall of the Fern Bar! (Blame TGI Fridays!) Along the way we learn that Dave couldn’t even manage a bar in the basement of his home. (He caught himself drinking on the job and skimming the till.) Then we dive into the history of co-gendered drinking in America! (It is less boring than it sounds.) We chart women in bars through the waves of feminism and how important a place to get loaded when you are fighting the Patriarchy! We learn about Bar Nomenclature (Dance Clubs: Not Bars) and finally all about the Single Bars phenomena. (Yes, we explain the ferns.) Our Sponsor this week is Last Chance Inn, even a fat guy with a podcast has a shot here! We open with an incredibly bad 80s movie and close with Electric 6, who has plans for the evening. 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 Our Website: www.whatthehellpodcast.com Give us your money on Patreon  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=547071959340314 Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: The Underground Spaces Where Drinking While Female Was a Radical Act https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/spirits/ladies-drinking-rooms-history/?srsltid=AfmBOooxZ3RHer7uSAoghgE-el_lk_6A3cwMBYd8Ter1sElXAEHt6z_H “No Unescorted Ladies Will Be Served” https://daily.jstor.org/no-unescorted-ladies-will-be-served/ How T.G.I. Friday’s Helped Invent the Singles Bar https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/how-t-g-i-fridays-helped-invent-the-singles-bar Whatever Happened to the Singles Bar? https://punchdrink.com/articles/whatever-happened-to-the-singles-bar-tgi-fridays-maxwells-plum Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    30 min
  2. FEB 17

    Save the Last Dance for Me

    Show Notes Episodes 482: Save the Last Dance For Me This week host Dave Bledsoe was criminal trespassed from Arbor Terrace Teaneck for slow grinding with  Mrs. Maria Santamarino during the retirement village’s Valentine’s Dance. (Maria was into it!) On the show this week we remember the “fun” of high school dances in the 80’s, so grab your ruffles, soak yourself in Aquanet and let’s get ready to slow dance to Bon Jovi! Along the way we discover that Dave was asked out on a date by a girl, once.(We don’t believe it either) Then we dive right into a quick history of “Prom” before we hit the dance floor.  We cover all the big dances, Homecoming (Football prom), the Snow Ball (a euphemism Dave keeps trying to make a thing), Sade Hawkins (nerd prom) and finally Senior Prom. (Wedding practice) Relive the memories with a tick-tock countdown the Best Night Of Your Life ™. (Or, if you are like Dave, and never went to prom tell you what all the cool kids did that night.)  Our Sponsor this week is The King of the Prom, who wonders if he can interest  you in some life insurance.  We open with a disastrous prom date and close with Selina Joycee who would like to make a reservation on your dance card. 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 Our Website: 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/8bf65Cun2lc?si=zvdXIdTMqls5n6zb Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Prom in the 1940s and 1950s https://web.archive.org/web/20161125043323/http://www.vintageinn.ca/2014/11/prom-in-the-1940s-and-1950s/ The History of Sadie Hawkins Dances https://web.archive.org/web/20170222053933/http://prom.about.com/od/introtopromsformaldance/p/sadiehistory.htm Sadies: An Ongoing, Outdated Dance https://desertoasisweekly.net/9346/opinioneditorial/sadies-an-ongoing-outdated-dance/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    30 min
  3. FEB 10

    What A Wicked Game to Play

    Show Notes Episode 481: What A Wicked Game to Play This week Host Dave Bledsoe is violently ejected from the Arbor Terrace Teaneck weekly Bingo Night for helping Mrs. Maria Santamarino when she rigged the game for sexual favors to be named later! (He also owed her money!) On the show this week we take a look at television matchmaking shows, the good, the bad, the insane! Along the way we discover that Dave had never been a big hit with the ladies! (Shocking!) Then we dive right into the history or matchmaking going back to the Bronze Age.  Finally, we hit the stage for The Dating Game, before finally sitting down on the couch with the suavest m**********r in all the 80s, Chuck Woolery! (Before he became a MAGA CHUD and died.)  Then we take a tour of all the dating game shows that came after Love Connections but never rose to its perfection and remind you all that Jenny McCarthy, no matter how nice her boobs, is part of why the world is f****d today! Our Sponsor this week is Last Call Dating, because everyone is sexy at Last Call! We open with a Dating Game ripoff and close with the Brother Comatose, who don’t WANT to fall in love! 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 Our Website: 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/SIaIP3EROJY?si=dP0bmFSu-TTphfsi Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Behind the scenes: ''Studs'' https://ew.com/article/1992/10/09/behind-scenes-studs/ 17 Forgotten Dating Shows https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/64718/17-forgotten-dating-shows EGOS & IDS; Cupid in Prime Time https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/25/style/egos-ids-cupid-in-prime-time.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    39 min
  4. FEB 3

    Find Me...Fabio

    Show Notes Episode 480: Find Me…Fabio This week Host Dave Bledsoe was kicked out of a karaoke bar for attempting to perform a “Full Monty Version” of Rod Stewart’s “If You Want My Body”. (Again) On the show this week we begin our tribute to Love (Exciting and New) with the man face and body synonymous with romance in the 90’s: Fabio Fanzoni.  Along the way we learn that Dave thought he was sexy once. (He wasn’t) Then we dive right into the history of the medium that made Fabio so famous. (Sense and Sensibility walked so Texas Splendor could inspire masturbatory fantasies.) Then we meet the man meat, Fabio.  From his origins as a slightly naughty altar boy in Italy, to his time in the Italian Army and finally his arrival in the United States with nothing but a few dollars and a dream. (Also the perfect body and the perfect face.) We trace his career from the covers of slightly smutty books to his meeting with the goose that killed the golden career. Our Sponsor this week is Gordon’s Goose Guard, got geese, get Gordon’s. We open the show with footage from Fabio’s last ride and close with Andy Eversole, whose shirt isn’t good enough for him. 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 Our Website: 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/MeIkLesfjxE?si=dETfj_uBAquKau0_ Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: A Brief History of the Romance Novel https://frictionlit.org/a-brief-history-of-the-romance-novel/?srsltid=AfmBOoqJpWsTzEsIG-w8_Q10aEUCsLmaFs_AxWSCyagwC01BgCiID6Vb The Real-Life Diet of Fabio (Yes, That Fabio) https://www.gq.com/story/the-real-life-diet-of-fabio Fabio: A Phenomenon https://sites.duke.edu/unsuitable/fabio Evolution of Romance Novel Book Covers https://fchornetmedia.com/31808/inside-fullerton/the-evolution-of-romance-novel-book-covers/#:~:text=Fabio%20Lanzoni%20was%20a%20male,of%20masculinity%20and%20sex%20appeal. King Of Romance Fabio Knows How To Please His Fans At Book Signing https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/jul/14/king-of-romance-fabio-knows-how-to-please-his/ Wikipedia: Apollo’s Chariot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo%27s_Chariot Fabio Survives Goose Encounter, but Take a Gander at His Honker https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-apr-09-cl-25542-story.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    33 min
  5. JAN 27

    One World In Disharmony Winter Series 2025 Finale

    Show Notes Episode 479: One World In Disharmony Winter Series 2025 Finale This week Host Dave Bledsoe drunkenly slurs “Can’t we all just get along?” as he was tossed out of Paramus New Jersey wedding reception for people he has never met. (Again) On the show this week the wrap up Winter Series 2025 “Et Tu Y2K?” with a look on the world 25 years after and how it fucked us up. Along the way we learn just how deep the rabbit hole goes when it comes to Dave’s brother Fred.  Then we dive right into a long, occasionally serious, talk about the way the world was and the way the world is. (Bad. Worse) We discuss the flawed but effective monoculture that kept Americans somewhat together for fifty years. (It sucked, but it is all we had.) Then we wrapped up with all the ways Y2K dealt the final blow to the 20th Century without ever turning off a single light.  Our Sponsor this week is The Connect, when you inevitably find yourself in The Camps, it is good to have The Connect. We open with Tony Fauci unironically discussing the legacy of Y2K and close with Kalaghoda who is having supply chain problems. 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 Our Website: 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/vSBH-x0LjUQ?si=NG8E7u-N0bvQijgx Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Computer ownership up sharply in the 1990s https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/1999/Apr/wk1/art01.htm Y2K: An American Crisis https://www.processhistory.org/vox-y2k/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    29 min
  6. JAN 20

    Jesus Was Supposed To BE HERE By Now! (Part 3 of Winter Series 2025 Et Tu Y2K?)

    Show Notes Episode 478: Jesus Was Supposed to BE HERE By Now! Part 3 of Winter Series 2025 “Et Tu Y2K?” This week Host Dave Bledsoe drunkenly tried to explain to a bartender that his bar tab was not late, because time is a human construct. (The bartender told him that money was also, and made him pay up.) On the show this week talk about the folks who thought Y2K meant whatever crazy religious thing they believed was about to happen. Along the way we discover a new way that Dave has disappointed his parents. (The list just keeps growing!) Then we dive right into a windy diatribe on the nature of time and human’s need to compartmentalize it. (Spark a bowl and sit back, this goes to some unexpected places, like a history of calendars.) Then we finally get around to talking about why people thought Jesus was coming back at the turn of the Millennium. (Honestly, it was a book they read in the mid 70’s) We take a tour of some of the more interesting groups and individuals who decided to FORCE Jesus into coming back by killing some folks.  Finally, we explain why Jesus didn’t come back and the world didn’t end in January of 2000. (Duh, the Millennium didn’t start until NEXT YEAR!!) Our Sponsor this week is The Lord, who wants you to know he will get here when he gets here.  We open the show with a CNN Special Report and close with The Goodnight who don’t have anyplace else to be, so take your time. 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 Our Website: 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/Yt9MGz78gkQ?si=7rigo4fzg0K1DaMP Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Christian conservatives reconsider Y2K disaster warnings https://religionnews.com/1999/10/27/news-feature-christian-conservatives-reconsider-y2k-disaster-warnings/ Israel Detains U.S. Christian Cult Members https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jan-04-mn-60341-story.html Y2K Paranoia: Extremists Confront the Millenium https://www.adl.org/resources/report/y2k-paranoia-extremists-confront-millenium Frontline Readings: Project Meggido https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/readings/project.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    33 min
  7. JAN 13

    There's Got To Be A Morning After (Part 2 of Winter Series 2025 Et Tu Y2k)

    Show Notes Episode 477: “There’s Got To Be A Morning After” Part 2 of Winter Series 2025 “Et Tu Y2K?” This week Host Dave Bledsoe found some dusty bottles of pale yellow liquor in an old fallout shelter and woke up three days later in Nicaragua. (Again.) On the show this week Winter Series 2025 continues when we tell you all about the Y2k Prepper Movement. (Which wasn’t called that until 9/11) Along the way we learn that there are SOME things even Dave won’t eat. Then we dive right into the history of survivalism in America, going all the way to the very first Europeans. (They survived, the Indians not so much.) Then we move along to learn the difference between “Preppers” and “Survivalists” (The number of Nazi flags, basically.) Finally we detail EVERYTHING you need to survive Y2k and where you could buy it. Our Sponsor this week is Arnold’s Apocalypse Palace Returns Department, who want you to know all sales are final. We open the show with a concerned family man and close the show with Mystic Inscho who has hope for a brighter tomorrow! 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 Our Website: 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/ctLaJ74njrg?si=_jrz-0QRwkVBpfLy Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Coureur des bois https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coureur_des_bois History of the Prepper Movement: From Paranoid Radicals to Mainstream https://historycooperative.org/history-of-the-prepper-movement/ As Confetti Rained on Times Square, Y2K Bug Was a No-Show https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/31/insider/y2k-crisis.html My Y2K - A Personal Statement https://web.archive.org/web/20070927062527/http://kunstler.com/mags_y2k.html Y2K seems like a joke now, but in 1999 people were really freaking out https://www.npr.org/2024/12/28/nx-s1-5116271/y2k-year-2000-preparations ‘Time Bomb Y2K’ ignites the media hysteria around the 20th century’s final freakout https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/30/entertainment/time-bomb-y2k-review-hbo/index.html Advice for an Apocalypse: 10 Tips From Y2K Survival Guides https://www.mentalfloss.com/tips-from-y2k-survival-guides A Doom and Bust Cycle for Y2K Suppliers https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-01-mn-28735-story.html Master Prepping List https://www.happypreppers.com/masterlist.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    37 min

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out of 5
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About

All the things that made the world the way it is now.   Welcome to the podcast takes your nostalgia, tells you the history behind it and makes you ask What the HELL Were You Thinking. Host Dave Bledsoe takes the history, politics and pop culture of the past fifty years and explains what it was like to live through it and why it is still ruining the world today. So join Dave, his hapless Producer Gavin St James every Monday for time capsule of truth! Find us at whatthehellpodcast.com, @whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social and the show name on Facebook. 

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