MISCHKE: Mysterious Forces (ep. 119)

Summary

Garage Logic – "MISCHKE: Mysterious Forces" (Ep. 119)

Release Date: June 12, 2026
Host: Gamut Podcast Network
Featuring: The Mayor (Joe Soucheray), Misko (presumed/alter ego), Brad (caller)

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Episode Overview

This episode of Garage Logic, titled “Mischke: Mysterious Forces,” explores humanity’s perennial humility before existence’s cosmic unknowns and the inscrutable messiness of daily life. Joe Soucheray (or his alter-ego Mischke) meanders from the universe’s mysterious acceleration and scientific frustration to a deeply personal, darkly humorous phone conversation with a listener named Brad. Through bittersweet anecdotes and wry reflections, the program underscores how little we truly control or comprehend, whether it’s the expansion of the cosmos or the trajectory of our own lives.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Bewildering Universe, Mysterious Forces & Science’s Eternal Restlessness

• Parallel Universes & Multiverse (starting ~06:00)
  • Mischke muses on reports that scientists may have found evidence of another universe "bumping into ours," detected via cosmic microwave background anomalies.
    • “I can’t understand it. I’m a layman. But they’re thinking they’ve discovered a parallel universe bumping into ours.” (06:30)
• Changing Definitions & Multiverse Concepts
  • Explains how "universe" no longer means "all there is," with “multiverse” now in vogue.
  • Highlights the pace of new scientific buzzwords and generational shifts in perspective.
• The Universe’s Faster-than-Expected Expansion
  • Addresses current scientific consternation: the universe is not just expanding, but expanding too quickly, contrary to all predictions.
    • “Forces we don’t understand may be behind this increase in the speed of our universe’s expansion.” (07:45)
  • Mischke riffing: Is this “God”? Science’s humility before the mysteries. Concludes that “unknown forces” are inevitable and enduring.
• The Relentless, Frustrating March of Science
  • Pokes fun at science’s inevitable cycle of new ideas replacing old ("science is just a series of funerals").
    • “The old generation says, one universe; new generation comes along, multiverse; next generation—who knows what they are going to say? There’s no universe at all. It’s all a dream.” (09:00)
  • Uses the children’s song “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” to speculate: “What if it’s all a dream? Then it’s really ridiculous. All this work we’re doing.” (09:25)
• Doubt on Scientific Studies & Integrity
  • Mischke dives into skepticism: most research is "low quality," money and pressure taint results, and fraud is not uncommon.
    • “It’s astounding how many of the studies are, quote, unquote, low quality studies.… The outcome you pay for is the outcome you get. Wait a minute, that’s not objective.” (10:45)
• Existential Frustration and Comic Relief
  • Concludes that perhaps being a ball player would’ve been simpler than trying to grasp the mysteries of the cosmos—a running motif about the futility (and nobility) of the quest for answers.
    • “I think I’d have been happier, Chuck. No, Ray, you never mentioned that you would have preferred to be a ball player…” (12:55)
  • Segues into a wistful, almost poetic description of two scientists abandoning the lab to play catch in the backyard. (16:00)

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2. An Intimate, Deadpan Conversation with Brad: Life’s Struggles & Dark Comedy

• Introducing Brad (20:16)

  • Brad is dealing with post-surgery recovery, economic hardship, and a persistent drive to work.
  • Misko presses Brad on his priorities, nudging him to seek meaning and joy beyond making ends meet.
    • “So what are your plans between now and your death? Outside of making money? Anything?” (22:14)

• Philosophy of Work, Life Goals, and Missed Joy

  • Extended riff on the American obsession with work, underscored by wry, dark humor.
  • Story of Brad's boyhood goal: to drink 14 bottles of Orange Crush, and a punitive teacher who misunderstood the innocence of childish dreams.
    • “Everybody else was writing about their goal to go to college, graduate… We’re in sixth grade for God’s sakes. Who the hell has any goals anyway?” (24:30)
  • Tells the cautionary tale of a man who planned to work hard and retire young—he died before retirement. The lesson: “You can’t trade the early years for the late years. You have to take it now. Take it now.” (25:33)

• Names, Humor, and Irritations (26:50+)

  • Brad insists his name is just “Brad,” not “Bradley” or “Bradford.” Mischke riffs on how some names seem to doom a person’s likability.
    • “Some guys, their very name makes them sound like a jerk. Now, why would you give a kid a name…” (27:04)

• Stoic Realities and Emotional Distance

  • Brad admits people annoy him and he’s long been driven to work, humorously rebuffing suggestions to try meditation or be more like Mother Teresa.
    • “Because people irritate me a lot.” (29:23)
    • Mischke: “I just want to hurl myself into a chainsaw. … I think Pol Pot said that. I think that was his quote.” (30:11, dark satire)
  • Relationship talk: Brad’s lady friend is chronically ill and undiagnosed despite exhaustive efforts. Both are described, semi-affectionately, as “the Misery Twins.”

• On Diagnoses and Medical Frustrations (33:00+)

  • Frustration with the medical system’s inability to diagnose Brad’s partner’s condition. Amusing aside about quack therapies (magnets on feet), and broader critique of medicine's limits.
    • “In this world in 2026, there has to be a way to get that woman a diagnosis. … 50% of people who go to an MD do not get a diagnosis.” (34:01, 35:08)

• Personal Tragedy & Family (38:01+)

  • Brad recalls the death of his brother and issues with his son, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident.
    • “He’s angry like me, but when he gets angry… he’ll, you know, punch something.” (38:57)
    • Insight about cherishing the “good old days” amid life’s guarantee of future hardships.

• Closing the Call

  • Brad expresses gratitude for the conversation and for being part of the show.
    • “I’ve enjoyed talking to you. I have been a fan of yours since Vogel days…” (41:21)
  • Mischke responds warmly, wishing Brad many peaceful days with TV, dogs, and his partner.

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3. Comedy and Reflections on Human Cruelty: Burned at the Stake

(From ~42:32 onward)

• Mischke goes on a comedic tangent contemplating the cruelty of burning at the stake, arguing with imaginary townsfolk about the pointlessness and agony of historic punishments.
  • “You want me dead, right? That’s basically the thing. … I want me gone. Let’s get her done. Have you heard about the new anti-burning-at-the-stake movement?” (43:00)
• Uses this absurd theme to satirize human “progress” in punishment and morality, lampooning how societies rationalize cruelty.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the Universe’s Mysteries & Science:

• “Course there are unknown forces. Scientists are puzzled this week because things aren’t working out the way they thought. … The universe will continue to find new ways to keep us guessing about its mysterious ways.” (08:30, Mischke)

• “Science is just a series of funerals. You just wait for the old guard to die so the new guard can come along and say, good, they’re gone. Now we can get rid of those old fuddy duddy ideas and pass along what’s really going on.” (09:36, Mischke paraphrasing Max Planck)

On the Futility of Figuring It Out:

• “How do you even be a scientist without going a little mad? … We’re sort of like carpenter ants thinking we can know the depths of particle physics. We’re the equivalent of worms hoping to unravel the mysteries of a black hole. At best, we’re little puppy dogs frolicking in the garden at night, wondering where moonlight comes from.” (15:00-15:50, Mischke/Chuck/Ray conversation)

On Work and Life Planning:

• “Typical American. Trying to make a lot of money. … You can’t trade the early years for the late years. You can’t do it. You have to take it now. Take it now.” (21:46 & 25:33, Mischke)

On Personal Frustrations and Humor:

• “Because people irritate me a lot.” (29:23, Brad)
• “What would it be like to have Bradley start doing some meditation daily?” (32:05, Mischke)
• Brad describes “meditation rage” as likely: “That’s possible. It wouldn’t surprise me.” (32:51, Brad)

On Names and Identity:

• “Some guys, their very name makes them sound like a jerk. Now, why would you give a kid a name that instantly makes them sound like a jerk?” (27:04, Mischke)

On Diagnoses and the Medical System:

• “I was stunned to hear a doctor say to me, 50% of people who go to an MD do not get a diagnosis. The doctor does not know what’s wrong with them. 50%.” (35:08, Mischke)

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Key Timestamps

• 06:00 – The science rants: parallel universes, universe expansion, "unknown forces"
• 12:55 – Fantasies of being a ball player, poetic science parable
• 20:16 – Brad joins the show, conversation about work, surgery, and life goals
• 22:21 – Personal ambitions and the futility of delayed happiness
• 24:30 – School memories, Orange Crush story, critique of traditional goals
• 25:33 – Anecdote about trading youth for future retirement, “take it now” lesson
• 27:04 – Names and comedic musings on personality
• 29:23 – Honesty about being irritated by people
• 32:05 – The concept of "meditation rage"
• 34:01 – Brad’s partner’s undiagnosed illness; critique of the US medical system
• 38:01 – Family tragedy: Brad’s brother’s car accident and son’s injury
• 41:21 – Closing gratitude and nostalgia for radio days
• 42:32 – Burned-at-the-stake comedy/absurdist monologue

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Summary Tone & Atmosphere

The episode flows with Joe Soucheray’s trademark mix of wit, skepticism, and tenderness. The tone swings from cosmic awe and existential dread to Midwestern deadpan and heartland empathy, laced with gallows humor and oddly poignant digressions. The candid dialogue with Brad about life post-surgery, chronic illness, and family tragedies is the emotional core, balancing dark observations with moments of warmth and connection.

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Takeaway

“MISCHKE: Mysterious Forces” is a quintessential Garage Logic episode—philosophically restless, gently mocking the pretensions of science and seriousness, but grounded in everyday struggles. Whether asking what fuels the universe’s acceleration or dissecting the life regrets of a workaholic Minnesotan, the show finds common ground in our inability to ever fully figure life out—and the mercy of occasional laughter, connection, and playing catch in the golden light.

Transcript

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There are scientists thinking they've discovered that a parallel universe is bumping into ours. They're looking at a map of cosmic microwave background, blah, blah, blah, revealing eerie glowing patches that blah, blah, blah, may indicate imprints left from this encounter. I can't understand it. I'm a layman. I'm a layman. But they're thinking they've discovered a parallel universe bumping into ours. Now, until recent decades, most astronomers would have told you that by definition, the Word universe means all that there is. The word was used to describe all space, all time, all matter, all physical laws. But now another universe could be bumping into ours. Well, what you have to understand is in recent years, scientists have had to come up with this new word multiverse that's entered the language. Now, multiverse universe no longer means all that there is. It means all that there is in the world we inhabit. But there's possibly other worlds inhabited by who knows what or who. And golly, they're driving their entire world into our world and we're having a little fender bender out there in the cosmos, or so some say. So that's going on and they're struggling with that. They're all worried about, wait a minute, what the hell is going on out there? And then they're finding this. Our universe, which they have known for a while, is expanding, is expanding much faster than they thought. It's actually expanding too fast. It doesn't make sense. It's causing them to rethink everything. And there is this sentence, forces we do not understand may be behind this increase in the speed of our universe expansion. Forces we don't understand, mysterious forces we haven't really figured out seem to be messing with our universe in some way, shape or form. Scientists this week are just stressed. They're flumoxed, they're drinking, they're having trouble sleeping. It's a hell of a week to be a scientist. Give a listen to this report right here. We know the universe is expanding, but how fast is that happening? It's been a point of contention for years. And now a team of scientists claims to have made the most precise measurement yet. They found the universe is likely expanding at a rate of 73.5 kilometres per second. The only problem is that number doesn't align with the standard model of cosmology. And with all the new work double checked, it's left scientists wondering if perhaps some unknown forces could be influencing our universe to expand faster than predicted. Could some unknown forces be influencing our universe? Golly, what would that be? Tim, would you get over here? Some unknown forces are influencing the universe. That's God. What? Yeah, that's God. You mean he's real? Yeah, we don't have any data on that. There are some unknown. There are some unknown forces out there. People, can't we all pretty much agree. I think we can all agree that in general, in this great wild, crazy world universe, multiverse, whatever you want to call it, there are some unknown forces. I think we ought all be able to agree on that. The idea that we know all the forces, that our puny little minds have figured everything out. Come on. Course there are unknown forces. Scientists are puzzled this week because things aren't working out the way they thought. And it seems there's other things at work out there that they just don't understand and they can't believe they don't know everything. And apparently there are some unknown forces. Unknown forces, unknown forces. Seems the universe will continue to find new ways to keep us guessing about its mysterious ways. It's going to keep us guessing. I think it's fair to say we're going to be guessing for the rest of our lives and all future lives. That's right. Every life that comes along for the rest of time will be endlessly guessing, trying to figure out what the hell is going on. The idea that we would ever figure that out. Look at this crazy, insane, wild, wondrous thing called existence. Then look at people. People are like Doug over there getting an ice cream cone. Or Dave asking his brother in law why the light keeps flickering in the bathroom. These are morons. We're idiots. We're just a bunch of yay. Who's. We're not gonna figure this out. The universe will continue to find new ways to keep us guessing. Keep us guessing. Mysterious ways, unknown forces. Mysterious ways. Keep us guessing. I keep us guessing. I keep us guessing about mysterious ways. Unknown forces, unknown forces. They keep us guessing. Mysterious ways, unknown forces, unknown forces. They keep us guessing. Mysterious ways, mysterious ways. The story of life. The problem with being scientists is it just keeps changing. A new generation comes along and says, no, no, no, that's not the way it is. It's like this. And then those people have to die so the new scientists can come along and say it's like this. What did Max Planck say, the famous physicist. Science is just a series of funerals. You just wait for the old guard to die so the new guard can come along and say, good, they're gone. Now we can get rid of those old fuddy duddy ideas and pass along what's really going on. And then they get entrenched in their ways and these young bucks come along and say, well actually, I think it's like this. And the old guys say, you're out of your mind. And the old guys die. And the new guys have the new say. And they say, it's like this. The old generation says, one universe, new generation comes along, multiverse, next generation. Who knows what they're going to say? There's no universe at all. It's all a dream Just like the song Row, row, row your boat Gently down the stream Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but a dream what if it's all a dream? Then it's really ridiculous. All this work we're doing. I was reading this the other day, right here, this right here. And it was about how scientists are endlessly having to change their ideas of what's going on, rethink things, throw out the old notions, bring in new ones. I was reading about studies. The world is full of low quality studies. I learned there are lots of studies being done out there all the time. But it's astounding. And again, this isn't me talking. This is other scientists. It's astounding. How many of the studies are, quote, unquote, low quality studies? What are you working on there, Timmy? Well, it's a study. That a good one? No, it's a low quality one. Well, why are you doing that? Well, I got to get some study in. You know, that's my job. I'm a scientist. Don't have a lot of money. It's a low quality one, but it's a study. And I also read that in all studies you cannot control for every variable. Well, if you can't control for every variable, that means you can't really know if this study can be trusted. There are other variables he didn't account for. Well, that's true, Tom, but we accounted for a lot of them. Yeah, but I'm just not feeling good about this. Then you learn that money's behind so many of these studies. It's astounding how much money there is behind studies and how much the people paying want a certain outcome. And then you learn how often that's the outcome they get. The outcome you pay for is the outcome you get. Wait a minute, that's not objective. Then you learn, and I'm not kidding here. I read about all the fraud that can be found in science. Yeah, scientists committing fraud, cheating, altering images, altering data so they get the results they want. Ego gets into this. And then I read about valid findings getting distorted by the hype machine. People over hype findings, they push it a little too hard. They get full of hyperbole, they exaggerate. The more I look at science over the years, the more I see people endlessly, endlessly having to change their mind. We used to think this. Now we think this. We used to think that. Now we think this other thing. We used to. And now. Once upon a time, but today and on and on how do you even be a scientist without going a little mad? Chuck, did I ever tell you I really wanted to be a ball player when I got out of high school? I never wanted to be a scientist. Wanted to be a ball player, Chuck. That was my dream. I think I'd have been happier, Chuck. No, Ray, you never mentioned that you would have preferred to be a ball player. You seem a little down, Ray. What's bothering you? Well, it's never ending, Chucky. We keep trying to figure all of this out and it just gets more complex and more bewildering. We think we have this universe thing figured out. Now we're discovering some force we don't understand, doing something for reasons we can't explain. Just about the time we think that's frustrating enough, we. We learn another parallel universe we haven't even been aware of is bumping into our universe. I don't know, I'm just realizing. I've been at this 30 years, Chuck. 30 years. And I just plain think I should have been a shortstop for some minor league farm club. I wanted to play ball, Chuck. I wanted to play ball. Have a beer afterward with the fellows, go home to my wife and kids. Watch a little tv, that sort of thing. Well, what got in the way of that dream, Ray? Science did, Chalky. Science. I wanted to know how it all worked. All of it. All of it. All of it. All of it. All of it. I wanted to understand it, Chuck. Couldn't just let it be, huh, Raymond? Nope, I couldn't. I wanted to understand it all. I wanted to know it deeply. I wanted to grasp it completely. Poor Ray. Poor Ray. Didn't you know that every new discovery would come with 20 more questions? A never ending game, Ray. We're sort of like carpenter ants thinking we can know the depths of particle physics. We're the equivalent of worms hoping to unravel the mysteries of a black hole. At best, we're little puppy dogs frolicking in the garden at night, wondering where moonlight comes from. That's who we are, Ray. Nothing fancy. We're just people. And it all remains beyond our reach. And it will be forever. Thus. Jack. Yeah, Ray? You want to play catch? Sure, Ray. That sounds great. I'll grab my mitt. And so Chuck and Ray left the lab, went out in the backyard and played catch. It was a beautiful late afternoon in the spring. The old leather mitts came out. That wonderful baseball thrown back and forth. The two of them smiling, realizing this. They understand. Yes. All of a sudden, it all made sense. Life as the afternoon became evening and the sun got low in the sky, illuminating their faces in golden light as they threw the ball back and forth. I like playing catch with you, Ray. I do too, Chuck. I'm enjoying this. No one ever asks about how it is that we play catch. No one ever analyzes what's involved in playing catch. No one ever studies people who play catch. Science is completely removed from this action. They're uninterested. And I like that. Last Tuesday, a man in a diner was struck by a fly in bratwurst at a company picnic. He did not call Bradshawn Bryant. I would have A fella last Christmas in Anoka was injured when his neighbor's elaborately decorated holiday mailbox and I'm talking lights, a working drawbridge, little nativity scene, collapsed onto his left foot during a PO polar vortex. He did not call Bradshawn Bryant. 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[Misko]

1918 the First World War was still happening. There were 48 states. Commercial radio did not exist, which means MSP was fixing your pipes before they could advertise on radio that they could fix your pipes. Sliced bread wasn't even invented, for God's sake. MSP was a decade old before anyone thought to pre slice bread. Four generations of the same family. Minneapolis St. Paul plumbing, heating, air and electric. Can you believe it? When a family does one thing for one community for over a hundred years, they're not guessing anymore. They know exactly what they're doing. And right now, through the end of June, whatever they're doing for you, they're knocking 50 bucks off that repair. Plumbing, heating, cooling, electrical. All those things you've been putting off, don't put it off now. You'll get 50 bucks off if you call MSP today. Minneapolis St. Paul Plumbing, Heating, air and electric. They were here before radio and sliced bread. They'll be here tomorrow. They'll be there for you. Msp. Well, I think it's time to go to the listener list and see who we can call. We just look at that big old list there. All those folks who have come contacted me and said, yeah, you can call me sometime if you want to, Misko. And I'm gonna just grab a name off it and see if I find them around, see if they answer. If you'd like to be on the list, just text me at 651-3218-949651-32189. Sam.

[Brad]

Hello, Mr. Mishke.

[Misko]

Well, hello there, Brad. How are things in your world?

[Brad]

All in all, not too terrible.

[Misko]

All in all, not too terrible. Sounds like some things just aren't going the way you had hoped.

[Brad]

Life has its challenges.

[Misko]

What challenges are you facing, Brad?

[Brad]

Oh, just making ends meet, things like that. Gas is up. Food's up. I'm five months out from open heart surgery.

[Misko]

Five months out from open heart surgery. Hopefully your heart is still open. Is it still open?

[Brad]

It is open now. Most of the arteries were not when they went in and cracked my chest.

[Misko]

And when they opened it, did you find you're a more loving person, more welcoming, embracing the world? No. It was a complete colossal failure.

[Brad]

Then I would say that they fixed me. I can. I can work as hard as I used to.

[Misko]

This isn't about work. This is about opening your heart, Brad.

[Brad]

Actually, I told him the important thing was is I wanted to get back to being able to work seven days a week instead of having to take a day off each week.

[Misko]

You're sick. What you meant is you wanted to get back to spending time with those people you love and cherish before this life is over. Brad, what are your priorities?

[Brad]

Making enough money.

[Misko]

Typical American. Trying to make a lot of money. I'm sorry. Glad to hear you're doing well. Sorry about the struggles that must have hurt like hell having your sternum cut into.

[Brad]

Yeah, it was a little painful for the first couple weeks.

[Misko]

I've heard people say quite painful.

[Brad]

Yep.

[Misko]

So what are your plans between now and your death? Outside of making money? Anything?

[Brad]

Trying to get all my bills squared

[Misko]

away, shoot me in the head.

[Brad]

Trying to get everything down to the least amount of money so that I can retire a little earlier than. Than I had planned on.

[Misko]

So you can do what?

[Brad]

Very little. Just kind of relax.

[Misko]

What does that involve the coach?

[Brad]

Some tv?

[Misko]

You want to retire and watch television?

[Brad]

Yes. I figured it out a few years ago. I've been getting a paycheck from a person outside of my family, not. Not chores and stuff like that since I was 7 years old.

[Misko]

Good God almighty. Work, work, work. How old are you?

[Brad]

53.

[Misko]

Well, you're a long way from hanging it up, camper Danny.

[Brad]

Ten years. I should be able to have everything taken care of and organized and situated that right around 62 when I can start collecting Social Security, I can just kind of relax.

[Misko]

And I met a guy when I was 27 years old who was 23 and he had just purchased a little grocery store. 23 years old. And I said a few years ago, when I was 23, all I wanted to do is grab a bottle of hooch and jump on a freight train and you're buying a store. You sure you don't want to spend some time in your twenties living a little bit before it all becomes work, work, work, work, work. And he said, I got a plan. And I said, okay, you got a plan. I never did have a plan. Never in my life have I had a plan. Never. When I was a boy, Brad, I was in sixth grade and there was this teacher, big gal, half man, really. We never quite understood it. She smoked a pipe. How many women you know smoke pipes? She was a mean, wretched, spiteful, straight razor toed SOB. She picked me up one time by my collar and threw me against the blackboard because we had to write a paper on our goals for the future. And my goal was to drink 14 bottles of Orange Crush. 14 bottles of Orange Crush because my brother had drank 13. And he was known around the neighborhood as the guy who drank 13 bottles of orange Crush in a row. So I wanted to drink 14. That was my goal. And in all seriousness, and I'm not joking at all here. I was known when I was at the lake cabin in the summertime. I was known when I was a boy as the Orange Crush kid. That's what they called me. So I wrote this on a piece of paper and passed it in. And she thought I was mocking her, making fun of her. Everybody else was writing about their goal to go to college, graduated with some certain degree. We're in sixth grade, for God's sakes. Who the hell has any goals anyway? She ended up thinking I was mocking the whole enterprise. And she picked me up and threw me against the blackboard Back then. You could do that. These Catholic schools, they could beat the living hell out of you. She could have thrown me out a second story window and killed me and they'd have just suspended her for a couple of days. But she unloaded on me. And I didn't understand it because in my mind I was following exactly what the assignment was. That was my goal at the time. It was her failure to understand what being a child is all about. Why am I here? What were we talking about that got me here? Was I asking about goals or how did I get here?

[Brad]

You were just asking me what I planned to do.

[Misko]

Oh, I remember this fellow who bought the grocery store at 23. He said to me, I'm going to work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work. And I'm gonna retire at 45. And I said, 45? He said, yeah. He said to me, if you kick ass, I mean, just kick ass from your early 20s on. And I mean, I'm not taking any time off ever. The second half of your life can be bliss, utter bliss. Well, I would run into him periodically at the grocery store. He was taking his 15 minute lunch. It's all he allowed himself. He had a bag lunch. 15 minutes was all he allowed himself. He worked, worked, worked, worked, worked, worked, worked, worked, worked. And he died of cancer at 42. Now the lesson there is you can't trade the early years for the late years. You can't do it. You have to take it now. Take it now. What did Studs Terkel used to say? Take it easy, but take it. So right now, not 10 years from now, right now, what are you going to do to make this a great summer, a wonderful summer, the best summer you've ever had?

[Brad]

I don't know. Haven't thought about it.

[Misko]

Come on, Brad. Can I call you Bradley?

[Brad]

No, because that would offend my mother. My name is Brad. That's all it is.

[Misko]

She didn't name you Bradley?

[Brad]

Nope. Not Bradley or Bradford. And she got into many arguments with elementary school teachers that insisted my name had to be either Bradley or Bradford.

[Misko]

Is there any way at all that I could give her A call.

[Brad]

Unfortunately, she passed away about nine, 10 years ago. From Alzheimer's.

[Misko]

Damn it. Well, I like the name Bradley. I was calling you and thinking about Brad versus Bradley. Bradley had a nice sound to it in my mind. Bradley. It's very. It's not formal, it's not informal. Now, some guys, their very name makes them sound like a jerk. Now, why would you give a kid a name that instantly makes them sound like a jerk? You get a little baby, 7 pounds, 9 ounces. Look at that. Cutie, cutie. And then you give them a name that the rest of their lives they'll have to first prove they're not a jerk. The first thing they'll have to do, no matter who they meet, is prove that they're not a jerk. We had the one guy growing up whose name was Troy. Now, unfortunately, he was a jerk, so he wasn't able to prove he wasn't. But I don't think he would have been a jerk if they wouldn't have gone with that name. Why would you go with Troy?

[Brad]

I don't know. I have a cousin named Troy, and he seems to be okay.

[Misko]

But I bet he has to prove he's not a jerk.

[Brad]

Oh, absolutely.

[Misko]

Yeah. And how does he do that?

[Brad]

Just by being a kind, generous individual.

[Misko]

I bet he's got to be Mother Teresa kind. And that's quite a burden to put on someone.

[Brad]

I have never seen him do a bad thing to anybody.

[Misko]

You know, I was thinking, mentioning Mother Teresa. I was thinking, what if this is the summer that every day. Every day. Every day, Brad. Every day you get up and at least once in the day become Mother Teresa, Even for seven minutes. And every night you write in your little journal. Here was my Mother Teresa moment. Now, I'm not telling you what that moment is. You have to decide who she was and what she'd do for seven minutes. You write that down in your little journal. Some of the things you do might take 30 seconds, but it was 30 seconds of pure, unadulterated Mother Teresa. Why wouldn't you do that? Why wouldn't you do what I just said?

[Brad]

Because people irritate me a lot.

[Misko]

I just want to hurl myself into a chainsaw. When did it all go wrong, Brad? What was family life like growing up?

[Brad]

My parents were very good to me. I just have always been driven to work. I don't know why, but five, six years old, I just always was driven to work, to do something for a paycheck.

[Misko]

God. I actually have never met anyone like you. You're gonna Be the guy sitting on the front lawn in black socks and bad shorts and a ugly little muscle T shirt, fat belly, saying get out of here to any kid who comes by. What do you mean, people irritate you? Just what does that mean exactly?

[Brad]

They can't do anything right. In my mind.

[Misko]

I think Pol Pot said that. I think that was his quote. Pol Pot. These people can't do anything right. Mow them down.

[Brad]

I never heard that quote from him.

[Misko]

Oh, yeah, it's on a T shirt. I have a T shirt at home as a picture of Pol Pot. It says, mow them down. These people can't do anything right. Are you sympathetic with the idea of genocide somewhat?

[Brad]

No.

[Misko]

Okay, so people bother you. And I take it you don't have a wife.

[Brad]

I have a lady friend. I have an ex wife.

[Misko]

But I bet you have an ex wife. I bet X is capital X.

[Brad]

Correct.

[Misko]

I'd sure love to give her a call. I wouldn't even talk. I just say I'm going to turn up the volume. Honey, you roll. I'll just record.

[Brad]

I actually don't know her phone number anymore.

[Misko]

But you do know what that restraining order looks like, don't you?

[Brad]

I don't have a restraining order.

[Misko]

Not yet. What went wrong in that marriage, Brad? She called you Bradley too often.

[Brad]

She was the one that wanted the divorce. I was no longer the new shiny thing. She's also treated our children very poorly.

[Misko]

Good God. This is a horror show. You got a lady friend now, though?

[Brad]

Yep.

[Misko]

What do you like about her?

[Brad]

She lets me be me.

[Misko]

She lets you be the person that finds other people irritating?

[Brad]

Yes.

[Misko]

Does she find that kind of an endearing quality in you?

[Brad]

He finds it a humorous quality. She seems to laugh mostly when I describe things that irritate me.

[Misko]

How often in a given week are you on the edge of some serious road rage?

[Brad]

Five or six times a day.

[Misko]

I believe that. You know what, pal? I'm a little worried about your heart. I'm not shocked about needing the open heart surgery. And I'm a little worried about that ticker making it to 60.

[Brad]

Doctors are, too. They keep telling me I gotta reduce my stress.

[Misko]

Reduce your stress? Reduce your stress. How do you think you'll pull that off? Exactly. What would it be like to have Bradley start doing some meditation daily?

[Brad]

Don't know that that would work for me.

[Misko]

You know what you would have. And you'd be the first person. It'd be fascinating to watch because it would be the first case you would have? Meditation. Rage. It's not A term anyone's ever come up with before. It's never been seen. Road rage, sure, but going postal, I get it. But in the midst of meditation are kidding me. But you would be the first. You would begin to throw things around the room, hurl things, because you'd encounter your thoughts, your perceptions, your sensations, those things that puzzle you, annoy you, disturb you. Next thing you know, you'd have a violent seizure.

[Brad]

That's possible. It wouldn't surprise me.

[Misko]

What do you and your gal do when you go out on a Saturday night?

[Brad]

She's actually disabled, and it's hard for her to get around, so we don't go out.

[Misko]

You started a relationship with her with her disabled?

[Brad]

Yes. She has a large breathing problem. She gets asthma attacks quite frequently throughout the day. She does stuff around the house, but not as much as she'd like to.

[Misko]

Her disability is asthma.

[Brad]

It's very extreme. It's not actually asthma. They actually don't know what she has. She's been to the Mayo Clinic, and they just kind of shrugged their shoulders and went. We don't know all of her doctors. Their job that they're trying to do is just keep her quality of life up as high as they can.

[Misko]

I don't like this. I don't like the idea that she doesn't even have a diagnosis.

[Brad]

I don't either. Neither does she.

[Misko]

I was one of those guys who went to the Mayo Clinic for four straight days, the Citadel on planet Earth, for diagnosing things. Their great gift is supposed to be diagnosing things.

[Brad]

That would be the frustration that we have with them.

[Misko]

Doesn't mean there isn't a diagnosis. It just means you haven't found it yet. Boy, in this world in 2026, there has to be a way to get that woman a diagnosis. I'm curious. Has she ever once, ever, once ever considered moving outside the world of traditional orthodox medicine?

[Brad]

Yes. She had a allergist who she's. Since this issue happened. And one time he tied magnets to her feet and rubbed her legs.

[Misko]

That's actually a real fetish. I know about that. A friend of mine does that with several women and he pays them. What I'm curious about is has she ever looked around the country by going on the Internet and found somebody where she said to herself, boy, if I could get out there to see this person, I think they're really good. I at one point flew out to Maryland to see a guy. I had to fly out to Maryland. It's just interesting in this world, and I Know many stories like this, by the way. A lot of people have, in many cases, traveled the world to find answers to problems that no doctor could find the answer to. I was stunned to hear a doctor say to me, 50% of people who go to an MD do not get a diagnosis. The doctor does not know what's wrong with them. 50%.

[Brad]

Wow. I had no idea it was that high.

[Misko]

Would she consider herself to be having a happy life?

[Brad]

No. No, not at all.

[Misko]

God. And she hangs out with you?

[Brad]

Yes.

[Misko]

You guys are the Misery Twins.

[Brad]

I told her that I was gonna start rubbing off on her. She says, oh, no, you won't. And I said, yes, I will. And I have.

[Misko]

Where'd you meet her?

[Brad]

A chat messaging thing. I just was looking to talk with people. I even put on my profile that I wasn't looking to date anybody. So we were chatting off and on for a while, and then kind of. I hung out for a while from time to time, and then she just said, hey, you want to hang out for a long time?

[Misko]

And I'm like, okay, this is the damnedest thing. I just don't know anybody who operates like you do. What is a good Saturday? Let me guess. Watching television.

[Brad]

Watching television and playing with our dogs.

[Misko]

You're kind of like the Brady Bunch. I mean, you entered the relationship with your dog. She entered the relationship with her dog. Here's the story of a man named Bradley who was busy with a little dog of his own. He hated all humanity, and he was all alone till the one day. How old is she?

[Brad]

50.

[Misko]

How many years ago was she free of this? Did this not exist 15 years ago? At 35 years of age, she has lived a life without any breathing problems.

[Brad]

Yep.

[Misko]

And then they start.

[Brad]

Literally, start overnight. She was working for the VA hospital and went on a conference to Utah and got on a plane coming back and woke up the next day, and she couldn't breathe and ended up getting rushed to the hospital.

[Misko]

I'm so uncomfortable with the fact that she does not have a diagnosis.

[Brad]

Trust me, I am too, and is

[Misko]

not pursuing a diagnosis.

[Brad]

She kind of has given up.

[Misko]

Here's what bothers me. The answer is out there. The answer is sitting out there, but it's outside her reach. But the answer is there. There is a diagnosis. And I would argue because this does not sound like something incurable. It just sounds like something only incurable because they're. There's no diagnosis. I don't know why. I'm hung up on it. I'm hung up on it. How can we get me off this topic. I can't even get off this topic. Someone hit me with a phone here. There's a landline right next to me. Good old fashioned phone. This phone looks like something you would have seen on a desk in 1987. Watch this. There. All right. Now we can move on. You have any brothers and sisters?

[Brad]

I did have a brother. He was killed in a car accident about 24 years ago.

[Misko]

Good God Almighty. Holy smokes. How old?

[Brad]

He was 24.

[Misko]

Boy, oh boy, man. Your dad.

[Brad]

My dad is still with me. He has since remarried to a woman that he very much enjoys hanging out with, and she seems to treat him pretty good.

[Misko]

She has no legs, though.

[Brad]

She has a little bit of health stuff, but nothing, nothing like my lady friend.

[Misko]

Tell me about your kids.

[Brad]

My oldest one just turned 30 this year. And the middle child, she's 28. She'll be 29 here in a couple months. And then My youngest is 25. He's had some challenges in his life. He's had a couple of severe accidents in an automobile. Traumatic brain injury. So he has some issues with that.

[Misko]

How bad is the brain injury?

[Brad]

He has a very poor impulse control. He. He's angry like me, but when he gets angry. See, when I get angry, I scream and yell for about five seconds. He screams and yells for 10, 15 minutes sometimes and he'll, you know, punch something. And my anger is just mostly screaming and yelling, and then I'm better. He does physical things to himself. Doesn't really do physical things to other people. It's mostly an impulse control problem.

[Misko]

How old was he when he had this accident?

[Brad]

19.

[Misko]

Good Lord Almighty. So in some respects, he's not the same kid he was.

[Brad]

Absolutely not. He's not happy anymore. And he's, like I said, he's got a lot of impulse control problems where he just flies off the handle at the drop of a hat for absolutely no reason.

[Misko]

I was talking to a young couple the other day. Young, beautiful couple. Beautiful, young, healthy, married, getting ready to have a kid, talking about having a kid. And they were complaining a little bit about this or that, little things. And I looked at them at one point after hearing maybe the seventh or eighth complaint about something in their life. And I said, you know, you guys are going to be old one day and you're going to look back and realize this was it right here. Right here, right now. This was the top of the mountain right here. This was the best life got. You're young, you're in love, you're freshly married, you Both have great jobs. You go out to breweries on the weekends. You go to movies. You go out and dance. You take vacations. You sit out in your backyard and barbecue. This is the top of the mountain. It doesn't get any higher, just gets worse. So I'd tuck every one of those complaints away because this is it. There are all sorts of horrors awaiting you. Sorry to rain on your little parade. Things are going to happen that are ridiculously horrific. So just try to drink that beer I see you holding right there and look out at that blue sky and those white clouds and say, these are the good old days. Well, I'll tell you something, sir. I've enjoyed talking to you. We've really been in some different rooms in this conversation.

[Brad]

Yes, we have. I've enjoyed talking to you. I have been a fan of yours since Vogel days. I was a little too young for the phantom caller time frame, but I've heard some of the outtakes from that and just been following you ever since. And I was so happy to see that Hubbard decided to hire you back.

[Misko]

Yeah, it's been a great thing to be back here. It's funnier than hell to be back with him. I walked these same hallways and run into some of the same people. Just yesterday, I ran into Patrick Royce. Haven't seen him in years and years. Used to see him all the time, of course. And we just started talking and laughing uproariously, and it was like it was 1995 again.

[Brad]

Wonderful.

[Misko]

I do like being back here. Well, I sure wish you well. And I do wish you a day on a couch with a little television and no work and your girl nearby and your dogs just relaxing.

[Brad]

Thank you for calling me.

[Misko]

Hope to talk to you again sometime.

[Brad]

Anytime.

[Misko]

All right, Brad. So long.

[Brad]

How long?

[Misko]

Memory care isn't one thing. Memory, as it goes, creates a progression. And where someone is in that progression matters enormously in terms of how they're cared for, in terms of who they're around, what they need from people. The Wellshire Memory Care center in Medina and Bloomington is built around this reality. Four distinct households, four stages, each stage staffed by people trained specifically for that stage of memory care. You're not placing your loved one in a facility here. You're placing them with people who understand precisely where they are and what that stage requires. The staff at the Wellshire is the most rigorously trained in this region of the country, and almost none of them ever leave. Think about what that means for your loved one. This isn't the standard out there in memory Care. It should be, but this is extraordinary. This is the Wellshire of Medina and Bloomington. I'm going to shift gears here. Forgive me, because this topics a little odd, but by golly, I've been thinking about it and I've been thinking about it a lot. And when that happens, I need to exercise it out of my system by talking about it on the show. I've been thinking about getting burned at the stake and how much I wouldn't want to be that person getting burned at the stake. A lot of people over the years, not so much these days. But you know, a lot of people over the years got burned at the stake. There was a time when it wasn't that uncommon to hear someone say, well, your punishment is you're going to be burned at the stake. Well, come on, you can't be serious. No, I'm quite serious. Really? Wow, that sucks. I don't think that was a good time in our history when people were okay with that. You okay with that over there? I guess it isn't the greatest thing in the world, but do what you got to do. That just sounds agonizing that people had to go through that. I just. Picture the moment you're told that's your punishment. What is it again? I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. Burned at the stake. I thought that's what you said. Can we make a deal? You want me dead, right? That's basically the thing. You want me dead, I get it. But let's take care of it quickly. I'm on board with death, but let's get her done. No need for the whole hot, bright flame thing. That's a hell of a lot of work. Someone has to build a fire. First of all, you and how many guys around here are really all that good at that? Guys say they are, they always say they are. But then you watch them build a fire. You realize they're no boy Scout. I'm thinking a single swing of a club, a big club right to my noggin would do it. Worst case scenario, while I'm unconscious there, you gotta swing one last time for good measure. That's all good by me. But you save yourself the rope, you save yourself the stake, you save yourself the logs, the matches, and the loud horrific screaming, which can be about as annoying as fingernails on a chalkboard, I think. So let's get this done quietly, quickly and efficiently and get my corpus off this mortal coil so you can have a happier day. I want you to have a happier day. I want me gone. I Want me gone? Let's get her done. Have you heard about the new anti burning at the stake movement that's out there? You don't want those virtue signaling. Yay. Who's parading around here, do you? Talk about a disruption. Let's club me now. Let's get it over with. Who's got the big mallet? Ernie, you got the big mallet. Who's got the big mallet? You think back to the old days when someone would say, let's execute, had an oromulus over there by burning him at the stake. You think there was anyone, Anyone who said, hold on a minute, that's kind of cruel. What's that, Steve? That's kind of cruel. Steve, what are you saying? Well, I just think that's kinda mean. Steve, we honestly have never heard anyone object to this before. Well, how would you like it if someone burned you at the stake? You know, Steve, I never once thought of looking at it that way. I can tell you I wouldn't like it much at all. Yet you're willing to burn someone else at the stake? Well, yes, Steve, precisely. Because there's someone else. Yeah, and I'm saying we should have the same view toward someone else that we have toward ourselves. Wow, Steve, where the heck would you ever come up with a notion like that? Well, it's called the golden rule. Yeah, well, we're not adopting that one. That would remove half our daily rituals and alter our life around here as we know it permanently. Steve, we hope your excuse on this stuff is that you've been drinking. You've been drinking. I'm stone sober. Well, then I'm gonna have to ask Carl to burn you at the stake. Carl burns Steve at the stake. You know how to build a good fire, don't you, Carl? Steve says, you're no boy scout. You ought to prove him wrong. And Carl says, well, I'd ordinarily do that for you, but there's this sudden realization on my part that this is just horrifically sick, cruel, vicious and inhuman. Your point being, Carl? Well, that we need to evolve. Like Steve said. Evolve to people who just club each other over the head instead of. No, no, no, no, no, Carl, that's devolving. That's what guys did in an earlier epoch, before the invention of fire. When we got fire, we went to burning at the stake. That's evolution. We're not going back. Well, couldn't we just hang him? That hasn't been invented yet. Hanging doesn't come around until the 5th century, and then it's really the main way of killing folks by the 12th century century. But we're not there yet. Could we stay in our lane? We're burn at the stake, people. Come on.