Podcast Summary: Holmberg’s Morning Sickness - Hot Releases

Episode: 12-02-25 – Hot Releases – Zac Brown Band w/Snoop Dogg – Upon A Burning Body – Rob Zombie – Assassin’s Creed Shadows DLC – Stranger Things S5 – Jay Kelly – Fraggle Rock
Date: December 2, 2025
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brett Vesely, Brady Bogen, Dick Toledo
Theme: A fast-paced, irreverent rundown and comedic review of the week’s new major music, movie, game, and TV releases, with plenty of banter about pop culture and tech (especially AI).

Main Theme and Purpose

This episode’s central focus is on “Hot Releases” for the week—music, video games, streaming shows, and movies—peppered with the hosts’ characteristic humor, personal anecdotes, and sharp asides about AI and pop culture. They also reflect on how technology, particularly AI, is infiltrating entertainment, while lampooning the latest offerings.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Baldness, Therapy, and Email Banter

• Lighthearted riff on slurs for bald people and the faux-empowerment of "taking back" the term.
• John Holmberg shares an embarrassing but humorous personal story about going to therapy in light jeans without underwear, using the “Johnny Bench technique” to avoid visible mishaps (03:43).
• Email banter about the logic behind teasing bald and ginger people:
  • Quote: “The guy complaining needs to grow his pine since he can't grow hair.” – Emailer “Rebel Hollingsworth” (03:44)
  • John’s comeback: “Ginger people have lower IQs, so they don't know any different.” (03:54)

2. Official “Hot Releases” Segment (06:35–27:10)

Music Releases

• Zac Brown Band ft. Snoop Dogg – “Let It Run” (06:41)

  • Hosts ridicule the song’s shift from beer to weed themes.
  • “At least it’s not about beer – they’ve graduated to weed. Can Snoop Dog save a country song?” – John (06:57)
  • Verdict: Snoop can’t save it; hosts unimpressed.

• Upon A Burning Body – “Daywalker” (08:02)

  • Positive surprise for most in the room.
  • “Upon a Burning Body’s got me.” – John (09:02)
  • Noted for melodic metal edge compared to their past work.

• Rob Zombie – “Heathen Days” (09:36)

  • Praise all around for Rob Zombie’s consistency and style.
  • “Rob Zombie doesn’t age. Everything about him always looks exactly the same.” – John (09:41)
  • Hosts also like this track more than Zombie’s previous single.

AI Remixes & Satire Tracks

• AI Soul Remix: Pearl Jam’s “Even Flow” (10:55)

  • “If it were a 70s soul…” (10:58)
  • Walnut-wood musical nostalgia—”I can relive everything I like all over again. It’s like having all Alzheimer’s musically.” – John (11:38)

• AI Soul Version: Blind Melon’s “No Rain” (12:12)

  • Many laughs about the AI-generated band photo and a bumblebee girl going “on blacks.com.”
  • “Don’t want to listen to that all day on my way home. Send me that immediately.” – John (12:46)

• AI New Metal Cover: Cypress Hill’s “Insane in the Brain” (13:27)

  • Admiration for the A.I. re-styling—brief laughter about accidental F-bomb.
  • “Damn, they feel like the Son of Sam, don’t make me wreck—hectic!” – John (13:55)

• Satire: “Taste My Ass” by AI “Sharona” (14:29)

  • Wildly comical, fake-50s-style tune generated by AI.
  • “Taste my ass, feel the heat of forbidden…” – Sung by AI (14:51)
  • John compares affection for AI’s early weirdness to “Jeffrey Dahmer’s parents, watching his first steps”—funny, dark, and foreboding (17:00).
  • “Hitler was a cute baby, probably. And I might get fired for saying so because people don’t like hearing that Hitler might have been a cute kid because of what he turned into… That’s how we feel about AI right now.” – John (17:20)

• Satire: “I’m a Good Girl but I Love Anal” by Sharona (18:36)

  • The hosts are gleeful about the absurdity.
  • “Somewhere out there, there’s a group of people who are like, remember Jeff's first steps? They were great. Call me back in 21 years when there's some kids missing. And AI did it.” – John (19:28)

• Broader Reflection on AI’s Future

  • The segment weaves a running theme: AI is in its “cute” stage but will eventually “kill us all.”
  • “It’s a toddler that’s waddling around with a baba in its mouth and just making us laugh… It’s gonna slaughter us all.” – John (20:47)

The “N-word or F-word” Mini-Game (19:48-21:28)

• Reviewing DaBaby’s “Rockstar”, the hosts try to predict the first offensive word in the lyrics.
  • Lively discussion about DaBaby’s public scandals.
  • Result: The song goes straight for the F-word—not what anyone guessed.

Games, TV, and Movie Releases

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows DLC (22:04)

  • New content released; mixed visual impressions.
  • “It looks remarkably like the old Assassin’s Creed, which is a little disappointing.” – John (22:21)
  • Gameplay is “methodical,” to the point you lose hours without noticing (22:45).

• Stranger Things: Season Five (23:21)

  • Season splits into two parts; hosts joke about the cast’s aging and timeline inconsistencies.
  • “Are these 30-year-olds still supposed to be in the 80s?” – John (23:32)
  • “They all became teenagers and 20-year-olds and they all got ugly. Normally a TV show would replace you with a cuter kid.” (24:35)

• Movie: “Jay Kelly” (with George Clooney and Adam Sandler) (24:53)

  • Biographical, introspective drama. Hosts give a “big maybe” on seeing it—prefer Sandler serious.
  • “When he’s unfunny, he’s brilliant because he’s so good at that.” – John (27:08)

• Fraggle Rock: “The First Snow of Fraggle Rock” (25:37)

  • Minimal interest expressed; joked about DEI.
  • “Not interested in modern Fraggle Rock? No.” – John (25:43)

• The Night My Dad Saved Christmas 2 (Netflix, Spanish)** (25:51)

  • Presented as one for Brady, with jokes about “subtitles” and “Santa Bond.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Country Music Clichés:

  • “At least it’s not about beer— they’ve graduated to weed.” – John (06:57)

• On AI's Inevitable Doomsday:

  • “I think of AI as like… Jeffrey Dahmer’s parents. When I see AI today, it’s my little fledgling fun thing. It’s cute. It’s going to grow up and kill all of us.” – John (17:00)
  • “It’s a toddler… just making us laugh. It’s gonna slaughter us all.” – John (20:47)

• On “Stranger Things” and TV Tropes:

  • “They all became teenagers and 20-year-olds and they all got ugly. Normally a TV show would replace you with a cuter kid.” – John (24:35)

• Musical Discoveries:

  • “Rob Zombie doesn’t age. Everything about him always looks exactly the same.” – John (09:41)
  • “[Upon a Burning Body is] always cool and he screeches. I know a place where evil’s lurking… Actually not so bad.” – John (08:36)
  • “When [Sandler’s] unfunny, he’s brilliant because he’s so good at that.” – John (27:08)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:43 – Holmberg’s “Johnny Bench” bathroom story
• 06:35 – Start of “Hot Releases” rundown
• 06:41 – Zac Brown Band ft. Snoop Dogg
• 08:02 – Upon a Burning Body
• 09:36 – Rob Zombie
• 10:55 – AI remixes begin (Pearl Jam, Blind Melon, Cypress Hill)
• 14:29 – “Taste My Ass” (AI Satire)
• 18:36 – “I’m a Good Girl but I Love Anal” (Sharona)
• 19:48 – “N-word or F-word” DaBaby mini-game
• 22:04 – Assassin’s Creed Shadows DLC
• 23:21 – Stranger Things S5
• 24:53 – Jay Kelly movie
• 25:37 – Fraggle Rock, The Night My Dad Saved Christmas 2
• 27:08 – Final rapid-fire recommendations

Conclusion

The pod delivers exactly what loyal listeners expect: witty, irreverent, occasionally edgy banter about the week’s new entertainment releases, with distinctively “Arizona morning show” energy. The hosts blend honest musical takes, pop culture nostalgia, and skepticism about tech—especially as AI rapidly merges with creative media—while keeping things light and laugh-out-loud funny. If you want a rundown of the week’s biggest entertainment drops (and a peek at the weird future of AI art), this episode is a solid, comical catch-up.