Sofa King Podcast

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

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we take a look at the largest volcanic eruption in the modern history of the United States, the eruption of Mount St. Helens. This volcano started grumbling and causing a superstring of earthquakes in March of 1980, but on May 18, the volcano erupted. Two hundred and thirty square miles of forest were destroyed instantly as the equivalent of 1500 Hiroshima level nuclear bombs went off. Even though it was being watch closely by volcanologists, photographers, and the world, it’s violent explosion surprised almost everyone. Luckily a scientist who died in the eruption convinced the government to keep people away; this action is thought to have saved as many as a thousand lives. The destruction was inconceivable, but it may be in forms you weren’t expecting. For example, much of it was a tsunami like flow of water as called a Lahar that turned 46 billion gallons of glacial melt into several rivers of cement. The ash plume circled the globe and erased all geological features. People in the Pacific Northwest remember this very vividly. After all, Mount St. Helens was completely transformed by the explosion, and dozens died in this cataclysm.   Visit Our Sources: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mount-st-helens/1980-cataclysmic-eruption?qt-science_support_page_related_con=2#qt-science_support_page_related_con https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/18/us/mount-st-helens-facts-eruption-trnd/index.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/103/ https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazard/stratoguide/helenfact.html https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/624139/mount-st-helens-facts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYla6q3is6w

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we hit you with a little urban guerrilla true crime and look at the kidnapping, crimes, and domestic terrorism or Patty Hearst. Patricia Hearst is the granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst. In 1974, she was kidnapped from her apartment in Berkeley by a group called the Symbionese Liberation Army. While she was with them, she helped them rob a couple banks, shot up a sporting goods store, and made homemade bombs. Was she abused, drugged, and raped to become a victim-participant, or did she willingly join forces? Patty Hearst was born to a very wealthy family, obviously, but she was nowhere near granddaddy rich. She lived a normal life and eventually went to college at UC Berkeley to study art history. Meanwhile, a man named Donald DeFreeze was starting a terrorist group called the SLA. Their goal was to fight for the poor in America. Or something. After a few months, Hearst released recordings of herself saying she had joined the cause and shortly after that, she was seen on video footage in a bank robbery. The SLA killed some people, robbed some stuff, and demanded hundreds of millions of dollars to feed all the poor in American. Hearst’s dad managed to get two million, and the food delivery was a disaster. Eventually, this one got crazy. There was a Waco style shoot out between the feds and the SLA while their house burned. There was a nationwide manhunt by the FBI to find Hearst, and then when she was arrested, the trial was a circus. Was this a wild case of Stockholm Syndrome, or was it just a rich girl sowing her wild oats? Listen, laugh, learn.   Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/patty-hearst https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/patty-hearst https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patty_Hearst https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/patty-hearst-kidnapped https://www.npr.org/2016/08/03/488373982/whose-side-was-she-on-american-heiress-revisits-patty-hearst-s-kidnapping https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbionese_Liberation_Army https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/guerrilla-patricia-campbell-hearst/ Bank Robbery Video: https://youtu.be/xDPyT-6lh8E https://youtu.be/N17n8yleZKY

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at one of the all-time fascinating medical cases, the story of Joseph Merrick--The Elephant Man. Due to a hardcore medical condition, Merrick was deformed beyond recognition as a human being, with a massive head, huge protrusions all over his body, and even skin lesions that smelled. Add a dash of Victorian superstitions, and you have a man who was destined for misery at every turn. None of us are likely to have heard of him if it wasn’t for a world famous play and then a movie called The Elephant Man, but his story is one of sorrow, perseverance, and a surprisingly happy ending. The narrative in those fictions has some truth to it, but the real story varies quite a bit. What we know about him is that he wasn’t born like this. As a young child, he started to get deformities that only increased up till the day he died. His family eventually kicked him out, and even the work he could do got taken away once he was too deformed to perform skilled labor. By then, he was destined for the freak show. For a while, he made some money at this, but as tastes changed, they ran him out of town. If not for the friendship of Doctor Frederick Treves, his life would have ended with him on the street. But instead, he died with good medical care, surrounded by those who came to love him. So, what was the actual condition that caused this? What happened to him in his freak show days? How did he make it back to London after being abandoned in Europe? How did he die? What happened when he met Princess Alexandra? Listen, laugh, learn.   Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/news/elephant-man-joseph-merrick-biography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Merrick https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-48149855 https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-elephant-mans-bones-reveal-mystery-2860454 https://www.history.com/news/elephant-man-joseph-merrick-grave-discovery https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CejyfdIaCQ0

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we visit the dark king of techno, Trent Reznor. Many people don’t know him by name since he is the front man for Nine Inch Nails, but in a way, he IS Nine Inch Nails. The other band members come and go, but his writing, his producing, his ideas and lyrics are what the band really is. He is considered by many in the music industry to be one of the most influential artists alive. He has won Grammys and Oscars, and he has done sound tracks to some of the most popular movies of the past decade, all while taking shots at the hypocrisy and ignorance of typical American Culture. Trent Reznor was a talented child, and by high school was a master of the piano and could play just about every other instrument out there. He started college as a computer engineer, but he dropped out to try to make it with music. He got a job as a janitor at a music studio, and he was allowed to play around in the booth when they weren’t booked. Here, he taught himself to be a producer and how to layer, mix, and do all his music is famous for. He recorded all the songs on his first album, Pretty Hate Machine, and it was an instant success, even leading to a bidding war for who would release it. His next album was even bigger, and a very young age, Oliver Stone hired him to do the soundtrack for Natural Born Killers. He worked with David Lynch next and even got into video games. As his albums kept coming out, he kept creating controversy. He found Marylyn Manson. He lost Marylyn Manson. He became an addict. He became best friends with David Bowie. He got clean. He got married and created a new band with his wife. He bought the house where Sharon Tate was killed by the Manson family. He made a music studio in a funeral home in New Orleans. Through all of it, Trent Reznor became one of the best producers in the industry, mostly due to a chronic case of not caring what anyone else thought of him (and the ability to realize what his own brand was and to keep refining it). Give this one a listen, and then go binge on some NIN!   Visit Our Sources: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/trent-reznor-mn0000017580/biography nin.com https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/rock-stars/trent-reznor-net-worth/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trent_Reznor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUCKYter60A https://www.npr.org/2013/09/04/218961237/trent-reznor-im-not-the-same-person-i-was-20-years-ago https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Inch_Nails http://antiquiet.com/misc/lists/2013/07/former-ex-members-of-nine-inch-nails-where-are-they-now-nin-2013/ https://uproxx.com/indie/trent-reznor-nine-inch-nails-members-inducted-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/ https://exclaim.ca/music/article/five_noteworthy_facts_you_might_not_know_about_trent_reznor