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What the HELL Were You Thinking?

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Rating
★★★★★
5
from
10 reviews
This podcast has
634 episodes
Language
English
Publisher
Dave Bledsoe
Explicit
Yes
Date created
2015/04/17
Latest episode
2026/10/26
Average duration
35 min.
Release period
14 days

Description

All the things that made the world the way it is now.   Welcome to the podcast takes your nostalgia, tells you the history behind it and makes you ask What the HELL Were You Thinking. Host Dave Bledsoe takes the history, politics and pop culture of the past fifty years and explains what it was like to live through it and why it is still ruining the world today. So join Dave, his hapless Producer Gavin St James every Monday for time capsule of truth! Find us at whatthehellpodcast.com, @whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social and the show name on Facebook. 

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Check latest episodes from What the HELL Were You Thinking? podcast


Touch of Black Hand Part Two
2026/10/26
Show Notes Spooktacular 2026 “Touch of a Black Hand” In the finale of Spooktacular 2026, we rejoin Vincent Hess on the trail. From New Orleans to Binghamton, he puts the pieces together and doesn’t like the puzzle. He even met some new friends on the way! Touch by a Black Hand is an original audio drama written, produced and voiced by Dave Bledsoe for the Seltzer Kings podcast network. It draws slightly on the RPG Vampire the Masquerade. (We say that so you don’t need to)  Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
VH Investigations Touched By A Black Hand Part One
2026/10/12
Show Notes: Spooktacular 2026 Part One “VH Investigations: Touched By A Black Hand” What the HELL Were You Thinking presents Spooktacular 2026, VH Investigations: The Touch of A  Black Hand.  An original audio drama written, produced and voiced by Dave Bledsoe. Executive Producer Jeremy Balon for the Seltzer Kings Network.  Script and contextual consultant Kimberly Steele. Scutwork by Gavin St James. It is a work of original audio fiction and draws lightly on elements in the Whitewolf Gaming  World of Darkness RPG Vampire the Masquerade. The story incorporates actual names of historical figures in an alternate history, what we mean is the Mafia is not affiliated with vampires.  As far as we know.  Part Two of Spooktacular 2026 drops in two weeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Play Me Some Mountain Madness *Redux*
2026/09/28
Show Notes Episode 282-283 Play Me Some Mountain Madness Redux Host Dave Bledsoe INSISTS he is feverishly researching and writing something “truly special” for next month’s Spooktacular.  (Which doesn’t square with us finding him at the bar everyday when we come to work.) So here is a treasure from the 2020 Spooktacular (Back when Dave still TRIED, a little). A story about five young men who went missing in Yuba County California in 1978. (And not for the usual reasons: Yuba County sucks).  So enjoy this redux, and get ready to get spooky in October! Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/P6Ia1_4__JI?si=byyqPdKwOzcEmF2A Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Out in the Cold: Four mentally disabled men died in woods. But what happened to the fifth? https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article226777394.html The 'American Dyatlov Pass'. Five young men abandon a warm, safe car and disappear into the night. https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/6ni625/the_american_dyatlov_pass_five_young_men_abandon/ How 1,600 People Went Missing from Our Public Lands Without a Trace https://www.outsideonline.com/2164446/leave-no-trace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Space: The Syndicated Frontier
2026/09/14
Show Note Episode 533: Space: The Syndicated Frontier This week Host Dave Bledsoe was ejected from a Star Trek cosplay contest because his Trill Symbiont was deemed to be “excessively phallic”. (The judges weren’t wrong.) On the show this week in honor of Star Trek’s 60th Anniversary we examine the Legend of Gene Roddenberry.  Along the way we are reminded that Dave has been a dweeb his entire life. Then we dive into the mechanism that allowed Star Trek to last six decades in the zeitgeist. (Cheap content on which ads can be sold.) Then we dive into the history of The Original Series and discover it was NOT popular at the time. We follow along as the show limps through three seasons with the help of some VERY motivated fans. (Hi Bjo!) We see how Gene went from being a moderately successful Hollywood producer to a Prophet, (The visionary kind, not the Wormhole) and how Gene REALLY liked being adored.  From there we discuss the battles over the soul of Star Trek and how Gene was universally wrong about everything.  Finally, we examine the legacy of a man who creates wonderful things while being a terrible person. Our Sponsor this week is Marauder Mo’s Action Playset, do you have the LOBES to ride with Marauder Mo? (Lobes sold separately) We open with the first Star Trek movie and close Jeff Lee singing the lyrics to a gross money grab. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/qTULiFBYCfY?si=v6vQpoImycApatXm Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Why TV Syndication Is the Best-Kept Secret in Modern Advertising https://www.tatari.tv/insights/why-tv-syndication-is-the-best-kept-secret-in-modern-advertising Was Star Trek Ever Really Intelligent, Grown-Up Science Fiction? https://web.archive.org/web/20140419173047/http://io9.com/was-star-trek-ever-really-intelligent-grown-up-science-1563605154 Bjo Trimble: The Woman Who Saved Star Trek https://www.startrek.com/news/bjo-trimble-the-woman-who-saved-star-trek The First Star Trek Convention https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2022/01/the-first-star-trek-convention/ The Creator Does Not Answer https://medium.com/@lancejparkin_44549/the-creator-does-not-answer-85aa6e011df3 The Classic ‘Star Trek’ Episode Gene Roddenberry “Hated” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-classic-star-trek-episode-gene-roddenberry-hated-4070043/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Great Bird of the Galaxy
2026/08/31
Show Notes Episode 532: Great Bird of the Galaxy This week Host Dave Bledsoe told us he was going on an Away Mission and might be gone for a while, when he was just really slipping out of the office to get drunk at the nearest dive bar. (Again) On the show this week we celebrate sixty years of Star Trek by examining the man who MADE the show, Leonard Nimoy.  Kidding! We are talking about Gene Roddenberry. Along the way we discover that Dave never had what  it took to study at Star Fleet Academy. (Rich parents) Then we turn to the real hero of this story, without whom we would never have had ANY Star Trek: Lucille Ball.  Finally we meet Gene, Gene goes to war, marries his sweetheart, becomes a Pan Am pilot, an LA Cop and then goes to work in television. (Gene's story sounds like it WAS television!) We see Gene gain acclaim and influence in Hollywood until he gets his big chance: the bang REALLY hot actresses! (Gene seizes the day, trust us!) At last we set the stage for Gene as a cult figure in the future.  (Again, Gene seizes the day.) Our Sponsor this week is Tam O’Shatner’s Toupees, no can tell it isn’t real hair!  We open the show with Gene in his own words and close with Kevin Laurence who just wants Gene to cheer up! Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/6dyohZnRhOo?si=DJgQGkKzoBJSqmU4 Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: The Clipper Eclipse… https://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/ClipperEclipse-NC88845.htm Star Trek and Racial Ethics: Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations https://andrewfiala.com/star-trek-and-racial-ethics-infinite-diversity-in-infinite-combinations/ Wikipedia: Personal life of Gene Roddenberry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_life_of_Gene_Roddenberry Wikipedia: Majel Barrett https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majel_Barrett Gene Roddenberry was a sexist pig (and other observations about Star Trek and sex) https://bernoff.com/blog/gene-roddenberry-sexist-pig-observations-star-trek-sex Grace Lee Whitney on Trek, Life - Part I https://www.startrek.com/news/grace-lee-whitney-on-trek-life-part-i Despite Star Trek’s Hyper-Progressive Arcs, Gene Roddenberry Was Branded a “Sexist, manipulative person who disregarded women” by Crew Member https://fandomwire.com/despite-star-treks-hyper-progressive-arcs-gene-roddenberry-was-branded-a-sexist-manipulative-person-who-disregarded-women-by-crew-member/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
By The Time We Left From Woodstock
2026/08/17
Episode 531: By The Time We Left From Woodstock This week host Dave Bledsoe got wasted at a concert and was thrown out for aggressive moshing in front of the stage and is now banned from seeing The Wiggles ever again. (He claims it was totally worth it) On the show this week we head back to 1969 for the Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music that turned into three days of mud, sex and kick ass music.  We talk about Woodstock! Along the way we learn that Dave went to Lillith Fair looking to score. Then we dive into the origins of the music festival. (Three guys tripping balls on fungus and banging rocks together) and trace its evolution through history.  Then we meet the men who had a dream, a small record studio in a bucolic upstate town, that turned into half a million hippies f*****g in mud on a cow farm.  (So many yeast infections) From the famous names that did perform to the famous names that DIDN’T perform, to the massive traffic jam and who could forget the Hog Farmer Peace Patrol! (This is not a euphemism) Our Sponsor this week is The Brown Acid, who wants you to know it is perfectly safe to take The Brown Acid.  We open the show with Cronkite shaking his head at the hippies and close with Kingsblade who just wants to get these hippies out of his garden. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/8zFjCavR_kA?si=dU2Lpb0f6T0NgAq- Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Britannica: music festival https://www.britannica.com/art/music-festival A Century Of Sound: Tracing The Evolution Of American Music Festivals https://www.jambase.com/article/history-of-american-music-festivals How Woodstock Happened: The Full Story https://www.woodstockstory.com/articles/how-woodstock-happened Wikipedia: Max Yasgur https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Yasgur Acts that almost made it to Woodstock https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/acts-that-almost-made-it-to-woodstock/ Woodstock: The Myth vs the Reality https://bestclassicbands.com/woodstock-myth-8-13-15/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Episode 530: Charles Isn't In Charge Anymore
2026/08/03
Show Notes Episode 530: Charles Isn’t In Charge Anymore This week Host Dave Bledsoe finally mans up to get a tattoo of the most important thing in his life (a bottle of Irish Whiskey) only to chicken out when he saw the needle. (The tattoo artist said he cried like a little girl and wet himself.) On the show this week we FINALLY finish the Manson series with what happened after the trials were over.  (More crimes and a LOT of denied paroles.) Along the way we discover that Dave’s friends were somehow WORSE than he was. Then we dive right into why Charlie didn’t ride the lightning like he was supposed to. (The Supreme Court used to not be evil.) Then follow Charlie’s many adventures in front of the parole board and his search for love. We catch up with Squeaky Fromme as she tries to keep busy with Charles in charge of her days and her nights.  Finally, we learn about what happens when drugged out morons try to plan things.  (They go very badly.) Our Sponsor this week is Regrets Laser Tattoo Removal, Regrets when you rather have one less to mention.  We open the show with Squeaky and the Pres and close with the Blanks talking about a new boy in the neighborhood. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/HCWPoMH_fz4?si=dGdK7E944mEALoS9 Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Wikipedia: Furman v Georgia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furman_v._Georgia CHARLES MANSON PAROLE HEARINGS https://serialkillercalendar.com/CHARLES-MANSON-PAROLE-HEARINGS.php ‘I am Charles Manson’s wife’ https://www.cnn.com/2014/08/09/justice/charles-manson-wife Charles Manson’s fiancée wanted to marry him for his corpse: source https://nypost.com/2015/02/08/charles-mansons-fiancee-wanted-to-marry-him-for-his-corpse-source/ 4 bizarre moments from our interview with Charles Manson https://www.kcra.com/article/4-bizarre-moments-from-our-interview-with-charles-manson/13813357 Power, Mystery And The Hammer Of The Gods https://web.archive.org/web/20080128165609/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/ledzeppelin/articles/story/17537975/power_mystery_and_the_hammer_of_the_gods Wikipedia: Attempted assassination of Gerald Ford in Sacramento https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attempted_assassination_of_Gerald_Ford_in_Sacramento Two former Manson followers discuss how cult family, 1969 murders changed their lives https://youtu.be/UHCeX27buug?si=5OcRqU31AFek1Wx2 5 Hawthorne Shootout Suspects Identified as Manson Followers https://www.cielodrive.com/archive/5-hawthorne-shootout-suspects-identified-as-manson-followers/ 'How crazy thinks': Understanding our strange fascination with Charles Manson https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/understanding-our-strange-fascination-with-charles-manson/9177328 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Bugliosi's Big Break
2026/07/20
Show Notes Episode 529: Bugliosi’s Big Break This week Host Dave Bledsoe found himself needing legal representation when he was served with a lawsuit over something he is certain he did NOT do! (He DID do them, he was just black out drunk at the time.) On the show this week we talk about the wild trial of Manson and the Family and ask if maybe Charlie was innocent? (He definitely wasn’t) Along the way we learn that Dave once imagined he could be a lawyer until he found out how much work it takes.  Then we meet Vincent Bugliosi, a hard charging Los Angeles lawyer with a dream to be much more. (A very rich, very famous writer) We examine the spurious connection between the Manson Family and Andy Griffith. We dive into the trial to learn both sides “theory of the case”. (Both revolved around Charlie) Finally, we ask the question no one wants to answer, was Charles Manson wrongfully convicted. (Yes and no.) Our Sponsor this week is Prosecution Solutions, every court trial is a story and a story needs good writers.  We open with news coverage of the Manson trial and close with Dave Frishberg who really likes his lawyer.  Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/0lyhjzn-Qdo?si=JfzLg8SUc5WaPRqv Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Former Milkman’s Complaint Adds to DA Race Confusion https://www.cielodrive.com/archive/former-milkmans-complaint-adds-to-da-race-confusion/ The Charles Manson (Tate-LaBianca Murder) Trial https://famous-trials.com/manson/243-home The Law: Manson's Shattered Defense https://time.com/archive/6838369/the-law-mansons-shattered-defense/ EYE OF THE BEHOLDER: THE WRONGFUL CONVICTION OF CHARLES MILLES MANSON https://www.swlaw.edu/sites/default/files/2017-04/2%20Eye%20of%20the%20Beholder.pdf Manson Murders Showed Dark Side of Hippie Generation https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/manson-murders-showed-dark-side-of-hippie-generation/1858706/ Charles Manson: How the notorious cult leader brought an abrupt end to the 60s https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-20/charles-manson-the-man-who-killed-the-60s/9172088 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Healter Skelter
2026/07/06
Show Notes Episode 528: “Healter Skelter!” This week Host Dave Bledsoe was trespassed from a children’s playground (again) for screaming at a four year old “When you get to the bottom, YOU GO BACK TO THE TOP OF THE SLIDE!!!!” (Made her cry, then angry parents made him cry.) On the show this week we get to the gory parts of the story as we cover the actual murders the Manson Family did. Along the way we discover that Dave wasn’t a very good cop. (He almost never violated people’s civil rights!) Then we return to Spahn Ranch where the Manson family was in trouble: drugs cost money in Death Valley.  We learn a little about the members of the Family closest to Charlie and about Charlie’s Plan for the coming Race War. (It was a little vague) We follow along as the Family meets famous people and people not famous at all really, then murders them. Finally Dave gets around to explaining why he keeps talking about Dune Buggies. Our Sponsor this week is Death Valley Cave Tours, don’t start the Race War without them. We open the show with ABC news covering the Manson trial and close with the Hen House Prowler and their playground etiquette tips. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/UF9Wulle1lI?si=zFeNt_nU6Y81CJOf Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed:  Wikipedia: Tex Watson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tex_Watson Wikipedia: Helter Skelter Scenario https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helter_Skelter_(scenario) Why Did the Manson Family Kill Sharon Tate? Here’s the Story Charles Manson Told the Last Man Who Interviewed Him https://web.archive.org/web/20200924061655/https://time.com/5633973/last-manson-interview/ Charles Manson's Evil Plans Involved A Crazy Dune Buggy Battalion https://www.jalopnik.com/charles-mansons-evil-plans-involved-a-crazy-dune-buggy-485497751/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Spirit of 76
2026/06/29
Show Note Special Presentation: Spirit of ‘76 This week Host Dave Bledsoe is celebrating 250 years of America by dressing as Uncle Sam and getting piss drunk at a cookout. (It is tradition) On the show this week, we drop in this Special Presentation about the last Big Birthday Blast America put on back in 1976! From Tall Ships to Winnebagos, from fire hydrants to twenty five cents worth of history we explore all the way America celebrated 200 years!  Our Sponsor is Numismatics who wants you to check your swear jar before you dump them in Coinstar.  We open with ABC coverage of America’s Big Day and close with John Williams and the Boston Pops. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/7t2LGv-iR1Y?si=nHXxCEBfCvxoUBea Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Your Bicentennial Memories Are Here: The Year of an Unusual Public Art Project https://bicentennialmemoryproject.substack.com/p/1976-bicentennial-fire-hydrants Bicentennial Wagon Train https://www.kophistory.org/bicentennial-wagon-train/ MARKETING: Bucks From The Bicentennial https://time.com/archive/6847235/marketing-bucks-from-the-bicentennial/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When You're Here, You're Family
2026/06/15
Show Notes Episode 527: When You’re Here, You’re Family This week Host Dave Bledsoe was kicked out of Sunrise of Mountain Lakes in Parsippany New Jersey for recruiting the old ladies to join his “Hippie Sex Cult”. (Again) On the show this week introduce the man mostly responsible for destroying the feel good vibe of the 1960s: Charles Manson. Along the way we discover Dave’s crippling fear of commitment is rooted in reality.  Then we dive right into the backstory of No Name Maddox. (You know him better as “Charlie”) We meet his incredibly bad mother, follow Charlie in and out of “reform” schools that seemed not about “reforming” kids at all. We chill with Charlie’s mentors in prison, from Danny Trejo to “Creepy” Karpus.   From there we walk the streets of Haight Ashbury with Charlie as he quickly realized this Summer of Love thing will work for him! Then we head to Hollywood for the frankly astonishing story of how a tiny career criminal mixed and mingled with the glitteratti of Tinsel Town. (He knew Grandpa Munster!) Finally, we see how Charlie didn’t become a rock star so he became the leader of a murder cult. Our Sponsor this week is Spahn Movie Ranch Family Fun Tours, fun for ALL kinds of families.  We open with CBS news reporting local crime and close with the Constellations, who are family. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/E3TM-sbqITk?si=jjiZ2vM2vSxkolD0 Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Charles Manson – Hoosier Juvenile Delinquent https://weeklyview.net/2015/01/22/charles-manson-hoosier-juvenile-delinquent/ Danny Trejo Says Charles Manson Once Hypnotized Him in Jail https://www.mediaite.com/media/entertainment/danny-trejo-says-charles-manson-once-hypnotized-him-in-jail/ How Did Charles Manson’s Early Years In Prison Shape Him? https://www.oxygen.com/manson-the-women/crime-time/how-charles-manson-prison-time-shaped-mcneil-island Charles Manson was not an artist worth indulging https://theoutline.com/post/2510/charles-manson-was-not-an-artist-worth-indulging Pimpology: The 48 Rules of the Game https://www.google.com/books/edition/Pimpology/bC07OG_8KcAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover Wikipedia: The Manson Family https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manson_Family#Confirmed_members_and_associates Doris Day’s son Terry Melcher was ‘very paranoid’ after Manson murders, pal reveals in book https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/doris-day-terry-melcher-charles-manson-bill-cassara-book You Must Remember This Season 4: Charles Manson Hollywood https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/you-must-remember-this/id858124601 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Going Through the Big D
2026/06/01
Show Episode 526: Going Through the Big D This week Host Dave Bledsoe gets thrown out of a country bar after gravely misunderstanding what “Ho-Down” meant. (He pushed a woman off her barstool!!) On the show this week we follow JFK to Texas for the most important moment of his Presidency.  (What? Too soon?) Along the way we discover that Dave’s Dad had nothing to do with the Kennedy assassination! (Allegedly) Then we dive right into the life of Lee Harvey Oswald, Marine, communist defector, and moron.  We examine the details of that fateful days in Texas. From Fort Worth calls girls to near fistfights with the medical examiner in Dallas. Then we look at the genuinely weird things that happened after JFK’s death before moving on to all the “theories” surrounding those weird things.  Finally, we look into the most plausible explanation for why the theories got started in the first place.   Our sponsor this week is the Former Dallas County Administration Building, we never let our worst moment define us. We open with Walter Cronkite who has some bad news and close with Brett Monnier who is on a trip.  Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/waWJUCfKJeA?si=U46OMEwNY6FXWmp2 Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Wikipedia:  Lee Harvey Oswald https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Harvey_Oswald#Early_life Why JFK Ignored His Warnings: Was Told to Avoid Dallas https://medium.com/@archie.hodge01/why-jfk-ignored-his-warnings-8c353b84fc80 Warren Commission Report Chapter 3 https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/warren-commission-report/chapter-3.html#near The botched autopsy of president John F. Kennedy https://hekint.org/2025/09/08/the-botched-autopsy-of-president-john-f-kennedy/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On Second Thought, Let's Not Go to Camelot
2026/05/18
Show Notes Episode 525: On Second Thought, Let’s Not Go to Camelot This week host Dave Bledsoe ruined a bar trivia night by drunkenly shouting “wasn’t in the form of a question” every time until they threw him out. (He doesn’t even watch Jeopardy.) On the show this week we talk about JFK’s time in office, from the political to the poonhound.  (Google recognized poonhound, that’s awesome.) Along the way we discover the reason why Dave can’t form meaningful relationships. (Perhaps his drinking problem?) Then we really do dive into JFK as a politician.  (There is a LOT to cover this week!) From the Bay of Pigs to the Cuban Missile Crisis, to the Vienna Summit we examine his foreign policy.  Domestically, we mostly talk about all the side pieces he had.  (Dude had a lot!) We learn that the whole “Camelot” thing was created after his death to hide how horny he was. Finally, we set the stage for Dallas.  (Which we will cover in detail next episode.) Our Sponsor is the Secret Services Professional Escorts, trusted by the people you trust with your life. We open with JFK’s inauguration and close with Nick Fife who reminds you it is only a model.  Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music:https://youtu.be/T5F8VKRPsyg?si=6i0BaV3msxBesAZw Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Washington; President Kennedy's Inaugural -- Speech or Policy? https://www.nytimes.com/1961/01/22/archives/washington-president-kennedys-inaugural-speech-or-policy.html JFK's Inaugural Speech: Great But Silent On Racial Woes https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2011/01/20/133083711/jfks-inaugural-speech-great-but-incomplete-on-race Report: The night prostitutes came to JFK's suite at Seattle's Olympic Hotel https://www.kiro7.com/news/report-the-night-prostitutes-came-to-jfks-suite-at-seattles-olympic-hotel/731448613/ How Jackie Kennedy Invented the Camelot Legend After JFK's Death https://manhattan.institute/article/how-jackie-kennedy-invented-the-camelot-legend-after-jfks-death Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Hey Joe, Where You Going With That Son In Your Hand?
2026/05/04
Show Notes Episode 524: Hey Joe, Where You Going With That Son In Your Hand? This week Host Dave Bledsoe climbed on a bar stool and shouted “Ask not why I should pay this bar, but why should this bar not pay for me?” and passed out. (Again) On the show this week we present part one of the President who defined the Baby Boomer Generation, JFK. (We all know it was really Ronald Reagan.) Along the way we learn that Bill Clinton was the only Gen X President we will ever see. (Despite being a Boomer) Then we dive right into a short history of the Irish in America. (They were not made to feel welcome.) Then we met the man who would be President, Joe Kennedy Sr. (It was a whole thing.) Finally, we get around to a Kennedy who WOULD be President. We follow him from his childhood, to this service in the war, and his election to public office. (We even get to meet Jackie!) We learn that Jack was not well, in fact he was profoundly broken.  (Not just morally, but physically.) Finally, we talk about his campaign for President and how America wouldn’t have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore.  (For a few years anyway) Our Sponsor this week is Nepotism, it just works.  We open the show with JFK announcing his Presidential run and close with Corey Hueval who has some concerns about Joe. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/x-UZq57HJzM?si=wKM6GFx-nRbG-9R8 Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed:  Wikipedia: Irish Americans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Americans#Discrimination Joe Kennedy: A Complex and Shocking Ambassador https://www.thehistoryreader.com/historical-figures/joe-kennedy-a-complex-and-shocking-ambassador/#:~:text=%281888%20%E2%80%93%201969%2C%20second%20from,always%20make%20good%20biographical%20subjects. John F. Kennedy kept these medical struggles private https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/john-f-kennedy-kept-these-medical-struggles-private Wikipedia: JFK https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy#U.S._Senate_%281953%E2%80%931960%29 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
If You're Going to San Francisco
2026/04/20
Show Notes Episode 523: If You’re Going to San Francisco This week Host Dave Bledsoe proclaims he is all about peace, love and understanding as he is bodily ejected from a private party with an open bar. (To which he was NOT invited.) On the show this week we examine the movement that embodied the 1960s, damn dirty hippies. Along the way we discover that Dave was NOT a flower child. (He was, however, very lazy) Then we dive right into the people who were Hippies before people were Hippies.  Then we meet the Beats, the cool guys that really did all the things the Hippies just talked about. (And wrote MUCH better poetry) We chart the rise of the Hippies from San Francisco students to a national movement revolving around cheap weed and free love. From Golden Gate to Central Park we talk about the Human Be-Ins and hit the road with a pair of average Hippies during the Summer of Love. (He just made them up!) Finally, we talk about the darker side of Hippiedom. (Free love for me, not for thee!) Our Sponsor this week is Hippie B-Gone, a safe, humane way to treat your Hippie infestation.  We open the show with contemporary news reports about Hippies and close with Child of Caesar who has some tips for visiting San Francisco. Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthehellpodcast.bsky.social The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ The Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthehellwereyouthinkingpod/ Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/kHmmrjptrq Our Website: https://www.whatthehellpodcast.com Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music: https://youtu.be/vNcWKAgTZek?si=ZHIB2Hq2LrNtRBcQ Buy Our Stuff: https://www.seltzerkings.com/shop Citations Needed: Proto-Hippies and the Introduction of the American Hippie https://blog.littlehippie.com/proto-hippies-and-the-introduction-of-the-american-hippie/ Small thoughts at large https://web.archive.org/web/20110429204206/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/31/PK6016S108.DTL What Baby Boomers’ Parents Did Wrong https://www.fatherly.com/parenting/baby-boomer-parents Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Podcast reviews

Read What the HELL Were You Thinking? podcast reviews


5 out of 5
10 reviews
★★★★★
Ryan F. Listener 2026/06/11
Spot On
This is a thoroughly entertaining history podcast. It has just the right amount of irreverent comments. It’s also very rational in its portrayal of ev...
★★★★★
NickNameAvailable1979 2022/09/14
Incredible
This is a hilarious and really well done show, the new one is also really well done! Keep up the great content on both shows.
★★★★★
Madame Woolite 2016/11/19
I wish I were a writer
Here is a good place to focus your rage! Enjoy it while we have it and seriously, we need to focus our rage.
★★★★★
twelve981 2015/09/21
not suitable for idiots
but you’re not an idiot are you
check all reviews on apple podcasts

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