Holmberg’s Morning Sickness – 10-17-25 FULL SHOW SUMMARY

Podcast: Holmberg’s Morning Sickness (98 KUPD, Arizona)
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo
Special Guest: Ian Bagg (comedian)
Air date: October 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode blends acerbic sports talk, local Arizona color, irreverent political/social banter, and dark comedy, all delivered with the classic Morning Sickness edge. The gang goes deep on last night’s NFL action (particularly John’s Steelers), talks gambling and jinxes, riffs on government “declassified” videos, and dives headlong into the cultural spectacle of “No Kings” marches sprawling across Arizona. Guest Ian Bagg serves up wild comedy and shares personal stories, and the crew closes out with riffs on everything from restaurant health code violations to the best way to conduct backyard colonoscopies.

Major Discussion Points & Notable Segments

1. Steelers, Thursday Night Football & Betting Misery

Timestamps: 00:45–06:55

• John’s Steelers Pain: John laments the Steelers being “Flaccoed” (after Ravens QB Joe Flacco), turning the player's name into a verb for getting unexpectedly beaten.
• Sports Betting Trends: The hosts discuss how Thursday night road teams almost never cover the spread—"83% of teams...did not cover the spread" ([03:31]). John and Brady recap their FanDuel picks and the Bengals covering as underdogs.
• Football Superstition & Jinxes: John needles Toledo for “jinxing” his Mariners after Toledo bought potential World Series tickets, drawing out the recurring bit about gambling and sports heartbreak.

“You get flaccoed, and then you flacco yourself. I like making that a verb.” —John [06:12]

2. Dreams, Jinxes, and “Flaccoed” Anxiety

Timestamps: 07:00–11:19

• John recounts a “vivid dream” where Joe Flacco appears at the radio station and fires him, highlighting his obsession and anxiety over football outcomes and his own job security.
• Brady and John riff on the dreamy details—the endless negotiations, surreal transitions, and John’s waking confusion.

3. Night-Vision Explosions, Military Videos & Declassified Drama

Timestamps: 11:19–17:59

• John and Brady discuss viral “declassified” military footage of U.S. night-vision explosions, particularly American strikes on Venezuelan drug boats.
• They joke darkly about the morality and PR risks of such videos, riffing on possible survivor stories (“We’re just fishermen!”) as a future backfire.
• Historical aside: Reagan-era shoot-downs and “coke nuns,” with drug-running being veiled by innocent covers.

“Coke and nuns — great band name. Coke from a nun, anywhere you can throw coke and a nun together.” —John [13:24]

4. Political Marches, “No Kings” Protests & Arizona Life

Timestamps: 22:44–35:28

• Phoenix is "awash" in various marches: “No Kings” (anti-monarchist), Pride, food drives. John complains about the proliferation and inefficacy of marches.
• Mockery of “No Kings” march logistics—especially starting at places like P.F. Chang’s or Burger King, and the irony of marching against centralized authority while having a leader:

  “No Kings March has to have a leader, ironically. And that dude has to be a strong, firm voice...” —John [35:30]

• Tangents about lazy protestors, Arizona driving, and why people won’t travel more than five miles for a cause.

5. Callbacks: Bike Week, Buffets, Homemade Food Phobias

Timestamps: 43:54–58:57

• John’s dislike for Bike Week and traffic interruptions is paralleled with his food neuroses—he refuses to eat co-worker’s homemade goods brought from home, but will eat raw ground beef from a vendor.
• Jill, a staffer, unwittingly delivers an innuendo-laden comment about someone refusing to eat her "donut hole", to much studio shock and laughter.

“You’ll eat raw meat, but you won’t eat my donut hole? ... When you say it like that, just leaving it right there. I’ll shove meat in my mouth, but I’m not eating your donut hole, lady.” —John [53:02]

6. Restaurant Inspections, Live Clams, and Grossouts

Timestamps: 69:43–83:09

• Digression over local restaurant health code violations, focusing on “The Kicking Crab,” which had “10 dead clams mixed with the live clams.” Hilarious debate over how you can even tell if a clam is dead.
• The team expresses skepticism that any Arizona seafood place actually keeps live seafood. Brady surprises all by knowing food handling details.

7. Special Guest: Ian Bagg

Timestamps: 120:15–150:00

• Comedy, Politics, & Immigration: Canadian-born Ian Bagg joins the crew for extended riffs on the “No Kings” march, being an immigrant, and awkward border/ICE paranoia.
• Delivers observations on backyard colonoscopies, relationships, not having kids, and losing his virginity to an Australian hooker.
• Shares personal and emotional moments, including reflections on his mother’s passing.

“If you don’t cry at least once a week, there’s something wrong with you.” —Ian Bagg [148:58]

8. Rapid Fire: Football, Protest Irony, and Music Synchronization

Timestamps: 150:00–160:00+

• More “promo code” giveaways (words: gate, chips, band, coin) for app-based contests.
• Brady’s trivia: state capitals, pasta day, Halloween spending.
• Riffs on “White Boy of the Year” (Timothée Chalamet), Lifetime Christmas movies (“A Pickleball Christmas”), and a giant Ozzy Osbourne pumpkin.

Notable Quotes & Moments

On sports misery

“You get flaccoed, and then you flacco yourself.” —John [06:12]

On open government secrets

“I get great joy out of watching any video that the government releases that just for no reason at all says Declassified on it.” —John [12:11]

On the logic of local marches

“If you have to have it close to your house, you don’t care. I’d march, but I’m not leaving my streets.” —John [28:05]

Classic comedic misdirection

“You’ll eat raw meat, but you won’t eat my donut hole?” —Jill (via John) [53:02]

On the efficacy of marches

“I don’t know what happens at the end of a march. You just stand there like, it’s over. Did we do anything? And then you go home...” —John [34:02]

On the passing of time and the loss of his mother

“I had a week where I didn’t think about her...I was just like, God, I’m forgetting about my mom...And then for the rest of my life, I’m just goofy as s---.” —Ian Bagg [149:15]

Clear Section Index

• Sports misery, gambling, Thursday night football: 00:45–11:19
• Military, drug boats, and video media: 11:19–17:59
• Marches, protests, and local Arizona flavor: 22:44–35:28
• Food, potlucks, and restaurant shaming: 43:54–83:09
• Comedian Ian Bagg’s guest segment: 120:15–150:00
• Pop culture, trivia, and app contests: 150:00–160:00+

Final Notes/Takeaways

• Signature Tone: Sarcastic, hyper-local, irreverent, often blue, not shy about politics or poking fun at everyone—including listeners and themselves.
• Recurring Themes: Sports heartbreak; the absurdity of protests; traumas of traffic and marches; obsessive cleanliness; and the ever-turning grind of Arizona local color.
• Listener Interaction: Sarcastic back-and-forth with longtime listeners (“20 years and you’re done with me now!?”), and the debut of two on-air cousins playing the game show segment.

For New Listeners

This episode is a fantastic ribbon of raw sports comedy, local satire, and morbid one-liners—a perfect capsule of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness style. Look for great guest energy from Ian Bagg, and enjoy the unapologetically unfiltered Arizona radio experience.