Podcast Summary: Holmberg's Morning Sickness — 98KUPD

Episode: 03-06-26 - FULL SHOW - FRIDAY
Date: March 6, 2026
Host(s): John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo
Podcast Theme: Arizona's top-rated, longest-running morning show—irreverent comedy, local culture, weird news, and open-topic riffing

Episode Overview

This Friday’s episode of Holmberg's Morning Sickness leans into its core formula: raw, unpredictable, and boundary-pushing morning radio that blends local Arizona flavor with national headlines, cultural stereotypes, dark humor, and the team’s signature gross-out anecdotes. In typical fashion, John leads the crew—Brady, Bret, and Toledo—through sprawling riffs about dental pain, Asian food nostalgia, Iran, NBA oddities, and the everyday absurdities that make the show a cult favorite among Valley listeners. Special guest stand-up Gina Brillon joins for an interview packed with energy and rapid-fire wit. Add in the daily contest codewords, listener emails, and the notorious “Guadalupe Squares,” and you’ve got three solid hours of KUPD mayhem.

Key Discussion Points & Memorable Segments

1. Opening Banter: Dental Pain & National Dentist Day

• [02:36–13:50] John opens with a rally for a Friday show, quickly pivoting to a horror story about Brett’s excruciating tooth pain. The team trades stories about the worst dental pain imaginable, leading to gory details about nerve exposure and crude homemade remedies.
  • Memorable Quote:
    “If you’ve ever had tooth pain, like nerve exposed tooth pain, it’s the worst. It’s a disaster.” — John [03:14]
• The discussion segues into emergency dentistry (or lack thereof), 1940s suicide stats due to dental pain, and advances in dentistry.
• Brett, still in pain, earns the nickname "Gummo" for the episode.

2. Local Nostalgia: The Legend of Pong Pong

• [05:16–10:49]
  Nostalgia takes over as John reminisces about eating at ‘Pong Pong’, a legendary (and sketchy) Mesa Chinese restaurant. He credits Pong Pong’s sweet & sour shrimp for helping him endure a severe dental abscess, hilariously connecting the taste of infected pus to the flavor of the shrimp.
  • Memorable Quote:
    “Pong Pong’s food might be better with infected pus… Pong Pong was dirty good. That was a place Brady would go.” — John [09:34]
• The crew investigates if Pong Pong is still open, celebrating its survival and longevity in the Valley.

3. Stereotypes & War Talk: Iran, Women’s Sports, and Lake Life

• [24:41–43:24]
  The conversation spirals comedically from Fox's coverage of war to Iranian culture, especially the existence of women’s soccer and volleyball teams despite the country's reputation for religious conservatism. The guys imagine what recreation in Iran looks like, riffing on Iranian “lake weekends," BBQ, and Brady’s alter-ego “Iranian Brady.”
  • Memorable Quotes:
    “Imagine Iranian weekends with Igloo coolers and jet skis... We're so fed propaganda that we picture no fun at all over there—just pounding anvils and yelling 'Death to America.’” — John [35:00]
  • “Iranian Brady's out there making goat ribs on the Green Egg, watching ‘Tehran State’ take on Michigan.” — Crew riff [36:11]
• Stereotype humor abounds, but the hosts self-deprecate their cultural ignorance and acknowledge their “American-ness.”

4. Current Events: War as TV & News Satire

• [48:39–54:00]
  John likens following real-time global conflict coverage across cable news networks to watching a TV drama:
  • “Are you watching this new show—War?” He assigns comedic personas to the various channels: Fox as “explosions and high-fives,” MSNBC as “sad, weepy family hour,” CNN as neutral confusion.

5. NBA Talk: The 5’7” Japanese Chicago Bull

• [55:15–64:34]
  The crew attends a Phoenix Suns vs. Chicago Bulls game and fixates on a “5’7” Japanese player” taking the court—railing on both NBA diversity efforts and perceived tanking.
  • Memorable Quotes:
    “You’re telling me there isn’t one black guy on a G League team better than a 5’7” Asian?” — John [57:01] “If you want to watch some good basketball, no one’s ever said, ‘You should see this 5’7” Japanese guy!’” — John [70:19]
• Comparisons to “Linsanity,” Spud Webb, overt tanking, and shady management abound.

6. Culture Breakdown: Family Life, Travel, and Immigration

• [43:41–54:49]
  The squad explores stereotypes of Iranian leisure, then shifts to discuss Indian and Middle Eastern immigrants, food, and Americanization, all with a blunt, comedic edge and running jokes about BBQ, flag-waving, and the American Dream.

7. Science News & Oddities

• [103:13–107:58]
  Brady’s “Science News” covers asteroid threats (debunked), why chimpanzees and women both love crystals, the science behind Thin Mints tasting better frozen, and the eternal promise of a Uranus probe joke.
  • Memorable Quote:
    “Chimps, bass, and recently divorced women in their 40s all have the same attraction to shiny things…” — John [106:11]

8. Gross-Out Videos & Web Content

• [110:45–119:45]
  The infamous “Brady Videos” segment this week is particularly disgusting—featuring, in detail and with revulsion, videos involving bodily fluids and adult content, leading to genuine wretches and peak reactions from the team.

9. Gina Brillon Interview — Stand-Up Guest

• [121:15–137:07]
  Stand-up comedian Gina Brillon brings quick wit and chemistry. John is immediately thrown by her confidence and refuses to conform to typical “guest” radio logistics (like adjusting the studio microphone). Topics include Puerto Rican family, past relationships (“last boyfriend you stabbed?”), comedy/family balance, crazy exes, and the perils of parenting. Gina drops genuine and comedic wisdom:
  • Memorable Quote:
    “Division is intentional. Don’t fall for the tricks.” — Gina [136:41]

10. Guadalupe Squares & Games

• [149:04–173:32]
  The “Guadalupe Squares” return with signature impersonations (Trump, Howard Stern, Alex Jones, Lou Holtz, Charles Barkley, “Iranian Brady,” etc.). The squares riff on Metallica, war, dentistry, and pop culture. Standout moments:
  • Sam the Metallica Fan’s excitement for Metallica at the Sphere
  • Faux-Howard Stern talking Red Robin and Nickelodeon nostalgia
  • Massive riffing about Iranian barbecue, goats, and quick-fire pop-ins by classic show characters

11. Entertainment Drill & News

• [139:24–145:24]
  Brady leads rapid-fire entertainment news:
  • Savannah Guthrie, Britney Spears’ DUI and found substance,
  • Hollywood’s lost treasures being stored in a Kansas salt mine (including George Clooney’s “nippled” Batsuit),
  • Christina Applegate’s Anchorman pay drama,
  • Lawsuit over “Amazing Race” portrayal
  • Updates on local crime (Dylan Brooks’ DUI)

12. Listener Interaction & KUPD Contest Info

• Throughout
  Listeners chime in via email, and the team shouts out today’s Metallica Sphere contest code words at the top of each hour.
  • 6am: Lulu
  • 7am: Lightning
  • 8am: Hardwired
  • 9am: Harvester
  • 10am: Snake Pit

Quick Timestamp Guide

| Time (approx) | Segment | Notable/Memorable Moments | |---------------|-------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------| | 02:36–13:50 | Dental trauma & National Dentist Day | “Pong Pong” story, pus and tooth agony | | 14:22–24:41 | Suicide stats & advances in dentistry | “It’s Gummo’s” turn to suffer | | 24:41–43:24 | Iranian lake days & BBQ stereotypes | “Iranian Brady”, jetskis & Green Egg BBQ | | 48:39–54:00 | War as TV drama, channel comparisons | Fox vs CNN vs MSNBC war coverage jokes | | 55:15–64:34 | NBA–5’7” Japanese Bull player | “Not even Linsanity!” jokes | | 103:13–107:58 | Science news | Crystals, Thin Mints, Uranus jokes | | 110:45–119:45| Gross-out web video segment | Extreme reactions to scat videos | | 121:15–137:07 | Gina Brillon interview | Toxic exes, parenthood, division quote | | 149:04–173:32 | Guadalupe Squares | Trump, Stern, Sam/Metallica, “Brady” bits | | 139:24–145:24 | Entertainment/News drill | Diamondbacks’ Batsuit, Britney Spears bust |

Best Quotes (with Attribution)

• Dental Horror:

  • “If your car’s been acting up, now’s the time to handle it. Should we wait for our refund before getting repairs? No way.” — John [00:47]

• Pong Pong Nostalgia:

  • “Pong Pong’s food might be better with infected pus… Pong Pong was dirty good. That was a place Brady would go.” — John [09:34]
  • “So good at Pong Pong make pus taste better. And it did.” — John [09:19]

• On Iranian Life:

  • “Iranian Brady's out there making goat ribs on the Green Egg, watching ‘Tehran State’ take on Michigan.” — Crew riff [36:11]

• NBA Tanking:

  • “You’re telling me there isn’t one black guy on a G League team better than a 5’7” Asian?” — John [57:01]

• Science News:

  • “Chimps, bass, and recently divorced women in their 40s all have the same attraction to shiny things…” — John [106:11]

• Gina Brillon’s Wisdom:

  • “Division is intentional. Don’t fall for the tricks.” — Gina [136:41]

Tone & Style

• Unfiltered, irreverent, and very local.
• Frequent shifts from silly to insightful to shocking, led by John's encyclopedic memory and the team's chemistry.
• Live, layered riffing—listeners are pulled along as if in the room.
• Heavy on stereotypes, self-aware humor, and “taboo” jokes—often poking fun at themselves for their biases.
• Running gags (“Gummo,” “Iranian Brady,” “Sam the Metallica Fan”) keep continuity fresh.

Who Should Listen?

Anyone who likes raw, boundary-pushing morning radio, doesn’t mind adult humor or honestly bizarre/confrontational riffs on news, pop culture, and local color. Not for the faint of heart—but a comedic mainline for fans of chaotic, unfiltered breakfast radio.

“Disappearing to the Sphere” Metallica Code Words

• 6am: Lulu
• 7am: Lightning
• 8am: Hardwired
• 9am: Harvester
• 10am: Snake Pit

Episode Takeaway

This episode stands as a testament to why 98KUPD’s Morning Sickness endures: fearlessly irreverent, endlessly off-topic, and bursting with Valley personality—from infected pus to Iranian lake BBQ to the world’s shortest NBA player. If you want to laugh, cringe, and learn the Metallica secret code word all at once, bar the door and crank up the volume.