Sofa King Podcast

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we take a crack at some true crime and explore the $100 million Antwerp Diamond Heist of 2003. This is some Die Hard and Ocean’s 11 type stuff right here. A career thief (and possibly mafia royalty) named Leonardo Notarbartolo was at the heart of it. He played the face man with team of people known only as The Monster, The Genius, The King of Keys, and Speedy. They dreamed up an impossible scheme to rob one of the richest diamond vaults in the world and somehow bypass a vault that was two stories underground and had ten layers of security measures in place. So, how did they get into the vault under Antwerp? What simple and crazy hacks did they use? Who are the diamond police? Who was the mysterious Buyer who set it all up, and was he a fiction or part of the scheme? Where did hair spray come into play, and how did a man and two weasels bust the case wide open with the help of a salami sandwich? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.wired.com/2009/03/ff-diamonds-2/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antwerp_diamond_heist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45el4Qlaj-E

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at the legendary life of America’s Greatest Sniper, Chris Kyle. His story perfectly encapsulates all that was wrong with the War in Iraq. He did four tours there, earned a reputation as the “Devil of Ramadi,” and came home pretty jacked up. He was depressed, had PTSD, and multiple physical injuries. But he recovered, published his autobiography American Sniper, and it became a best seller. Kyle used his new fame to form a company that would help veterans adjust to life back home, but one such veteran murdered him and his friend. This is a tale of heroism, wounded warriors, and truth about the impacts of modern warfare. You don’t want to miss it! Visit Our Sources https://theintercept.com/2016/05/25/american-sniper-chris-kyle-distorted-his-military-record-documents-show/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/day-chris-kyle-died-text-777380/ https://owlcation.com/humanities/Chris-Kyle-The-Legendary-American-Sniper https://www.biography.com/military-figure/chris-kyle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Kyle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiVDtNjORbY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSwxmn4FzFA https://www.military.com/special-operations/two-chris-kyle-stories-you-wont-see-in-american-sniper.html

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about a topic near and dear to Brent’s heart—Bees. We all know he thinks bees are robots, but why? It may be because of a crazy “Waggle Dance” they perform to communicate where food is. This dance has been repeated by actual robots to talk to bee colonies, by the way. From queens to drones to soldiers, bees are fascinating. They have a strange social life and an even stranger sex life. Bees are also vanishing in America due to Colony Collapse Disorder. Give this one a listen if you want to hear us drop some science about the most unique and important species in your backyard. Visit Our Sources: https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Bees https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/fascinating-facts/bees https://www.newscientist.com/definition/bees/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder https://www.newscientist.com/question/bees-make-honey/ https://www.thoughtco.com/how-honey-bees-communicate-1968098 http://berlinbiorobotics.blog/projects/robobee/

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we do some deadly spelunking and talk about the Catacombs of Paris. Under the city of lights, there are over 200 miles of tunnels, many of them filled with the corpses of over 6 million long-dead Parisians. How it came to be is a strange story filled with cemetery collapses, Roman mines, and secret concerts held by kings. So, hundredds of tunnels and mines were dug under ancient Paris. These tunnels led to collapses of buildings, and with cemeteries full to bursting on the surface, sometimes dead bodies would be swept away or into basements as the ground shifted. Eventually, the city decided to move the bodies out of every cemetery in Paris and put them down in these old mine shafts. Now called the crypts of catacombs of Paris, they are lined with millions of bones and skulls, many of them crafted into architectural wall art. They played a role in WWII and the revolution, and they are even a spot for hipster night life and hauntings. So, if you like things that go “le bump” in the night, this one is for you! Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombs_of_Paris https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/paris-catacombs-180950160/ https://thetourguy.com/travel-blog/france/paris/catacombs/most-bone-chilling-paris-catacombs-legends-and-stories/ https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/paris-catacombs https://www.thetravel.com/creepy-facts-didnt-know-paris-catacombs/

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at one of the most prolific, profitable, and innovative directors of modern cinema, James Cameron. Cameron went from a kid who dropped out of school to the creator of the first two movies to ever break the billion dollar threshold. If you are science fiction fan, you probably love some of his work. Among his best are Terminator and Terminator 2 along with Aliens. These cult classics built his reputation and gave him some box office clout with studios, but he became next-level with Titanic. It took years to film and went millions of dollars over budget. The film became the joke of the town in Hollywood, and everyone waited for its release as if watching a train about to wreck. But it was a hit. And then guess what? He did it all over again with Avatar. He’s a brilliant inventor and philanthropist, and he just churns out hit after hit. All eyes are watching for his Avatar sequels, and if you haven’t indulged in the history of James Cameron films, what are you waiting for?!? Visit our Sources: https://www.biography.com/filmmaker/james-cameron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cameron https://www.theringer.com/movies/2021/6/30/22555687/terminator-2-judgement-day-t2-oral-history https://www.nme.com/news/film/james-cameron-terminator-2-john-connor-ecstasy-2985015 https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/35-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-james-cameron

On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we look at the story of Jonestown, the city that housed the People’s Temple, where over 900 people died famously from poisoned Kool Aid in November of 1978. According to its founder, the Reverend Jim Jones, it was to be a Socialist paradise, a commune in the country of Guyana, and an escape from the evils of Capitalism and a corrupt American government. When you look at the young religious life of Jim Jones, this dream commune sounds like an actual possibility. Because when Jones first started his Temple in the early 1960’s, he was a champion for integration of African Americans into American society. He held multiple governmental positions, was a friend to civil rights, and was a religious leader on the national stage. From Governor Jerry Brown (his first term way back when…) to First Lady Carter, Jim Jones advised them all. However, somewhere in his time as the leader of his Temple, he started preaching about the nuclear apocalypse and called himself the reincarnation of multiple religious figures. (This may have been inevitable since his own mother thought she was the giving birth the messiah when she was pregnant with Jones…) So how did a white leader of the black community become a murderous, drug-using cult leader? What crimes forced him to move his group to Guyana in the first place? How was the amazing Congressman Leo Ryan involved in bringing down Jonestown before he was gunned down on an airfield? What do conspiracy theorists say about the connection to the CIA? This is one of the craziest cult stories we’ve covered. And yes, I know, it was technically grape Flavor Aid, not Kool Aid…

Dave is visiting family this week so we are gonna throw some "Classics" your way. Thank you for your patience. On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we examine largest food corporation on the planet—Nestle. With over 400 factories spread through 194 countries, this company employs well over 300,000 people. Why do you want to learn about this corporation? Because they are regularly considered one of the worst corporations on earth and have been banned by over twenty countries since the 1970s for their corporate practices. So, what does Nestle do that is so wrong? Let’s start with slavery. From the Ivory Coast to Ghana and Indonesia, Nestle buys from suppliers who are said to support slavery and forced labor. The cocoa farms they source from are thought to have between 10,000 and 15,000 slaves who were bought from their parents and work for no money in a foreign country with no chance for freedom. There is also a long list of misdoings involving their sales of infant formula in the third world. They engage in marketing practices that oppose the World Health Organization’s guidelines and are blamed for the deaths of thousands of children due to dehydration, disease, and malnutrition. Then there’s the water. They drain aquifers around the world, often forcing people in poor areas to buy their own water back at a massive price hike. From deforestation to union busting, from assassination of labor leaders to poisoned dog food, this goliath of the corporate world is alleged to have done it all. If you want to know what products they own, how they operate, or why the CEO apparently thinks water is not a basic human right, tune in to this one.

On this Sofa King Podcast, we look at the history of the mysterious Easter Island, it’s massive stone statues, and the people who lived and died on the remote island. The island got its Western name from the fact that it was “discovered” by the Dutch on Easter Sunday (not very original, I know…), but many people call it Rapa Nui after Tahitian sailors gave it the name in the 1800’s. This island is 1600 miles from the Marquesa Islands and over 2000 from any other body of land, so the fact that it was settled back in Castle Times is a pretty amazing feat. The date range of when it was first settled by the natives is a topic of much debate, as are most dates and facts about this enigmatic island. Archaeologists disagree on about every fact you can imagine since the nature of the island and it’s dark history has all but erased every marker typically used to date the passing of time. What was so dark about the island’s history? Well, for one, it was plagued by the typical ills that came from the European influence on indigenous peoples—diseases, missionaires, and slavery wiping out the culture and the peoples. But before the Europeans had a chance to do this, they did it to themselves. They natives of Rapa Nui stripped the island bare of trees by building boats, houses, and moving the famous statues. This led to the loss of top soil, massive erosion, and a starvation and isolation unlike anywhere else on earth. And of course, what discussion of Easter Island is complete without a look at the Moai—the stone megaliths that are all over the landscape. With almost 900 of these ominous figures watching the ocean and the land, the place is filled with wonder. These statues are feats of engineering, masonry, and artistry, and theories of how they were build range from the simple to the complex and, of course, to theories of ancient aliens. Why did the natives spend so much of their time and resources devoted to these statutes? What was discovered when the bodies of the statue heads were unearthed? How did they move the statutes, and what makes the native folklore say they walked themselves into place? What exactly is the Birdman religion, and how was it celebrated by the hardcore people living on this bleak island? Listen, laugh, learn.

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at the life of one of the most influential music producers of all time, Phil Spector. He’s a murderer too, so if you’re into true crime, you can double dip on this one. Spector started his music career early with a #1 hit while he was still a teen ager back in 1958. By the age of 21, he was a millionaire and the producer of multiple chart topping hits. His big addition to the music industry was something called the Wall of Sound. It was a complex recording technique that counteracted the bad technology of 1960s AM Radio and juke boxes. It changed the entire music industry, and everyone from The Beach Boys to Bruce Springsteen used it. He produced Ike and Tina Turner as well as John Lennon and the Beatles. However, he was spiraling toward madness through it all. He pulled guns on musicians, got in a near death car crash and suffered head trauma, threatened girlfriends, and hid in his mansion. Eventually, he shot and killed Lana Clarkson in 2003 and was convicted of her murder. So, who all did he pull guns on? Why did Paul McCartney hate him? Where was he when he died of Covid-19? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/musician/phil-spector https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Spector https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/phil-spector-dead-obit-67459/ https://www.clashmusic.com/features/10-things-you-never-knew-about-phil-spector https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUJb9wxBWw4

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we grab ourselves a bucket and talk about Kentucky Fried Chicken. There is, of course, no KFC without Colonel Sanders, so that seems like a good start. The story of this massive restaurant chain is also the story of Harlan Sanders, given the honorary title of a Kentucky Colonel by two governors in his life time. He’s delivered babys, served in the US Army in Cuba, and once shot a man in a fight over a marketing billboard. Colonel Sanders started the restaurant game late in life and somehow transformed a gas station where he served fried chicken to the second largest fast food empire in the world. He was one of the pioneers of franchising, letting people use his recipe of 11 herbs and spices in exchange for a nickel per chicken sold. How did the chain get so big? How much did he sell his shares of the company for? Why did he and Kentucky Fried Chicken sue each other? Did a reporter uncover the secret original recipe? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/business-figure/colonel-harland-sanders https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_Colonel#Notable_Kentucky_colonels https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_(U.S._honorary_title) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KFC KFC recipe revealed? Tribune shown family scrapbook with 11 herbs and spices - Chicago Tribune KFC recipe challenge: Tribune kitchen puts the 11 herbs and spices to the test - Chicago Tribune https://www.history.com/news/8-facts-real-colonel-sanders-kfc https://www.thebalancesmb.com/colonel-sanders-bio-kentucky-fried-chicken-story-1350966 https://www.mashed.com/99890/untold-truth-kfc/ https://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/index.php https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/30/kfc-admits-a-third-of-its-chickens-suffer-painful-inflammation https://global.kfc.com/press-releases/kfc-announces-new-global-chicken-welfare-guidelines

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the mother of all battles in WWII, the Battle of the Bulge. This was an offensive that lasted for six horrible weeks in the winter of 1944 and 1945. The allies had already launched D-Day and were trying to make their way to Berlin. Part of the plan was to send troops to Luxembourg and Belgium, but Hitler thought he saw a way to exploit this, cut off all allied armies, and force a surrender. The Battle of the Bulge became the costliest in all of WWII for the Americans. It is a story of men who had no equipment, no food, no fuel, and no winter clothing even though they were in near arctic conditions. But it was rough on both sides. All armies were exhausted and frozen, and the Nazis even had to rely on horses to move equipment. This battle has it all, from the noble actions of the 101st airborne, to the first desegregated black troops, to Nazis in disguise being forced to answer American trivia. You don’t want to miss it! Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bulge https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge https://www.army.mil/botb/ https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-battle-of-the-bulge https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8580915/ww2-pictures-battle-bulge-horror-band-brothers/ https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-battle-bulge/ https://www.historynet.com/battle-of-the-bulge https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-battle-of-the-bulge

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the Queen of Rock and Roll, Tina Turner. She was born to very poor sharecroppers in 1939 and went through an abusive marriage and bankruptcy, but somehow, she survived it all. In fact, she emerged as one of the queens of the 1980s, earning hit after hit and Grammy after Grammy. Indeed, she produced some of the most iconic videos and songs of the 1980s. It all started when she met Ike Turner and joined his band. He was addicted to coke and bipolar, so the relationship was never all that great, but he helped coach her vocals, and they met success together. With their hit “Proud Mary” they became national names. After an abusive marriage and tumultuous divorce, however, Tina struggled to regain popularity. But when she did, there was no stopping her. So, what lead Tina Turner to try to commit suicide? How many Grammys did she win? Why did she change her name to Tina Turner? What made her quit the music business? Where is she now? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/musician/tina-turner https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tina_Turner https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a35938829/where-is-tina-turner-now/ https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/tina-turner-queen-of-rock-roll-190581/ https://www.eightieskids.com/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-tina-turner/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKpISNtgJMs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzQnPz6TpGc https://www.smoothradio.com/artists/tina-turner/age-real-name-husband-children/

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we go back in time and look at an interesting story from World War II. The Great Escape was immortalized in a 1963 Steve McQueen movie, but it is based on a real story where hundreds of allied airmen all pitched in to help some escape. The scene was Stalag Luft III, a Nazi POW camp for air force officers from all allied nations. It was a fairly relaxed camp compared to what many think of when a German war camp comes to mind. In 1943, RAF Squadron Leader Roger Bushell was transferred to Stalag Luft III after several escape attempts at other prisons. While there, he organized an audacious plan to set hundreds of prisoners free by digging not one, but three massive tunnels out of the complex at the same time. The ingenious nature of the prisoners, what items they stole or repurposed, the allies they found throughout Germany: all of it is pretty astounding. So, why were only 76 of the 200 able to get out of the prison that fateful night? What was the German response, and how many were rounded back up? What stopped all of them from being killed despite Hitler’s direct orders? How many fully escaped, and why did the Great Escape lead to war crimes trials years later? Listen, laugh, and learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.history.co.uk/article/the-true-story-of-the-great-escape https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_Luft_III https://www.history.com/news/remembering-the-great-escape-70-years-ago https://s.telegraph.co.uk/graphics/projects/great-escape/index.html https://www.historyextra.com/period/second-world-war/five-myths-of-the-ww2-great-escape/

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we give some respect to one of the greatest comedians to ever live—Rodney Dangerfield. He was a comedy staple in the 70s and 80s, appearing on The Tonight Show over 70 times after he squashed a beef with Johnny Carson. Keep in mind that doing that show even one time as a comedian could make your career. He then turned a small role in Caddyshack into a career-defining moment alongside Bill Murray and Chevy Chase, and he went on to star in Easy Money and Back to School along with other film classics. His persona of Rodney Dangerfield was fictitious. His legal name was Jack Roy (though he was born Jacob Cohen), and the Dangerfield name was taken from a comedy bit he saw as a young man. But the “No Respect” gimmick was what made him famous. He overheard it from a gangster, and he retooled all of his comedy to revolve around that one concept. It wasn’t a hard concept for him since his childhood was one of abuse and abandonment. In the end, he became a comedy legend who opened one of the most successful comedy clubs ever and was even a pioneer in the early days of the internet. So, give Rodney and SK some respect, and give this one a listen! Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/performer/rodney-dangerfield https://www.biography.com/news/rodney-dangerfield-i-dont-get-no-respect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Dangerfield http://www.rodney.com/ https://screenrant.com/rodney-dangerfield-best-roles-movies/ http://jackbenny.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=596

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we put on our tinfoil hats and explore the conspiracy theory of MK Ultra. It turns out it wasn’t a conspiracy theory, so much as a conspiracy fact. MK Ultra was the CIA’s illegal attempt at behavior modification and mind control which officially ran from 1953 until 1973. Some say it is still running under a different name, but the official party line is that it was disbanded in the paranoid wake of the Watergate tapes. The fact that MK Ultra existed is incontrovertible and involved three senate hearings, a freedom of information act release that included 20,000 pages of documents about the CIA’s secret funding, and multiple reports filed by senate subcommittees and even the office of veteran’s affairs. So what did MK Ultra involve? The CIA funded experiments on various ways to control minds, alter perceptions, and get inside of people’s heads. They did this at 87 American universities, often without the knowledge of the subjects or the scientists (who didn’t know their funding was coming from the CIA). MK Ultra used LSD as a way to break people down, often dosing American citizens with the drug without their consent or knowledge through projects such as the accurately named Project Midnight Climax which used prostitutes to deliver the drugs in San Francisco. MK Ultra used a doctor named Donald Cameron who was president of the World Psychiatric Health Organization to work on a technique called Psychic Driving. What did it involve? Induced paralysis and then an audio loop that played thousands of times to try and break a patient’s personality down and replace it. Oh, and the patients were coming to him for things like post mortem depression and anxiety and had no idea this was being done to them! Find out about Subproject 54, which was a Naval Research project involving amnesia, and the case of Frank Olson. Olson (a biochemist employed by the CIA) was thought to have committed suicide in 1953, but an autopsy in 1994 that he was murdered with a blow to the head after being dosed with LSD. All of this is true, provable with congressional documents, and completely nuts. Of course, it gets crazier when the tin foil does come out, and a woman named Cathleen Ann O'Brien reveals details about an alleged MK Ultra subproject called Project Monarch. It involves George Bush, holograms, and lizard people. Oh, and it also involves Shia LaBeouf, Roseanne Barr, and Michael Jackson. No. I’m not kidding...

Another Sofa King Classic as we anticipate Daves return... We dig in to the conspiracy theories surrounding the Illuminati and their new world order. From the Bilderberg Group to the Freemasons, and from Bohemian Grove to space alien reptoids, we look at all the common ideas spread on the Internet about the Illuminati. We even look at the theories of the “Hop-Hop Illuminati” that supposedly rules rap music. Adult Content. NSFW.

Dave should be back Wednesday and we will back to business as usually. It is hilarious to hear how much the show has changed since Episode 26. Check out this classic episode and thank you for being cool as fuck. This episode is all about mythical, mystical, and cryptozoological creatures. We cover a wide range from purely mythical and fictional creatures down to things that people think may exist in the real world. The Sofa Kings discuss crypto creatures and even talk about ghosts for a minute or two. Brad tests Dave and Brent’s nerd knowledge by asking about monsters found in popular fantasy games and classic mythology, and Brent astounds us with a discussion of monsters that come from Japan—and they are wild! Some of our specific topics include the Loch Ness Monster, the Chupacabra, the Moth Man, the Scape Ore Swam Lizard Man of South Carolina, vampires, and the mysterious “Bloop” from deep in the ocean that many people fear to be the sleeping Cthulhu. Adult Content. NSFW.

Dave is gone for 8 days so here is a Sofa King Classic from the archives Quotable moments from radioactive grandmas to Cesium queefs... you wont want to miss this one. On this episode, we discuss the accident at the Chernobyl power plant as only the Sofa King Podcast can. The Chernobyl power plant in Pripyat, Ukraine suffered a ten day nuclear fire starting on April 26, 1986. This was one of only two Level 7 nuclear disasters in the history of nuclear power, and the causes, reaction, and effects are pretty staggering. Though the numbers vary greatly, upwards of 350,000 people were evacuated, 500,000 “volunteers” were called on to help, and somewhere around 75,000 cases of cancer are still with us due to this nuclear meltdown. What caused it? According to most reports, it was human error, arrogance, and design flaws working in perfect concert. We cover the causes and the basics of how a nuclear reactor works in order to fully explore this horrible accident. Most of the blame can be put on one of the foremen (a man so radioactive that he gave his own son Leukemia!), but there is a complex web of control and Soviet era Party politics involved as well. We also look at the Nobel Prize winning book Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich which covers a dozens of interviews of survivors of this meltdown. Then we talk about everything from the chances of the reactor’s protective sarcophagus cracking and making an even worse disaster in the future, hostile radioactive wolves which roam the Exclusion Zone even today, and what the Soviet Union did right and wrong in trying to stop the disaster. Their policy tended to be telling lies to the free world about how good things were and sending hundreds of thousands of volunteers into radioactive danger with no equipment or medicine to help them. However, with little else to do, we wonder if this was the action of an evil communist state or actually true heroism by a nation desperately trying to stop the meltdown from making most of Europe a nuclear grave yard.

On this bonus episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we cover a real world conspiracy theory that turns out to be true: Project Azorian. What was Project Azorian? Well, it was a little plan concocted by the CIA. In 1968, a Soviet nuclear sub sank, and the Russian didn’t know where it was. The US Navy narrowed it down to a few miles, however, so they plan was on to fully retrieve this vessel from the ocean floor. It took years to pull off, and the cover story involved the amazing Howard Hughes. His companies and his bizarre secrecy in all things made him the perfect person to build the Hughes Glomar Explorer, the ship sent out to do the actual spying. But wait! This one is only for the patrons! To learn more and to become a $1 dollar patron, so you can access over 150 bonus episodes, go to http://www.patreon.com/sofakingpodcast So, what exactly was Howard Hughes’ role? Who was Clementine, and what was her job in pulling up the sub? Did the Soviets ever learn what was going on? How was it a success and a failure? What did they do with the dead Russian sailors they raised to the surface? What do conspiracy theorists claim was really happening here? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/04/25/project-azorian/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Azorian https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/during-cold-war-ci-secretly-plucked-soviet-submarine-ocean-floor-using-giant-claw-180972154/

On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we do the whole biography thing on the grandfather of an American dynasty, Mr. Prescott Bush. Prescott Bush is the father of President George H.W. Bush and the grandfather of President George W Bush. He was a businessman, politician, power broker, Skull and Bones Man, and possible Nazi collaborator. If there happens to be an Illuminati run by a race of power-hoarding lizard people, Prescott Bush is a member. Born in 1895, Prescott lived through the highest heights of American wealth and the lowest lows of the American depression. He followed in the footsteps of his own father and entered Yale and became a member of the notorious Skull and Bones. Indeed, rumor has it that he and people in his class broke into a graveyard and stole the skull of Geronimo, which sits in the bowels of the Bones house to this day. After that, he spent time in World War two and got into intelligence work. From there, he came back to the states and started his life as a business mogul and politician. Working in Intelligence, big business, and the government pretty much set the path that all Bushes would follow in future generations. Once World War Two was starting, Prescott Bush was one of the founding members of an international bank that was owned by and helped launder money for one Fritz Thyssen. Thyssen was a Nazi. I mean a super Nazi. I mean, the main financier for the rise of Nazi power, the architect of the Nazi war machine through his steel and coal plants, the main backer of Adolf Hitler, and even the guy responsible for creating the poison gas used in concentration camps. All evidence suggests that Prescott Bush knew all of this and kept dealing with him through the war. Oh, and then there was the time Grandpa Bush tried to overthrow the American presidency with a rebel army backed by the wealthiest families in the country. Well, he never got prosecuted for either of these attempts to control the world, but the jokes on us. He pretty much ruled the world anyway when his descendants starting running the United States intelligence apparatus and became president a couple of times.

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we climb to the top of the podcasting world and talk about Mt. Everest. This peak is the highest on earth, and to many people, reaching its summit is the height of human performance. Named after a British surveyor (who didn’t even want it named after him), it has become a strange, deadly tourist attraction. What was once the ultimate spiritual challenge is now a booming business and a mountain littered in human corpses, trash, and excrement. Back when people like George Mallory, Edmund Hillary, and Tenzing Norgay made the first attempts to reach the summit, all eyes were on them. However, in the modern day, hundreds of people climb it, and there are deaths every single year. The problem with the deaths is that the bodies don’t deteriorate due to the weather, and it is nearly impossible to get a dead body down. Some bodies have actually become landmarks for guides leading tourist climbers up the passes. So, who is Green Boots, and what does he signify? What shut down the mountain in 2015? How many have made up to the top of Mt. Everest? How many have died? How much does it cost for a modern climber to make the ascent? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Boots https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20151008-the-graveyard-in-the-clouds-everests-200-dead-bodies https://www.aworldtotravel.com/mount-everest-facts/ https://www.tripsavvy.com/little-known-facts-about-mt-everest-4136176 https://www.themanual.com/outdoors/climbing-mount-everest-cost/

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the one man legend, Andre the Giant. In wrestling, he was one of the greatest of all time. In film, he knocked it out of the park in The Princess Bride (and secretly starred as Dagoth the demon with Arnold Schwarzenegger and the epic Bigfoot in the Six Million Dollar Man). He was a kind hearted, loving giant coming in at seven foot four inches and well over 500 pounds. He could also drink! Story after story from his WWF colleagues confirm that he could drink well over 100 beers in single sittings and needed to have six full bottle of wine before a match. He battled it out in an epic feud with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III, and his gigantism condition (known as Acromegaly) took its toll on his back and knees. It also made it impossible to live daily life and do things such as ride in a car, take an airplane, or buy clothes. Andre the Giant's personality was as large as his frame, so whether you like 80s nostalgia, classic wrestling, or…well…giants, this episode is the one for you! Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/athlete/andre-the-giant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_the_Giant https://www.thisdrinkinglife.com/andre-the-giant/ https://prowrestlingstories.com/pro-wrestling-stories/andre-the-giant/ https://www.foxsports.com/wwe/gallery/best-andre-the-giant-drinking-stories-072516 https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501418/10-larger-life-facts-about-andre-giant

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one of the biggest war crimes in modern history, the Armenian Genocide. Through a systematic effort, the Ottoman Empire ruled by the Young Turks killed upwards of 1.5 million Armenian Christians through murder, forced marches, hunger, and disease. This was during World War One, and the empire thought Armenia (part of their empire) was going to side with Russia while everyone else sided with Germany. The state rounded up the men first and killed them village by village. The Turks then sent the women on death marches into the Syrian desert that lasted weeks or months. They were raped, beaten, and often had to watch their family and children be murdered. Tens of thousands were forced to live with new men (some willingly, sometimes the murderer of their family) and turn to Islam and have children. Those were the lucky ones, if such a thing can said to exist. So what brought this Armenian Genocide on? How many survived? Who were members of a Butcher Brigade? When did the US Government finally recognize this genocide? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Genocide https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-armenian-genocide-1915-16-overview https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/ref/timestopics/topics_armeniangenocide.html https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/armenian-genocide https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/video/introducing-armenian-genocide http://www.genocide-museum.am/eng/armenian_genocide.php https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/24/statement-by-president-joe-biden-on-armenian-remembrance-day/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Nemesis

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we hit you with some def tracks and rap about the Beastie Boys. The core trio of Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock were a key ingredient to any party in the 80s. Then, they had a misstep with Paul’s Boutique and rebounded with a series of records that defined the sound track of the 90s. While they came to detest some of their earliest work (and their image as party bros), they evolved into some of the most talented musicians and hip hop artists of a generation. From License to Ill to Check Your Head and Ill Communication, their albums were a mix of styles, influences, samples, and instrumentals the likes of which nobody has done before or sense. In fact, some of their music almost sounds cliché since so many people stole their innovative style afterwards. Sadly, Adam Yauch (aka MCA) died in 2012, and the band agreed to never perform again. But they remain as popular as ever with a recent book release and a documentary directed by Spike Jonze. Their story is one of highs and lows. Through it, you see a group of best friends evolve into the musicians the world asked them to be. Don’t be a sucka MC. Give this one a listen. Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beastie_Boys Beastie Boys Story: Apple TV

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we take a look at the pharmaceutical company Bayer. What could be interesting about a company that is world famous for its aspirin? A lot, actually. This small German company didn’t invent aspirin, but it perfected and patented it, just as it did heroin (which it originally old as a child’s cough syrup!). They started to really stand up and be evil in WWI when they made the first chemical weapons for the German side, and they perfected their Evil in WWII. They supported the work of Doctor Mengele, used slave labor from concentration campus to build their factories, bought train loads of Jews to experiment on, and produced the Zyklon B gas used at the camps to murder millions of Jews. They were broken up after the war because, you know, evil, but they were back with record speed. From drugs that caused HIV to swindling the government and buying Monsanto, this pharma giant just keeps on doing wrong. Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayer https://www.toptenz.net/10-dirty-secrets-probably-didnt-know-bayer.php https://www.i-lawsuit.com/the-dark-history-of-bayer-drugs/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-09-19/bayer-s-monsanto-purchase-looks-worse-with-each-roundup-verdict https://truthout.org/articles/bayer-and-monsanto-a-merger-of-two-evils/

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we hit you with some straight science and talk about the life, discoveries, and madness of Sir Isaac Newton. Everyone has heard the name, and most people know the legend of an apple falling on his head to make him conceive of gravity. This is kind of mostly true, and it is just one amazing mental feat belonging to one of the greatest human minds to ever live. He was an expert in mathematics, optics, and physics. While in his 20’s, he was given the most important post in all of academia (The Lucasian Chair), and he created the laws of motion and wrote his famous Principia. This intellectual gangster was knighted, became a member of parliament, personally hunted down money counterfeiters for the queen, and tried to crack a hidden code in the bible. He predicted when the world would end, ate lots of mercury while trying to figure out alchemy, and got in lots of science beefs with other members of the scientific revolution. I never thought Isaac Newton would be off the rails, but he is. Give this one a listen. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/scientist/isaac-newton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/newton/ https://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-isaac-newton https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/23631/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-isaac-newton https://www.factretriever.com/isaac-newton-facts

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at one of the greatest scientists to ever live, Marie Curie. She battled with crazy sexism, anti-Semitism, and an endless bout of cancer and tumors due to her radioactive research. But through it all, she was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to ever win two, and a hero in World War One. She discovered radiation and in fact came up with that very term. She was a powerful woman who changed the entire world with her intellect and persistence. She was born to a prominent family of educators in Warsaw, but her family was poor due to political allegiance against the Russians. She taught herself science and physics on lab equipment her father snuck home, and she had to learn in the “Floating University” that was an underground gangster school for women and political dissidents not allowed to study. And somehow, through all of that, she bested most of the scientific minds in Europe, became world famous, and started the Radium Institute, which churned out four more Nobel Prizes. How did she die? Cancer from radiation of course, but it was a hell of a ride to get there. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/scientist/marie-curie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Curie https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1911/marie-curie/facts/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/madame-curies-passion-74183598/ https://www.biography.com/news/marie-curie-biography-facts

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we take a dip in the waters of folklore and talk about fairies. To most Americans, they are a ridiculous notion, but 44% of Brits think they’ve seen fairies, and over half of those in Iceland believe in their existence. We talk about a famous set of photos in the UK called the Cottingley Fairies. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (the creator of Sherlock Holmes) used the pictures to wage a war between spiritualism and science. Fairies are of course thought to be woodland beings, creatures of pure nature. Some are household fairies, though, and not all of them are a few inches tall. They are said to cause mischief to those who see or disturb them, and there are even correlations between fairy encounters and alien abductions. So why do people still believe in them? What types of religions are currently based on Fairies? What’s up the protestors trying to stop a freeway being built in Iceland because it will disturb the elves? Listen, laugh, and learn. Visit Our Sources: http://hoaxes.org/photo_database/image/the_cottingley_fairies/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottingley_Fairies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faerie_faith vice.com/en/article/9k8n9p/women-believe-fairies-real-study https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/10/why-so-many-icelanders-still-believe-in-invisible-elves/280783/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/icelanders-protest-road-would-disturb-fairies-180949359/#:~:text=In%20Iceland%2C%20fairies%20are%20a%20big%20deal.&text=Though%20J%C3%B3nsd%C3%B3ttir's%20belief%20in%20elves,in%20the%20existence%20of%20elves. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feri_Tradition

Another Sofa King Classic to hold you over until we get back in the studio. Thank-you for your patience. Episode 17, The Moon Landing Hoax. This week, we explore the evidence that consipiracy theorists use to “prove” that the moon landing is a hoax. From photographic evidence to the Van Allen Radiation belt, we take apart each element of the moon landing and try to come to a conclusion about it. Was it real? Was it faked? If you want to hear the final conclusion of Brent and Brad, give the episode a listen. Listen and find out! Adult Content. NSFW.

We will return to our normal schedule just as soon as possible. In the mean time dig back in our catalog for some oldies but goodies… you know you skipped “Oprah” and “Pizza” because WTF??? But we might just surprise you... To hold you over Brent and Brad test out their acting chops in this Patreon shout out comedy skits titled “Fight Night" 1 & 2.

Daves not here man..... So this week we go back to a throw back with the Denver international airport conspiracy. Thank you for your patience and we will return to our amazingness next week. Opened in 1995, this airport ran more than twice the original budget and included five buildings which were completely buried underground due to supposed “construction complications.” These buildings start a wild set of conspiracy theories about the airport being a hub and an end-of-the world bunker for members of the New World Order (including the Queen of England, who supposedly bought property near the airport). On top of the theoretical bunker, the airport is filled with strange symbols, signs of the Freemasons, and a Masonic time capsule set to open in 2094. The truly strange thing about this airport, however, is the art work. From a seven ton statue of Anubis—the Egyptian god of death—to the 30 foot tall emaciated Blue Mustang horse statue with glowing red eyes known as Blucifer, the statues in this place are baffling. (Blucifer is even responsible for its creator Luis Jimenez’s death when it’s head fell and crushed his legs during construction.) However, the most bizarre part is the strange murals painted by artist Leo Tanguma, murals which depict burning cities, dead children, weeping mothers holding deceased babies, and a giant Nazi-esque soldier spearing the dove of peace with a saber. Not stuff you want to see before boarding a plane! So, give this one a listen if you want to hear about strange art, symbols of death, and Masonic conspiracies. Special thanks to listener Paul Byerly for suggesting the topic.

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we bask in the glow that is Nicholas Cage. He comes from film royalty and is the nephew of director Francis Ford Copula, but once he started getting his own film roles, he changed his name to distance himself from the family. Even so, his rise to stardom was pretty meteoric. Once at the top, he started spending money like a lunatic, acting like a lunatic, and starring in some of the best/worst movies ever made (I’m looking at you, Wicker Man). He started in Fast Times at Ridgemont High and within a few years was being directed by some of the best movie makers in Hollywood. He won an Academy Award for best actor in Leaving Las Vegas and helmed the massive franchise, National Treasure. But he’s always seemed a little...unhinged. His acting method is very intense (considered over acting to many), and he has done some epic things in the past to prepare for a role. We cover his crazy spending sprees, his real estate purchases, and the wild stuff he’s bought over the years. We cover the good films, the bad films, and the ugly films. We talk about his failed Superman movie, and we speculate about him becoming Meta-Cage, the self-aware version of himself that the world needs and deserves in these strange times. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/actor/nicolas-cage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Cage https://www.eightieskids.com/fascinating-facts-you-didnt-know-about-nicolas-cage/ https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/530681/9-bizarre-facts-about-nicolas-cage https://newsfeed.time.com/2014/01/06/50-nicolas-cage-facts-for-the-50th-birthday-of-this-national-treasure/ https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/actors/nicolas-cage-net-worth/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_in_film#Superman_Lives

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one of the strangest serial killers ever. Marcel Petiot was a medical doctor in occupied Paris during World War Two. He somehow convinced people that he was part of a resistance underground and could help smuggle people out of France and away from the Nazis. Instead, he took their money, injected them with cyanide, and burned their bodies in his basement. Oh, and that’s all after he got a medical degree in just a couple of months, became mayor of a town, embezzled from the city he ran, and then killed a couple people though the police couldn’t prove it was him. He ticked all the bad boxes as a serial killer child, and when drafted into World War One, he did everything he could to get out of service. He was a lifelong thief and grifter, being regularly arrested from childhood on. This is a crazy story. It ranges from blowing up his foot with a grenade (on purpose) to killing three pimps. And when a super top secret US spy ring called The Pond was revealed in 2001, there were actually files in it that said he may have been a spy working for the U.S. government while he was busy killing between 60-150 people. You know, that old story. Visit Our Sources: https://murderpedia.org/male.P/p/petiot-marcel.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Petiot https://cvltnation.com/dr-satan-the-unbelievable-story-of-serial-killer-dr-marcel-petiot/ https://historydaily.org/marcel-petiot-facts-stories-trivia https://www.grunge.com/86647/messed-up-things-happened-world-war-ii/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrpVXGf2MA8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pond_(intelligence_organization)

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look to the heavens and talk about the Sun. It is the primary source of energy for our solar system, and its scale and power are enough to give you anxiety if you really dig into the facts. It has been worshiped as a god in most ancient civilizations, until science started to understand its incredible power. While it gives us heat, light, and solar power, it is also dangerous. We talk about something called a Carrington-Level solar event and how it could end civilization as we know it. It was first observed scientifically by the ancient Babylonians and the Chinese, but Europe got into the game with some Greek scientists as well as Copernicus and Galileo. One of the most terrifying things was a solar storm watched by solar astronomer Richard Carrington in 1859. He saw a storm and soon thereafter, telegraph lines started to burn out and catch fire, and the sky glowed green from Hawaii to Mexico. This event would be catastrophic if it happened now. What would it do to our electrical grid? How would it affect GPS, satellites, and cell phones? Why do some experts think it would be the utter collapse of society, and how likely is it to happen again? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit our sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun https://theplanets.org/the-sun/ https://www.space.com/58-the-sun-formation-facts-and-characteristics.html https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/overview/ https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/solar-activity/en/#:~:text=Solar%20flares%20are%20a%20sudden,areas%20are%20called%20magnetic%20fields. https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/01/31/this-multi-trillion-dollar-disaster-is-coming-and-solar-astronomy-is-our-prime-defense/?sh=4a6b81807613 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/dangers-solar-storms-which-gives-power-can-also-take-it-away https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/dangers-solar-storms-which-gives-power-can-also-take-it-away https://sunlightinstitute.org/sanitizing-with-sunlight-the-best-disinfectant-know/ Star Comparison: https://videos.space.com/m/V2QrEObL/how-big-can-stars-get-awesome-visualization-shows-scale?list=9wzCTV4g

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we explore the life and lies of one of the strangest men to ever come out of Hollywood, Steven Seagal. Seagal made a huge splash in the realm of action films in with his debut movie Above the Law in 1988. He had a string of films after that because he had spent years as a fight advisor and doing security in the film industry, so he kind of knew what he was doing. But part of that was a myth he created around himself. The myth of Seagal claims he worked for the CIA, had the Gambino crime family put a hit on his head, and went to war with the Yakuza. We know that he worked on everything from James Bond films to protecting 80s star Kelly LeBrock. We also know that he did indeed study various martial arts in Japan and opened several dojos around America before his film career starts. After that, things a bit…confused. For example, he was a cop or something? He claims he worked in a sheriff’s department training them, so they made him a deputy on a TV show (and that he had police training in California, though nobody seems to be able to prove this). He claims he trained and was maybe an operative for the CIA (though, of course, nobody can prove this). He claims to be close personal friends with Vladimir Putin (though the Russian state denies this). He did have a buttload of lawsuits filed against him for sexual harassment and rape. He did get plenty of complaints about how he treated cast members (most notably women and stunt men) on the set. But most of the cases get settled out of court and just…go away. So where does the person versus the character of Steven Seagal start and end? You’ll have to listen to find out. Visit Our Sources https://www.biography.com/actor/steven-seagal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Seagal https://www.thethings.com/20-facts-about-steven-segal-that-fans-choose-to-ignore/ https://people.com/movies/charlize-theron-says-overweight-steven-seagal-can-barely-fight-hes-not-very-nice-to-women/ https://www.thrillist.com/gear/steven-seagal-facts-trivia-history-biography-martial-arts-sheriff

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we travel back in time and talk about one of the most famous of the Founding Fathers: Thomas Jefferson. To some historians, Jefferson was the most important member of the revolution. He drafted the constitution on his own, and his writings inspired troops and helped forge a government. He rose in rank from a lawyer to Secretary of State and then from Vice President to the 3rd President of the United States. But, he was a man of his times. He owned over 600 slaves, and most historians say he raped his 14 year old slave Sally Hemmings and forced her to father 6 slave children with him. Jefferson was born to wealth on his father’s plantation. He had an amazing education and was truly a renaissance man, dabbling in everything from music to architecture and even paleontology and of course politics. He became a lawyer and politician just as the Revolutionary war broke out, and he became the writer and mouthpiece for the Congressional Congress. He fought for religious freedoms, built the University of Virginia, and did many amazing things. He also almost made the newly formed America go nearly bankrupt, said the worst things about blacks you can imagine, and let’s not forget the raping the slaves thing. He’s an interesting man from an interesting time, so if you’re into history (and bad jokes) give this one a listen. Visit Our Sources https://www.biography.com/us-president/thomas-jefferson https://www.monticello.org/thomas-jefferson/brief-biography-of-jefferson/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-dark-side-of-thomas-jefferson-35976004/ https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-facts-about-thomas-jefferson-for-his-birthday#:~:text=He%20was%20born%20on%20April,face%20on%20the%20modern%20nickel. https://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/04/11/10-facts-thomas-jefferson-slavery-at-jeffersons-monticello-national-constitution-center/ https://allthatsinteresting.com/thomas-jefferson-dark-side

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we bring you a strange brew of True Crime and talk about the Barefoot Bandit. If you aren’t from the Pacific Northwest, you may not have heard about this kid, but it’s quite a ride! The Bandit, named Colton Harris Moore, was a teenager who went on an international crime spree. His crimes? Breaks-ins to survive out in the woods, mostly. But then there were a few dozen cars. Oh, and the airplanes that he taught himself how to fly and to steal. Oh, and a crazy boat chase in the Bahamas! The Barefoot Bandit came from a very rough, broken home, and he started to live out in the woods as young as the age of 7. He started to break into vacation homes to survive, something that carried on through his teens. This guy was a genius, evading police endless times by escaping in the woods like a sasquatch ninja. He started on Camano Island in Washington, and eventually was being chased by cops, feds, and an army of organized bounty hunters. What led the Barefoot Bandit to his final stolen airplane destination of the Bahamas? How did the locals treat him there? How did he learn to fly? Why didn’t he wear shoes? What’s up with the guy named Harley Davidson Irownwing? Listen, laugh, learn? Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colton_Harris_Moore https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/barefoot-bandits-dreams-crushed-when-feds-force-stop-to-his-flight-school-fundraiser/ https://mynorthwest.com/1381710/colton-harris-moore-barefoot-bandit/? https://www.heraldnet.com/news/colton-harris-moore-asks-judge-to-shorten-supervised-release/ https://www.heraldnet.com/news/judge-says-no-to-ending-sentence-early-for-barefoot-bandit/ https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/sheriff-notorious-barefoot-bandit-struck-spearfish-airport/article_62d4ba92-7e1c-11df-ab0e-001cc4c002e0.html Documentary: Fly Colt Fly

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we look at the man who most historians call the worst tyrant of all time, Mao Tse-tung. Was he worse than Hitler? Yes. Was he worse than Stalin or Kim Jung Il or Saddam Hussein? Way worse. How? Well, his horrible Great Leap Forward killed upwards of 60 million Chinese due to starvation, overwork, disease, or flat out murder. He forced parents to bury their own children and purged entire classes of people, all to make China a world power. He was born the son of a farmer and excelled in school, but he was forced to quit and work on the farm. When he was old enough, he left and went to school in another town where he was exposed to new communist teachings. He rose through the ranks of the Chinese Communist Party due to his diligence. Eventually, the leader of China died, and the new chairman, Chiang Kai-shek, was against Mao’s party. There was a brutal war where Mao led a guerilla squad of 200,000 men against him, but it was squashed and led to something called The Long Walk. Eventually, thanks to an allegiance during World War II, Mao rose to real power, eventually becoming the top man in the China. Once in power, he started the Great Leap Forward, which lead to the worse man made famine in the history of the earth and destroyed China’s economy. This made him unpopular, but he led the Cultural Revolution, which basically turned him into a god king. Oh, and as god king, he got really freaky with sex. Really freaky. Underage girls, modified beds, banging his own guards, venereal diseases, you name it. What was the deal with his 14 year old mistress? How did Stalin scientifically evaluate Mao’s poop, and what did it do politically? How did he get Soviet premiere Khrushchev to wear children’s water wings and have a meeting in a pool? What was the result of only brushing his teeth by swishing tea around in his mouth? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/political-figure/mao-tse-tung https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/china-mao/ http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1999/china.50/inside.china/profiles/mao.tsetung/ https://www.heritage.org/asia/commentary/the-legacy-mao-zedong-mass-murder http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat2/sub6/item71.html https://listverse.com/2017/03/01/10-filthy-facts-about-the-private-life-of-chairman-mao-tse-tung/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_2FZ-V_4zs

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at the king of alien abduction, Whitley Strieber. Strieber was the author of Communion and several other books about his famous abduction experiences, implants, and encounters with Men in Black. It is his writing that has given us the narrative of a typical abduction, what a gray alien is, and even set the stage of X-Files back in the 1990s. But is it on the level, or was it all a hustle to sell books? Though he had strange encounters even as a child (something typical for abductees), his big experience was when he was taken by “The Visitors” in 1985. A bunch of small, strong aliens (different than the grays), dragged him roughly from his house and jabbed a needle in the back of his skull and did medical experiments. He thought it was a dream, but bruises and a swollen ear in the morning said otherwise. Through the years, he went through hypno therapy to recall all the horrible events that happened every time The Visitors paid a call to him. Eventually, he came to be able to defeat his fear the paralysis and converse with these beings. All the while, he had strange encounters with Men In Black, a bizarre conversation that existed outside of time with Master of The Key, and became the poster child for all things alien. Or, of course, none of it happened at all, and he is gaming the world. Either way, it is a wild story, so give it a listen and decide if he’s an alien abductee or an artist of the con. Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitley_Strieber https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communion_(book) huffpost.com/entry/communion-author-whitley-strieber_n_943681 https://allthatsinteresting.com/alien-abductions/3 https://gen.medium.com/he-was-supposed-to-be-the-next-stephen-king-then-the-aliens-came-afd7195e0b49 https://realitysandwich.com/strange_case_whitley_strieber_1/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0HfikqH1-8

One last classic episode release before we get back to business. Thank you for being patient. If you want to learn more about the mysterious Chupacabra, listen to this episode of the Sofa King Podcast. In this episode, we delve back into the realm of cryptozoology and discuss the possibility and reality of this allegedly elusive creature. First getting international media attention in 1995 with the discovery of 8 dead sheep in Puerto Rico (which were not eaten but apparently had their blood drained), the Chupacabra literally means “goat sucker.” Within the first year, 200 alleged incidents were reported in Puerto Rico alone. So many animals were found dead that the national guard was called in to search the area looking for the mysterious killer. Since then, the Chupacabra has apparently morphed. Experts claim there are two types, a reptilian type (typically seen in Latin America and the Caribbean) and a canid type (typically seen in the United States). We examine the likelihood of an unknown creature existing in the jungles down south (it’s pretty high, actually…) and then turn our attention to the American version since there is a lot of photographic evidence and video footage. We even explore a pretty awesome video from Texas in which a pretty awesome couple captures a live Chupacabra. And of course, we can’t cover something as controversial in conspiracy theory circles as this without touching a little bit on UFOs and wacky theories of genetic animal hybrids created by beaming new DNA into an organism with electricity. Oh, and there’s also the case of voodoo queen Marie Laveau and the New Orleans Grunch (it involves a Devil Baby and testicles, so you don’t want to miss that). So what’s the bottom line? Is the Chupacabra real, a hoax, a case of mistaken identity? Listen, laugh, learn.

As per listener request, this week’s Sofa King Podcast covers the life and inventions of Nikola Tesla. Born in Croatia in 1856, he was the archetype of the mad scientist. We start the episode with a look at his feud and relationship Thomas Edison. At the heart of this rivalry was a race to provide New York city with electricity. Edison backed DC current, and Tesla wanted the innovative AC current we used today, even though the technology didn’t exist at the time. From George Westinghouse to JP Morgan, Tesla had support from the biggest financiers of his time and created the power plant at Niagara Falls that still provides power to much of New York. However, Tesla is also known for much more ambitious and crazy inventions. He beat the guy who supposedly invented the radio by inventing it first and did the same with X-rays. He built the famous Tesla Coils, the first remote control robot, a frequency oscillator that could supposedly destroy a building and split the earth in two. From weather control to free wireless energy (out of his Wardenclyffe Tower), and from a permanent aurora borealis to making the earth a giant battery, Tesla thought big and built bigger. And yes, we even discuss his famous death ray. So, if you want to know why so many conspiracy theories tie to Tesla and his inventions, give this one a listen.

Due to scheduling issues we bring you a Sofa King Classic that most of you may not have heard. Man have we changed. Check it out. We explore the “Missing 411,” the name given to mysterious and creepy disappearances in national parks and national forests in the US and Canada. In this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we rap about the research, data, and findings of author and investigator David Paulides. Paulides (whom we simply call palates for most of the episode) was approached by Park Rangers from the National Park Service and told that rangers in every park have seen strange disappearances that have creepy similarities and pushed him to investigate. He did. In fact, he researched for over 7,000 hours and wrote five books, meticulously cataloging the official missing-person and police reports of all these cases, and the findings do show some strange data patterns. What is so strange about these disappearances? Well, the people who go missing, often take off their clothing and shoes, even in freezing cold weather. Also, they are found (dead or alive) within areas where search crews looked several times, defying typical search patterns. Often, they are children, as young as 2 years old, who are somehow found miles away or several thousand feet higher in elevation (something impossible for a child that young to pull off). There are other creepy elements as well—they go missing in the middle of large groups, they say creepy things seconds before disappearing, and often bloodhounds and cadaver dogs refuse to search for them or find no trail at all, even though people know exactly where the trail started. We look at several specific cases that show the above, and we do our best to debunk them. With some it is quite easy, with others, not so much. So, is Paulides simply reading data points that are pure coincidence and exaggerating them? Is there something truly mysterious happening? Can it all be explained through human nature? What is the link to Bigfoot, and why does it piss Brad off so much? Listen, laugh, learn.

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the life, drugs, music, and drugs (so many drugs) of Billie Holiday. She is considered one of the all-time greats of American music and jazz, but she had a troubled past. Billie worked in brothels as a child and was repeatedly raped and sold through early sex trafficking by the same madam her mother worked for. Through all this, her love of music and dedication to the craft got her off the streets and into singing. At 16, she was singing in clubs in New York, and by 18 she was working for Benny Goodman. However, along the way she became addicted to drugs, big time. Meanwhile, a horrible man named Harry Anslinger was in charge of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. He was a racist and thought blacks, jazz, and drugs were ruining America. When he couldn’t literally bring down all of jazz music (which he tried to do), he put all his efforts on bringing down Billie Holiday. She battled his agents and her own demons through her tumultuous life. Give this one a listen for all the corrupt-Fed, heroin-fueled details! Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/musician/billie-holiday https://www.biography.com/news/billie-holiday-facts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Holiday https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/01/drug-war-the-hunting-of-billie-holiday-114298 https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/billie-holiday https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62880/5-things-you-might-not-know-about-billie-holiday

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the Warrior Monks of Shao Lin. Yes, there is a real Shao Lin Temple, and yes it still exists. 400 monks are allowed to train there, and supposedly 100 are warrior monks, dedicated not just to studying Buddha but also perfection of Kung Fu. In this episode we talk about the history of the Shao Lin Temple. It was destroyed and rebuilt several times, and often the Warrior Monks saved emperors and defended villages. There is a lot of mythology and mysticism surrounding this place, and it all seems to have a grounding in the truth of history. We examine several documentaries about modern day Shao Lin Kung Fu taught at the temple and look at the truths and secrets of this holy order. Visit Our Sources: https://www.learnreligions.com/warrior-monks-of-shaolin-4123247 https://blackbeltmag.com/15-popular-beliefs-about-training-at-shaolin-temple https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-shaolin-monks-195814 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaolin_Kung_Fu https://www.tripsavvy.com/brief-history-shaolin-temple-1495708 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaolin_Monastery https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDR31_nh70Q&t=1357s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHUewEWi9SE&t=281s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbow21FKJS4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chan_Buddhism#Bodhidharma

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at the most important point of arrival to the United States for more than 60 years, Ellis Island. This small (mostly manmade) island near New York City is famous for admitting ancestors of roughly 40% of all Americans. It was where the mass influx of Irish came during the potato famine, where Jews escaped prosecution, and the Italian Mob became a New York City Import. What happened there, and why did some call it the Island of Tears? Ellis Island started as, believe it or not, an island. Eventually, the Dutch bought it catch shellfish, and eventually it became known as Gibbet Island, named after the wooden posts where dead pirates were hung to death and displayed for incoming ships to see. Nice one. Eventually, a man named Samuel Ellis bought it, and after another immigration center closed in 1890, Ellis Island became the go to destination for incoming immigrants from the East. It served as both a processing center for paperwork, a health and legal screening center, and a detainment center for those not free to enter the united states. So, is it true that the workers there messed up everyone’s names and renamed entire families? How many people died on the island due to medical reasons (it might surprise you!)? How did the admission process differ between rich and poor? Who was kept out by default? Was Ellis Island a Golden Doorway or an Island of Tears? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/ellis-island https://time.com/5752116/ellis-island-immigration-detention-center/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Island https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/goldman-immigration-and-deportation-ellis-island/ https://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-ellis-island

Born in Chicago, Eliot Ness was a smart, officious child. He dressed well and always did his homework—so much so, that his nickname in high school was Elegant Mess. His brother in law was a fed, and he inspired the young Eliot to become a federal investigator as well. Shortly after college, he joined the Treasury Department. He ultimately landed a job in the Prohibition Bureau battling mobsters and bootleggers. Once the president decided to stop Al Capone in Chicago, The US District attorney hired Eliot Ness on the spot. Many federal agents were corrupt or downright evil (such as Kinky Thompson), so they needed someone with integrity. Ness read the files of every agent and assembled his super team of The Untouchables. They resisted bribes and took the war to Capone, eventually forcing him to import liquor instead of make his own. While their lives were threatened regularly, they stayed the course and brought Capone down. After that, Ness moved to Ohio and cleaned up the 10th largest city in America, Cleveland. It had the worst traffic deaths, most drunk driving, most corrupt police force, most corrupt city officials, and a big mob problem. He turned all that around, though once the city was clean and safe, the populace seemed to turn on him for his efforts. What did he do that made the residents so mad? What was up the Torso Murders, and how did Ness deal with this serial killer? What happened to him later in life? What happened the one time he and Capone actually met face to face? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/law-figure/eliot-ness https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliot_Ness https://www.atf.gov/our-history/eliot-ness https://www.clevelandpolicemuseum.org/collections/eliot-ness/ https://strandmag.com/10-additional-surprising-facts-about-eliot-ness/ https://www.alcoholproblemsandsolutions.org/corruption-during-prohibition-of-alcohol/ https://www.alcoholproblemsandsolutions.org/prohibition-bureau-bureau-of-prohibition/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Torso_Murderer

On this episode of the World Famous Sofa King Podcast, we travel back time and look at the first emperor of unified China, Qin Shi Huan. His legacy is one of power, unification, reformation, and madness in the quest for eternal life. He was the one who started construction of the Great Wall of China and fought a massive series of wars to unify the 7 warring states to serve him as emperor. He drank mercury, burned books, killed just about everyone, and left behind the amazing army of terra cotta soldiers. Everything about this guy is controversial, even his birth. One account is that the was the son of a kidnapped prince and a wealthy consort. Another is that he was the son of this consort and a powerful merchant named Lu Buwei who just used the prince to give his unborn son power. Either way, Lu Buwei put this prince in power as king and then after his death, ruled the kingdom until (his son) the prince was old enough to take power. And take power, he did. Qin Shi Huan ruled over a period known as Warring States Period of China. Every single kingdom was conquered by this young king, and he even survived multiple assassination attempts (Fidel Castro’s got nothing on this kid). He completely remade China, killing all previous nobles, murdering scholars who didn’t agree with him. He also build roads, crated a canal that still serves to this day, and unified their language and coinage and culture. But, Qin Shi Huan went a little bit crazy at the end. He became obsessed with living forever, and he demanded scholars and sorcerers bring him potions. They were often made of mercury, which didn’t help things. By the time this amazing man died, he build an army of 8000 terra cotta soldiers to help him conquer heaven just as he did the earth! Visit Our Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_Army https://www.thoughtco.com/qin-shi-huang-first-emperor-china-195679 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/2000-year-old-texts-reveal-first-emperor-chinas-quest-eternal-life-180967671/ https://www.livescience.com/22454-ancient-chinese-tomb-terracotta-warriors.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingqu

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we explore some true crime and look at the life and murders of Lonnie David Franklin JR, aka, The Grim Sleeper. This serial killer was considered the longest operating killer west of the Mississippi River, and it took decades to catch him. He preyed on prostitutes in South Central Los Angeles, and he was only caught due to a piece of pizza and a crazy DNA match that didn’t even connect to him. Nobody really knows much about The Grim Sleeper’s youth, except that he was born in South Central LA in 1952. He spent some time in the army, but he was dishonorably discharged for gang raping a woman in Germany where he was stationed. Back in the states, he lived a typical blue collar life. He was married with two kids, worked in sanitation and even for the LAPD for a bit (not as a cop...). But in the meantime, a string of murders originally assigned to the Southside Slayer were mounting in the worst parts of South Central. Hookers were being found shot in the chest, but there were so many dead prostitutes there that the police thought it was several people doing the killing. And it was. So, how many serial killers used the same hunting grounds as the Grim Sleeper? How did he get his nickname? How did the local LA Weekly newspaper help bring him down? How did a DNA link to his son get him arrested? What does this have to do with a pizza party? How did he kill his victims, and what grisly mementos did the cops find when they raided his house? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://murderpedia.org/male.F/f/franklin-lonnie.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grim_Sleeper https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/Lonnie_David_Franklin https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/grim-sleeper-serial-killer-everything-you-need-to-know-252246/ https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/30/us/grim-sleeper-dies-death-row/index.html https://www.ranker.com/list/grim-sleeper-scary-facts/amandasedlakhevener

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King podcast, we look at the life, power, assassination, and conspiracy theories surrounding Robert Kennedy. Bobby Kennedy was of course John F Kennedy’s younger brother. He was raised in the Kennedy shark tank by their father Joe Kennedy, and he had no real choice but to be a political powerhouse. He was behind his brother’s election as president, came up with the solution to the Cuban Missile Crisis, and was a political powerhouse that most people underestimate. But he also made enemies, one who took his life. Bobby was a quiet child in a family that had no use for quiet children. His father was so powerful and ambitious that young Bobby soon became invisible to him. He also became his mother’s favorite, adopting many of her traits and interests. He served in WWII and when he got out started a career in politics. From early on, he was behind the scenes in many senate committees and worked to get his brother John elected first to lower positions and ultimately to the presidency. Though JFK originally didn’t want him for the job, their father convinced him to hire Bobby Kennedy as the Attorney General, and there he waged a war on organized crime, poverty, and injustice that America had never seen before. He worked with Martin Luther King, helped support Cesar Chavez, and took down many a mob boss. After his brother’s death, he finally ran for president himself, only to be shot after winning the California Primary. How was he involved in trying to assassinate Fidel Castro? Who shot him and why? What conspiracy theories exist surrounding his death? Was there a second gunman? Was it the CIA, and did they wipe the main assassin’s memory? Who was the woman in the polka dot dress? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/political-figure/robert-kennedy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Robert_F._Kennedy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_Select_Committee_on_Improper_Activities_in_Labor_and_Management https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy_assassination_conspiracy_theories https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-kennedy-conspiracy-20180527-story.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirhan_Sirhan#Motives

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we travel back in time and look at the history of the Underground Railroad. Some people estimate that this unofficial network of abolitionists helped 100,000 slaves escape to Canada. Key figures such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglas, and John Brown helped this movement grow and served as a beacon of hope for millions of American black slaves. The Underground Railroad was of course neither underground nor a railroad, but it did use railroad terminology to help code what they were talking about. In fact, everything from the roles people played to the religious songs that slaves would sing on the plantation served a purpose. Some songs would give directions North and others warnings to nearby slaves on the run, all in the guise of religious music. Pretty ingenious. There was no central leader or even a formal group that was the Underground Railroad. Instead, it was just a whole lot of like-minded individuals who wanted human lives to matter and parents a chance to see their children grow in safety and freedom. Some of the stories of these people are pretty amazing, ballsy, and inspirational, so you want to give this one a listen. Visit Our Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/underground-railroad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Railroad https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sojourner-truth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_of_the_Underground_Railroad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Anti-Slavery_Standard#Editors https://www.history.com/news/underground-railroad-mexico-escaped-slaves