What the HELL Were You Thinking?

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.

What the HELL Were You Thinking? is a comedy podcast hosted by Dave Bledsoe, with 629 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Dave Bledsoe hosts What the HELL Were You Thinking?, a comedy show with 629 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #532

  Episode 532: The Great Bird of the Galaxy

  Aug 31, 202633 min

  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

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  Episode #531

  Episode 531: By The Time We Left From Woodstock

  Aug 16, 202633 min

  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 fucking 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

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  What the HELL Were You Thinking?

  Episode 530: Charles Isn't In Charge Anymore

  Aug 3, 202635 min

  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

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  Episode #528

  Episode 529: Bugliosi's Big Break

  Jul 19, 202632 min

  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

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  Episode #528

  Episode 528: Healter Skelter

  Jul 5, 202633 min

  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

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