Holmberg’s Morning Sickness – September 3, 2025

Episode: 09-03-25 – Full Show (Wednesday) Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo

Episode Overview

This episode of Arizona's #1 morning radio show delivers a signature blend of irreverent humor, local commentary, pop-culture riffs, and offbeat takes on news stories. John Holmberg and crew riff on blown air conditioning, absurd news headlines, uniquely-named politicians, spectacle-laden weather segments, recent celebrity deaths, office antics, and the sobering reality of host Brady’s ongoing health battles. The episode is packed with zingers, 13-year-old-boy humor, and lively banter.

Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. Arizona Heat, Office Woes, & AC Fiascos

• (01:11) The show opens with the team grumbling about the busted AC system in their building.
  • Quote (Brady, 02:27): “That area has to be like 30 degrees. The AC went out in there. So they were scrambling and freaking out...I said can I add your problems? And he just goes, 'No,' and walks away.”
  • The hosts lampoon the building’s disregard for repairs, describing patchwork solutions and unqualified people like “Rudy holding ladders.”
• The team plugs imaginary sponsors (“newacunit.com”) while joking about temporary portable ACs—giant orange tubes and all.

2. Simulated Reality, News Oddities, and the “Orange Shark”

• (04:14) John muses, “The simulation that we live in...it is official that it is a simulation and that yesterday it completely broke.”
• Odd news stories introduce the ‘glitch in the matrix’ motif:
  • An orange, traffic-cone-colored shark caught off Costa Rica (04:44).
  • A woman identified as a Pomeranian, walked by her “handler,” with both insisting this is normal behavior.

3. Names That Make (or Break) a Public Figure

• (06:18+) The crew fixates on the New Jersey gubernatorial candidate “Jack Ciattarelli,” riffing for nearly 10 minutes on how his name sounds like a vulgarity. The childish joy is palpable:
  • Quote (Brady, 06:54): “Oh, yeah. How in the world is she winning in New Jersey? I’m voting for Shitarelli that’s happening. And it’s okay for us to say it because it’s the man’s name.”
  • “You don’t know Jack Ciattarelli” becomes their running slogan—and potential merch idea.
  • They fantasize political hats and campaign slogans, riff on Italian-American names, and continue giggling about “Jack Shitarelli” incessantly.
• (09:04+) The crew riffs on the perils of having names that sound like slurs or swearwords, with talk of t-shirts, campaign slogans, and high school bullies.

4. More “Glitches”: Newspeople with Unfortunate Names

• (34:00+) The hosts discover a reporter named “Craig Negrelli,” whose name flirts with the forbidden N-word. The trepidation and laughter is barely contained.
  • Quote (Brady, 35:24): “Reporting live. I’m Craig N word. See...”
• Weather reporters named “Bo Yi Poon” become the next fixation (from 47:54 and frequently throughout), riffing on endless double-entendres and the absurdity of on-air presentation:
  • “Don’t adjust your tv, it’s just pixelated. We’ve got a soaking wet Poon outside. It’s pouring out there.” (Brady, 53:39)
  • The crew jokes about “Poon Alerts,” “Poon Tang stands,” “Locks of Love” (cutting off “Poon”), and more.

5. Insane Headlines & Social Commentary

• (41:40+) New Jersey bans the sale of ultrasound photos to prevent blackmail scams—women extorting men with fake baby pics.
  • The team explores the scam, referencing Maury Povich DNA reveals, and jokes about “DNA test as default.”
• Scams and gullibility: Host Toledo shares a tale about Sean Astin’s (Samwise Gamgee’s) four potential fathers (44:41). Bizarre but true stories like an 80+ year-old Japanese woman being scammed by a “space-bound astronaut” asking for money (108:44).

6. Brady’s Health Troubles & Office Chicken Temptations

• (27:04+) Brady’s health becomes a recurring, heartfelt subplot:
  • Struggling with diet and weight post-surgery, skipping the mountain of chicken wings at the office, turning yellow on OxyContin—a source of genuine laughter and worry.
  • The team launches “Brady Day”—a solidarity movement where listeners and hosts give up unhealthy vices in support of Brady getting to 185 lbs for his kidney health.
    • Quote (Brady, 129:56): “If you get down to 185, then I can have a Coke again.”

7. Local Oddities, Listener Letters, and Arizona Flavor

• (58:49+) “Arizona’s got lame politicians. Ducey was the closest thing we had,” and memories of candidate Susan Fuchs and sign vandalism.
• Listener emails roll in, urging listeners to leave miserable marriages, share divorce tales, and recount tales of odd Arizona news personalities.

8. Pop Culture & Nostalgia Games

• (161:57+) The “Brady Entertainment Drill” delivers best-of lists:
  • Top 80s Saturday morning cartoons (The Transformers, GI Joe, Super Friends)
  • Scariest on-screen villains and most-skipped songs from classic rock albums (fun group participation)
• Dancing with the Stars news: Corey Feldman is on the cast, and the show claims credit for supporting Feldman’s “renaissance.”

9. Juvenile Humor & “Poon” Jokes—A Running Gag

• Throughout the show, especially from 47:54 onward
  • The presence of “Bo Yi Poon” and “Craig Negrelli” trigger the hosts’ inner teenagers.
  • Jokes escalate: “first alert Poon Alerts,” “shave the Poon for Locks of Love,” “Poon Tang stand.”
  • Frequent callbacks as they struggle not to giggle through sponsor reads and news stories.

10. Listener Solidarity, Public Health, & Vice Quitting

• (133:23+) Inspired by Brady’s health, a bulk of the show’s latter half is dedicated to inviting listeners and co-hosts to give up a vice—be it soda, weed, junk food, or even wife-beating.
  • Listeners email in their commitments, and jokes abound about which is actually harder to give up.
  • “Be Brady Strong” wristbands are suggested, all in the spirit of community engagement and mutual motivation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• John (04:14): “The simulation that we live in...it is official that it is a simulation and that yesterday it completely broke.”
• Brady (06:54): “I’m voting for Shitarelli, that’s happening. And it’s okay for us to say it because it’s the man’s name.”
• John (34:29): “Reporting live. I’m Craig N word. See...”
• Brady (53:39): “Don’t adjust your tv, it’s just pixelated. We’ve got a soaking wet Poon outside.”
• Brady (129:56): “If you get down to 185, then I can have a Coke again.”
• Listener email (59:05): “Please, please, please, guys, listen to me and listen well. It is not cheaper to keep or start over. I’m slaying. I got three on board right now.”

Key Segments & Timestamps

• [01:11] AC complaints & building woes
• [04:14-05:47] News simulation “breaks” & orange shark
• [06:18-14:30] Jack Ciattarelli name riffing
• [34:00- 41:00+] Reporters’ unfortunate names (Craig Negrelli, Bo Yi Poon)
• [41:40] Banned sale of ultrasound photos & scam discussion
• [44:41] Sean Astin’s four fathers / celebrity tangent
• [27:04, 128:19 & throughout] Brady’s health, OxyContin, “Brady Day” movement, listener solidarity
• [161:57+] Brady Entertainment Drill—80s Cartoons, villains, most-skipped classic rock songs
• [133:23 & up] Listeners pledge to quit vices for Brady

Tone & Style

• Irreverent, bawdy, and self-consciously adolescent. The humor is rapid-fire and unfiltered, with constant callbacks, in-jokes, and a “boys will be boys” vibe.
• Sardonic social and political commentary is delivered via Arizona-flavored, local-centric banter—with little patience for political correctness, sentimentality, or pretense.
• Underlying warmth and camaraderie—especially with Brady’s struggles—balances the relentless ribbing.

Summary Takeaway

This episode delivers the best of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness—raucous, locally-rooted, and relentlessly irreverent. The show’s greatest strength is weaving together headline news, pop culture, and the hosts’ own foibles with genuine affection. From AC complaints to politicians with cursed names, to cathartic “Brady Day” health pledges, listeners get both hearty laughs and a dose of community. The world may be broken, but in HMS’s Arizona, we can at least laugh about it—often like 13-year-old boys.