Sofa King Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Bonus Episode 220: Teco Taste Test! Aug 25, 2023

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On this bonus episode of everyone’s favorite sitcom, the guys celebrate shark week. Brent turns his pool into salt water, so he can buy a great white shark. Brad builds a shark cage to use in Brent’s pool, but cheap steel from Kerplunkistan puts his life in danger. Dave makes a killing when he buys out all the U.S. steel in town and replaces it with cheap steel from Kerplunkistan. Special Guest Star: The King of Flavor! If you can’t find this classic episode, you can always tune in at https://www.patreon.com/sofakingpodcast

Episode 730: Johnny Carson: The Star Maker Aug 22, 2023

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the GOAT of late night television, Johnny Carson. At his height, he had the power to literally ask a comedian to stick around after a commercial break and make them overnight starts. David Letterman, Robin Williams, Rodney Dangerfield, Joan Rivers, and endless others claim that this single nod is what made their career. He single handedly changed late night programming into the format we recognize tonight. Carson was a brilliant comedian and show runner, though he did have some problems with liquor women. If you love classic comedy, give this one a listen! Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/johnny-carson https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/richest-comedians/johnny-carson-net-worth/ https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/johnny-carson-foundation/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Carson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Do_You_Trust%3F https://www.purevolume.com/entertainment/secrets-from-the-johnny-carson-show/ https://factsverse.com/dark-secrets-about-johnny-carson-we-ignored-for-too-long/ https://www.neatorama.com/2017/02/22/14-Facts-You-May-Not-Know-About-Johnny-Carson/ https://www.factinate.com/people/johnny-carson

Episode 729: The Phantom of Heilbronn: The Woman Without A Face Aug 12, 2023

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast we talk about one of the strangest True Crime cases we’ve ever seen—the Phantom of Heilbronn. Also called “The Woman Without a Face,” this master criminal left DNA evidence at over 6 murders and 40 crime scenes spread over three countries. From the gang-style murder of an elite drug cop to DNA left on a toy gun at a small robbery, The Phantom was unstoppable. Her crimes led to a multinational manhunt. Why didn’t people already arrested for her crimes come forward with her identity? What was unique about the police officer's murder? Why did they think she used Heroin? What was the ultimate truth about this criminal mastermind who ran rampant across Europe? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.iso.org/news/2016/07/Ref2094.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_of_Heilbronn https://haubrichnoir.medium.com/tanzen-in-the-dark-the-phantom-of-heilbronn-1f4778e4ecdf https://www.iflscience.com/serial-killer-the-phantom-of-heilbronn-was-hunted-for-16-years-the-problem-she-didnt-exist-58551 https://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1888126,00.html https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/nov/09/germany-serial-killer https://killzoneblog.com/2020/06/the-woman-without-a-face.html

Episode 728: The Odd Fellows: Skeletons in the Closet Aug 08, 2023

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the Order of Odd Fellows. This fraternity slash secret society included Charlie Chaplin, Wyatt Earp, Ulysses S Grant, Charles Lindberg, and Franklin D Roosevelt. It was once larger than the Masons. Their goal was to expand friendship, love, and truth to all of humanities. They even acted as a form of insurance for each other before such a concept actually existed, but they had a funny way of doing things. For instance, starting in the 2000s, people all across America discovered dozens of skeletons hidden in abandoned Odd Fellow Lodges, and it turned out that this was a group that protected itself with odd rituals and cryptic codes. Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_Order_of_Odd_Fellows https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/633931/independent-order-odd-fellows-secret-society-skeletons https://odd-fellows.org/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ioof/comments/6hyyx4/my_great_great_grandfather_was_a_odd_fellow_left/ https://occult-world.com/odd-fellows/ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-01-mn-45210-story.html https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/eras/grand-united-order-of-odd-fellows-in-america/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odd_Fellows https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Howard_Cook

Episode 727: Edward Bernays: Master of Manipulation Aug 01, 2023

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the godfather of propaganda, Edward Bernays. Bernays was Sigmund Freud’s nephew, and stewing in that pot of mental manipulation made him a master of the craft. He started as a small-time editor and ended up toppling communist regimes alongside the CIA, getting women to smoke cigarettes, and making bacon a health food. He actually discussed a shadow government that ruled the world by mass manipulation of the populace, way back in the 1920s. He was a member of this shadow government, and even the Nazis learned their craft from him. Visit Our Sources: https://theconversation.com/the-manipulation-of-the-american-mind-edward-bernays-and-the-birth-of-public-relations-44393 https://www.edology.com/blog/marketing/4-lessons-from-behavioural-science/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays https://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/12/consumer https://growth.me/books/propaganda/ https://www.npr.org/2011/02/10/133636541/the-business-of-color-company-sets-fashion-trends

Episode 726: The Batman Jul 27, 2023

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the one and only Batman. That’s right, crime fighters! Batman has been a hallmark of American popular culture since he debuted in 1939. He’s gone from a murderer to a campy clown to a brooding teen and back again. His origin story is tragic, and his heroism is arguably a psychotic obsession, but something about the Dark Knight has captured our imagination. If you want to hear about how this gothic hero came to be, or you want to listen us debate which actor played the best Batman, download this one ASAP. Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman https://www.superherostuff.com/biographies/batman_biography.html https://www.hendrix.edu/news/news.aspx?id=61460 https://screencrush.com/psychologist-diagnoses-the-batman/ https://comicvine.gamespot.com/profile/vipersixteen/blog/batman-is-not-crazy/156779/ https://www.ranker.com/list/batman-in-arkham-asylum-fan-theory/jonathan-kantor

Episode 725: John Ashley: Gangster, Bootlegger, Pirate! Jul 25, 2023

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about John Ashley. He was the head of the Ashley Gang and was said to rob 40 banks while becoming the head of Florida rum-running during prohibition. He got one of his eyes shot out by a member of his own gang, became the first pirate to attack American ships since it was a British colony, and had a feud with a one-legged sheriff who vowed to take Ashley's eye! His lover and wife, Laura Upthegrave, was just as devious as he was. Bonnie and Clyde got all the attention, but they couldn’t hold a candle to these two! Visit Our Sources: Expedition Unknown https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ashley_(bandit) https://indianrivermagazine.com/the-ashley-gang-what-really-happened/ https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/robberies/john-ashley/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Upthegrove https://indianrivermagazine.com/defiant-to-the-end/ https://www.flsheriffs.org/blog/entry/sheriff-bob-baker

Episode 724: State of A.I. Part Two Jul 06, 2023

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we dive back in to the treasure trove of Artificial Intelligence with a talk on the state of A.I. (part 2). This time around, we talk about some of the newer events unfolding with AI. We cover the music being generated by AI, which uses the exact voice of actual singers. That’s going to be a legal mess, as will digital actors doing things they may not approve of. We also talk about the rights not just of humans but of AI itself—if it gets advanced enough, shouldn’t it have legal rights like any other sentient being? We cover that, the open letter to pause AI written by Future of Life Institute (and signed by Elon Musk, Seven Wozniak, and other tech badasses), and much much more! Visit Our Sources: https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/

Episode 723: Westall UFO Encounter: Aussies, Cover Ups, and Men in Black Jul 04, 2023

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we explore the skies of the land down under and talk about the Westall '66 Encounter. Also called Melbourne 350, this is a strange UFO sighting. Why is it strange? Well because there were 350 witnesses including 5 local pilots from a flight club who were chasing it in the sky. It is also strange because all the reports sent to the government or the media seemed to have vanished, and there were straight up Men in Black on the scene within 30 minutes threatening students and teachers alike. President Johnson from the US even sent someone to investigate. After more than 50 years, most people who were witnesses are still reluctant to talk about what happened over Westall back in 1966. If you want to know what’s out there, give this one a listen! Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westall_UFO https://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/ufo-westall-april-6-1966 https://www.9news.com.au/national/westall-ufo-could-pilots-could-hold-answers-to-mysterious-objects-in-melbourne-sky/bcc6fb1f-6ea7-418d-abdf-24c92bf46b2e https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-US/noartistknown/photograph-of-the-supposed-westall-ufo-encounter/nomedium/asset/3520531 https://www.heraldsun.com.au/web-stories/free/herald-sun/melbournes-westall-ufo-sighting-continues-to-fascinate?nk=b3204de6f74eba4240d185ee56cf5706-1688062656 https://www.roswellufomuseum.com/post/the-melbourne-350 https://www.foxnews.com/science/audio-reveals-creepy-details-of-ufo-mystery https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9631507/Westall-incident-April-6-1966-Melbourne-teacher-gagged-200-saw-UFO.html

Episode 722: Kurt Vonnegut: So it Goes… Jun 20, 2023

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one of the greatest authors and popular culture figures of all time, Kurt Vonnegut. With the release of his 1969 book Slaughterhouse Five, Vonnegut became an overnight sensation. He was something we lack today—a celebrity author who was witty enough to dominate late night and literary enough to be studied by scholars. One of the key moments of his life was being captured the Battle of the Bulge in WWII and then surviving the firebombing of Dresden. His life, his pain, his humor, and his madness, all play out in his wildly original novels, and hopefully we do him some justice with this little episode of ours. We might even laugh inappropriately as he would have wanted. So it goes *** Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/writer/kurt-vonnegut https://www.vonnegutlibrary.org/biography/ https://www.famousauthors.org/kurt-vonnegut https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/kurt-vonnegut-slaughterhouse-five https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?cc=mqr;c=mqr;c=mqrarchive;idno=act2080.0049.111;rgn=main;view=text;xc=1;g=mqrg https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/88215/13-humanizing-facts-about-kurt-vonnegut https://bookanalysis.com/kurt-vonnegut/facts/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Dresden_in_World_War_II https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/books/interview-with-joseph-heller-and-kurt-vonnegut-1992-by-carole-mallory/#:~:text=We%20were%20both%20sort%20of,didn't%20meet%20you%20then.

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