09-05-25 - The Entertainment Drill - FRI - We May Have Broken Our Studio

Summary

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Holmberg's Morning Sickness – Entertainment Drill: “We May Have Broken Our Studio”

Podcast: Holmberg's Morning Sickness (98KUPD, Arizona)
Date: September 5, 2025
Main Cast: John Holmberg (Host), Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo
Episode Theme:
A typically raucous Friday edition featuring the “Entertainment Drill,” unexpected studio chaos, and a blend of irreverent news, personal stories, and classic rock talk. The crew entertains listeners with oddball reporting, humorous banter, and reflections on legacy in rock (and radio) culture.

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Main Episode Theme & Purpose

The episode is centered around the “Entertainment Drill” segment, where the team discusses recent entertainment news, celebrity deaths, quirky stories, and odd pop culture happenings. The episode is punctuated by live technical difficulties that lead to some hilarious, off-the-cuff moments, as well as sidebars about pet adoptions and local community events, staying true to the Holmberg crew’s mix of humor, skepticism, and heart.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rescue Dog Update & Community Shout-Outs (01:13–04:48)

• John recounts a touching adoption update from the local Lost Our Home Pet Rescue.
  • A Presa Canario named Fisher won over a visitor and was adopted right after John’s segment. John describes this as “the best dog in the world” and shares the emotional satisfaction of seeing a dog go home.
  • Other dogs, including Manu, Charlie, and Daisy, are still up for adoption.
• The band of Jim Manley (“the nicest man in the world”) is playing a benefit gig for the rescue, with proceeds going to the shelter.

Notable Quote:
“That dog was so cool. Big, bright blue eyes and like yellow lab coloring, but big. Probably about 80 or 90 pounds.” – John Holmberg [03:33]

2. Personal Safety, Self-Defense & Neighborhood Tales (04:48–06:18)

• John pivots into a story about self-defense, sparked by an email from a listener: sometimes de-escalation doesn’t work and self-defense is necessary.
• He shares a wild anecdote about a neighborhood “killer” – a charming drifter/homeless man suspected of befriending someone and then committing murder.
  • Emphasizes situational awareness and the importance of not letting strangers into your home, no matter how charming they seem.

Notable Quote:
“Nobody you meet in the parking lot of anything is enough to, like, make them your house guests.” – John Holmberg [05:29]

3. Studio Malfunction! (06:18–07:40; Resumes 07:40)

• Unexpected loud electronic noise disrupts the studio mid-show.
• The chaos leads to jokes about the engineer avoiding John and remote fixes, with a tongue-in-cheek paranoia about whether the radio station is “attacking” them.
• The team scrambles to resolve the issue, moving people around in the studio and bantering about unfriendly engineers.

Memorable Moment:
“Imagine having headphones on when that went off.” – John Holmberg [08:24]

4. Entertainment Drill: Rock Star Tombstones (08:29–11:05)

• Brady reads out epitaphs from famed rock musicians’ graves:
  • Chris Cornell: “Voice of our generation... beloved husband and father.”
  • Ronnie James Dio: “The man on the Silver Mountain.”
  • Dimebag Darrell: “He came to rock and roll like no other... heart twice the size of Texas.”
  • Vinnie Paul: Quirky, rambling “don't ever think it’s not a good time…”
  • Lemmy (Motörhead): “Born to lose, live to win.”
• The crew riffs on how elaborate (and sometimes odd) tombstones can be, launching into musings about what their own would say.

Notable Quote:
“I now want to be buried… [with] a thumb that says what he said to the one... Whoever it is next to me. I don't even care if I knew him or not.” – John Holmberg [09:33]

5. Celebrity & Pop Culture News (11:05–13:45)

• Shark Tank: Pete Davidson appears on the upcoming premiere, pitching a sock company (Double Soul).
• Discussion of memorial messages available for pets at Lost Our Home—some loving, some cryptic.
• Death announcement: Giorgio Armani (aged 91), whose iconic brand, to the hosts’ surprise, only dates back to 1975.
  • John reflects on how quickly Armani shifted from unknown to standard-setter in high fashion and pop culture.

Memorable Moment:
“Didn’t you think Armani was like a brand for hundreds of years to be as unbelievably important and influential?” – John Holmberg [12:17]

6. Odds & Ends:

• Tennis legend Bjorn Borg’s prostate cancer diagnosis is mentioned.
  • John’s sarcastic, dry: “That’s uplifting.” [13:07]
• Foreigner publishes an open letter to play Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce’s rumored wedding; the crew snarks that Swift probably has better options, but they appreciate the chutzpah.

Notable Quote:
“Hey, you don't hit any pitches you don't swing at, so you might as well take a poke at that if you're Foreigner.” – John Holmberg [13:45]

7. Engineer Feud & Show Teasers (14:38–END)

• Mechanical issues with the studio continue to provide material:

  • John describes being stonewalled by the station engineer, whom he claims “hates me? Palpable.”
  • Brady jokes about the prospect of more random studio malfunctions.

• Tease for the upcoming “Guadalupe Squares” segment—a radio game show/trivia format—NFL-themed for the weekend.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | Context | |-----------|-------|---------|---------| | 03:33 | “That dog was so cool. Big, bright blue eyes and like yellow lab coloring, but big. Probably about 80 or 90 pounds.” | John Holmberg | Describing “Fisher,” the adopted Presa Canario. | | 05:29 | “Nobody you meet in the parking lot of anything is enough to, like, make them your house guests.” | John Holmberg | On personal safety and being wary of strangers. | | 08:24 | “Imagine having headphones on when that went off.” | John Holmberg | Reacting to the loud malfunction. | | 09:33 | “I now want to be buried... a thumb that says what he said to the one... Whoever it is next to me. I don't even care if I knew him or not.” | John Holmberg | Joking about grave inscriptions after the rock epitaphs. | | 12:17 | “Didn’t you think Armani was like a brand for hundreds of years to be as unbelievably important and influential?” | John Holmberg | Surprised by Armani’s relatively recent origin. | | 13:45 | “Hey, you don't hit any pitches you don't swing at, so you might as well take a poke at that if you're Foreigner.” | John Holmberg | On Foreigner’s pitch to play the Swift/Kelce wedding. |

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Dog Adoption/Rescue Story: 01:13–04:48
• Personal Safety Talk: 04:48–06:18
• Studio Technical Chaos: 06:18–07:40; resumes at 07:40
• Entertainment Drill – Rocker Tombstones: 08:29–11:05
• Celebrity/Pop Culture News: 11:05–13:45
• Studio Banter/Engineer Feud: 14:38–End

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Tone & Style

The episode is an energetic, irreverent, and occasionally heartfelt ride—rapid-fire, sarcastic, sometimes sophomoric, always authentic. The hosts blend genuine Arizona local flavor (community event plugs, local rescue support) with snark and self-deprecation, especially during times of studio mayhem.

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Conclusion

This episode of “Holmberg’s Morning Sickness” delivers what longtime listeners expect: laughs, chaos, and a surprising amount of heart amid the silliness. The technical glitch gives the crew plenty of comedic material, while discussion of everything from dead rock stars to lost pets to celebrity socks keeps the pace brisk and unpredictable. Even as they riff and roast, the show’s undercurrent of local pride and empathy for animals and community shines through.

Transcript

[John Holmberg]

You're listening to the HMS podcast brought to you by mmpguns.com, your most trusted online marketplace for firearms, ammunition and accessories.

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[John Holmberg]

You've been deceived by an agent of Satan himself. He's evil sitting right here. Come on. No, no, he's not. He's not evil. He's just a bit rude. Still solid top to bottom 21 year old song. That song can drink now and that is just fantastic to this day. Slipknot everybody. It's 9:16. I want to say yesterday was pretty awesome. Before we get to the entertainment drill went over to lost our home pet rescue and hold on. And the dog we did was a press a canario. Haven't ever done one of those over really. It was awesome. It wasn't a huge one. It was a good one. And it was kind of a golden yellow lab colored. His name was Fisher. And you're like, oh, John, I watched the video. Fisher's not the video today. Because as we were leaving, a dude that came in said, I'm just here to visit Fisher. And I'm like, you're going to love this dog. It's the best dog in the world. Well, it turns out that dude did fall in love with that dog. And the dog we were supposed to do for the pick of the litter this week got adopted like an hour and a half after we Left, which is awesome. So we've got to get the other two out of there. And I think it was the ones from last week. They're a combo, but they don't have to be together. But they love each other. They're best buddies, so let's get them out of there. But it was awesome. And congratulations to Fisher's new owner. That dog was so cool. Big, bright blue eyes and like yellow lab coloring, but big. Probably about 80 or 90 pounds. It was a good sized dog. It was so cool. But I think Manu's still there. And was it Charlie and Daisy? They got a whole bunch. I think those are right names. I don't know if I'm getting that right. Go get a dog. That's all I'm saying. And then don't forget that tomorrow, the nicest man in the world, Jim Manley. His band is going to play up there, Cactus Jacks. And he decided just because he's the nicest man in the world that he's going to do it for the Lost Our Home Pet Rescue Foundation. So he's going to give money up there. I think it's like 10 bucks at the door. If you want to walk in there and do it, I think that's great. It starts early too, like 6 o'. Clock. So get in, you get out, you go have dinner, have a nice time with and get to meet the nicest man in the world in his band. Don't tell Mandy. That's pretty awesome. So Lost Her Home wins all the way around. And so good to see Fisher go out the door yesterday. It's the first time I've ever had that happen. We talked to the dude. I think we talked him into it right there at the door. And he. And he. And it worked out great. So head on over to Lost Our Home Pet Rescue and. And help out one of those beautiful animals for the pick of the litter. The video's up right now. 98kupd.com it's time now for Brady to entertain us all. It's brought to you by our [e-mail] the home of tactical black self defense training. Got an email from a lady who said sometimes de escalation doesn't work. You just can't. No, that's true. De escalation is the smartest way to defend yourself. It's just the. It just hurts your ego and your pride so much. You got to get over that. I think Marcellus Wallace said it best pride. But sometimes you have somebody doing that. She said that her husband was up there. I think I remember. She said, slide rock, and some hillbilly came up and took a swing at her husband out of nowhere. Well, then that's fighting right there. There's no. Yeah, you got to defend that. You're under attack. And the good news was the guy kind of knew what he was doing, and he went and slugged the hillbilly in the face. And the guy's tooth came off in his fist. Stuck in his fist. That's a win. You keep that hillbilly tooth as a trophy for being well trained and well prepared. And that's all that is. Imagine that. Hillbillies will start throwing stuff at you. You never know who's going to make a turn on you and be nuts. That guy that is in my neighborhood. That everybody. The killer that's walking loose in my rental neighborhood.

[Brady]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

No, they got a picture of him, though, and he's out. And you know what he does?

[Brady]

Sketch, or is it.

[John Holmberg]

No, it's like. I think it's an AI drawing. But they know his name, so it might be his driver's license photo. But you know what he does? He befriends people. He's kind of a charming drifter, homeless guy, but he looks clean, he looks good. And he comes up, he's like, hey, I've just run into a little trouble. Can I get some help? Blah, blah. Will you give me a ride to this? Will you give me a ride to that? And he's charmed people, evidently, into like, well, I just need a place to stay, if you got any. If you've got room for me, I'll pay you if it's just one night. And he slaughtered some old man who took him in. That's what they're assuming this was, that he's a. They called him a charming drifter. Now, you could be at Circle King, and some guy comes up to you, and he's a super nice guy, and he seems legit, and the next thing you know, you know, he's in your house. You've made eight errors at that point, and they teach you that kind of stuff right away. Nobody you meet in the parking lot of anything is enough to, like, make them your house guests. Just know the world is crazy and it's looking at you, and you can make yourself a victim like that guy did. Unfortunately, he lost his life because he's like, let's get you to my house. Oh, boy. Always be aware. Head on a swivel and start being a sheepdog. You look like a victim you're gonna get treated like a victim. Don't do it. And you can learn how well. Jesus. What the hell is that? Are we under attack? What is that?

[Brady]

I have no idea.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, boy. The radio station's broken. His mic's dead. We'll go to the commercial here and get this off. We're gonna blow up. We'll see in a this morning. Sickness medicate K U PD is your.

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[John Holmberg]

I think we fixed it. Yeah, right. Thanks. We don't know. Our engineer won't come up here when I'm here.

[Brady]

Fix it. We figured out where it was coming from.

[John Holmberg]

The engineer hates me so he won't come up here while I'm in the room. Yeah, we just turned off the thing that was doing it and he said I'll try to fix it from my. He's like 18ft away but he won't busy. I. I'll try it through the computer. Otherwise tell John to off. So we had to move Brett. Brett's in a different spot now. I just don't like. I just don't like the balance. Anyway, I don't either. Reactdefense.com Cause you never know what's gonna come after. Yeah. When your radio station attacks you. Sorry about that. To all you with tender ears that hurt. Imagine having headphones on when that went off. Anyway, Brady, please entertain me.

[Brady]

Here are some of the biggest rockers that have what there's what it says on their grave markers. Some.

[John Holmberg]

Okay. They're Tombstones.

[Brady]

Chris Cornell. It says, voice of our generation and an artist of all time and beloved husband and father. Ronnie James Dio.

[John Holmberg]

Little fella.

[Brady]

The man on the Silver Mountain.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, geez. I think Chris Catero made that gravestone. Yeah, no kidding. He's been. He chisels those in his spare time, which is all the time.

[Brady]

Dime bag.

[John Holmberg]

Ouch.

[Brady]

He came. He came to rock and roll like no other duck.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Brady]

With the heart twice the size of Texas. Our beloved brother, companion, mentor, idol and friend.

[John Holmberg]

Big is this tombstone.

[Brady]

We love you, dime. Until we meet again.

[John Holmberg]

And then on the bottom it says, P.S. you, Ohio.

[Brady]

His brother, Vinnie Paul.

[John Holmberg]

Ditto.

[Brady]

Don't ever think it's not a good time. But if you don't think it's not a good time, good time is a good time.

[John Holmberg]

I now want to be buried. And I want a tombstone that just has a thumb that says what he said to the one. Whoever it is next to me. I don't even care if I knew him or not.

[Brady]

A bad time is a bad time and a wonderful time is irreplaceable.

[John Holmberg]

Is this video Jesus. You have to turn a page on the tombstone. Let me.

[Brady]

For Motorhead.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. It's indecipherable. It's not gay. If you don't push back. You nailed it. That's it. I told you.

[Brady]

Born to lose, live to win.

[John Holmberg]

So they take. Friends of his took lyrics and they just plaster all over that stuff. That's silly. You know what? Brady's just going to say thanks for the kidneys because if he doesn't get one, it's going to be soon. Thanks for the. You know what you should say? You should blame someone. Thanks for the kidney, Corey. And people be like, what happened to this guy? I want. I like going through cemeteries and wondering what that means. My friend Kevin got hit by a cab and it said God called him home early. And I'm like, in a cab that he didn't see coming. He called the cab. God called the cab. I think.

[Brady]

Pete Davidson will appear on the season premiere Shark Tank to offer a stake in a company called Double Soul. They make socks interesting. He said he tried a pair while back and like, they're so good. I gotta meet the guys that made them. So he's like, I want to be involved in your company. They're selling 4% of the company for 4, 500 grand.

[John Holmberg]

Wow. So they need Shark Tank for. They got Pete Davidson. Exactly. We like, somebody came. I think it was somebody. Brian Hansen said, I like the idea of kidney Tank. Where people pitch Brady on the offer of, like, what he would have to. Like to sell the kidney to Brady. And, like, what he'd have to do in return. By the way, the tombstone thing at Lost our home pet rescue, you can buy little tiles and have a message sent to your dog after it passes or some. Anything you want. And so many of them are like, to our beloved Sheila. She was amazing. We love you. We'll miss you. I'm gonna miss you, Riley. Those kind of things. And then one stands out. It's the biggest one, and it says to King, I'm so sorry I failed you. And all I have. All I have is questions. That's all I have. Amy and I walk through there every Thursday and just go, what happened to King?

[Brady]

We got a celebrity death. Giorgio Armani, 91 years old.

[John Holmberg]

I found out yesterday that Giorgio Armani was only around for the last 40 something years. That if, like, I'm older than Armani.

[Brady]

Suit, it looks good.

[John Holmberg]

Well, he's dead. That's a picture before. That's the before is much better than today. Much rather be as before. Yeah, yeah, maybe he'll be. But I did you didn't you think Armani was like a brand for hundreds of years to be as unbelievably important and influential?

[Brady]

I thought it'd been around a long time. In 1975, it's his.

[John Holmberg]

And it started in 75. That's getting it done. Because by the third year, it was a thing. It was what Richard Gere was wearing in American Gigolo. And everybody's like, get me those suits. An American Gigolo in Hollywood got hold of Armani's and it became the suit. He did all the suits for Dinero and Casino? Yeah, yeah. Like 60 of them. It's incredible how fast that company went from, like, not existing to the standard.

[Brady]

Tennis legend Bjorn Borg has prostate cancer.

[John Holmberg]

That's uplifting.

[Brady]

The last little thing is Foreigner posted an open letter asking to play Travis or Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey's wedding.

[John Holmberg]

Foreigner wants to do it. Cold as ice Foreigner. Yet they want that gig with Lou or not.

[Brady]

They posted an open letter on Instagram saying that in Taylor's life of a showgirl, the color scheme saying, dear Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey, we know what love is. We've spent 40 years figuring it out.

[John Holmberg]

Now you guys have to asking the question, I want to know what love is. They can sing that to you. If Mick or Lou isn't there, you might as well hire Sandler's cover band. That's what it all Is. Yeah, Sodomizing. Linda will sing a Foreigner song to you for 100 grand. That's a pretty good idea, though. Hey, you don't hit any pitches you don't swing at, so you might as well take a poke at that if you're Foreigner and, like, maybe they'll let us do it. My guess is Taylor Swift knows better bands. Yeah, you'd think she might have Beyonce singing Fourneau. Look pretty stupid. You can open up for men at work or something. Like, if Christopher Cross is like, yeah, there you go. I'd love to sing at your wedding. Anyway. All right, there you go. So far, so good. Nothing blew up. The engineer still isn't.

[Brady]

Wait for that random buzz.

[John Holmberg]

The other day, the air conditioner was broken, and then something was busted in this room. And I walked by him and I said, hey, can I add one more thing to your list today? And he goes, nope. And he left. Like, okay. He hates you. Hates me? Palpable. Love those KSLX guys. He hates these cans. He hates me. He loves the cans, but he hates me. It's 9:36. We got a Guadalupe Squares coming up. An NFL version of the Guadalupe Squares is right around the corner. Thrillers here. He's going to host it, and we'll get that together. All we need is a girl and a boy to play said squares. What's on the list? Do you know what's on the document? No idea. Yeah, I had to move. I saw. Oh, yeah, you're away from your computer. I'll get it. Do we have Lincoln park in there at all? No, no, I think it's. I think it's Nine Inch Nails. Oh, Nine Inch Nails. One second. I will. Oh, Brett might have Nine Inch Nails tickets in it. Then again, I may not. It may be a C teaser. Come on, come on, come on, come on. That would be a good one. Nine Inch Nails. A good prize. Anyway, we need a boy and we need a girl. 585-9800 is the phone number. Nine Inch Nails tickets on the line. Oh, my. They did the soundtrack for Tron. Yeah, the new movie that's coming out. Oh, I want to see this. I haven't seen Nine Inch Nails ever. That would be a great one. That'd be fun to watch. All right, well, there you go. Maybe the person who wins will take me. Girl Guy Squares coming up next. It's not weird.

[Brady]

It's pretty cool, actually. No membership fees.

[John Holmberg]

I have heard enough of this.

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[John Holmberg]

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[John Holmberg]

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