01-30-25 - Comedian Ken Flores Passed Away And Was Booked This Weekend In PHX - Resetting Dale's Trip To The Ra Ra Room

Summary

Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Arizona: Episode Summary (January 30, 2025)

Host/Authors: Dick Toledo and Brady Bogen
Episode Title: Comedian Ken Flores Passed Away And Was Booked This Weekend In PHX - Resetting Dale's Trip To The Ra Ra Room
Release Date: January 30, 2025

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1. Tragic News: Passing of Comedian Ken Flores

The episode opens with Dick Toledo briefly mentioning an advertisement, which is promptly bypassed as Brady Bogen dives into somber news about the comedy community.

Brady Bogen ([00:35]):
"Normally, about now we would have a comedian come in. And today we did not have Ken scheduled, but news broke last night that Ken Flores, who is performing at Desert Ridge and I believe the improv this weekend."

Tragically, Ken Flores, a promising young comedian scheduled to perform at Desert Ridge Improv, passed away the previous night. Brady elaborates on Ken's untimely death, expressing shock and sadness over the loss of someone so vibrant and full of positive energy.

Brady Bogen ([01:21]):
"He was a Mexican Ralphie May. He was kind of a chubby Ralphie. I remember he was... it's been a minute since he's been here, but he was fun."

Dick Toledo confirms Ken's dual performances at both Desert Ridge and the improv scene before his passing.

Dick Toledo ([01:23]):
"Yeah, I think he was doing both."

2. Circumstances Surrounding Ken Flores's Death

The hosts delve into the details surrounding Ken's sudden demise. At just 28 years old, Ken's death is attributed to a heart attack, a rare occurrence for someone so young and physically active.

Brady Bogen ([01:39]):
"They said CPR was administered and paramedics got there, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. They don't think anything weird happened, but initially they weren't sure. Assumed heart attack."

Despite the official statement, speculation ensues among listeners, with some attributing his death to factors like the COVID vaccine, though Brady dismisses these theories.

Brady Bogen ([02:15]):
"They said it was a heart attack. 28 years old... Heart attack is rare. So of course the comments all say COVID vaccine. It doesn't matter. That's a tough one. That's weird..."

3. Impact on Upcoming Shows and Audience Reactions

The sudden loss of Ken Flores leaves the Desert Ridge community and his fans reeling. The hosts discuss the implications for upcoming shows and the process for ticket refunds or rescheduling.

Brady Bogen ([04:15]):
"But yeah, Ken Flores passed away, so if you've got tickets, I guess you go to desertridgeimprov.com and you can figure out what to do if you've got tickets. I don't know how they're gonna do it."

Dick Toledo and Brady debate the possibility of replacing Ken with other local comedians, acknowledging the unique flavor Ken brought to the stage that others might not easily replicate.

Dick Toledo ([04:28]):
"Who's the local guy? That Frank always brings out. He'll probably be there."

Brady Bogen ([04:35]):
"No. No refunds. You get Cantor now in the ultimate comedy betrayal. Gilroy's probably available."

4. Personal Reflections and Anecdotes

Transitioning from the heavy news, the hosts share personal stories and reflections, offering a glimpse into their camaraderie and the interpersonal dynamics of the show.

Brady Bogen ([05:17]):
"I thought you said you found a solution to get them."
(Referring to bike racks)

Dick Toledo ([05:19]):
"Yeah, I put them back in the box..."

These light-hearted exchanges contrast the earlier somber tone, showcasing the hosts' resilience and ability to find humor amidst tragedy.

5. Introducing Dale's Trip to the Ra Ra Room

The conversation shifts to Dale, another figure within their circle, setting the stage for upcoming discussions and anecdotes related to him.

Brady Bogen ([06:00]):
"He was killing it up. ... He's a slow walker because his legs don't look right when he walks."

Dick Toledo ([09:26]):
"Well, he always texts, I'm in the parking lot."

Brady recounts a memorable story of Dale's determination and rebellious nature, highlighting his tenacity and the humorous situations that arise from his actions.

Brady Bogen ([09:30]):
"When someone says, you can't go there, he just does it anyway."

6. Closing Remarks and Upcoming Segments

As the episode nears its end, the hosts prepare to welcome Dale into the conversation, hinting at upcoming topics related to sports and personal stories.

Brady Bogen ([07:28]):
"Well, she offered after all."
(Referring to a drink offer, segueing into personal anecdotes)

Dick Toledo ([09:28]):
"You're in the parking lot."

The episode concludes with teasing future discussions, maintaining the engaging and dynamic nature of the show despite the earlier loss of a beloved comedian.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Brady Bogen ([01:21]): "He was a Mexican Ralphie May. He was kind of a chubby Ralphie. I remember he was... it's been a minute since he's been here, but he was fun."

• Brady Bogen ([02:15]): "They said CPR was administered and paramedics got there, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. They don't think anything weird happened, but initially they weren't sure. Assumed heart attack."

• Brady Bogen ([04:15]): "But yeah, Ken Flores passed away, so if you've got tickets, I guess you go to desertridgeimprov.com and you can figure out what to do if you've got tickets. I don't know how they're gonna do it."

• Brady Bogen ([09:30]): "When someone says, you can't go there, he just does it anyway."

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Conclusion

This episode of Holmberg's Morning Sickness poignantly addresses the unexpected loss of comedian Ken Flores, providing listeners with heartfelt reflections and community updates. Despite the heaviness of the news, the hosts skillfully navigate through personal anecdotes and upcoming plans, maintaining the show's hallmark blend of humor and sincerity. The conversation serves as both a tribute to Ken Flores and a testament to the enduring spirit of Arizona's #1 Morning Radio Show.

Transcript

[Dick Toledo]

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[Brady]

The old method of treatment for a person in this condition was to throw him in jail. The Foo Fighters right there. What did you. Don't say it. I don't know what you just said. I don't know what you just said, but Brady heard. All right. I thought I heard something. Be careful. We're at work. No, I watched the lights. Can't curse like that. Good Lord, man. That came out of the blue right as I was turning the mics on. You're dangerous. You're a risk taker. Festival Normally, about now we would have a comedian come in. And today we did not have Ken scheduled, but news broke last night that Ken Flores, who is performing at Desert Ridge and I believe the improv this weekend.

[Dick Toledo]

Yeah, I think he was doing both.

[Brady]

Yeah. Has passed away. He died last night and he was supposed to be here. The club has issued a statement. But Ken was a. Like a. He was a Mexican Ralphie May. He was kind of a chubby Ralphie. I remember he was. It's been a minute since he's been here, but he was fun.

[Dick Toledo]

November of 2023.

[Brady]

And I won't claim to have known him well or anything like that, but it is shocking news. It's very strange, and I don't know that I've found anything yet that has confirmed why he passed away. But if you wanted to go see Ken this weekend, I guess you go to desert ridgeimprov.com and you can figure out what to do if you've got tickets. I don't know how they're gonna do it. They said. They. They're saying it was a heart attack. 28 years old. They said CPR was administered and paramedics got there, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. They don't think anything weird happened, but initially they weren't sure. Assumed heart attack, but. 28 years old, even big and fat, 28 years old. Heart attack is rare. So of course the comments all say COVID vaccine. It doesn't matter. That's a tough one. That's weird because he is a. He was one of those guys that was a kind of an up and comer. He was. He had that weird. You know, when the comedians come through here, you have the few that you're like, yeah, something here. Like, you might not be great, like on the air and stuff with this and promoting, but you've got like, you're funny. Like, you just knew he was fun. And I, you know, that's weird just seeing him. And I've gone back while I, you know, the news this morning. I went back and looked at a couple things he did, and he was just good energy. It was just a positive energy. It was a Fun dude, but 28 years old. Passed away at 28. So Ken Flores supposed to be in town here, which is very strange when that happens and it happens in your yard. And I don't know where he died, but he clearly here.

[Dick Toledo]

Yeah, he would have been in town or on his way because.

[Brady]

But it says it was in his residence Tuesday afternoon. So I guess he.

[Dick Toledo]

Yeah, he wasn't here yet. Yeah, Tuesdays, because before I left yesterday, they had. They were putting out announcements.

[Brady]

Okay. So it was yesterday that we all found out. I thought it was yesterday he died. There's a lot of times the comedians will get here Wednesday to do.

[Dick Toledo]

Right.

[Brady]

But we never. We didn't have them scheduled.

[Dick Toledo]

No, we did not.

[Brady]

Okay, who did we. So it's just.

[Dick Toledo]

They.

[Brady]

He.

[Dick Toledo]

He apparently didn't need the help.

[Brady]

He was killing it up.

[Dick Toledo]

He was.

[Brady]

He.

[Dick Toledo]

Yeah, he was selling out.

[Brady]

Well, that stinks because a lot of the young comics are like, not that much fun. He's. He was. He was a blast. So didn't he bring a bunch of people with him?

[Dick Toledo]

Two guys, I believe.

[Brady]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dick Toledo]

I think they were his openers.

[Brady]

Of course. Yeah, there was this little, you know.

[Dick Toledo]

It'S like Gabriel when he came in.

[Brady]

Gabriel used to bring his whole family. Gabriel. Gabriel almost got us deported. He brought so many Mexicans into this room.

[Dick Toledo]

Do you remember that van he bought?

[Ken Flores]

Conversion?

[Brady]

Yes. That giant van to drive, drive, drive.

[Ken Flores]

Everyone around, PlayStation in the back.

[Brady]

Yeah. But yeah, Ken, Florence passed away, so if you've got. He was actually in Los Angeles, so he's at his house. Very strange. But if you have tickets, I guess I don't even like how you can go and get refunds for my money back.

[Dick Toledo]

Who's the local guy? That Frank always brings out. He'll probably be there.

[Brady]

George Cantor. I don't think Cantor is going to take the place of Flores.

[Dick Toledo]

No.

[Brady]

For his crowd. No. No refunds. You get Cantor now in the ultimate comedy, betrayal. Gilroy's probably available. Yeah, Gilroy is most definitely available.

[Dick Toledo]

Double betrayal.

[Brady]

And you know what would happen? All the Ken Flores fans would die that night because they killed himself. It's tough to see a comedian go, but it's especially tough when they're young like that. Don't see anybody like that, does it? And another ultimate joke in his last joke on me in the story I'm looking at the advertisements. Are those goddamn bike racks I bought that I can't put on my wall. The ads on Ken Flores, comedian, passes away at 28. And all the ads around it are those.

[Dick Toledo]

I thought you said you found a solution to get them.

[Brady]

Yeah, I put them back in the box, and I hung the things back where I had them before, where I didn't want them. The first one I put the bike racks, couldn't get them figured out. They kept tearing out of the wall. So I just put it back into the hooks I had on the ceiling that I had puttied over the 31 mistake drills. I had a few pilot holes till I found myself a stud. Yes, I have a stud finder. Doesn't work through plaster that well. It works, but not great. Gonna spend some money on a stud finder. I went out and I got a great stud finder. The most expensive one still doesn't go through the old plaster as good. Plus, it's conventional framing. If you don't know what that is, it's measured different. And they go the wrong way. They're all going vertical instead of God.

[Ken Flores]

Which is why it's conventional.

[Brady]

Sorry to end Ken's eulogy this way, but Jesus Christ, can we get, like, little pink dots in the corners of every ceiling so we don't have to scramble find studs when we want to hang stuff? My method is drill until you find one and then putty the holes that weren't right. And you know what? I've never done sand those things again. It's just. It just looks like somebody threw ice cream on my ceiling. Anyway, that's no fun. So, Ken Floris, if you need your tickets redeemed, I guess you go to desertridge.com or, yeah, improv.com or wherever he was playing. That's sad, not cool. And even worse, Dale Hellistra is about to join us today. So we could have used Some could have used some good, you know. Although I will say, as Dale rolls in, very, very, very classy behavior at the Rah Rah room. And everything was a very good and a payer. He dipped into that wallet twice.

[Dick Toledo]

I got 20 bucks. That's the first thing he complains about.

[Brady]

I will say this. When it wasn't hit, we went in like Brady and I went twice. We went before the game, sat down, hung out at a few drinks. Brady was drinking. He asked for Michelob Ultra. I was a little embarrassed. I'm like, here we go, Rube central. I can't bring these riff raffers in here. Ended up, they're like, we don't have Ultra, sir. We're adults. And so he's like, oh, do you like cigarettes? Yeah.

[Ken Flores]

Peroni.

[Brady]

Well, she offered after all.

[Ken Flores]

I do like that often, but the spirits. Yeah, but I was gonna do, you know, one or two drinks. I'm also not ubering home.

[Brady]

That's right. He was driving. He was very responsible. So we had a beer and then we piled up some steaks and some stuff and then we went to watch the game. We came back towards the fourth quarter right before it was all over and spent some time after. Not a ton, but some afterwards and booze. And Dale and I went before halftime and after. And after was with Kevin Ray and Kevin Ray's whole family, basically. And I noticed, and Tom Sizer and I noticed that Dale paid for my drinks when it was the two of us. Appetizers, when it was the two of us and then it was eight people. He fired off lobster, a scampi, like, like the most expensive thing on the menu, some side piece stuff, a couple of drinks, and then said, I paid for everything else, I'm leaving. And he left before. So we did pay. Yeah, but. But the big order hoofed it. He said, you're not gonna flame me on the air. I paid. I was gone. Yeah, you were till that last bit. Shrimp scampi, one to go, one for here. I made him take the. He was gonna leave some shrimp scampi on his plate and go home. Mike, you box that up and you bring that home to Brooke. You're gonna box that up and you're gonna take that home. It's a ninety dollar piece of shrimp.

[Ken Flores]

She's not supposed to.

[Brady]

Ray is gonna pay for. She's.

[Dick Toledo]

He was on the down low.

[Brady]

Yeah, try January. Johnny. That doesn't mean. No, all my food has to be dry anyway, so Dale will be in here in a little bit and I will Say, the only thing that's keeping Dale behind Brady in my choice of dates for the glorious Rah Rah room is speed walking. Dale is a slow walker because he's, you know, slow. His legs don't look right when he walks.

[Dick Toledo]

Well, he always texts, I'm in the parking lot.

[Brady]

I'm like, all right, let me give.

[Dick Toledo]

You to get down to the door.

[Brady]

A Dale story that I love. When you're six, eight, and you're used to just pounding people for a living, when someone says, you can't go there, he just does it anyway. We were walking through the arena, and we had to find our way back down the stairs. And somebody goes, sorry, so you can't go in there. That's closed now for a private event. Now, evidently, after the Sun's game, sometimes they just let rich people have their kids have the court. And you're not allowed to watch that. You can't go back in. So we were with Kevin Ray. We're like, we got to go back down NDA first. I don't know. And then we went down like they. Dale just kept going, sir, sir, sir. And Dale's, I'm not going all the way around that goddamn building. He starts walking down the stairs like, well, if he's doing it, I'm doing it. And we all did it. And security had nothing to say. It was great. It was great.

[Dick Toledo]

The same little old lady Usher trying to.

[Brady]

No, it was actually a younger guy, but he saw the size of Dale and the ambition that he was gonna. He's gonna hit these stairs, and we're not listening to you. And if you want a problem, I'll give you one. I'm not sure.

[Ken Flores]

And I'm not dragging him up, right.

[Brady]

And, yeah, and if he falls down those stairs, he's staying at the bottom of those stairs. But we did. We all went down the staircase we weren't allowed to go down because Dale was just lumbering, massive man. That said, no, these rules don't apply to me. And I appreciated it because I didn't want to walk around there either, especially with Dale. It would have taken a month. We'd have. We'd have gotten a year older. Brett's going out tonight. He said Eos Fitness on Mayo Boulevard in the loop. Uno0uno. The loop 101 is where you go. Mayo Boulevard. That's the new one, right? They just put that together? Yeah. EOS Fitness 5. EOS Fitness 5 to 7 o'clock. It said here it says, know what's willpower? Rolling up to the gym. Even after changing that flat tire. Turn tired into tenacity. They're assuming you're going to have a flat on the way in. Join now for 25 cents. 25 cents? You get 30 days for free. Get motivated with a personal trainer. Work out watching big screen movies. And they're exclusive. Movios cinema. And mix it up with the high energy group fitness classes. EOS Fitness is where Brett's gonna go. 5 to 7 o'clock, Mayo Boulevard and Loop 101. Dale's coming in here in just a little bit, talk some sports. We got a football free weekend. Good Lord. What are we going to talk about with Dale? Oh, God. Like you said, football free. Yeah, that's. We'll talk Pro Bowl. It's 98.

[Dick Toledo]

Hey, it's not weird. It's pretty cool actually. No membership fee.

[Brady]

I have heard enough of this.