Sofa King Podcast

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