What the HELL Were You Thinking?

Show Notes Episode 534: Charles and Charlie

This week Host Dave Bledsoe found himself sitting next to a middle aged dude with his childhood stuffed tiger toy at the bar and just got up and moved. (Some shit is just too weird even for Dave.) On the show this week we examine the strange sad world of Peanuts and their strange sad creator Charles Schulz.  (Yeah he is ruining Charlie Brown for you.)

Along the way we discover that has a bizarre obsession with For Better for Worse. (TODAY!) Then we dive right into a brief tangent on the history of comics before attempting to explain Peanuts to a visitor from another dimension. (Have you ever really examined how STRANGE the premise is?) Then we meet Charles “Sparky” Schulz, who never had a moment's happiness in his life.  (Except maybe while cheating on his first wife.)

Our Sponsor this week is Memory Mining, don’t just exploit recall your childhood,commoditize it!  We open the show with a classic Peanuts special and close with One Job Music who have a cartoon heart!

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense

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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/8enLISHJPww?si=7E3JjFQOt4ftz3LZ

Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop

Citations Needed:

Wikipedia: Comic Strip

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comic_strip

Wikipedia: Peanuts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanuts#History

Schulz and Peanuts: Art and Life

https://scoopsmentalpropaganda.wordpress.com/2014/09/10/schulz-and-peanuts-art-and-life/

Charles Schulz’s Extramarital Affair Referenced in Specific Peanuts Comic Strips

https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/12/charles-schultz-peanuts-cartoons-adulterous-love-letters-auction

The Dark Side of Charles Schulz

https://www.newsweek.com/dark-side-charles-schulz-103889

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Show Notes Spooktacular 2026 “Touch of a Black Hand”

In the finale of Spooktacular 2026, we rejoin Vincent Hess on the trail. From New Orleans to Binghamton, he puts the pieces together and doesn’t like the puzzle. He even met some new friends on the way!

Touch by a Black Hand is an original audio drama written, produced and voiced by Dave Bledsoe for the Seltzer Kings podcast network. It draws slightly on the RPG Vampire the Masquerade. (We say that so you don’t need to) 

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

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

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Show Notes: Spooktacular 2026 Part One

“VH Investigations: Touched By A Black Hand”

What the HELL Were You Thinking presents Spooktacular 2026, VH Investigations: The Touch of A  Black Hand.  An original audio drama written, produced and voiced by Dave Bledsoe. Executive Producer Jeremy Balon for the Seltzer Kings Network.  Script and contextual consultant Kimberly Steele. Scutwork by Gavin St James. It is a work of original audio fiction and draws lightly on elements in the Whitewolf Gaming  World of Darkness RPG Vampire the Masquerade. The story incorporates actual names of historical figures in an alternate history, what we mean is the Mafia is not affiliated with vampires.  As far as we know. 

Part Two of Spooktacular 2026 drops in two weeks.

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Show Notes Episode 282-283 Play Me Some Mountain Madness Redux

Host Dave Bledsoe INSISTS he is feverishly researching and writing something “truly special” for next month’s Spooktacular.  (Which doesn’t square with us finding him at the bar everyday when we come to work.) So here is a treasure from the 2020 Spooktacular (Back when Dave still TRIED, a little). A story about five young men who went missing in Yuba County California in 1978. (And not for the usual reasons: Yuba County sucks).  So enjoy this redux, and get ready to get spooky in October!

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/P6Ia1_4__JI?si=byyqPdKwOzcEmF2A

Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop

Citations Needed:

Out in the Cold: Four mentally disabled men died in woods. But what happened to the fifth?

https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article226777394.html

The 'American Dyatlov Pass'. Five young men abandon a warm, safe car and disappear into the night.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/6ni625/the_american_dyatlov_pass_five_young_men_abandon/

How 1,600 People Went Missing from Our Public Lands Without a Trace

https://www.outsideonline.com/2164446/leave-no-trace

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Show Note Episode 533: Space: The Syndicated Frontier

This week Host Dave Bledsoe was ejected from a Star Trek cosplay contest because his Trill Symbiont was deemed to be “excessively phallic”. (The judges weren’t wrong.) On the show this week in honor of Star Trek’s 60th Anniversary we examine the Legend of Gene Roddenberry. 

Along the way we are reminded that Dave has been a dweeb his entire life. Then we dive into the mechanism that allowed Star Trek to last six decades in the zeitgeist. (Cheap content on which ads can be sold.) Then we dive into the history of The Original Series and discover it was NOT popular at the time. We follow along as the show limps through three seasons with the help of some VERY motivated fans. (Hi Bjo!) We see how Gene went from being a moderately successful Hollywood producer to a Prophet, (The visionary kind, not the Wormhole) and how Gene REALLY liked being adored.  From there we discuss the battles over the soul of Star Trek and how Gene was universally wrong about everything.  Finally, we examine the legacy of a man who creates wonderful things while being a terrible person.

Our Sponsor this week is Marauder Mo’s Action Playset, do you have the LOBES to ride with Marauder Mo? (Lobes sold separately) We open with the first Star Trek movie and close Jeff Lee singing the lyrics to a gross money grab.

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense

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Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com

Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast

The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music: https://youtu.be/qTULiFBYCfY?si=v6vQpoImycApatXm

Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop

Citations Needed:

Why TV Syndication Is the Best-Kept Secret in Modern Advertising

https://www.tatari.tv/insights/why-tv-syndication-is-the-best-kept-secret-in-modern-advertising

Was Star Trek Ever Really Intelligent, Grown-Up Science Fiction?

https://web.archive.org/web/20140419173047/http://io9.com/was-star-trek-ever-really-intelligent-grown-up-science-1563605154

Bjo Trimble: The Woman Who Saved Star Trek

https://www.startrek.com/news/bjo-trimble-the-woman-who-saved-star-trek

The First Star Trek Convention

https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2022/01/the-first-star-trek-convention/

The Creator Does Not Answer

https://medium.com/@lancejparkin_44549/the-creator-does-not-answer-85aa6e011df3

The Classic ‘Star Trek’ Episode Gene Roddenberry “Hated”

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-classic-star-trek-episode-gene-roddenberry-hated-4070043/

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Show Notes Episode 532: Great Bird of the Galaxy

This week Host Dave Bledsoe told us he was going on an Away Mission and might be gone for a while, when he was just really slipping out of the office to get drunk at the nearest dive bar. (Again) On the show this week we celebrate sixty years of Star Trek by examining the man who MADE the show, Leonard Nimoy.  Kidding! We are talking about Gene Roddenberry.

Along the way we discover that Dave never had what  it took to study at Star Fleet Academy. (Rich parents) Then we turn to the real hero of this story, without whom we would never have had ANY Star Trek: Lucille Ball.  Finally we meet Gene, Gene goes to war, marries his sweetheart, becomes a Pan Am pilot, an LA Cop and then goes to work in television. (Gene's story sounds like it WAS television!) We see Gene gain acclaim and influence in Hollywood until he gets his big chance: the bang REALLY hot actresses! (Gene seizes the day, trust us!) At last we set the stage for Gene as a cult figure in the future.  (Again, Gene seizes the day.)

Our Sponsor this week is Tam O’Shatner’s Toupees, no can tell it isn’t real hair!  We open the show with Gene in his own words and close with Kevin Laurence who just wants Gene to cheer up!

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense

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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/6dyohZnRhOo?si=DJgQGkKzoBJSqmU4

Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop

Citations Needed:

The Clipper Eclipse…

https://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/ClipperEclipse-NC88845.htm

Star Trek and Racial Ethics: Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations

https://andrewfiala.com/star-trek-and-racial-ethics-infinite-diversity-in-infinite-combinations/

Wikipedia: Personal life of Gene Roddenberry

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_life_of_Gene_Roddenberry

Wikipedia: Majel Barrett

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majel_Barrett

Gene Roddenberry was a sexist pig (and other observations about Star Trek and sex)

https://bernoff.com/blog/gene-roddenberry-sexist-pig-observations-star-trek-sex

Grace Lee Whitney on Trek, Life - Part I

https://www.startrek.com/news/grace-lee-whitney-on-trek-life-part-i

Despite Star Trek’s Hyper-Progressive Arcs, Gene Roddenberry Was Branded a “Sexist, manipulative person who disregarded women” by Crew Member

https://fandomwire.com/despite-star-treks-hyper-progressive-arcs-gene-roddenberry-was-branded-a-sexist-manipulative-person-who-disregarded-women-by-crew-member/

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Episode 531: By The Time We Left From Woodstock

This week host Dave Bledsoe got wasted at a concert and was thrown out for aggressive moshing in front of the stage and is now banned from seeing The Wiggles ever again. (He claims it was totally worth it) On the show this week we head back to 1969 for the Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music that turned into three days of mud, sex and kick ass music.  We talk about Woodstock!

Along the way we learn that Dave went to Lillith Fair looking to score. Then we dive into the origins of the music festival. (Three guys tripping balls on fungus and banging rocks together) and trace its evolution through history.  Then we meet the men who had a dream, a small record studio in a bucolic upstate town, that turned into half a million hippies fucking in mud on a cow farm.  (So many yeast infections) From the famous names that did perform to the famous names that DIDN’T perform, to the massive traffic jam and who could forget the Hog Farmer Peace Patrol! (This is not a euphemism)

Our Sponsor this week is The Brown Acid, who wants you to know it is perfectly safe to take The Brown Acid.  We open the show with Cronkite shaking his head at the hippies and close with Kingsblade who just wants to get these hippies out of his garden.

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense

The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social

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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/8zFjCavR_kA?si=dU2Lpb0f6T0NgAq-

Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop

Citations Needed:

Britannica: music festival

https://www.britannica.com/art/music-festival

A Century Of Sound: Tracing The Evolution Of American Music Festivals

https://www.jambase.com/article/history-of-american-music-festivals

How Woodstock Happened: The Full Story

https://www.woodstockstory.com/articles/how-woodstock-happened

Wikipedia: Max Yasgur

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Yasgur

Acts that almost made it to Woodstock

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/acts-that-almost-made-it-to-woodstock/

Woodstock: The Myth vs the Reality

https://bestclassicbands.com/woodstock-myth-8-13-15/

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Show Notes Episode 530: Charles Isn’t In Charge Anymore

This week Host Dave Bledsoe finally mans up to get a tattoo of the most important thing in his life (a bottle of Irish Whiskey) only to chicken out when he saw the needle. (The tattoo artist said he cried like a little girl and wet himself.) On the show this week we FINALLY finish the Manson series with what happened after the trials were over.  (More crimes and a LOT of denied paroles.)

Along the way we discover that Dave’s friends were somehow WORSE than he was. Then we dive right into why Charlie didn’t ride the lightning like he was supposed to. (The Supreme Court used to not be evil.) Then follow Charlie’s many adventures in front of the parole board and his search for love. We catch up with Squeaky Fromme as she tries to keep busy with Charles in charge of her days and her nights.  Finally, we learn about what happens when drugged out morons try to plan things.  (They go very badly.)

Our Sponsor this week is Regrets Laser Tattoo Removal, Regrets when you rather have one less to mention.  We open the show with Squeaky and the Pres and close with the Blanks talking about a new boy in the neighborhood.

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/HCWPoMH_fz4?si=dGdK7E944mEALoS9

Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop

Citations Needed:

Wikipedia: Furman v Georgia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furman_v._Georgia

CHARLES MANSON PAROLE HEARINGS

https://serialkillercalendar.com/CHARLES-MANSON-PAROLE-HEARINGS.php

‘I am Charles Manson’s wife’

https://www.cnn.com/2014/08/09/justice/charles-manson-wife

Charles Manson’s fiancée wanted to marry him for his corpse: source

https://nypost.com/2015/02/08/charles-mansons-fiancee-wanted-to-marry-him-for-his-corpse-source/

4 bizarre moments from our interview with Charles Manson

https://www.kcra.com/article/4-bizarre-moments-from-our-interview-with-charles-manson/13813357

Power, Mystery And The Hammer Of The Gods

https://web.archive.org/web/20080128165609/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/ledzeppelin/articles/story/17537975/power_mystery_and_the_hammer_of_the_gods

Wikipedia: Attempted assassination of Gerald Ford in Sacramento

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attempted_assassination_of_Gerald_Ford_in_Sacramento

Two former Manson followers discuss how cult family, 1969 murders changed their lives

https://youtu.be/UHCeX27buug?si=5OcRqU31AFek1Wx2

5 Hawthorne Shootout Suspects Identified as Manson Followers

https://www.cielodrive.com/archive/5-hawthorne-shootout-suspects-identified-as-manson-followers/

'How crazy thinks': Understanding our strange fascination with Charles Manson

https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/understanding-our-strange-fascination-with-charles-manson/9177328

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Show Notes Episode 529: Bugliosi’s Big Break

This week Host Dave Bledsoe found himself needing legal representation when he was served with a lawsuit over something he is certain he did NOT do! (He DID do them, he was just black out drunk at the time.) On the show this week we talk about the wild trial of Manson and the Family and ask if maybe Charlie was innocent? (He definitely wasn’t)

Along the way we learn that Dave once imagined he could be a lawyer until he found out how much work it takes.  Then we meet Vincent Bugliosi, a hard charging Los Angeles lawyer with a dream to be much more. (A very rich, very famous writer) We examine the spurious connection between the Manson Family and Andy Griffith. We dive into the trial to learn both sides “theory of the case”. (Both revolved around Charlie) Finally, we ask the question no one wants to answer, was Charles Manson wrongfully convicted. (Yes and no.)

Our Sponsor this week is Prosecution Solutions, every court trial is a story and a story needs good writers.  We open with news coverage of the Manson trial and close with Dave Frishberg who really likes his lawyer. 

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense

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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/0lyhjzn-Qdo?si=JfzLg8SUc5WaPRqv

Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop

Citations Needed:

Former Milkman’s Complaint Adds to DA Race Confusion

https://www.cielodrive.com/archive/former-milkmans-complaint-adds-to-da-race-confusion/

The Charles Manson (Tate-LaBianca Murder) Trial

https://famous-trials.com/manson/243-home

The Law: Manson's Shattered Defense

https://time.com/archive/6838369/the-law-mansons-shattered-defense/

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER: THE WRONGFUL CONVICTION OF CHARLES MILLES MANSON

https://www.swlaw.edu/sites/default/files/2017-04/2%20Eye%20of%20the%20Beholder.pdf

Manson Murders Showed Dark Side of Hippie Generation

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/manson-murders-showed-dark-side-of-hippie-generation/1858706/

Charles Manson: How the notorious cult leader brought an abrupt end to the 60s

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-20/charles-manson-the-man-who-killed-the-60s/9172088

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Show Notes Episode 528: “Healter Skelter!”

This week Host Dave Bledsoe was trespassed from a children’s playground (again) for screaming at a four year old “When you get to the bottom, YOU GO BACK TO THE TOP OF THE SLIDE!!!!” (Made her cry, then angry parents made him cry.) On the show this week we get to the gory parts of the story as we cover the actual murders the Manson Family did.

Along the way we discover that Dave wasn’t a very good cop. (He almost never violated people’s civil rights!) Then we return to Spahn Ranch where the Manson family was in trouble: drugs cost money in Death Valley.  We learn a little about the members of the Family closest to Charlie and about Charlie’s Plan for the coming Race War. (It was a little vague) We follow along as the Family meets famous people and people not famous at all really, then murders them. Finally Dave gets around to explaining why he keeps talking about Dune Buggies.

Our Sponsor this week is Death Valley Cave Tours, don’t start the Race War without them. We open the show with ABC news covering the Manson trial and close with the Hen House Prowler and their playground etiquette tips.

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense

The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social

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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/UF9Wulle1lI?si=zFeNt_nU6Y81CJOf

Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop

Citations Needed: 

Wikipedia: Tex Watson

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tex_Watson

Wikipedia: Helter Skelter Scenario

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helter_Skelter_(scenario)

Why Did the Manson Family Kill Sharon Tate? Here’s the Story Charles Manson Told the Last Man Who Interviewed Him

https://web.archive.org/web/20200924061655/https://time.com/5633973/last-manson-interview/

Charles Manson's Evil Plans Involved A Crazy Dune Buggy Battalion

https://www.jalopnik.com/charles-mansons-evil-plans-involved-a-crazy-dune-buggy-485497751/

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