Sofa King Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 666: Satan: Nuff Said! Jul 01, 2022

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about Satan. It only made logical sense for our 666th episode to talk about Lucifer, the Prince of Lies. So where do his origins begin? As with most Christian beliefs, he starts pre-Christianity as a series of malevolent gods and human adversaries who merge to one supernatural baddie. He is never physically described in the Bible, and he is not even said to be the actual snake that tempts Adam and Eve. The modern idea of a giant red, horned beast with a tale comes from centuries of Christian evolution, not much of which is canonical. But he remains one of the most important beings in human mythology, a figure of evil and deceit, bent to topple god and destroy all that’s good. And he’s not even running for president… Visit Our Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/history-of-the-devil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan https://www.livescience.com/56341-where-did-satan-come-from.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/deathof.htm https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-is-your-soul-worth-2013-9 https://allthatsinteresting.com/moloch https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Crossroads-a-liminal-setting-for-occult-and-supernatural-activities https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/003463739208900402?journalCode=raeb

A Sofa King Classic: The Roswell Incident Jun 24, 2022

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This is one of the largest public government retractions and alleged cover-ups that exist in the realm of conspiracy theory. The actual facts are that a press release came out from the US Air Force on July 8, 1947, claiming a “flying saucer” crashed thirty miles outside of Roswell. Then, on July 9, the Air Force changed their story and infamously said it was a weather balloon. The story pretty much died down from there until 1978 when UFOlogist and author, Stanton Fieldman, reopened the case and gave it national attention. So what really happened on the sheep ranch outside of Roswell? Was it as the first witness William “Mac” Brazel claimed with his simple description of a debris field? Was it what the later alleged witnesses claimed—wild stories of metal with memory, substances that couldn’t be broken or burned, and a mysterious light-weight I-Beam that had purple unidentified glyphs scrawled on it? Why did the Air force change their story? What is Project Mogul, and why might the Air Force have made up a story of alien craft just to cover up this real-world project? And what about the supposed mangled alien bodies pulled from the wreckage or the threatening Men In Black? Well, I guess you’ll just have to listen to find out.

A Sofa King Classic: Hunter S. Thompson Jun 21, 2022

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at the truly gonzo life of the one and only Hunter S Thompson. Thompson was a journalist who became famous for his crazed drug-fueled antics and anti-authority stance. Born in Louisville, Kentucky to a middle class family, his father died while he was a teenager, and his mother was left very poor and became an alcoholic. During this time, Thompson started writing, and he had such a skill for it, he was allowed to join an elite writing group normally left for the wealthy. He also fell in with a bad crowd and started experimenting with drugs and started committing crimes ranging from shoplifting to vandalism to robbery. The robbery landed him in jail, and the judge said he could go to prison or join the military. Thompson decided on the Air Force. He career there was short, and he was discharged in two years for lack of discipline and subordinating other airmen. Once out, he began his career as a journalist, working as a copy boy for Time Magazine. Eventually, he started to get stories to cover, and he landed a big one in 1965 when The Nation hired him to do a story on the Hell’s Angels. Hunter S. Thompson ended up spending a year on the road with the motorcycle club, documenting their lifestyle in his unique literary style. The resulting book was a smash hit, and it gave him enough money to buy his compound called Owl Creek and opened up the door to an impressive (if not unorthodox) career as a journalist. His next big piece was an article called “The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved," which was where the term Gonzo Journalism got coined. The story was less about the race and more about Thompson’s personal time spent at the race. It led to his next huge success, which was when Sports Illustrated sent him to cover the Mint 400 race in Las Vegas. This lead to his masterpiece, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Hunter S Thompson covered everything from Richard Nixon to his own race to be sheriff of Aspen, Colorado. He even got stranded in Vietnam during the evacuation of Saigon! His stories are wild and varied and pretty hard to believe. What happened when he went to Zaire to cover the Foreman/Ali fight? What was his political platform when he ran for office? What did a typical day of drug use look like for him? Why did he kill himself at the end, and what strange things happened at his funeral? Listen, laugh, learn. Kentucky Derby Article: http://grantland.com/features/looking-back-hunter-s-thompson-classic-story-kentucky-derby/

Episode 665: Sputnik: Start of the Space Race Jun 17, 2022

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about Sputnik. Sputnik was the first man-made satellite to ever orbit the earth, and it started the Space Race and made the Cold War grow even hotter. It was designed by the Soviet Union using a system of interlocking governmental agencies. Sputnik was far ahead of its time, and it freaked America (and the rest of the world) out. The response was the formation of NASA and DARPA and the race to the moon. Why was public reaction positive, even for most Americans? How did a dog turn the tide on the Soviet win? What impact did it have on the world? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sputnik-launched https://history.state.gov/milestones/1953-1960/sputnik https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1 https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/research/online-documents/sputnik-and-space-race https://www.space.com/17563-sputnik.html https://history.nasa.gov/sputnik-timeline.html Cool Sputnik Video

Episode 664: David Bowie: Grandfather of Glam Jun 14, 2022

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On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the Grandfather of Glam, David Bowie. He was hands down one of the most important artists of his life time, experimenting with every new style of music and instrument out there. He was one of the main influencers on the androgyny of the 1980s, and his most famous persona, Ziggy Stardust, was a creature that made fun of itself. He was an often obsessed artists who would create a bizarre musical character and inhabit it on and off stage (even hiding his urine from wizards at one point. Honestly.). Listen to this one as we talk about one of the greatest singer songwriters of all time. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/musician/david-bowie https://www.davidbowie.com/about https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie https://stacker.com/stories/13641/david-bowie-life-story-you-may-not-know https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/522704/15-fascinating-facts-about-david-bowie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin_White_Duke#Controversy Bowie and Crosby Video Ferrel and Reilly Video Cool Bowie Video

Episode 663: The Kursk: Russia’s Epic Fail Jun 10, 2022

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at the sinking of The Kursk. The Kursk was a Russian nuclear sub and was declared “unsinkable.” However, a constantly declining military budget let their navy start to fall apart. On Aug 12, 2000, during a massive fleet-wide training exercise, the ship fell silent. Well, not exactly silent since seismographs on the other side of the world reported two explosions, one equaling a 4.2 on the Richter Scale. What followed was an epic failure in the Russian Navy’s response, the government’s inactivity, and Vladimir Putin’s callous nature. Everyone on The Kursk died, and their corpses were only discovered by foreign divers since the Russians couldn’t do it themselves. This is a sad story of a government and bureaucracy that left its sailors to die. Visit Our Sources: https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a23494010/kursk-submarine-disaster/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kursk_submarine_disaster https://www.rferl.org/a/the-kursk-catastrophe-a-lesson-for-putin-is-fading-from-russian-attention-20-years-later/30778500.html https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-coronavirus-and-the-kursk-submarine-disaster https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=82260&page=1 https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=82720&page=1 Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RL_UdWCPlw Raising The Kursk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQJ6IMREvz8

Episode 662: The Sphinx: The Ultimate Egyptian Enigma Jun 07, 2022

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one of the most famous structures on planet earth—The Great Sphinx of Giza. The Sphinx is old. It is really old, but nobody knows exactly how ancient it is. Popular beliefs put it at 4500 years old, built by the Pharaoh Khafre. Others say it was built by that pharaoh’s father, Khufu. Yet others claim it was discovered by Khufu and is centuries older than either of them. This monument has been subject to vandalism, erosion, and centuries buried under the sand. Was there any truth to Edgar Cayce’s predictions about hidden Atlantean artifacts? What is the water erosion theory, and how does that potentially change the age of the Sphinx? How far is it from the nearest Pizza Hut? Listen, laugh, learn? Visit Our Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-egypt/the-sphinx https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Sphinx_of_Giza https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx_water_erosion_hypothesis https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/uncovering-secrets-of-the-sphinx-5053442/ https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-great-sphinx-closed-eyes-really

Episode 661: James Strang: The King of Beaver Island! Jun 03, 2022

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one or the boldest cult leaders to ever live—James Strang. He proclaimed himself the King of Beaver Island in Lake Michigan, and from there, he ran an empire of lumber theft, polygamy, and even piracy across The Great Lakes. He wrote diaries in a made up language (that took a century to decode), forged documents and holy artifacts to help take power within the Mormon Church, and even became a member of the House of Representatives. Oh, and there was that one time he hid his second wife by dressing her as a boy and saying she was his cousin. If you like cults, this one has it all! Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Strang https://leelanau.com/remembering-king-strang-of-beaver-island/ https://www.michiganradio.org/arts-culture/2020-07-24/new-book-documents-the-life-of-james-jesse-strang-self-professed-mormon-monarch-of-beaver-island https://mynorth.com/2009/03/beaver-islands-king/ https://www.ranker.com/list/james-strang-mormon-king-of-beaver-island/genevieve-carlton https://www.wpr.org/most-audacious-con-man-youve-never-heard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voree_plates#Script_used_on_the_plates

Episode 660: Henry Rollins: Temper, Tattoos, and Timbre Jun 02, 2022

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one of the loudest voices of Generation X, Henry Rollins. He was the front man for the epic punk band Black Flag and later the front man for the Rollins Band. He was in icon of the 80s and 90s, known for his temper, tattoos, and timbre. Henry Rollins sang against the establishment and fought against what was corrupt in society; he fought against his fans at concerts, too, leading to a reputation as a hot head. He became equally famous for his spoken word and lectures as his music, and he helped voice the rage and frustration of his generation with an eloquence that few possessed. Visit Our Sources: https://bigthink.com/people/henryrollins/ https://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2007-Pu-Z/Rollins-Henry.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Rollins https://blabbermouth.net/news/henry-rollins-has-never-regretted-his-decision-to-stop-making-music https://www.grammy.com/artists/henry-rollins/6739 https://www.comedydynamics.com/catalog/henry-rollins-keep-talking-pal/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM7oxuOLIiw

A Sofa King Classic: Fluoride May 20, 2022

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Daves not here man ... Classic This episode peels back the lid on the very popular conspiracy theory involving the use of fluoride in municipal drinking water. The common conspiracy theories get pretty crazy and talk about Communist plots and argue that Nazis used sodium fluoride to keep prisoners of war and concentration camp victims docile. We talk about those theories and whether they have been debunked or not, but we also look at more credible historical and scientific facts. One fact is that fluoride is a byproduct of enriching uranium and making aluminum, and it is a highly corrosive and toxic substance in concentration. Evidence obviously indicates that in very, very small amounts it helps prevent tooth decay. But in moderate to large amounts, it is a poison. (So much so that just after 9/11 the NSA expressed concern about terrorists hijacking unprotected fluoride trucks and using them to poison entire towns). How much is too much fluoride? How much is in the water you drink? How can you filter it out of your water, and what bottled water can you buy to avoid it? Is it even a big deal? Good questions. We answer those and cover everything from calcified pineal glands to mind control on this one, while we did deep into the concerns about fluoride. Most Western nations refuse to use it in their water supply for fear of over-saturation, and even the EPA in the US has recently lowered the levels it allows in drinking water due to nationwide cases of dental fluorosis. Do we only drink it because nobody has a means to dispose of this potentially toxic chemical? Do the health benefits outweigh the risks? Does it even really help our teeth when we drink it? We cover all this ground and much more. This one will make you want to wear a tinfoil hat and also realize that fluoride is a byproduct of your tin foil hat!

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