What the HELL Were You Thinking?

Show Notes Episode 333: It Looks Like A Big Deady Tylenol Spooktacular 2021

This week Host Dave Bledsoe reaches for something to edge off this hangover only to find something little, yellow, different...the same glass of whiskey he took to bed with him the night before. (Again) This week we kick off Spooktacular 2021 with a little random mass murder in Chicago, with the Tylenol Murders of 1982! 

Along the way we discover how Dave’s Mom foolishly trusted him not to do something incredibly stupid when he was a kid. (Same goes for today) Then we dive right into the mysterious deaths of seven people in the Chicagoland area September 1982. We go through the gruesome deaths of each in turn before turning to the frantic search for what killed them. (Shockingly, it wasn’t corporate malfeasance!) Then we follow the investigation into what happened and into who was doing it!  

Our Sponsor this week is the Poison Pill Investment Strategy, who want to say “COME ON GUYS!” We open the show with news coverage of the panic after the poisonings and close with some seasonal music by Deathlock!

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/

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/0WZF5eu4OQc

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

Citations Needed:

The History of Acetaminophen

https://www.aplususapharma.com/blog/the-history-of-acetaminophen/

How Tylenol Grew From a Little-Known Drug To the World's Largest-Selling Health Product

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/10/02/how-tylenol-grew-from-a-little-known-drug-to-the-worlds-largest-selling-health-product/5fdfa0f5-445a-4243-91a7-39aa014658c6/

Revisiting Chicago's Tylenol Murders

https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/October-2012/Chicago-Tylenol-Murders-An-Oral-History/

A Bitter Pill

https://chicagoreader.com/news-politics/a-bitter-pill/

Chicago Tylenol murders Wikipedia

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

Uncited Additional Reading:

https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/02/us/poison-deaths-bring-us-warning-on-tylenol-use.html

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/tylenol-murders-1982

https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/28/us/jurors-convict-suspect-in-1-million-tylenol-extortion-plot.html

http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1878063,00.html

https://www.tylenolmurders.com/

https://kottke.org/18/10/the-chicago-tylenol-murders-of-1982

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All the ghoulish good times coming up for Spooktacular 2021

Creepy Ass Music: Darren Curtis

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Episode 332: Havana Ray Beaming

This week Host Dave Bledsoe angrily complains that someone is using a “sonic weapon” to cause his aching head and churning stomach instead of blaming the hangover. (Again) On the show this week we head on down to Havana Town to investigate what is making American spies and diplomats so sick? (Apparently, not guilt over American Imperialism)

Along the way we learn that Dave was a connoisseur of imaginary weapons as a child. (Imaginary like the friends he had to play with. Sad.) Then we dive right into the so-called Havana Syndrome that is causing Americans around the world to have a headache and Congress to do something ineffective and unnecessary about it! (You know, the usual stuff!) From there we talk about all the ways that you can’t really use a sonic wave as a super secret weapon and all the ways that a microwave is really only good for heating up a burrito on the outside and leaving it ice cold on the inside. (It is called the Hot Pocket Effect.) Finally we use science and reason to explain what is REALLY going on with this Havana Syndrome and why that makes spies so angry. (Reality often hurts)

Our Sponsor this week is Brian’s Beam Weapons, they probably aren’t real but they are FUN! We open the show with the L.O.O.K.E.R. Gun and close with Judson Hair chilling out.

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/

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/kIj1p7KBZJc

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

Citations Needed:  

The Sounds That Haunted U.S. Diplomats in Cuba? Lovelorn Crickets, Scientists Say

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/04/science/sonic-attack-cuba-crickets.html

Medical Records Can’t Explain “Havana Syndrome,” A Buried CDC Report Says

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/danvergano/cdc-investigation-cuba-havana-syndrome

Vienna Is the New Havana Syndrome Hot Spot

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/vienna-is-the-new-havana-syndrome-hotspot

Was It an Invisible Attack on U.S. Diplomats, or Something Stranger?

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/15/magazine/diplomat-disorder.html

Mass psychogenic illness Wikipedia

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

An Open Letter to the Diplomats With "Havana Syndrome"

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/its-catching/201911/open-letter-the-diplomats-havana-syndrome

Uncited Additional Reading:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/what-is-havana-syndrome-symptoms-causes.html

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

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/20/us/politics/cia-officer-suffers-havana-syndrome-symptoms.html

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Episode 331: Right Now Someone Is Planning Another Crystal Pepsi Comeback

This week Host Dave Bledsoe is enjoying a crisp refreshing Zima, lacing up his Doc’s, and getting ready to watch this new X-Files show! No, wait, he is having delusions after drinking a bottle of Crystal Pepsi from 1993. (Again) On the show this week we head back to the halcyon days of yesterday when everything was clear, soap was pure, and a man could get a Crystal Pepsi at his local 7-11! 

Along the way we learn why Dave’s family was so loyal to the Coca Cola company during his childhood. (Turns out everything is a Coke when you live far enough away from civilization!) From there we jump right into the Clear Craze of the late 80’s and early 90’s when every product had to be transparent, you know for health reasons. (Meaning some marketing jack off just made that shit up!) Then we pick up with Pepsi looking to strike a blow in the Cola Wars by launching a brand new product, and the perfidy of the Coca Cola company in their counter attack! (Many Shubs and Zulls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of a Sloar that day, we can tell you!) Then we tell you all about the “thinking” that went into the concept and the launch of Crystal Pepsi. (Not much) Finally we talk about why Crystal Pepsi only lasted a year before slinking off into ignominy, and slinking back over and over again. (Millennials are just as nostalgic as anyone, maybe more!)

Our Sponsor this week is Royal Crown Clear, the product that tastes kinda like RC Cola, but clear! We open the show with an ad spot of Crystal Pepsi and close with the Band Geeks asking what are we waiting for? (Mostly for the show to be over, so we can all go home for the weekend.)

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The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast

The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/

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/1OLn6-0pwUM

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

Citations Needed:

Clear Craze: The Rise and Fall of Crystal Pepsi

https://www.darkroastmedia.com/clear-craze-the-rise-and-fall-of-crystal-pepsi/

Why Crystal Pepsi Was A Flop

https://www.mashed.com/111261/crystal-pepsi-flop/

Fizzled Out: Why Coca-Cola Purposely Designed a Soft Drink to Fail

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/547246/why-coca-cola-designed-tab-clear-fail

Uncited Additional Reading:

https://www.businessinsider.com/crystal-pepsi-creator-david-novak-its-failure-taught-important-lesson-2016-7?r=US&IR=T

https://allisonveneziowrites.com/2019/01/29/clear-craze-part-1-drinks/

https://bettermarketing.pub/coca-cola-created-tab-clear-to-destroy-crystal-pepsi-b43602e4e263

https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/what-is-crystal-pepsi

https://www.bustle.com/articles/25449-what-ever-happened-to-crystal-pepsi-a-brief-history-of-the-clear-cola-trend

https://theconversation.com/enabling-innovation-lessons-from-crystal-pepsi-84967

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/10/31/the-failure-awards-defunct-branding-12-crystal-pepsi

https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/13/business/business-digest-848292.html

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

https://www.livescience.com/55354-crystal-pepsi-weird-history-of-clear-soda.html

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

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Episode 330: The Obligatory 9/11 Edition

This week Host Dave Bledsoe puts aside the usual snark and fart jokes (well most of them anyway) to do the first and only show we'll ever do about September 11th.  (Turns out, it's hard to make jokes about this topic!) We do mock some of the people who put  up shit like this flag, though, so you got that going for you!  

Seriously, this is not a “fun” show.  It is about what and how we remember what happened 20 years ago and if you want to skip this week, we understand.  (Unlike a few weeks ago when we were talking up putting gerbils in butts, skipping that was inexcusable!) It isn’t so much about what happened, but how we remember it now.  When asked when he was crying, Dave shouted that he wasn’t crying, WE were crying and then ran out of the studio sobbing.  So, we would classify this episode as “kinda sad”.  So trigger warning for maudlin drunks.

Our closing music this week is Mike Easterday talking about memories.

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The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music: https://youtu.be/OBI3o9fO_iU

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

Citations Needed:

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ‘NEVER FORGET’? 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/08/nyregion/9-11-new-york-remember.html

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Show Notes Episode 329: I Got Stoned and I Missed It Pt 3 of Just Say No America

This week Host Dave Bledsoe insists he is not legally obligated to pay for these drinks as he is “on vacation” only to be escorted out of the Applebees by the management. (Again)

Look, we are supposed to be on a beach somewhere instead we are logging in to write show notes on a clip show. So,OK, that’s it, we are outta here. Just listen to the damn show.

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The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast

The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/

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/fp5tUbAP0lI

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

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Episode 328: No Bourbon, No Scotch and No Beer Pt 2 of Just Say No America

This week Host Dave Bledsoe demands a national prohibition on his bar tabs, only to be voted down by the bartender with extreme prejudice. (Again) On the show this week, we talk about how Prohibition was more about keeping immigrants and minorities in their place rather than saving them from demon alcohol. (Are you shocked? You shouldn’t be)

Along the way we learn about Dave’s grandpa running moonshine in the mountains of Tennessee and why that makes Dave think he should run a distillery. (It doesn’t and he shouldn’t) Then we dive right into the history of how Prohibition became the law of the land and how the same tactics are being used today. After that we look at how all this not drinking impacted our most precious national resource: rich people. (Short answer not at all, longer answer, it made them more money!) Finally we examine the connection between the Noble Cause of Prohibition and keeping immigrants, minorities and the poor in their place. (The Venn Diagram is a perfect circle.)

Our Sponsor this week is Fast Eddie’s Bathtub Gin, the small batch artisanal gin that tastes like it was made in a Queens used car lot bathroom, because it was. We open the show with newsreel footage of the government taking down the bootleggers and close with Larry Lacerte reading Dave’s bar tabs.

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/

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/XNmk_uK05dY

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

Citations Needed:

Wayne B. Wheeler: The Man Who Turned Off the Taps

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/wayne-b-wheeler-the-man-who-turned-off-the-taps-14783512/

Anti-Saloon League Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Saloon_League

Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution Wikipedia

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

Prohibition as Class Warfare

https://offtheleash.net/2017/12/19/prohibition-as-class-warfare/

The Chemist’s War The little-told story of how the U.S. government poisoned alcohol during Prohibition with deadly consequences.

https://slate.com/technology/2010/02/the-little-told-story-of-how-the-u-s-government-poisoned-alcohol-during-prohibition.html

More Class Warfare: The Real Point of the 18th Amendment (Prohibition)

https://angrybearblog.com/2015/06/more-class-warfare-the-real-point-of-the-18th-amendment-prohibition

Xenophobia, Racism and Classism: The Sinister Roots of America’s Prohibition

https://www.winemag.com/2021/03/08/history-american-prohibition/

Uncited Additional Reading: 

https://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/the-history/the-road-to-prohibition/why-prohibition-happened/

https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-prohibition-1779250

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK216414/

https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/alcohol-prohibition-was-failure

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/aug/26/lawless-prohibition-gangsters-speakeasies

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Episode 327: Operation Carrie Nation Pt 1 of Just Say No America

This week Host Dave Bledsoe is INFURIATED to learn he cannot submit his bar tabs to his health insurance, even though his “doctor” (it’s just a guy at the bar) says they are “medicinal”(because it isn’t). On the show this week kick off Part One of Just Say No America with the early days of temperance in America, one hatchet wielding granny at a time. (it’s CHOPPING time!)

Along the way we learn that Dave just needs a hug. From there we dive into the drinking habits of early America (they drank like Dave!) and then into the first steps toward telling folks that MAYBE drinking all day every day isn't the best idea! (tell that to Dave’s “doctor”) Then we meet the woman who would do ANYTHING to stomp out Demon Alcohol from America, even if it meant taking a hatchet to every saloon in Kansas: Carrie Nation! (She’s fun!)

Our Sponsor this week is Ray’s Rehab because we KNOW you aren’t gonna actually QUIT, why not learn how to hide it better? We open the show with a modern day Carrie Nation and close with the Women's Choir at Concordia College telling us we aren’t going to be making out with them any time soon!

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/

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/BSmfpm_y39Y

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

Citations Needed

America Has a Drinking Problem

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/07/america-drinking-alone-problem/619017/

Early American Alcohol and Tobacco Use

http://www.williamwhitepapers.com/pr/dlm_uploads/2014-Early-American-Alcohol-and-Tobacco-Use.pdf

Carrie Nation Wikipedia

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

The Use and Need of the Life of Carry A. Nation

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Use_and_Need_of_the_Life_of_Carry_A/tsy6J9rtocwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=carrie+nation+marriage&pg=PA166&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=smashed%20the%20mirror&f=false

Activist Carry Nation Used a Hatchet to Smash Booze Bottles Before Prohibition

https://www.history.com/news/carry-nation-temperance-prohibition-alcohol

Uncited Additional Reading:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/16/opinion/prohibition-immigration-klan.html

https://commonreader.wustl.edu/c/racism-runs-dry/

https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/roots-of-prohibition/

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

https://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/the-history/the-road-to-prohibition/the-temperance-movement/

https://www.kshs.org/p/carry-a-nation-part-2/10590

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Show Notes Episode 326: Taking A Bite Outta McGruff

This week Host Dave Bledsoe just really wants to help the kids, meaning he is drunkenly screaming at them that Santa Claus is a corporate creation to prop up Big Toy. (Again) On the show this week we take a bite outta crime with McGruff the crime dog, who was never actually a cop because he could pass the psyche profile. (Violent tendencies, pees indoors)

Along the way we learn about Dave’s short foray being a Furry. From there we explore the world that made it seem like a great idea to have a talking dog tackle the crime problem in America. (As opposed to doing something about wealth inequality and systemic racism.) From there we learn about the dark history of the Ad Council. (It’s not all Fake Indians Crying on highways!) Then we follow the creation of McGruff and the impact he had on crime in America! (Little, likely none.)

Our Sponsor this week is Bobby the Blobfish, here to let kids know that Sex is SLIMEY! Eeew! We open the show with McGruff on television and close the show with McGruff’s 1986 album track about Alcohol! (It is SUBLIME!)

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/

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/JpQwLC9hyeA

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

Citations Needed:

Jack Keil, Creator of the Crime-Fighting Dog McGruff, Dies at 94

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/08/obituaries/jack-keil-creator-of-the-crime-fighting-dog-mcgruff-dies-at-94.html

McGruff the Crime Dog Wikipedia

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

"McGruff the Crime Dog" actor gets 16 years in prison

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mcgruff-the-crime-dog-actor-gets-16-years-in-prison/

Uncited Additional Reading:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mcgruff-the-crime-dog-actor-gets-16-years-in-prison/

https://youtu.be/y4P4plYXKFE

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/08/business/media/mcgruff-the-crime-dog-jack-keil.html

https://www.themarysue.com/new-mcgruff-for-acab-era/

https://www.reformer.com/local-news/the-voice-behind-mcgruff-the-crime-dog/article_7d476b24-5b5d-5bc5-8ef1-66a6fb2c6d15.html

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/503068/paw-enforcement-history-mcgruff-crime-dog

https://www.ncpc.org/about-ncpc/mcgruff/

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Show Notes Episode 325: Operators Are Standing, Bye Mr. Popeil

This week Host Dave Bledsoe wants to show you his amazing new invention for cleaning up all those pesky full liquor bottles around the house, it’s called the Dave-O-Matic! (And it is just Dave drinking all your booze.) On the show this week, we look back on the life and legacy of America’s Pitchman, Ron Popeil! (We should have called sooner, as our supplies of Ron Popeil have run out.)

Along the way we learn about the Ronco Products Dave STILL owns, and hear him angrily deny he paints his bald spot. (NO BALD SPOT!) Then learn about the life of the master marketer and his amazing rise to wealth and advertising fame. Then once we’ve taken care of all those pesky “facts” we get into some of the products that made Ron a VERY rich man! (Do we talk about Mr. Microphone? You know we will come back to pick up you later hot stuff!)

Our Sponsor this week is the Junk-O-Matic by DaveCo, even WE don’t know what it does. We open the show with the Bat-O-Matic from BatCo and close with MetalAl singing a paean to Mr. Popeil. 

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/

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/Z-zTOAbIUPg

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

Citations Needed: 

Ronco, Inc. History

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/ronco-inc-history/

Hey Mr. Microphone! I'll Be Back To Pick You Up Later!

https://www.retrothing.com/2008/07/hey-mister-micr.html

Tons of Uncited Additional Reading

https://youtu.be/WfcIPuvZE9I

https://nrf.com/blog/ron-popeils-legacy-lives

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/business/media/02adco.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/04/03/forget-veg-o-matic-buy-its-maker-instead/99984402/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/warrenshoulberg/2021/07/29/how-late-infomercial-king-ron-popeil-perfected-the-art-of-the-pitch/?sh=655f272a5549

https://www.tmz.com/2021/07/28/ron-popeil-dead-dies-infomercial/?adid=browser_notifications

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/opinion/how-ron-popeil-rode-reagans-deregulatory-revolution

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/07/30/ron-popeil-great-american-marketer/

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/consumer-products/wait-theres-more-remembering-ron-popeil

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

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/24604/quick-10-10-ronco-products

https://interestingengineering.com/the-wild-and-wacky-products-sold-by-master-salesman-ron-popeil

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/24604/quick-10-10-ronco-products

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