Podcast Summary: Holmberg's Morning Sickness (98 KUPD) – October 2, 2025
Episode: "Holiday Inn Testing New Scent Alarm Clocks, 22yo Man Enrolls in Minn HS, and Annual Drive Thru Efficiency Study"
Date: October 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of "Holmberg's Morning Sickness" blends irreverent humor, social commentary, and the latest news with the show’s signature banter. The core team—John Holmberg (Host), Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, and Dick Toledo—explore odd news stories, ridicule modern trends, and debate among themselves, often derailing into comic tangents. Topics include a listener feud, cultural trauma, weird inventions (like scent-based alarm clocks), an adult enrolling in a Minnesota high school, and a breakdown of fast food drive-thru studies.

Key Discussions & Insights

1. Listener Feud: “Ernie, the Lunatic”

• [00:00–03:00] John reads hostile, taunting emails from a long-time critic named Ernie.
  • Highlights the disconnect and name-calling Ernie uses (“you little cupcake… you’re a pussy, snowflake,” Ernie writes).
  • Holmberg: “Let’s just keep it respectful because in the past you've kind of gone off the rails.”
• John questions Ernie labeling him a “gay communist Trumpist”:
  • Quote [01:21]: “What is a gay communist Trump supporter? And if you say me, it’s an unfair answer. Please define that.” – John
• Holmberg notes, “Thanks for all the listening hours you’re putting into the station. Love me or hate me... that’s money in my pocket and I like it.” [07:17]

2. Generational Trauma & the Zuni Listener’s Letter

• [01:45–05:00] Jay, a Zuni listener, writes in, dismissing the way modern Americans talk about generational trauma.
  • Jay: “These modern-day white kids ... don’t have any idea what generational trauma is about. My Zuni people have endured historical trauma from the American government, the Mexican government and the Spanish.”
• Holmberg riffs on how the Spanish showed up with horses—something unheard of for Native Americans before.
  • “It would be like Mordor showing up at your house today..." – John [04:56]

3. National Produce Misting Day & Social Commentary

• [08:32–09:50] Brady and John mock “National Produce Misting Day” as an example of society’s need for useless comfort.
  • “That’s a tough day, keeping that veg fresh. That’s Nathan Sutherland’s catchphrase.” – John, referring to a local scandal for comedic effect.
• “Conjuring up more crap to make this soft ass world feel at ease.” – Quoting Jay, the Zuni listener [03:37]

4. Odd Fun Facts

• [11:04–14:14]
  • The Pringles mascot’s real name is Julius Pringles [11:18]
  • The Canary Islands are named after dogs, not birds [11:28]
  • A Canadian hunter made dentures from a deer’s teeth [12:01]
  • John recalls a Craig Kilborn Daily Show bit about a man who made teeth out of rocks, poking fun at DIY dentistry.

5. Holiday Inn's Scent-Based Alarm Clocks

• [15:23–17:04]
  • Holiday Inn Express is piloting alarm clocks that wake guests with scents: coffee, bacon, blueberry muffin (Australia, NZ), nashi pear (Japan), mango (Singapore, Thailand).
  • “Anything’s better than the smell of the Holiday Inn.” – John [15:33]
  • Brady notes there’s a plan to tie scents to the available breakfast.
  • John’s take: the letdown when there’s no real bacon after the clock's scent goes off: “What a disappointment it’s going to be… and then there isn’t any.” [16:30]

6. 22-Year-Old Enrolls in Minnesota High School Scandal

• [17:04–24:52]
  • A man in his early 20s enrolled in White Bear Lake High School claiming to be 17.
  • Quote: "You're bigger now. You can play some sports." – John jokes [17:23]
  • Confusion over the exact age (22 vs. 24); Brady initially gives conflicting reports, leading to playful chastising and fact-checking.
    • “You just made it up and then you stood behind it.” – John [19:12]
  • Holmberg finds photos online despite Brady's claim none are released. “Just making things up.” [21:11]
  • The team riffs on why adults impersonate teens, referencing past similar cases (Ohio’s 24yo soccer player).
  • Brady admits, “According to a new survey. I said 24.” John: “I know he's 22.” [24:18]
  • Dick (Toledo) defends Brady, noting that multiple news stories about adult imposters may have been conflated. [29:34]

7. Annual Fast Food Drive Thru Efficiency Study

• [26:05–27:43]
  • Taco Bell is fastest (4:16), followed by KFC and Arby’s.
    • “Arby’s gets it done because nobody’s ever there.” – John [26:38]
  • Slowest: Chick-fil-A (7:06) and McDonald’s.
  • Accuracy: Burger King/Wendy’s score highest in accuracy (88%), Chick-fil-A praised by the crew.
  • “Drive-throughs with AI only get about 83% of the orders right.” [27:38]
  • Debate on why In-N-Out isn’t higher given their limited menu.

8. Miscellaneous Survey Data & Odd News

• [14:29, 38:00, Interspersed]
  • Over half of Americans believe the government will reopen by end of October (re: shutdown). [14:29]
  • 33% of adults use AI to help buy gifts. [20:00]
  • 19% of music festival-goers admit to sex at the festival, 38% of those with a stranger [25:24]
  • Howard Johnson celebrates 100 years with “fried clam soap.” Team makes off-color jokes about the concept. [29:04]

9. Viral Videos: From Golf Cart Wrecks to Bizarre Porn

• [30:31–41:22]
  • Video: Child-packed golf cart crashes into a band during home concert. [30:31]
    • “White people, 7-year-old drive rich… Rich white people buy golf carts to drink and drive.” – John
  • Video: Bouncer at Baltimore bar chokes out a college kid in a fight over a girl.
    • “You don't tap out. It's... not a sport when lunatics attack you.” – John [34:00]
    • John claims “The Natural” is really about how women can interfere with greatness (satirical take).
  • Medical oddities and disturbing “videos”: bullet extraction from a man’s skull, protester mowed down by water hose while on a bike, a woman with “hefty bag breasts,” Asian erotic videos involving milk, women puking on each other.
  • Jokes abound about how the show’s video segment keeps getting stranger.
    • “The videos get just weirder and weirder. Puking in each other's mouths and then smiling about it. I'd start fighting you, too.” – John [41:18]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Context | |-----------|---------|---------------| | 01:21 | John | "What is a gay communist Trump supporter? And if you say me, it's an unfair answer. Please define that." | | 03:37 | Jay (read by John) | "Conjuring up more crap to make this soft ass world feel at ease." | | 04:56 | John | "It would be like Mordor showing up at your house today..." (on horses arriving to indigenous people) | | 07:17 | John | "Love me or hate me… that's money in my pocket and I like it." (to the hate-listening Ernie) | | 11:18 | Brady | "Julius Pringles." (Pringles mascot named) | | 15:33 | John | “Anything’s better than the smell of the Holiday Inn.” (on scent alarm clocks) | | 16:30 | John | “What a disappointment it’s going to be… and then there isn’t any.” (on scent without substance) | | 19:12 | John | "You just made it up and then you stood behind it." (ribbing Brady about age confusion) | | 21:11 | John | "Here it is. Kyler Murray. He does look like Kyler Murray now..." (after finding a photo Brady claimed didn't exist) | | 24:52 | John | "These are news stories, you're asking to be fact checked. These aren't opinions." | | 26:38 | John | "Arby's gets it done because nobody's ever there." | | 29:04 | John | "I don't like grandma and the word clam in the same sentence." (Howard Johnson gifts) | | 34:00 | John | "You don't tap out. It's... not a sport when lunatics attack you." (on bar fight) | | 41:18 | John | "The videos get just weirder and weirder. Puking in each other's mouths and then smiling about it. I'd start fighting you, too." |

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–03:00 – Email feud with “Ernie”, defining “gay communist Trumpist”
• 03:00–06:00 – Letter from Jay (Zuni listener), generational trauma riff
• 08:30–09:50 – National Produce Misting Day, veg jokes
• 11:04–14:14 – Pringles trivia, DIY dentistry stories
• 15:23–17:04 – Scent-based alarm clocks at Holiday Inn
• 17:04–24:52 – Adult enrolls in HS saga, fact-checking Brady’s age claims
• 26:05–27:43 – Fast food drive-thru speed & accuracy stats
• 29:04 – Howard Johnson “fried clam soap” anniversary
• 30:31–41:22 – Viral videos: golf cart crash, bar fight, odd medical and gross-out videos

Conclusion

This episode highlights what fans love about “Holmberg’s Morning Sickness”: punchy, raw commentary, playful fact-checking, provocative humor, and an unfiltered dive into weird, offbeat news. Even the mundane—like drive-thru times or scent alarm clocks—is turned into fodder for sarcasm and debate. The group’s chemistry keeps the laughs rolling whether they're unpacking listener emails (“Ernie, the lunatic”), lampooning current events, or just giving each other a hard time.

Listeners can expect a comedic rollercoaster, a few uncomfortable moments, and a take-no-prisoners approach to the day’s oddest headlines.