Podcast Summary: Holmberg's Morning Sickness (02-17-26)

Episode: Brady's Insane Asylum Play Story From College (2015 - BO)
Air Date: February 17, 2026
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo
Podcast: Holmberg's Morning Sickness – Arizona, 98 KUPD

Main Theme

This episode dives into Brady Bogen’s unforgettable college experience: participating in a theater production at the Athens Mental Health Center (an insane asylum) alongside patients. The crew reminisces about the wild, darkly funny, and sometimes disturbing memories of bringing “Finian's Rainbow” to life within the institution’s walls. The show is packed with irreverent banter, teasing, nostalgia, and the signature offbeat commentary that defines the Morning Sickness crew.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Brady’s College Anecdote: Theater in an Asylum

• Brady shares his experience acting in a college play at the Athens Mental Health Center, recounting that the institution hadn’t changed much since the 1800s.
  • "[The facility] was built in the early 1800s... things did not change much, even from one [generation to the next]." – Brady (01:24)
• He describes being paired with a patient, Gary Crow, for “Finian's Rainbow.” Patients were incorporated into the show.
  • "You were basically paired up with someone... I was paired up with a guy named Gary Crow. And Gary Crow would call you, 'Goddamn nut. Killed my mom.'" – Brady (02:02)
• Gary goes missing before opening night; Brady is tasked with finding him, revealing lax supervision at the asylum.
  • "They sent the college sophomore to find the lunatic. They didn’t have people for that." – Holmberg (02:52)

2. The Absurdity & Risk of the Setting

• The hosts express shock at Brady’s nonchalant approach to walking around the grounds searching for an escaped patient.
  • "Why was an innocent 19-year-old kid looking for an insane asylum patient that was missing?" – Holmberg (04:28)
• Holmberg highlights institutional failures and risks:
  • "Bottom line is you don't know what's going on behind those walls." – Holmberg (05:24)
• Brady reflects that most of the patients could have left if they wanted to, underscoring both the institution’s porous boundaries and the era’s attitudes.

3. Memorable Inmates and Disturbing Stories

• Brady recounts the legend of a patient who went missing for days before being found deceased, with her outline left in the concrete.
  • "And there was the body outlined in the concrete. The fluids left a lining of the body." – Brady (06:12)
• The crew recoils in mock horror; Holmberg insists this is proof Brady was in “horrible danger.”

4. The Play’s Execution & Reception

• The play was a student’s senior thesis; inmates participated but only got short lines due to medication and cognitive challenges.
  • "One thing she discovered earlier is you can't give them long lines to memorize cuz the medication could barely..." – Brady (07:35)
• Brady jokes that the experience was “hilarious,” with his friends also involved.
• The audience included other patients and even Brady's father, who, as Holmberg quips, probably wondered which group Brady belonged in.
  • "Having to tell everybody in town my boy's an actor at an insane asylum." – Holmberg (08:56)

5. Dark College Humor & Irreverence

• The group laughs over typical college antics—ordering pizzas for the deceased, making fun of oddball classmates, and escapades that defined their own college days.
  • "I just ordered pizzas for dead girls." – Holmberg (12:54)

6. Reflections on the Value of a College Education

• In the aftermath of these bizarre stories, Holmberg questions Brady on whether he learned anything consequential in college beyond these shenanigans.
  • "Think real hard about a class that really changed you from college. And it has nothing to do with ordering pizzas for dead people or a kid crapping his pants." – Holmberg (13:34)
• Brady cites a canoeing and skeet & trap shooting class as another college highlight, with the crew teasingly downplaying its educational value.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Holmberg (on Brady being sent to find Gary):
  "They sent the college sophomore to find the lunatic. They didn’t have people for that." (02:52)

• Brady (on the reality of the asylum’s oversight):
  "Yeah, pretty much, yeah." (06:44, dryly admitting nobody was really in charge)

• Holmberg (on Brady’s dad discovering his son’s new acting career):
  "Having to tell everybody in town my boy's an actor at an insane asylum." (08:56)

• Holmberg:
  "You give them 40,000 bucks... here's the papers. Great job in the play, I'm out. Holy crap. That was easy." (13:00)

• Brady (on his college classes):
  "The first half was canoeing. Second half was skeet and trap." (14:00)

Noteworthy Timestamps

• [01:15] – Brady begins his asylum play story
• [02:00] – Gary Crow’s background and the “Goddamn nut. Killed my mom.” line
• [02:52] – Brady finds Gary missing, gets sent to look for him
• [06:12] – Grim tale: patient gone missing, body found outlined in concrete
• [08:56] – Mockery about acting at the asylum and parental pride
• [12:54] – Callback to college pranks: “ordering pizzas for dead girls”
• [13:00-14:17] – College courses: from canoeing to skeet shooting and the “Boy Scouts for kids” jab

Overall Tone

The episode is laced with the Morning Sickness’s trademark sarcastic, irreverent, and dark humor. The conversation ricochets from genuine curiosity to incredulous mockery, all while Brady earnestly tries to relate his wild college memory—much to the delight and horror of his co-hosts.

For fans of offbeat, cringe-worthy college stories and classic HMS banter, this episode is a perfect listen—proving reality is often stranger (and far funnier) than fiction.