06-11-25 - Rock Wars - Song That Plays When Cowboy Cody Enters The Bar

Summary

Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Arizona Episode: Rock Wars - Song That Plays When Cowboy Cody Enters The Bar Release Date: June 11, 2025

Overview In this lively episode of Holmberg's Morning Sickness on 98 KUPD, host John Holmberg, along with co-hosts Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, and Dick Toledo, dive into a spirited segment titled "Rock Wars." The discussion centers around selecting the perfect theme song that encapsulates the disruptive entrance of the archetypal character, Cowboy Cody, into a bar setting. The episode combines humor, personal anecdotes, and interactive voting, showcasing the dynamic chemistry of the morning show's team.

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Rock Wars: Choosing Cowboy Cody’s Theme Song

00:12 – 12:19

The segment kicks off with the hosts introducing the concept of Cowboy Cody—a recurring figure in their local bar scenes known for causing a ruckus upon entry. Bret Vesely sets the stage by sharing stories of similar bar personalities, setting a relatable foundation for listeners.

Bret Vesely:
"Which would you rather do? Go to a private all white school and get A's or a public school and get all these D's. Nuts in your mouth. These nuts in your mouth."
[01:52]

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Debating Song Choices

03:17 – 10:22

As the discussion unfolds, the hosts brainstorm potential songs that could serve as aural signals whenever Cowboy Cody strides into a bar. The goal is to find a tune that instantly communicates the impending chaos to both patrons and bartenders.

John Holmberg:
"Let's do the song that everybody in the room hears in their mind as soon as our cowboy Rob guy or whoever Cowboy Cody comes rolling in."
[03:18]

Bret Vesely:
"When you see the guy come in, you're like, oh Christ. It used to be, oddly enough at the Swizzle Inn, it was the owner, Beth, when she, she was the Cowboy Cody of the Swizzle Inn."
[07:24]

The team explores various musical genres, from classic rock to heavy metal, aiming to capture the essence of Cowboy Cody's disruptive presence.

---

Song Suggestions and Rationale

10:03 – 13:37

Three primary song contenders emerge during the debate:

1. "Kill Yourself" by Stormtroopers of Death
   John Holmberg suggests this song for its aggressive tone, fitting the chaotic nature of Cowboy Cody.

   John Holmberg:
   "I'm going with an oldie but a goodie. Billy Milano and the boys from Stormtroopers of Death. Because basically when this clown walks in the door, you just want him to kill himself."
   [11:50]

2. "Toxic" by Britney Spears
   Bret Vesely opts for this pop hit, emphasizing its widespread recognition and ironic suitability.

   Bret Vesely:
   "Toxic is the king, Brady or Beta? Brady for the rock wars champ."
   [16:03]

3. "Hank3 Hellbilly"
   Brady Bogen proposes this track, highlighting its rebellious spirit.

   Dick Toledo:
   "Brady loves that. Hank 3 for the song that lets everybody know that the Cowboy Cody of this dive bar just walked in and the night's pretty much over."
   [12:22]

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Interactive Voting and Final Decision

13:37 – 19:24

To engage listeners, the hosts open up voting through texts and emails, allowing the audience to choose the ultimate theme song for Cowboy Cody. Initial results show a close race between "Toxic" and "Hank3 Hellbilly," with Stormtroopers of Death trailing behind.

Bret Vesely:
"You can text, you can email. You can do all that stuff. We'll find out who wins Rock Wars."
[12:52]

As votes pour in, contention mounts between the edgy metal track and the mainstream pop anthem. A tiebreaker involving caller interactions ultimately sways the decision.

Elliot (Caller):
"Yo, I'm feeling real toxic today. So it's got to be Britney."
[17:44]

The episode culminates with "Toxic" by Britney Spears emerging victorious, much to the amusement and surprise of the hosts.

Final Announcement:
"Toxic it is. It's out of control now."
[19:24]

---

Conclusion The "Rock Wars" segment not only provides a humorous take on local bar dynamics but also showcases the hosts' ability to engage and entertain their audience through interactive content. By the episode's end, "Toxic" triumphs as the definitive theme song for Cowboy Cody, adding another memorable moment to Holmberg's Morning Sickness repertoire.

Notable Quotes:

• "Everybody would be singing along to this one." — Bret Vesely, [11:50]
• "Toxic by Britney. That's my thing." — Bret Vesely, [17:14]
• "Nothing says crazy quite like Britney Spears." — Bret Vesely, [13:25]

---

For more engaging discussions and entertaining segments, tune in to Holmberg's Morning Sickness weekdays from 5:30 AM to 10:00 AM on 98 KUPD or visit www.98kupd.com.

Transcript

[John Holmberg]

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It's John Holmberg here, shilling away from my friends at New Vision Auto Glass.

[Brett]

Here we go.

[John Holmberg]

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[Brett]

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[John Holmberg]

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[Brett]

Big perp has yet to come back with any more stuff, but people are full of suggestions on what Big Perp's next quandary could be. He gave us a child support riddle this morning. We're like, look, Big Per barking up the wrong tree. Rob Lavender, our newest black listener, always happy to diversify the listening audience. Got President John Thunder Horse, Big Perp. Not to mention countless amounts of other Win. Yeah, Winston Win. He's. I don't. He's normal. He doesn't get a crazy nickname like Big Perp.

[John Holmberg]

Does Reggie have a nickname, too?

[Brett]

Reg?

[John Holmberg]

Okay.

[Brett]

Yeah. Reggie. Reggie's. No, he's, he's not nicknamed, you know, worthy. Because, you know, usually like we've been talking, nicknames are usually because you've done something silly. Big Perps in the house, though. But he's got a great name, Bobby Lavender. But yeah, so I've got lots of suggestions on things we can't answer that. Big Perp might ask which insurance is best for your pit bull. Like maybe we could find that out for you. It could possibly be something. Can I give it a shout? Oh, maybe this is why? He says maybe he wants to give shout outs to his cousins in Cameroon. That could be. That's very true. Another question Big perp might have. Which would you rather do? Go to a private all white school and get A's or a public school and get all these D's. Nuts in your mouth. These nuts in your mouth. I screwed that up. People are horrible. So big purple waiting on. I'm glad. It's good. It's good to have a new person popping. I like that. Brett, you have the controls of this week's Rock wars, where I was sick last week, missed Wednesday from my wild, crazy beginnings of whatever I've got going on still. And you, my friend, won two weeks ago, so you get to control it. Do you have a topic?

[John Holmberg]

Sure, why not?

[Brett]

Let's have it.

[John Holmberg]

Let's do the song that everybody in the room hears in their mind as soon as our cowboy Rob guy or whoever.

[Brett]

Cowboy Cody.

[John Holmberg]

Cowboy Cody comes rolling in. Yeah, but let's ban skid Rose. Get the F out. Okay, that's good.

[Brett]

And also, I'm a cowboy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right.

[John Holmberg]

Rhinestone cowboy and stuff like that.

[Brett]

But like a guy like Cowboy Cody who comes in and wrecks a room.

[John Holmberg]

Right. But not his theme song. What the people are thinking, like, oh, this guy.

[Brett]

Okay.

[John Holmberg]

All right, so what?

[Brett]

The bar is playing pretty much in its own head.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, yeah.

[Brett]

That Cowboy Cody has entered the building. Because we all have been around a guy who's Cowboy Cody. All right? And it can happen at any time. A lot of times, it's frat guys. Like that one I told you about, that one that used to announce his frat when he walked into bars.

[Dick Toledo]

Yeah, we are the Pike.

[Brett]

And he starts pounding his chest and, like, they do this, like, Samoan dance just to go to the Mill Avenue Q Club once.

[John Holmberg]

The whole bar.

[Brett]

And they acted like the bar was going to clap when they were done. Like, everybody like, oh, these.

[Dick Toledo]

That is cool.

[Brett]

Douchebags. The Pikes are here. Let's go. That guy's not with us anymore either. All right, theme song as, like, a warning for when Cowboy Cody's about to throw a raccoon into the bar. All right, it's almost a siren. A Cowboy Cody siren. All right, you can help us out, [e-mail] or text 97936 Rock Wars. Coming up next.

[Dick Toledo]

It'S Dick Toledo from Holberg's Morning Sickness for Chime, the checking account that helps you manage your money better. Chime is unlike any other banking app. When you set up a qualifying direct deposit with your Chime checking account. You get access to MyPay, which gives you up to $500 of your pay before payday when times are tight. MyPay carries all the benefits of Chime, including fee free overdrafts of up to $200, no monthly or minimum balance fees, and access to over 50,000 ATMs, more than three times the top three national banks combined. Move toward a better financial future with Chime and get started [e-mail] Holmberg where you'll open a Chime checking account in just two minutes. That's chime.com Holmberg Chime feels like progress. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancorp NA or Stride Bank. NA member is fdic. Spot me. Eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Fees apply at out of network ATMs. MyPay eligibility requirements apply. Credit limits range from 20 to $500. Two dollar fee applies to get funds instantly. Chime checking account required. Go to chime.com disclosures for details.

[Brett]

Homeburg's Morning Sickness it's time for the weekly battle of musical supremacy known only as Rock wars to you by our friends at Mo Money Pawn. Short are long term collateral loans from 10 to over $100,000. No credit needed. Top dollar paid with the entire process just taking several minutes. Brett made it mo money pawn.com 12th street and Indian School this week's topic for Rock wars based on the idea of the story we did earlier this morning of Cowboy Cody. And if you know a Cowboy Cody, you know a felon. There is no Cowboy Cody running an operation that's, that's thriving. There's no politician we call Cowboy Cody unless it's a joke. Mayor of a town of population 7. All people with the word Cowboy in front of their name. And it's illiterate as well, probably drunk most of the time. In this particular case, chucking a raccoon into a restaurant that wouldn't serve him. And again, I'm most impressed with Cowboy Cody's too drunk to eat in a restaurant. Still sober enough to catch a raccoon outside in the parking lot and do some damage with it. That's, that's how you earn the nickname Cowboy Cody. But when Cowboy Cody wanders in, and this is true of all bars, every bar has a Cowboy Cowboy Cody. When you see the guy come in, you're like, oh Christ. It used to be, oddly enough at the Swizzle Inn, it was the owner, Beth, when she, she was the Cowboy Cody. Of the Swizzle Inn. And now there's all new owners and I'm allowed back in. And I'm happy to say starting fresh. Welcome to the to the neighborhood. The owners of the Rusty Spur and the Swizzle in I'm heading back to do my visit the Swiz because Beth the lesbian is no longer the owner. And I think that's great. Little Mark McGuire is out.

[John Holmberg]

You can see some fingering and jean shorts against right.

[Brett]

And I can do it with a smile on my face. Brett. Great.

[Dick Toledo]

Yeah.

[Brett]

But she was the Cowboy Cody of that place. Cuz she'd pick fights with the the customers.

[Dick Toledo]

Might be a new clientele.

[Brett]

And there's a Cowboy Cody over at the pub and grub. And there's a Cowboy Cody up there at that Casey Jones. And there's a Cowboy Cody everywhere. So we need a theme song for how the bar feels when Cowboy Cody comes in and wrecks a fun night. Bridgets. They got themselves a Cowboy Cody. No question. You ever been up there?

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Brett]

That's fun bar. Somehow or another they get like Playboy models to be the bartenders. I don't get it. Nobody gets it. Something going on up there at Bridget's. Laugh Factory and got comedy club and like karaoke. Have you ever been there?

[Dick Toledo]

No.

[Brett]

Like 32nd street and Cave Creek. My old friend who's dead Rembrax used to go there all the time because the bartenders were. And it is a bar that you can't even imagine.

[Dick Toledo]

Like it doesn't look associated with another business. Like a.

[Brett]

It's Bridget's.

[John Holmberg]

I don't think so.

[Brett]

Bridget's Last Stand. Right? Yeah. Or Last Laugh. That's right. It is like the divest of dive bars. But it's weird. Anyway. There's a Cowboy Cody for that place.

[John Holmberg]

Every bar.

[Brett]

Yeah. Matthias Bar's got a Cowboy Cody.

[John Holmberg]

Legends definitely has.

[Brett]

All right. So where do we go with that? Who. How do you. How does the bar announce itself? That the Cowboy Cody is there to wreck the night. Who Would you like to go do it?

[John Holmberg]

Brady?

[Dick Toledo]

It's a perfect fit. Hank three Hell Belly.

Have you listened to this?

Yes. There's a couple F bombs in it.

[Brett]

Oh you haven't you got the lyrics? You want to come over here and knock it out?

[Dick Toledo]

You're fine. Right off the. You can play it right off the bat.

[Brett]

All right. All right. Good luck. Here we go. This is. Hey. Three is fairly good. Are we gonna get all the way to the chorus on this? I don't know.

[John Holmberg]

Ask Brady.

[Brett]

Brady. No.

[Dick Toledo]

That's good.

[Brett]

That was one of the boxes. All right.

[Dick Toledo]

It's not until this second verse.

[Brett]

I was gonna go with Hank3 too. Yeah, but I'm gonna fix that now while you go. Brett, you have to go.

[John Holmberg]

Why do I gotta go?

[Brett]

Because switch songs.

[Dick Toledo]

Yeah, he's got to switch songs. Cuz he was going.

[Brett]

I was going to go with punch. Punch fight. Now I don't want to go with Hank3 anymore. I got another one. I'll go. Well, I can do it right now. Then.

[John Holmberg]

Go ahead.

[Brett]

All right. It's a good way to get people to leave a bar too. Fine. It's a good announcement. And nothing says crazy quite like this broad's voice in the first place. All right. Still hang three. Still loading up Max wife. No, that would be fantastic. Toledo's ex wife would be a good one.

[John Holmberg]

Cowboy Cody wouldn't even go in there.

[Brett]

But if you. If you get this going and you know, oh, crazy just entered the room. The rest of the bar starts getting their tabs. This is this. This is the musical equivalent of that thing you do with your hand where you ask for the check. Toxic by Britney. Because you can picture her spinning around with knives in her kitchen. Baby, can't you see I'm calling? When I saw her dying laughing at this one. This is the one where she was crazy dancing extensions coming on tight. Oh, it was nuts. And all the gays and women were thrilled. And this was like the fourth song. And this is when the heterosexual men started to realize, I've got all I need out of this. I've seen her ass enough. I want to go home. And then so a bunch of dudes started to sit down. The song sounded just like this, live. And then afterwards. Thanks, y' all. I just want to thank you for. Why weren't you breathing that hard while you sang? Oh, I see we're listening to an album. Toxic by the Britney. That's my thing. All right, Brett, go ahead. All right.

[John Holmberg]

I'm going with an oldie but a goodie. Billy Milano and the boys from Stormtroopers of Death. Because basically when this clown walks in the door, you just want him to kill himself. What does Kill yourself by Stormtroopers of.

[Brett]

Death W. That's a good one. Yes. You think cowboy Cody would get the message of kill yourself? Came on every time.

[John Holmberg]

I would hope so, because everybody would be singing along to this one.

[Brett]

All right, all right. I like that one too. All right, now you guys have to vote. You can text 97936. You can email [e-mail] that's me. H O L M B E R G For those of you who don't know, we've had some spelling issues. [e-mail] A lot easier if my name was Cowboy Cody at 98kupd.

[John Holmberg]

Or Juno's a Katie.

[Brett]

We should switch it up, Mike. It's so bad. Juno'[e-mail] and they're like, hey, and I'm also not. God damn it. Anyway, do you vote for Brady's Hank 3, Barnstormer? What was it called?

[Dick Toledo]

Hellbilly?

[Brett]

Hellbelly? Do you vote for Brett's Stormtroopers of Death? Stormtroopers to death. Kill yourself, all right? Or do you vote for Britney Spears? Toxic. Never in the history of man has this been a lineup. Britney Spears, Hank3 and Stormtroopers of Death. Oh my God, that would be a good show. I might buy tickets to that. You can text, you can email. You can do all that stuff. We'll find out who wins Rock wars.

[Dick Toledo]

Next.

[Brett]

It's 98. Get you PD.

[Dick Toledo]

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[John Holmberg]

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[Brett]

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[John Holmberg]

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[Brett]

I don't know. I don't know.

[John Holmberg]

Famous last words.

[Brett]

28 second.

[Dick Toledo]

28 seconds.

[Brett]

Keep it. Yeah, just write it down. I know. He's telling me to speed up for that. It's just gonna get 35, 36. It's never gonna end. It's time now for the winner of Rock wars and the theme song for when Cowboy Cody comes wandering in on the emails. We had the choices of Stormtroopers of Death. Kill yourself. That was Brett. I chose Britney Spears Toxic and Brady chose Hank 3 Hellbilly, which is always going in Brady's car. He loves that. Hank 3 for the song that lets everybody know that the Cowboy Cody of this dive bar just walked in and the night's pretty much over. Scott says, well, Chancellor, typically, I'm all in for your picks and Rock wars, but holy schnikes, what in the Lord Almighty's gotten into you? For the mental health of both myself and KUPD listeners. I cannot vote for you. No vote for you. So in a singular instance, I will say, go, Bert.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, thanks.

[Brett]

The Italian Stallion comes in close, but I'm going to the chief on this one. Brady pointing out that Hank 3 still out there, there. And then it was just a slew of people voting for Britney Spears. Nothing quite says crazy like Britney Spears. That's yours, John. This one says, oh, good, we get to vote this week. Screw you, John Gordon. I see Brady is back to phoning it in. John, that was gay. Loved how Brett said everyone would be singing along to that song. Good luck with that. I didn't catch a single word of it. That being said, you're still getting my vote count. This one for Bert. Toxic for the win. Toxic is the king Beta or Beta? Brady for the rock horse champ. I nicknamed him Beta Brady because he's still in his earliest form and he still glitches quite a bit. That's true. This version of Brady is the worst one you're gonna get tomorrow. The technology gets a little better. Johnny, I'm going with you. Brady gets one there. It got kind of close. Britney Spears all the way. I vote for Joliet, Johnny. My sister was born in Joliet, so, yeah, it ended up being I had 10. Toxic got 10 votes. Brady had eight for Hank three, and Stormtroopers of Death surprisingly only coming in with five right there. All right, let's go to the. What do you have on your thing.

[Dick Toledo]

Brett's got Brady by two votes on text right now.

[Brett]

It could be anybody's game. John Gordon, it's up to you and I don't know, we go through four. Oh, you didn't even write it down. I've written him down in so long. That's true. We usually just go to John.

[John Holmberg]

We're usually running late.

[Brett]

You know what we could do? Just go to John. Anyway, up to you. Nah, have him pick a number.

[Dick Toledo]

Just pick one. Pick a version.

[Brett]

No, no, he's got to be in on it. Last call. The two that we got. And him. He'll pick himself. He always does. I don't know how he manages this. One through five, one through four. What do you got?

[Dick Toledo]

One through five.

[Brett]

One through five. John, what number are you going with? He's going with number one. He's firing off number.

[Dick Toledo]

Last call.

[Brett]

Last call it is. Oh, we need a. We need a final call.

[Dick Toledo]

Can't be abroad.

[Brett]

That's right, Brady. It can't be abroad. Broad's vote cann be the last deciding vote. 585-9800 is the phone number. Oh, no. All right.

[Dick Toledo]

Right off it take a bit.

[Brett]

Final call. Are you there? I am here. Who are you voting for? Will it be stormtroopers of death? That is Brett. Britney Spears. Me, Hank 3. Brady. I love blondes. I have made the sex with blondes. So it will be the blonde. That is Britney Spears. He made the sex. All right, thank you very much. We appreciate it. Nice.

[Dick Toledo]

About to catch AI to call.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, no kidding. That sound a little fake.

[Brett]

It was sort of.

[John Holmberg]

It was like Elon Musk.

[Brett]

I don't like that either. I'm gonna. Even though I won. I didn't even like that. Hi there. Who's this? Steven. All right, Stephen. All right, let's see what you got. We're going to give Stephen a prize just for getting in. The last guy scared us. So, like, be a normal caller and you get a prize. Stephen, who wins Rock wars this week? I gotta go with my big boy, Brady. Well, now, technically it's a tie, so we have to try. Thank you. He wasn't as normal as I wanted him to. Why?

[John Holmberg]

Cuz he picked Brady.

[Brett]

Yeah, let's see. So tiebreaker or. Hi there, Elliot, are you there? Yo. Yeah, yo, what's going on? Yo. All right, go ahead. Who wins Rock Wars? Yo. I'm feeling real toxic today. So it's got to be Britney. That's 2 to 1. That's a win right there. I think I got it. All right. Thank you. Thanks, Elliot.

[Dick Toledo]

Yeah.

[Brett]

Audio. Yeah. Good to have Jesse Pinkman back on the fray. All right. Toxic it is. It's out of control now.