Show Notes Episode 313: I Would Smoke 500 Miles, And I Would Smoke 500 More (Redux

This week Host Dave Bledsoe wakes up coughing from what he is sure is just cat dander and allergies, and proceeds to light the first smoke of the day!  (We’re sure everything is fine!) On the show this week, we open up that one drawer in the kitchen with all the menus and a phone book from 2001 to see how many Marlboro Miles we can find in there!  (25 miles, only 400 packs of Marlboro Reds to go to get that awesome windbreaker!)

Along the way we learn of Dave’s formative years using an addictive chemical to give him the illusion of being cool.  (Cigarettes, not alcohol.That came slightly later.) From there we dive into the history of cigarette advertising in the 80’s and 90’s after Nixon kicked them off the television.  (Someone must have failed to contribute to Dick’s campaign!) We learn how the Brands needed something new and exciting to capture that youth market, and cowboys were NOT cool in 1992!  (Except for you Garth Brooks!)  We go on to talk about Marlboro Miles, the Marlboro Old Country Store and how you could spend $500 bucks on a ten dollar igloo cooler!  Then we spend some time with the Camel that Kills, Joe Camel.  (Joe didn’t kill kids, but he DID help kill big tobacco!) Finally, we explain that advertising isn’t what made kids smoke, it was the stress of life lived with Baby Boomers. 

Our Sponsor this week is Cancer Cash, the smoking loyalty program that earns money for your future cancer treatment!  We open the show with the Merchants of Death and close with Brian Schmidty explaining the distance he and his friends will travel to pass out on your doorstep!

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense

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

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music:https://youtu.be/VBkVhBBQ2ME

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

Citations Needed:

Cigarette brand loyalty in Australia: findings from the ITC Four Country Survey

https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/23/suppl_1/i73.info

THE MEDIA BUSINESS: Advertising; The Marlboro Man Is Missing in Action in New Campaign

https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/23/business/media-business-advertising-marlboro-man-missing-action-new-campaign.html

THE MOST SINISTER CIGARETTE PROMOTION OF ALL TIME

https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/the-most-sinister-cigarette-promotion-of-all-time

Joe Camel (1974-1997)

https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/bcoppola/2017/09/17/joe-camel-1974-1997/

Joe Camel, a Giant in Tobacco Marketing, Is Dead at 23

https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/11/business/joe-camel-a-giant-in-tobacco-marketing-is-dead-at-23.html

Joe Camel Video ABC  https://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/july-10-1997-end-joe-camel-ads-10616510

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Show Notes Episode 484: Thank You For Smoking

This week Host Dave Bledsoe had a protracted coughing fit he blamed on “the damn cat” and not the decades of cigarettes he continues to consume.  (Not the cat’s fault) On the show this week we look at the nicotine tinted world that existed before we all had to go outside to smoke.

Along the way we discover that Dave is willing to blame anyone but himself for his addictions before moving right along to the topic of how the cigarette became the coffin nail of choice for millions of Americans. (It was all very American, war and advertising.) Then we learn from first hand sources (It’s Dave so he is probably making it up) what the world was like behind the haze of all that smoke.  From the backseat of your Mom’s car to coach class of an international flight, people had them and they smoked them. (Is there a nostalgic longing for smoking inside a bar? Yes.) We close out with how the world is actually better now that smokers have to go outside. (Even for the smokers!)

Our Sponsor this week is Real Cigarettes, if you want nicotine why not try a real cigarette? We open the show with the Merchants of Death and close with Liel Bar Z who has a smoking problem.

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: www.whatthehellpodcast.com

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 age of the cigarette

https://www.britannica.com/topic/smoking-tobacco/The-age-of-the-cigarette

Collection: Celebrities and Stars

https://tobacco.stanford.edu/cigarpipes/celebrities-and-stars/

Surgeon General’s 1964 report: making smoking history

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/surgeon-generals-1964-report-making-smoking-history-201401106970#:~:text=On%20a%20Saturday%20morning%2050,should%20do%20something%20about%20it.

Ban on Smoking in Airliners Doesn't Apply to the Cockpit

https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/10/us/ban-on-smoking-in-airliners-doesn-t-apply-to-the-cockpit.html

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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

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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/

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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/

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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 motherfucker 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 fucked 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

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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

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All February What the HELL Were You Thinking celebrates love and romance. (Meaning we make fun of it!) Join us lonely bastards at the bar and take a listen!

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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/

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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

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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

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