Sofa King Podcast

Remember when we were on the radio and had weird local commercials. Well... Brad has the Rona this week so Classics is what we have got for you. Enjoy and if Brad lives we will be back next week. Listeners requested that we discuss the mysteries surrounding Nome, Alaska, so that’s what we do for this episode of the Sofa King Podcast. This small town of 3,800 people is believed to be a hub of missing people, UFO sightings, and alien abductions. An abduction horror film called The Fourth Kind is set on Nome and plays with the truth of the missing people of the small town. How much of the alleged mysteries of Nome are true and how much are fiction? We dig deep to find some truth. Yes, there is an abnormal percentage of missing people, so we explore the reasons for the disappearances. We also look at the misinformation about Nome that came from Universal pictures due to a viral public relations campaign (including fake news releases) as well as what the FBI’s official report on the missing people says. The Sofa Kings also discuss a supposed Black Pyramid patrolled by men in black just outside of the city, a missing Inuit village called Angikuni, and the alien abduction phenomenon in general.

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at the music, clothes, and philosophy of the Punk Rock Movement. This one is hard to define. The bands, locations, sounds, and styles all differ radically. However, somehow, a range of different bands are labelled punk. They all rebel against the establishment, and most of them wear black, but there are as many differences as similarities between those who are considered Punk Rock. This is a way of life and fashion as much as a musical style, and you may be surprised by the bands we’ll talk about and label as punk. If you love Anarchy (in the UK or elsewhere), and wish you could have gone to CBGB in Dave’s Musical Time Machine, this one is for you. Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rock https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/readers-poll-the-best-punk-rock-bands-of-all-time-15225/ https://www.liveabout.com/history-of-punk-rock-2803345 https://www.liveabout.com/timeline-of-punk-music-history-2803347 https://www.liveabout.com/punks-most-influential-albums-2803358 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBGB https://pitchfork.com/features/from-our-partners/9943-rip-it-to-shreds-a-history-of-punk-and-style/ https://www.simandan.com/punk-music-history/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3L7xIJ3aDo

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we go to the land down under. We talk about some Aussie True Crime and hit you with the Moorhouse Murders. They were named after the street where the murderers lived. In an unassuming house, David and Catherine Birnie raped and murdered several women on a horrible crime spree. Their back stories are all you’d expect for a couple of serial killers, and their bizarre codependent love, sex, rape, torture, murder groove is grotesque and bizarre. This one has it all, including injecting medicine in a penis, so you know, there’s that if you’re into it. And if you've read this far, let’s face it. You are.   Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_and_Catherine_Birnie https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/david-and-catherine-birnie-the-macabre-and-sadistic-moorhouse-murderers/news-story/d1937accb6dfdbb6cc89074e7eb7c241 https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/birnie-david.htm https://the-line-up.com/moorhouse-murders

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we explore the philosophies, techniques, and science around Wim Hof. Called the Iceman by the press, Hof has set 18 extreme world records. For one, he spent nearly two hours submerged in ice without his core body temperature dropping. The climbed Mt. Everest in just a pair of jogging shorts, and he ran a marathon in the desert with no water. And the craziest thing is, Wim Hof claims he can teach these abilities to anyone. He has a method called the Wim Hof Method, and he travels the world teaching it. His goal? To change all of medicine through a Netflix documentary. We’ll tell you all about him and the details of the WHM that he teaches on this episode. You don’t want to miss his interaction with Jim Carrey!   Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wim_Hof https://destinationdeluxe.com/wim-hof-method-iceman-breathwork/ https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/can-breathing-like-wim-hof-make-us-superhuman https://www.thextraordinary.org/wim-hof https://www.wimhofmethod.com/ https://whateveryourdose.com/the-wim-hof-method-what-is-it-and-does-it-really-work/ https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/wim-hof-says-he-holds-the-key-to-a-healthy-life-but-will-anyone-listen-196647/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soHwRkIkTHA

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about all things Tattoo. We know a lot of our listeners have ink done, and some even have Sofa King Tattoos! We talk about what tattoos we have or want to have. Next, we play a game to see if Brad and Brent can tell fake celebrity tattoos from real ones! So, in this episode, we look at the vast history of tattoos in human beings (it goes way back, ya’ll!). We also take a look at different cultures and how they view this body art. From ways to identify prisoners to symbols of wealth and prestige, tattoos are used for all sorts of reasons. Some parts of the world see them as a lower class art form, and others have seen it as holy magic. From British Kings to ancient mummies, everybody needs a good bit of ink done, so listen in and see how wide spread this practice has always been.   Visit Our Sources: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tattoos-144038580/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_tattooing https://time.com/4645964/tattoo-history/ https://www.tattoodo.com/articles/14-facts-about-tattoos-4329 https://www.insider.com/best-worst-celebrity-tattoos-all-time-2020-6 https://www.newzealand.com/us/feature/ta-moko-maori-tattoo/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0vh0epbYNQ  

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the founders, history, and reputation of bad boys of motorcycles, Harley Davidson. It was started by William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson (and his brothers) in 1903. They wanted to make bicycles that did the work for you. Within a decade, they were one of the leaders of motorcycle manufacturing in the world. Their bikes helped the US battle Poncho Villa, served in WWI, and were sold to all allies in WWII. The whole macho counter-culture vibe of riding a hog belongs to their own marketing. In fact, 5% of their net worth comes from selling their logo, not their bikes! So if you want some history on the inventors, a look at the Harley Davidson corporation (and their hits and misses), or just want to feel like you’re in a badass 1% bike club, give this one a listen.   Visit Our Sources https://www.biography.com/business-figure/william-s-harley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harley-Davidson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_S._Harley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Davidson_(motorcycling) https://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/history-harley-davidson/ https://moneyinc.com/20-things-didnt-know-harley-davidson/ https://www.hotcars.com/20-cool-facts-about-harley-davidson-most-americans-dont-know/

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