What the HELL Were You Thinking?

Show Notes Episode 304: Fly the Friendly Skyjackers Part 3 “Will the Real DB Cooper Please Stand Up?”

This week Host Dave Bledsoe angrily denies he is the same man who ran up this exorbitant bar tab and demands the bar retract this outrageous allegation! (This...did not work) On the show this week examine some of the people who MIGHT be DB Cooper. (But probably aren’t.)

Along the way we learn about some of Dave’s family history and their secret shame. (Surprisingly, not Dave!) Then we dive right into the most “likely” of the claimants to DB’s Briefcase, from the absurd to the “holy shit, this guy might actually be DB!” (We also rule out Gavin being DB Cooper definitively.) Finally, we announce our official editorial stance on who we think DB Cooper might be.

Our Sponsor this week is Dream Gene, for when you want to be descended from somebody important even if you are not. We open the show with the trailer for our inspiration this week and close with Laurier LaChance asking for some clarity. 

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

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www.whatthehellpodcast.com

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music: https://youtu.be/5T7nHm82ldo

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

Citations Needed:

D.B. Cooper suspect was surveyor; brother worked for Boeing

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/db-cooper-suspect-was-surveyor-brother-worked-for-boeing/

Unmasking D.B. Cooper

https://nymag.com/news/features/39593/

The Woman Who Might Have Been D.B. Cooper

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/83735/woman-who-might-have-been-db-cooper

John List Wikipedia

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

The Odd Story of Richard Floyd McCoy Jr

https://fearoflanding.com/history/the-odd-story-of-richard-floyd-mccoy-jr/

FBI No Longer Investigating DB Cooper But Knew Who he Was

https://newstalk870.am/fbi-no-longer-investigating-d-b-cooper-but-knew-who-he-was/

Uncited Additional Reading:

https://www.considerable.com/entertainment/history/who-was-db-cooper/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._B._Cooper#Kenneth_Peter_Christiansen

https://themountainnewswa.net/2020/09/12/db-cooper-early-suspects-and-the-cooper-vortex/

http://legendofdbcooper.com/barbara

https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2018/01/as_a_new_clue_upends_db_cooper.html

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2018/08/03/db-cooper-suspects-include-robert-rackstraw-false-confessions-woman/865813002/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/d-b-cooper-found-at-last/

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Show Notes Episode 303: Fly the Friendly Skyjackers Part 2: The Ballad of DB Cooper

This week Host Dave Bledsoe dons a white turtleneck sweater and corduroy jacket and offers to take photographs of large women. (He is NOT just like Leonard Nimoy no matter what he says) On the show this week, we meet the most famous Skyjacker of them all, Dan Cooper! (Yeah, that DB thing, totally made up!)

 Along the way we learn that Leonard Nimoy is the only honest man in America for an entire generation. (And the sexiest!) From there we dive right into the exploits of the legendary DB Cooper, who took Thanksgiving travel to the ultimate extension of avoidance! (Honestly, who among us has NOT contemplated hijacking the plane just to get home in time for stuffing?) We check out everything we know about who Dan Cooper was (Turns out, CANADIAN!) and what evidence we have on his identity. (Slim and none, and slim left town) Finally, we talk about DB Cooper’s impact on pop culture and how he just MIGHT be either Tommy Wiseau or Don Draper! Check back NEXT WEEK for the people who MIGHT be the real DB Cooper!

Our Sponsor this week is the Parachute Palace, when it absolutely, positively HAS to open, choose Parachute Palace. We open the show with the most trustworthy show on television and close with Miriam Stone singing about a man she respects!

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music: https://youtu.be/GwRR0zo0Xa0

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

Citations Needed:

Unmasking D.B. Cooper

https://nymag.com/news/features/39593/

Wikipedia D. B. Cooper

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._B._Cooper

The Mystery of D.B. Cooper

https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/the-mystery-of-db-cooper

Uncited Additional Reading:

https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/db-cooper-hijacking

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/has-mystery-skyjacker-db-cooper-finally-been-solved-1236196

https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/d-b-cooper

https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/scientist-uncovers-new-clues-db-cooper-ransom-money/281-86659a00-86c1-49fa-b6bf-04d6cd649318

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-70015-z

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Show Notes Episode 302: “Fly the Friendly Skyjackers Part 1: The Golden Years”

This week Host Dave Bledsoe gets hammered on Cuba Libres and demands a Cuban Sandwich! (Only to pass out before DoorDash arrives) On the show this week we head back to the heyday of airline travel, when the seats were roomy and a lot of your flights unexpectedly arrived in Havana!

Along the way we discover how astonishingly bad Dave was (and probably IS) at geography. From there we dive right into stories of desperados commandeering planes for the Communist Paradise of Cuba only to discover they were not wanted there. Then we learn the tale of a Hunky Marine who became an Italian folk hero because everyone hated America being in Vietnam. (Which was actually fair!) Then we learn how one particular skyjacking ended the Golden Years of American Skyjacking! (Threaten to crash into ONE nuclear reactor and everyone goes nuts!) This is part one of a series, next week we cover the Most Famous Skyjacker of All! (That will show Santa for fucking with Herbie and Rudolf!)

Our Sponsor this week is Unexpected Destinations, got fifty bucks, we will fly you...somewhere. We open the show with a man who just wants to get to Luton and close with Lee Flier looking back on better times. 

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music: https://youtu.be/WC7APR-Gn3o

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

Citations Needed:

"U.S. Plane Seized, Flown To Havana"

https://www.encyclopedia.com/politics/energy-government-and-defense-magazines/us-plane-seized-flown-havana

The strangest stories from the golden age of plane hijacking

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travel-truths/golden-age-of-hijacking/

Travel: What to Do When The Hijacker Comes

http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,844656,00.html

This Heartthrob Marine Became an Italian Folk Hero For Hijacking a Plane

https://historycollection.com/this-heartthrob-marine-became-an-italian-folk-hero-because-of-an-airplane-hijacking/2/

How Hijackers Commandeered Over 130 American Planes — In 5 Years

https://www.wired.com/2013/06/love-and-terror-in-the-golden-age-of-hijacking/

Ex-Detroiter behind infamous 1972 skyjacking tells his story

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2016/06/06/detroit-skyjacker-airplane-explanation/85314438/

Uncited Additional Reading:

https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/02/us/us-airline-hijackings-1970s-declassified/index.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48069272

https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/skyjacking/

https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/article/the-strange-story-of-the-first-ever-plane-hijack

https://www.vox.com/2016/3/29/11326472/hijacking-airplanes-egyptair

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

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/after-egyptair-four-hijackings-that-shook-israel-1.5424289

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Show Notes Episode 301: “(Woo Hoo Hoo) It’s All Been Done Before”

This week Host Dave Bledsoe reveals a plot by big bar owners to overthrow his right to rack up bar tabs like a True American! (Even the evidence is overwhelming, no one actually cares...so you know, just like real life!) 

Along the way we learn that Dave only carried around Infinite Jest because he thought it made him look smart, but never actually read it. (Which is exactly why EVERY man carried around Infinite Jest.) From there we head back to 1932, a group of righteously pissed off veterans and a Marine General named, Smedley Darlington Butler. (If you giggle at that name in front of a Marine, they WILL punch you!) Then we will earn all about how a bunch of rich Republicans thought what America REALLY needed was our own Mussolini, and how they were going to get us one.  

Our Sponsor this week is Plan A Putsch, when you want your coup to succeed! We open with a week in May and close with Tom Stitzer explaining it isn’t deja vu.

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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/V58yiNz9LSM

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

Citations Needed:

The Business Plot Wikipedia

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

THE BUSINESS PLOT TO OVERTHROW ROOSEVELT

http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/Coup.htm

The Business Plot – Did American Billionaires Really Plan a Fascist Coup?

https://militaryhistorynow.com/2013/02/25/the-business-plot-did-american-billionaires-plan-a-fascist-coup/

Smedley Butler Wikipedia

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

Uncited Additional:

https://timeline.com/business-plot-overthrow-fdr-9a59a012c32a?gi=a0e66a31e7f8

https://www.npr.org/2012/02/12/145472726/when-the-bankers-plotted-to-overthrow-fdr

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236323/episode/behind-the-insurrections-the-business-77137164/

https://www.jodyavirgan.com/political-history-show

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Show Notes Episode 300: 300 Pods of Heavenly Joy

This week Host Dave Bledsoe tries to explain how expecting him to pay these bar tabs as an emissary to the Emperor is MADNESS, only to be kicked unceremoniously into a dumpster. (Again) On the show this week, we celebrate our 300th episode of this podcast by asking, you know, what the hell were you thinking?

Along the way we learn the sad, sad story of a pathetic man and his struggles to even remotely resemble an adult human being. (Jesus, Dave, grow up!) Then we have a chat with the very real, not at all imaginary and probably not a Lizard Alien Jeremy Balon of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network who explains why it seemed like a good idea to have this show on their network. (You know how these “celebration” episodes go, all Navel Gaze no content).

Our Sponsor this week is Fast Eddies School of Podcasting, learn the arts and craft of podcasting by podcasters with at least three listeners. We open the show with, well you will just have to listen to it to believe it, and close with Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows who are laden with heavenly joy.

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music: https://youtu.be/Zhimf9ji3bc

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Show Notes Episode 299: “Good Love Is Hard to Find”

This week Host Dave Bledsoe is a little lonely, so he decided to try his luck finding someone who will love him as much as he loves whiskey, only to find that whiskey was there for him all along. (Awww, sweet!) On the show week we head back to 1978 looking for love only to find the Dating Game Killer, Rodney Alcala! (All the good ones are either taken or are in the middle of a cross country murder spree!)

Along the way we learn some unlikely “facts” about Chuck Barris, the creator of the Dating Game and maybe CIA assassin? (He wasn’t) Then we dive right into the very strange details of Rodney Alcala and his appearance on a television dating show. (It was strange because they never bothered to check if he was a convicted criminal, which he was!) From there we follow Rodney a decade of some of the sickest crimes of the 1970’s and that is SAYING A LOT!

Our Sponsor this week is the Mating Game, who wants you know we know you are gonna fuck, so why be coy? We open with the Other Chuck Barris Joint the Newlywed Game and close with Kirk James Folk who wants us to know how lucky we are to have found him.

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music: https://youtu.be/6RiNM0IR3MA

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

Citations Needed:

Marriages from The Dating Game?

https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marriages-from-the-dating-game/695245

Rodney Alcala Wikipedia

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

Rodney Alcala - The Dating Game Killer

https://web.archive.org/web/20140728222940/http://voices.yahoo.com/rodney-alcala-dating-game-killer-6152746.html

Wondery’s The Dating Game Killer

https://wondery.com/shows/the-dating-game-killer/

Serial Killer Rodney Alcala's Secret Photo Stash

https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/g899/serial-killers-photos/

Uncited Additional Readings:

https://www.laweekly.com/rodney-alcala-the-fine-art-of-killing/

https://nypost.com/2009/01/04/california-devil-may-be-nycs-top-serial-killer/

https://abcnews.go.com/US/close-call-serial-killer-rodney-alcala-appeared-dating/story?id=75039197

https://murderpedia.org/male.A/a/alcala-rodney.htm

https://people.com/crime/rodney-alcala-serial-killer-woman-survived-attack-as-child/

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/rodney-alcala-the-killing-game/

https://www.thecinemaholic.com/where-is-rodn

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Show Notes Episode 298: Big Bucks, No Whammies, STOP!

This week Host Dave Bledsoe welcomes back our returning champion, a bottle of whiskey. To date, whiskey has won over $35,000 dollars from the show and shows no signs of stopping! (It really is like taking candy from a baby!) On the show this week, we talk about the day the Whammies Died on Press Your Luck!  

Along the way we experience what the average day was like for the children or the 1980’s (and the unemployed!) as we take a tour through daytime game shows! From there dig into the creation of a comparatively short lived game show that has never really been forgotten by a generation of latchkey kids! (We never saw our parents!) Then we meet the man who beat the Big Board and took CBS for over a quarter million dollars in today’s money: Michael Larson. It all ends pretty much how you think it might end.

Our Sponsor this week is The Match Game, teaching children about sex since 1969! We open the show with these lovely parting gifts and close with an entirely different set of parting gifts, including the What the HELL Home Game!

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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/jn7WI2zc6d0

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

Citations Needed:

The Man Who Got No Whammies

https://priceonomics.com/the-man-who-got-no-whammies/

BIG BUCKS - THE PRESS YOUR LUCK SCANDAL

https://vimeo.com/119543939

Michael Larson Wikipedia

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

Uncited Additional Reading:

https://variety.com/2003/tv/reviews/big-bucks-the-press-your-luck-scandal-1200542858/

https://www.onthisday.com/date/1984/june/8

https://gameshows.fandom.com/wiki/Press_Your_Luck/Episode_Guide/1984

https://25yearslatersite.com/2019/07/29/press-your-luck-and-the-80s-most-infamous-game-show-scandal/

https://theretronetwork.com/big-money-no-whammies/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/an-ice-cream-man-hacked-press-your-luck-1984-1217142

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Show Notes Episode 297: I’ve Got Friends In Q Places

This week Host Dave Bledsoe goes through the liquor cabinets to clean out the remaining topics left over from the Bad Old Days, mixes them into one big glass and drinks them in one gulp. He called it the Freedom Special. (We called it alcohol poisoning) On the show this week,we checked in with our old friends in the QAnon World to see how they are coping with reality. (Turns out, not well!)

Along the way we dip into Dave’s Childhood Memory Palace to learn what trauma makes him so, so much like he is today only to discover it is just as banal as we imagined. (Is not getting a toy a “trauma”?) Then we dive right into the Q-lievers on the internet to see how they are coping with discovering they were not only duped by con artist and hucksters, but they also look really stupid in those ill fitting WWG1WGA t-shirts. Then we turn to history to see what other moments of Great Disappointment can teach us about the kind of people who believe very silly things only to find out it made them look very silly. (Turns out, the Journey their way through until they can find something else, something sillier to believe in.)  

Our Sponsor this week is R-Anon, the one letter better conspiracy theory who wants you to have this cocoa and blanket and relax until you feel better. We open the show with a VERY sad woman coping with unpleasant realities and close with Frog Leap Studio who made NEW angrier friends since you’ve gone.

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

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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/KYwv0Lrmu5Y

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

Citations Needed:

Major Q Figure Urges Followers to Go Back to Their Real Lives

https://www.vice.com/en/article/akdy7e/major-q-figure-urges-followers-to-go-back-to-their-real-lives

Here's How QAnon Reacted as They Realized 'The Storm' Isn't Happening

https://gizmodo.com/heres-how-qanon-reacted-as-they-realized-the-storm-isnt-1846095605

Warning Signs

https://culteducation.com/warningsigns.html

Great Disappointment Wikipedia

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

The Seekers (rapturists) Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seekers_(rapturists)

Some QAnon followers lose hope after inauguration

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/some-qanon-followers-struggle-inauguration-day-n1255002

Uncited Additional Reference:

https://boingboing.net/2021/01/20/with-trump-out-qanon-influencers-are-desperate-to-keep-their-grift-going.html

https://boingboing.net/2021/01/21/maga-and-qanon-desperate-and-disillusioned.html

https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7ax9a/extremists-are-already-preying-on-desperate-qanon-followers

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/20/tech/qanon-believers-inauguration-reaction/index.html

https://gizmodo.com/heres-how-qanon-reacted-as-they-realized-the-storm-isnt-1846095605

https://slate.com/technology/2021/01/how-qanon-believers-reacted-to-the-biden-inauguration-hint-not-so-well.html

https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7v97g/trump-fails-to-ascend-as-god-emperor-leaving-diehard-fans-adrift

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/12/the-christmas-the-aliens-didnt-come/421122/

https://slate.com/technology/2011/05/apocalypse-2011-what-happens-to-a-doomsday-cult-when-the-world-doesn-t-end.html

https://www.thecut.com/2015/10/what-happens-when-the-world-doesnt-end.html

https://religiondispatches.org/a-year-after-the-non-apocalypse-where-are-they-now/

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Show Notes Special Edition 11: Our Latest Long National Nightmare Is Over

BUH

BYE

DONNY!

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

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

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Episode 296: Little Myth Can’t Be Wrong

This week Host Dave Bledsoe insists he is not required to pay this bar tab because it is God Given Right as an AMERICAN to drink for free! (He was tossed out after being forced to pay up) On the show this week we come to grips with what happened in Washington DC by examining the foundational myth of America! (You know, that shining city shit!)

Along the way we examine that other Big Myth causing some problems (how the South didn’t REALLY get its ass kicked) and how it is tied to the Top Spot for Mythic Bullshit. Then we promptly dismantle the very idea that America and Americans are special. (I mean come, LOOK at us!) From there we examine the source, the damage inflicted and ponder what we might do to repair the damage to our dumb nation. There is also a really great allegory about White House renovations!

Our Sponsor this week is Hint and Half For You Ass, TRYING to tell you something but you ain’t listening. We open the show with Agent K cold assessment of humanity and close with Riptide Refugees lamenting love’s end.

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The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music:https://youtu.be/qs6s823qTU0

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

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