Holmberg’s Morning Sickness (98KUPD)

Episode: 09-03-25 – Rock Wars: Song For Brady When He Takes His Oxy Pill

Date: September 3, 2025
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely (Brett), Dick Toledo

Episode Overview

This week’s “Rock Wars” segment sets out to find the perfect song to play as Brady takes his prescribed oxycodone, painting the scene as a comical, surreal fever dream. While poking fun at Brady’s medical journey and penchant for food, the show evolves into tongue-in-cheek support from listeners, with everyone (except Brett) giving up a bad habit in honor of Brady. The hosts reject stereotypical “drug songs” in favor of tracks specifically matching Brady’s personality and unique experience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Brady’s Health and Listener Support

• The segment opens with Holmberg riffing that Brady’s attempt at weight loss and quitting bad habits has become a movement, inspiring listeners to do the same.
• Listeners write in about their personal pledges: some vow to quit soda, others joke about giving up sex or smoking in “solidarity” with Brady.
  • Quote [01:47]:
    • Holmberg (reading listener email):
      “I was going to give up getting laid for Brady as a joke. But I’m married, so it’s already a joke. So in honor of Brady and giving up some bad habits, I’m going to stop smoking today.”
  • Nicholas [02:09] pledges to quit his daily 4 liters of soda.

2. The Gimmick: Brady’s Oxy “Trip”

• The hosts joke about Brady’s medical cocktail—he’s waiting to take his oxy, and the comedic mood focuses on his expected “yellowing” and “weirdness” as side effects.
  • Quote [02:57]:
    • Holmberg:
      “Five? Yeah. Five minutes to oxy. All right, Brady's gonna take his oxy in a little bit, and if it's anything like yesterday, he goes on a little magic carpet ride and then turns yellow and goes home.”
• Brett, the reigning Rock Wars champ, offers the challenge:
  “Let’s do a song that describes as soon as Brady pops that pill.” [03:12]

3. Rock Wars Rules

• They make it clear: No cliché drug/psychedelic picks (Grateful Dead, The Doors, etc.).
  • Brett [03:29]: “Banning the Grateful Dead right now.”
  • They want songs that would fit “sweet Brady” on his very gentle (if legally prescribed) “drug run.”

4. The Picks & Riffs

Brady's Choice:

• Song: “Up, Up and Away” – The 5th Dimension
• Logic: Childhood favorite, now made literal with opiates.
• Imagined sequence: Brady floating on a pizza-shaped balloon, the hosts picture him as a marshmallow-dropping “marshmallow king.”
  • Quote [08:36]:
    • Brady: “I am your God. I’m the marshmallow king!”

Holmberg's Choice:

• Song: “Hungry Eyes” – Eric Carmen
• Logic: Visualizes Brady, unable to eat, gazing longingly at a conveyor belt of forbidden foods, high on painkillers.
  • Quote [09:21]:
    • Holmberg (on what Brady’s picturing):
      “His eyes focusing in on the thing he thinks is in front of him… conveyor belts of food just going past him. And he’s too drugged up to move. Slowly masturbating a spacid wiener. I’m high, man.”
  • They riff on the dark humor of someone’s donated kidney "being inside Brady" one day.
    • Quote [09:04]:
      • “You’ll be dead. So what do you care? Not you, Toledo, but the person whose kidney’s gonna go in Brady…”

Brett's Choice:

• Song: “Just One Fix” – Ministry
• Logic: Direct, edge-of-darkness pick befitting Brady’s change “after oxy.”
• Quote [10:23]:
  • Brett:
    “But yesterday, after seeing him jump on his oxy, it was a different man…like you said, his balls dropped. He got a little…just a little more aggressive. Especially seeing that food. So I think Al Jorgensen said it the best. Just One Fix.”
• Hosts laugh about Brady’s voice dropping and getting “aggressive” under the influence, comparing him to Ministry frontman Al Jorgensen.
  • Quote [10:59]:
    • “And Brady’s voice started sounding like this yesterday after he took the oxy. It did.”

5. Rock Wars Voting and Winner

• John Gordon is selected by random to judge. He sympathizes with Brady but picks Brett’s “Just One Fix” as the clear winner.
  • Quote [11:49]:
    • Host: “John, you get to come over here and choose who’s gonna win this week’s Rock Wars. I would give a sympathy vote to Brady, but Brett has the best song. All right, Just One Fix it is. Damn you, Brett Besley. That was a good song.”

6. Humor, Camaraderie, and Running Jokes

• Ongoing themes:
  • Brady’s innocent, food-focused “drug dreams”
  • The transformation of Brady’s voice and persona with each dose
  • Absurd imagery (pizza balloons, “marshmallow king,” slow dancing with pizza)
  • Supportive listeners joining in, silly dares
  • The underlying real-time medical saga

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Brady, if we don’t save you, we’ve saved so many others. I don’t even feel like Brady matters anymore. This is great.” – Holmberg [02:09]
• “Brady just cracked open his red caps. He’s got himself an oxy coursing through his little veins.” – Holmberg [05:16]
• “A song that fits Brady’s drug run…Not some dumb Doors song or Grateful Dead or something stupid. Something specific to what we know as sweet Brady going through his drug coma.” – Holmberg [06:54]
• “Now I can do it on oxy.” – Brady, enthusiastically, about hearing his childhood favorite [07:44]
• “I am your God. I’m the marshmallow king.” – Brady, in full fever-dream fantasy [08:36]
• “It sounded effective. Good. I like this. This guy couldn’t keep heroin on his veins either. Yeah.” – On the appropriateness of “Just One Fix” [11:01]
• “This is a good one. I like this. From one heroin addict to another. Plus, it buys a little time before Brady’s gotta start reading.” – Holmberg, setting up the winning song [12:29]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:11] – Listeners call/text in with their “solidarity” sacrifices for Brady
• [02:57] – Brady’s oxy countdown/jokes about his side effects
• [05:16] – “Brady just cracked open his red caps…” Intro to Rock Wars
• [07:28] – Song selection process begins
• [07:44] – Brady reveals his pick (“Up, Up and Away”)
• [09:01] – Holmberg’s darkly funny “food fantasy” song pitch
• [10:22] – Brett’s edgier “Just One Fix” pick
• [11:45] – John Gordon chooses the winner: “Just One Fix”

Summary Table: Rock Wars Picks

| Host | Song Selected | Reasoning / Imagery | |-------------|---------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------| | Brady | Fifth Dimension – "Up, Up and Away" | Floating, carefree, pizza balloon fever dream | | Holmberg | Eric Carmen – "Hungry Eyes" | Drugged, longing for food, conveyor belt hallucination | | Brett Besley| Ministry – "Just One Fix" | Dark, heavy, fits Brady’s “changed” persona on oxy |

Tone

• Cheeky, irreverent, and fast-paced—a classic morning shock-jock style with heavy doses of sarcasm, inside jokes, and a blend of dark humor and camaraderie.

Conclusion

This episode of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness is a riotous celebration of Brady, his medical journey, and the show’s brand of uncensored humor. It’s full of creative musical pairings, audience engagement, and affectionate roast-style banter among the crew, all centered around the comedically exaggerated premise of Brady’s oxy-fueled transformations.

Winner: Brett Besley with “Just One Fix” by Ministry.
Ultimate take: “From one heroin addict to another” (Holmberg [12:29])—a perfect HMS punchline to a thoroughly unserious Rock Wars.