What the HELL Were You Thinking?

Bledsoe’s Ghost

Dave Bledsoe, the host of What the HELL Were You Thinking, doesn't believe in ghosts.  So, clearly, whatever he saw that night could NOT have been a ghost.  It was just a spooky old man who appeared out of the fog one night and disappeared during a series of unlikely events which occurred simultaneously without any explanations.  Definitely not a ghost. He leaves it to the listeners to reach their own conclusions.

Find all of Seltzer Kings Spooky Specials at https://www.seltzerkings.com/

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

Show Notes Episode 466: Oh Great, Lincoln’s Ghost Again

Part 2 of Spooktacular 2024

This week Host Dave Bledsoe experiences the sensation that someone is watching himself while he is sleeping, only to awake to a bouncer dragging him out for passing out on the bar (again).  On the show this week we continue Spooktacular 2024 “Is There A Ghost In My House” by asking if Abraham Lincoln’s ghost (among others) haunts the White House. (Hint: Definitely not.)

Along the way we discover that Dave is running out of ways to open the show. (shocking?) From there we dive right into why Americans LOVE ghost stories so much. (We love to believe in things that don’t exist, like trickle down economics!) We examine how Spiritualism made believing in ghosts so popular that even the First Lady could do it.  Then we ask the hard questions about Ghost Lincoln. (Like how pissed off would you be to have to keep coming to your job even after you're dead?) We learn that Winston Churchill went Full Monty in front of a Dead President and discuss all the other ghosts beside Honest Abe.

Our Sponsor this week is My Bodyguard, because someone probably wants to kill you.  We open the show with a PBS show asking a dumb question and close with Ronnie Gavelin who is tired of seeing the ghost all the 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/soKPDA3qdWY?si=Qarxg1WVaYZI8GdU

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

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

Citations Needed:

The Rise of Spiritualism in 19th Century America

https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2021/10/18/the-rise-of-spiritualism-in-19th-century-america

Séances at the White House? Why these first ladies turned to the occult

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/seances-at-the-white-house

The Legends of Lincoln's Ghost

https://boundarystones.weta.org/2020/10/29/legends-lincolns-ghost

The Wilderness Hunter by Theodore Roosevelt

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Wilderness_Hunter/R8FsFGuZxaEC?q=supernatural&gbpv=1&bsq=Bauman#f=false

Forgotten Ghosts of the White House

https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-forgotten-ghosts-that-haunted-the-white-house

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

Episode 465: The Amityville Horrible

Part 1 of Spooktacular 2024 “Is There A Ghost In My House?”

This week Host Dave Bledsoe insists he is not responsible for this bar tab since it was incurred while he was possessed by demon alcohol. (The bouncers performed a quick and dirty exorcism and he paid right up!) On the show this week we kick off Spooktacular 2024 with the REAL story behind The Amityville Horror. (Hint: It was all for the money.)

Along the way we learned that Dave’s has a lot of stories about ghosts and none of them are true. (Same for ALL of his stories.) Then we dive right into the factual portions of the story, the parts about the house and the brutal murders that took place. (The actual story is pretty horrible.) Then we meet the Lutz family, who thought they got a great deal on a murder house but they found out what they really got was a ticket on the ghost gravy train! (All they had to do was lie a little!) We learn that pretty much everything in the book and movie were made up one night over way too much wine and way to little ethical standards. (God Bless America!)

Our sponsor this week is Revenant Realtors, because ghosts need housing too. We open the show with a news report from 1979 and close with Marshal Mathers in a song that we definitely, probably, don’t,  have the rights to play on the show.

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/8VYQRKIbQ4I?si=rj-GNLXubkZTBUjY

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

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

Citations Needed:

Neighbors Recall DeFeos As 'Nice, Normal Family'

https://www.nytimes.com/1974/11/15/archives/neighbors-recall-defeos-as-nice-normal-family-drink-and-play-music.html

The Real Life Amityville Horror

https://web.archive.org/web/20081219094155/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/family/amityville/3.html

George Lutz's Amityville Horror

http://www.ghostvillage.com/legends/2005/legends36_04122005.shtml

BEHIND THE BEST SELLERS

https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/22/archives/behind-the-best-sellers-jay-anson.html

The brutal truth about Amityville: It wasn’t ghosts but something worse

https://english.elpais.com/usa/2022-01-10/it-wasnt-ghosts-but-something-worse-the-brutal-truth-about-amityville.html

The Amityville Hoax at 40: why the myth endures

https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA477640965&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=10639330&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=nysl_oweb&isGeoAuthType=true&aty=geo

Lutz Vs Weber

https://web.archive.org/web/20110707134116/http://www.amityvillemurders.com/lutzvweber.html

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

Show Notes Episode 464: “I Ain’t Afraid of Reagan’s Ghost”

WTH Movie Night: Ghostbusters!

This week Host Dave Bledsoe gets beaten up and thrown out of a TriBeca firehouse after drunkenly showing up at 3:00 AM insisting he was there to “bust some ghosts”. (The fire fighters busted his nose.) On the show this week it is a WTH Movie Night! This time 1984’s supernatural, super right wing,  super box office hit, Ghostbusters. (Yep, Dave is gonna ruin the movie for you)

Along the way we discover why Dave keeps doing shows about things he doesn’t believe in. (Hint: a shockingly small amount of money.) Then we dive right into the backstory of how a Saturday Night Live alumni wrote a script based on his grandfather and fighting ghosts in space. (No kidding, this was in the original script for the movie) We find out how Harold Ramis was brought in to make the story slightly less crazy and MUCH less expensive to produce. We briefly talk about the movie (because you’ve ALL seen it, repeatedly) and then we totally ruin one of your childhood’s most cherished memories by explaining how it was all about politics. (What an asshole.)

Our Sponsor this week is Spectral Supply Warehouse, our prices have to be seen to be believed. We open with the Ghostbusters ready to believe you and close with  Leo Moracchioli who needs directory assistance.

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/hF39e_hnFb8?si=U_W7UhGd-A9FNOix

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

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

Citations Needed:

Dan Aykroyd on his family history in the occult and why he wanted to be part of Hotel Paranormal

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/article-dan-aykroyd-on-his-family-history-in-the-occult-and-why-he-wanted-to/

An Oral History of Ghostbusters

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/news/a27498/ghostbusters-oral-history/

Behind the Scenes The Making of Ghostbusters: How Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and “The Murricane” Built “The Perfect Comedy”

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/06/ghostbusters-making-of

Wikipedia: Ghostbusters

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters#Legacy

The Economic Lesson in Ghostbusters Everyone Missed

https://www.aier.org/article/the-economic-lesson-in-ghostbusters-everyone-missed/

The Secret Money Messages Hidden in Ghostbusters

https://www.fastcompany.com/91064604/the-secret-money-messages-hidden-in-ghostbusters

The original Ghostbusters was hugely political. The new one, not so much.

https://www.vox.com/2016/7/20/12204422/ghostbusters-political-movies

Ghostbusters, the greatest movie ever made about Republican economic policy

https://qz.com/176613/ghostbusters-harold-ramis-greatest-movie-ever-about-republican-economic-policy

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

It’s time, Spooktacular 2024 kicks off with our series, “Is There A Ghost In My House?” All October brings you stories of hauntings  that may, or more likely, may NOT be true. So join us for some ghost stories starting October 7th for Spooktacular 2024!

(Music by JBJ Music)

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

Episode 463: Gonna Love Me In My Chevy Van

This week Host Dave Bledsoe drunkenly climbs into the back of a van and insists the driver take him back to 1986. (The cops closed the doors of the paddy wagon and took him to The Tombs. Again) On the show this week we go back to the 1970’s when the vans all airbrushed murals on the sides and waterbeds in the back! We talk about Van Life in the 70s!

Along the way we learn that Dave’s Senior Prom experience was exactly what you might expect from him. (He got high in the parking lot.) Then we dive right into what vans are and why we are using them to pad out six minutes of content for the show. (We have a formula and we stick to it!) Then we dive right into how cool people decided to make their vans more than just boxes on wheels, they would make them artistic sex wagons. (Pro-tip: Bean Bags) We learn how van conversions went mainstream and then inevitably into corporate money makers, and died. (Blame Lee Iacocca.)

Our sponsor this week is Corey’s Custom Conversions, the man for your van! We open with the story of vans and close with John G Chapman, who gave a girl a ride in his wagon.

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/ehUYONulQ3s?si=AgXU270W7Khiq804

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

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

Citations Needed:

1971 Chevrolet G20 Van Catalog and Classic Car Guide, Ratings and Features

https://metrommp.com/Classic-Car-Guides-Ratings-Features/Chevrolet/1971-Chevrolet-G20-Van-Catalog/

Boogie vans: the history & the present

https://www.classic-american.com/boogie-vans/

Remembering the American Van Craze of the 1970s

https://www.motorcities.org/story-of-the-week/2024/remembering-the-american-van-craze-of-the-1970s

The Van (1977)

https://geekvsgoth.com/2011/09/12/the-van-1977/

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

Show Notes Episode 462: Saga of A Star Wars Rip Off

This week Host Dave Bledsoe angrily shouts at Producer Gavin insisting he was NOT playing with his dolls again. (He totally was.) On the show this week we head back to 1978 to talk about a short lived but influential Science Fiction TV show that wasn’t JUST a Star Wars rip off. (But kind of  doing that a little) Battlestar Galactica.

Along the way we learn a little about some other short lived shows of the 70’s. (That Janeway/Odo crime fighting team up sounded great!) Then we dive right into the story of a Hollywood titan, some Latter Day Saint theology and how they came together to fight the Cylons. We follow the story from production to debut in theaters and on the small screen at home.  We meet the actors who would create memorable characters (and some we wish we could forget, FUCK BOXY!). From the beginning of its single season to the inevitable lawsuits we tell the story of a ragtag fugitive fleet trying desperately to find a new way to monetize the Star Wars mania sweeping the world.  

Our Sponsor this week is Sy Lonika’s Centurion AI, who wants you to know, they have a plan.  We open the show with a promo for the show and close with TBone Shady who is just looking for some kind of way out of here.

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/ehUYONulQ3s?si=AgXU270W7Khiq804

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

Citations Needed:

Wikipedia: Battlestar Galactica (1978)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlestar_Galactica_(1978_TV_series)

AFI CATALOG OF FEATURE FILMS BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SAGA OF A STAR WORLD

https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/56136

A Tale of Two Galacticas

https://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/two_galacticas/

Born-Again 'Battlestar'

https://www.beliefnet.com/entertainment/movies/2005/05/born-again-battlestar.aspx

Mormon creator of 'Battlestar Galactica' dared to produce something profound

https://www.deseret.com/2014/11/22/20553208/mormon-creator-of-battlestar-galactica-dared-to-produce-something-profound/

Ahead of its Time — The Rise and Fall of the Original Battlestar Galactica

https://robert-b-marks.medium.com/ahead-of-its-time-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-original-battlestar-galactica-ae9bcb669d60

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. v. MCA, Inc., 715 F. 2d 1327 - Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit 1983

https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=17217847881299692282&hl=en&as_sdt=100000000002

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

Episode 461: Life Is A Highway

This week Host Dave Bledsoe gets drunk at an East Village dive bar and takes a cab home and calls it his “Summer Road Trip”. On the show this week we scrape the bottom of the barrel for content and talk about how Dave’s family entertained him driving across the country in the 80’s. (Yeah, he really phoned it in. Again.)

Along the way we learn about Dave’s “adult” trip from coast to coast. (So many truck stops) Then we dive right into the history of the interstate system before we talk about the greatest roadside stop in America: Stuckey’s! (We TOLD you things that were on the content shelf were thin this week!) 

From there we weave our way through various roadside attractions, tourist traps and money grabs that make a cross-country road trip so incredible. From Tucumcari to Wall Drug we mention all the places you COULD visit and why you shouldn’t. So come for the world's largest ball of twine, stay for the birthplace of a fictional television character and hit the road with a fat, middle aged drunk man. (Virtually, of course, Dave doesn't have a license.) 

Our Sponsor this week is Rodney’s Roadside Retreat, where the fun isn’t! We open the show with this word from Stuckey’s and close with The Fiasco who want you to go on a little trip with them.

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/GaiU3XN_K4o?si=sCir3FXPY_BEdKW_

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

Nostalgia Personified Live Show Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co. Sunday, September 15

Citations Needed:

Cadillac Ranch

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2220

Ted Hustead Is Dead at 96; Built the Popular Wall Drug

https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/17/us/ted-hustead-is-dead-at-96-built-the-popular-wall-drug.html

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

Show Notes Episode 460: A Beef With Oprah

This week host Dave Bledsoe is thrown out of the cookout when the other attendees realize no one there actually knew him. (Happens a lot.) On the show this week we talk about that time in the 90’s when the cattle industry bit off more than they could chew by suing Oprah. (Bad idea.)

Along the way we discover that Dave will eat anything so long as it is mostly dead and free. (Some of the things we aren’t even sure are really foods.) Then we dive right into our story by explaining why meat may be murder, but it is also very good for the economy. We then skip across the pond to Gavin’s homeland who didn’t understand that cows eat grass, not other cows. (We blame Margaret Thatcher.) We briefly (and badly) explain Mad Cow Disease, prions and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease before FINALLY getting to part about Oprah. (Mostly because Dave is afraid of offending Oprah fans, which he should be.)

Our Sponsor this week is Last Week’s Meats, our meat should be OK, if you cook it right away. We open the show with Oprah’s case in the news and close with Forgotten Covers and their burger preferences.

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/TArJnY-8koo?si=w5Ix5YLL3i9Kfxxe

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

Nostalgia Personified Live Show Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co. Sunday, September 15

Citations Needed:

A breakdown of the American beef sector

https://clear.ucdavis.edu/explainers/how-do-us-cattle-ranchers-put-food-our-table

The decade that changed everything

https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/19092-the-decade-that-changed-everything

Wikipedia: Mad Cow Crisis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_cow_crisis#Deep_socio-economic_crisis

The time Oprah Winfrey beefed with the Texas cattle industry

https://www.texastribune.org/2018/01/10/time-oprah-winfrey-beefed-texas-cattle-industry/

'We cleaned up her act' For six weeks in 1998, star turned town on head

https://www.amarillo.com/story/news/local/2011/05/22/we-cleaned-her-act/13159793007/

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

Show Notes Episode 459: “I Can Call You Geraldo, and You Can Call Me Al Capone

This week Host Dave Bledsoe goes searching for buried treasure (meaning he dug through his Winter coats looking for money to buy booze.) On the show this week we talk about that time Geraldo Rivera knocked down a wall in Chicago on live TV because someone lied about Al Capne having a vault there.

Along the way we discover why a young Dave spends all that time in the bathroom claiming he was “brushing his teeth”. (He was touching himself.) THen we dive right into the backstory with a little about Al Capone (bad guy) and a lot more about Geraldo Rivera (really bad guy). From there we discover how the guy from the People’s Court (Not Judge Wapner or Rusty the Bailiff) was instrumental in getting The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vault on television. (He had to pay for that hairpiece somehow.) Then we give the step by step of how at least thirty million Americans watched so dudes dig a hole for two hours only to find some papers and empty liquor bottles. (They could have just looked under Dave’s bed if that is what they wanted.) We close with how this resurrected Geraldo’s career.  (Sometimes, dead is better.)

Our Sponsor this week is Nunzio’s Locksmithing and Safe Cracking, WHY you personally can’t open the thing, THAT is YOUR BUSINESS. We open the show with a promo for the vault show and close with The Barefoot Movement who want you to know you can call them Al.

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/FN8xSEm11j4?si=qeudrk2T-nFHMZmJ

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

Nostalgia Personified Live Show Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co. Sunday, September 15

Citations Needed:

Wikipedia: Geraldo Rivera

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

Oral History: When Geraldo Rivera Opened Al Capone's Vault

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/78842/oral-history-30-years-ago-geraldo-rivera-opened-al-capones-vault

Vintage Chicago Tribune: Watch and revisit ‘The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults’ hosted by Geraldo Rivera

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2023/04/20/vintage-chicago-tribune-watch-and-revisit-the-mystery-of-al-capones-vaults-hosted-by-geraldo-rivera/

‘The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults’: Watch the highly-rated, live TV special hosted by Geraldo Rivera in 1986

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2023/04/20/the-mystery-of-al-capones-vaults-watch-the-highly-rated-live-tv-special-hosted-by-geraldo-rivera-in-1986/

Gun-toting Geraldo under fire for the story that never was

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/1365910/Gun-toting-Geraldo-under-fire-for-the-story-that-never-was.html

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