12-11-25 - Soft Opening Of Durants Made John Happy To See It Redone Well As We Need Phoenix Classics To Endure - Michigan Fires Coach Sherrone Moore Over Relationship w/Staffer As We Encourage Brady's Mich Hatred

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Holmberg's Morning Sickness - 12-11-25

Date: December 11, 2025
Main Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogan, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo
Episode Highlights: Revival of Durant’s in Phoenix, local landmark nostalgia, and Michigan football drama

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Episode Overview

This episode of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness focuses on two big topics with Holmberg’s signature blend of irreverence and local pride:

• The soft re-opening (preview night) of Phoenix’s classic steakhouse Durant’s, and why local institutions matter in rapidly changing cities.
• The firing of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore over an inappropriate workplace relationship, with the hosts reveling in the collegiate rivalry and the resulting Michigan embarrassment—especially as experienced by Ohio State fan Brady Bogan.

Humor, local knowledge, and a dash of sports pettiness are present throughout.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Soft Opening of Durant's: Phoenix Nostalgia and Local Legacy

• Holmberg shares his excitement about attending Durant’s soft reopening, describing it as a rare, enduring Phoenix landmark—"We need Phoenix classics to endure."
  • Durant’s is described as having heart, history, and a mobster-New York steakhouse vibe. The famed red velvet wallpaper was meticulously restored by the original installer’s family.
  • Notable Quote:
    “It makes you feel like you’re in a different time, different city... There’s some ghosts in those walls and heritage. Yeah, it’s got a thing.” – John Holmberg [04:10]
• High cost, high reward:
  • Holmberg jokes about the charity dinner’s hypothetical price: “The bill, as far as we could tell... would have been around two grand. It ain’t—it’s no joke.” [03:26]
  • He emphasizes it’s not for the faint-hearted or frugal—“If you look at a bill and ever say ‘who had the blooming onion?’... this is not the place for you.” [04:45]
• Phoenix’s lack of classic institutions:
  • Holmberg and Brady discuss how Phoenix tears down old spots instead of nurturing long-term landmarks.
  • Discussion of other places (Stockyards, Monty's, Cheese ‘n Stuff, Organ Stop Pizza) brings up nostalgia and the rare Phoenix institution that still feels authentic.

Notable Moments & Timestamps

• [02:17] Brady Bogan: “Take it over.”
• [03:56] The city’s lack of tourist destinations beyond natural resources
• [06:33-09:35] Phoenix restaurant nostalgia: Stockyards, Monty’s, Cheese ‘n Stuff, Tree of Life art project

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2. Local Humor, Inside Jokes & Cheeky Storytelling

• Organ Stop Pizza “is gay”:

  • John humorously recalls his dad telling him as a kid that Organ Stop was “for gay people” as a way to dodge going there.
    • “He told us as kids, it’s like a gay bar... Which again is him being super cheap and super smart. You tell a fifth grader, ‘That’s for gay kids. So you want to be one of the gay kids?’... I think it was just to get us off his back.” [15:06]

• Gilbert as ‘pod people’ and suburban copycats:

  • Ongoing jabs at the nearby suburban community of Gilbert for copying Phoenix cultural trends and restaurants.
    • “Hopefully failing miserably so the pod people don’t have another thing they think they did. They’re plagiarists. They’re food and restaurant plagiarists.” – John Holmberg [22:12]

• Phoenix’s “theme” bars:

  • Carry On (airplane-themed bar with immersive experiences) and Undertow (nautical rum-runner vibe) get praise as the city’s first truly cool, experiential spaces.
  • Holmberg darkly jokes about wanting to simulate infamous flights like 9/11 or the Buddy Holly crash at Carry On.
    • “Recreate those and, like, that’s crazy.” [19:57]
    • “How many dark-minded, weirdo, gallows humor people like me would love the 9/11... It would be legendary.” [18:49]

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3. Michigan Football Drama: Rivalry & Pettiness

• Sherrone Moore fired from Michigan for inappropriate relationship with a staffer, and then arrested.
• Ohio State fan Brady Bogan is gently teased for not celebrating the Michigan drama enough:
  • Holmberg, with glee: “Yours [prayers] did. Because Sherrone Moore of Michigan not only was fired, but shortly after arrested for something stupid. Awesome stuff. You hate Michigan with a passion.” [23:15]
• Mocking rivals is part of sports:
  • Holmberg pushes for pettiness: “That’s the glory of sport: the collapse of your rival. Nothing better.” [27:05]
  • Brady insists he’d rather Michigan struggle and keep their coach so Ohio State can “beat them fair and square.” Holmberg finds this unacceptably civil.
    • “You need some petty lessons... Real fans love that. Every second of it. You should be!” [30:53 & 31:01]
• Classic sports rivalry banter and hyperbole:
  • Holmberg fantasizes about rival coaches getting diseases named after them (“Lamar Jackson Disease”), heartbreaks, public humiliation, and rooting for a “complete failure in life.”
    • “Like, just Sherrone Moore. You have to sit and hope he wakes up in puddles of his own feces, crying that every day is worse than the day before...” [29:15]

Memorable Quotes

• “Please, I want you to say something like... would be great if like, he got gangrene or something and had his leg removed... Because he’s a Michigan guy. He hates you.” – John Holmberg [31:21]
• “Brady is the reason we hate Ohio State. Indulge, you idiot.” [38:10]
• “You’re a Somalian at a Cinnabon in Wisconsin. Nobody likes you.” – John Holmberg to Brady [39:33]

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4. Wrap-up: Phoenix Identity, Sports Culture, and Satire

• Phoenix’s shifting identity and the hosts’ wish for more unique, enduring establishments is a thread through both the local nostalgia and their sports outlook.
• Holmberg’s satirical attacks on piety, sportsmanship, and suburban sprawl provide comedic edge and local flavor.

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Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:10 | Durant’s restoration and “ghosts in those walls” | | 15:06 | Organ Stop Pizza: Dad’s “it’s gay” story | | 18:49 | Carry On bar, dark jokes about 9/11 and famous flight tragedies | | 22:12 | Critique of Gilbert “food plagiarists” | | 23:15 | Michigan coach Sherrone Moore’s firing and Ohio State rivalry | | 27:05 | “Glory of sport is collapse of your rival” - rivalry pettiness | | 30:53 | Real fans, diseases named after rivals (Lamar Jackson Disease) | | 38:10 | “Brady is the reason we hate Ohio State. Indulge, you idiot.” |

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Conclusion

This episode offers a feast of Phoenix nostalgia and sports rivalry, led by Holmberg’s sarcastic, rapid-fire wit. From the sentimental return of Durant’s (with detailed, enthusiastic praise) to deeply unserious debates about the merits of rooting for total humiliation of sporting enemies, it’s an episode for fans who love their city, their teams, and their inside jokes.

Listeners get a crash course in why local classics matter, why sporting rivalries run so deep, and why, as Holmberg would doubtless say, “a little petty never hurt anyone.”

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Transcript

[Podcast Host]

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[John Holmberg]

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Good morning, everybody. Hello there. Welcome to Thursday. It's 5:45 this, the morning sickness. My name is John Holmberg. How are you? There's Brady Bogan, there's Brett Vesley, There's Big Dick Toledo. Let's get this thing going, shall we? And I have to say, I. I feel fantastic this morning. After last night's visit to a Phoenix classic, the doors are reopened. I got to go to the soft opening of Durant's, and I'm telling you, man, awesome. You especially, you've been to Durant's, obviously. Yeah, Loved it. Unbelievable interior of, like the old mobster vibe. New York steakhouse, red velvet walls. It was just absolutely incredible. And after, like a whole year of them redoing it. My neighbors Michael and Troy are part of the Phoenix Theater board or something like that, and they had a big charity event there last night and to help the staff get everything going for next week's official open. It was ridiculous. And we don't. Phoenix doesn't have, like, landmark places. You know, you go to Chicago and there's always that place you go, the redheaded step sister or whatever that bar is down there. And they have the Smith and Wolinsky started there and they have all their bars and restaurants that are synonymous with the city. New York's got countless amounts of things you can't. You know, we have Duran's. That's pretty much it. Stake 44 is the same owners, but they basically come on and said, here's where people go.

[Brady Bogan]

Take it over.

[John Holmberg]

This will be the thing that tourists and everybody else says if you. Yeah, if you're gonna eat anywhere, that's the one. It's. It's mind Blowingly good. Like, just as a steakhouse. It makes Durant's great again. Because the last time I was at Durant's was about three years ago. Wasn't that good.

[Brady Bogan]

It was the decor and, you know, the ambiance was. It got away with it because it'd been there forever.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. But it was old, and the service was not good and the food wasn't good, and, like, you're just kind of like, oh, you're living off of the idea that this was once a great place to be. Boy, not anymore. It was awesome, and I'm happy for that. Like, I, you know, this city is mine. I love it here. And you want it to have, like, the things, you know, you got sports ain't gonna cut it. You ain't gonna have people coming out here. First sporting events. And I got suns lost by 50 last night. They were shorthanded against a team that is absolutely, unbelievably great. But so you're not really one of those things where the. The, you know, the eyeballs are on you for that. Mainly, it's just the natural resources, you know, the beauty of Sedona and, you know, the weather. We don't have a thing. This is the thing. This is a huge thing. Now, I will tell you this.

What we ended up leaving at midnight or so. We ate at 11. Like, the food we were. That we had a late reservation just to get it, and we got it. It was pretty awesome. But I think we start. We sat down at 10 or so, started eating at 11, got done at. So I'm feeling a whole bunch of steak still in my belly then, because it was a charity event. It was it for donations and stuff like that. The bill, as far as we could tell from what the four of us had, would have been around two grand. It ain't. It's no joke.

[Podcast Host]

So it's went up in price from.

[John Holmberg]

I think they. Yeah, I think it's that we've got some great stuff in this city. You don't spend $2,000, but this thing is going to be like, oh, the legend of does it still got the.

[Podcast Host]

Vibe that it had, though.

[John Holmberg]

And then they did such a good job keeping it, they went back and found the guy whose family originally put that wallpaper up, that red velvety wallpaper. That was that. So that, like, Durant's is so famous for. And the family's like, oh, yeah, that's ours. I'll recreate that. And they put it up, and it. The. The place looks unbelievable. It's Just. It's perfect. It makes you feel like you're in a different time, different, different city. Like it doesn't have that Phoenix, brand new vibe. It feels like it's got some heart. There's some ghosts in those walls and heritage. Yeah, it's got a thing. It's got a still.

[Podcast Host]

Enter through the kitchen.

[John Holmberg]

Everything through the kitchen. Kitchen's clean as can be. It's amazing. Yeah, they've done. Done. It's. It was just outstanding. But, you know, not for people. It's not for people who are faint of heart when the bill comes. If you look at the bill and wonder who had the blooming onion, because I don't remember getting a blooming. If you look at a bill and ever say that this is not the place for you. And I look, I'm one of them. Like, two grand for dinner is a lot of money. Way too much. But it is a. It's going to be one of those things that if you get a chance to go or someone takes you run to it, because it's awesome in there. It's Phoenix history. We don't have a ton of that. We tear down everything and put something brand new up. And they didn't do that with Durants, which they could have. It wouldn't have been anybody complaining about that if they just built a new place, but they didn't. They. And they kept.

[Brady Bogan]

For Larry, it was stockyards.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, God, terrible mistakes. Stockyards is the Larry equivalent to. No, it's not. It's just stockyards. It's right down the road here. It's a. I'd rather read at the post office, but that's a different story. But, yeah, stockyards is old, but it doesn't have any history. It's just been there for a long time. I just was recently in stockyards because a friend of mine's like, have we tried that for State? I'm like, sure, we'll go. Yeah. When my. When my buddy Wilson was chewing a steak and then went, oh. And then spit most of it into a napkin and then ran to the bathroom to throw the napkin. I'm like, we might not be in a good spot. And the waiter said, oh, sometimes they get a little tough, and then walked away. The hell could have went to Longhorn for this, right? It was. It's all right, though. You know, it's kind of a cool place. But yeah, man, I'm telling you, it was awesome. It was such a cool thing. And to have. It's like a little Source of pride there. You know, we have Durant. That's ours. It's like, no other cities got it. It's ours. And hopefully they don't wreck it with.

[Brady Bogan]

You know, there's only a handful of restaurants in Phoenix. Set.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. That are. That.

[Brady Bogan]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

You know, I can only think of one. I mean, stockyards has the old school been around for a long time, but it's not like, oh, you gotta get to get a legendary stockyards thing. Durant's is the one that you're like, oh, that's. Yeah, that's the.

[Brady Bogan]

That one closed a couple years ago in Tempe.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, yeah. Monty's Casavia.

[Brady Bogan]

I had there for a long time.

[John Holmberg]

I personally had a problem with Monty's because I knew people who worked there, and they told me that the rat infestation at Monty's was enough to make you never, ever want to go in.

[Podcast Host]

Like, really.

[John Holmberg]

Like, it is loaded with them. I don't know how true it was, but it kept me from going in there. Monty's, okay. Richardson's used to have. But it burned down. Instead, he built a new one, and they get some cool stuff, but Mantis was like.

[Podcast Host]

It was okay.

[Brady Bogan]

It was just.

[Podcast Host]

It was the name.

[Brady Bogan]

It'd been there forever.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, that was what Phoenix got away with. I've grown. I've grown up here. Phoenix got away with not having anything. So the things it had didn't have to be great. They just had to be. And Monty's was one of them. It's like, it exists. So it. And it was. Look, it's only been 15 years in this city. When we had restaurants like we grew up in. The last 15, 20 years have been like, okay, we should start with, like, cultural restaurant. Like, have nice stuff. We had Durant's. We had Monty's. There was.

[Brady Bogan]

There's another reboot going on in central Phoenix. I don't know if it's opened or reopened yet.

[John Holmberg]

The clever man, the cheese and stuff. Oh, what's that? Oh, that place?

[Brady Bogan]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

See, that's a foodie place.

[Brady Bogan]

In a deli.

[John Holmberg]

For years, only foodies knew about that. Yeah, you were the one who told me. Because I always drove by Cheese World and cheese and stuff, and I'm like, who needs that much cheese? And I told you. And you're like, that place is amazing. Like, oh, right. That's right. People who are foodies liked it. I never would have. I never went in. But I don't know that. That's like a. Like, that's Not a, you know, a landmark or pillar of the city. If it went away, most of us wouldn't know. It's like the Tree of Life. Nobody knows about it. It's right down the street here. It's a huge art project on Galvin Parkway and McDowell. I just drove by. I'm like, what's with all the rocks? So I Googled, hell's up. Yeah, exactly. It's huge. It's a big art project. It's been there for 35, 40 years. I never knew about it. And it's this. It looks like a. Like a giant tree has fallen down in rocks. They built it, and then they put these branches right up on Calvin Parkway in McDowell. Never knew anything about it.

[Podcast Host]

A mile from here.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. I was driving by the other day, and I looked, and I'm like, what's with all those stacked rocks? I'm like, I've never even noticed. Like, why is that there? Because my brain was sitting there saying, man, all this development over here in this area, because that area is blown up like this big field here. Nobody's touching it. Can't. It's a big art exhibit. Don't even know it. Would never know. Got a whole bunch of that stuff. But it's. Yeah, Durant's is definitely one of those moments, like, if you're. You know, if you have an event or somebody. Somebody gets you to drag your ass in there, do it.

[Podcast Host]

It's still got the old sign out front and everything else.

[John Holmberg]

Even. Even the. In. As you come through the kitchen, and it says, you know, the. The. It's got their slogan about stakes being some sort of. I don't know. I don't remember what it says, but it's the same exact song. It's all of it. Looks if you were to drop yourself in there and go, I don't remember the old one. You weren't. I don't think you'd be sure that they did anything new.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[John Holmberg]

But they. But everything is new. And it's awesome. It was awesome, except for we had that late reservation. And Michael, my neighbor's, like, I went to the bathroom, came back, and he goes, I've ordered all the desserts. There's four of them. Like, What? Say it's 11:40. I know. Like, oh, man. And then they showed up, and you're like, I gotta eat all the desserts except for that miserable strawberry thing, because I hate strawberries. And it is strawberries on strawberries. The waitress dropped it, and she goes, is this for you? And I said, no, that looks like Nicole Brown Simpson's porch. Get it over. It was just a blood based. I called it the rogue tampon. It had a big white blob in the center and there's blood everywhere. And I'm like, I don't know. She was laughing. I'm like, thank God you're laughing at that. But I don't want anything to do with that one. But I did eat the other stuff. It was amazing. And the good thing was last night's bill didn't have to pay it because the Phoenix Theater did the charity event. You know, everything was for charitable donation, so we kicked in a nice amount. But the, like, I don't know how they did it, but all that food last night, the place was packed. 5, 6 servings over from 5 o' clock until we left around midnight.

[Brady Bogan]

And that's a soft opening.

[John Holmberg]

It was a soft training. Here's the other thing about a soft opening. They didn't miss a beat. And normally soft opening, like, you get somebody's. You know, somebody just hands you pears. And like, I didn't order pears. And like, what's this? Oh, sorry. Some idiot. Not one hiccup. Our waitress name was Jeannie. She was amazing. It was awesome. Highly recommend you get a wealthy friend and start leaning into him a little on durance. Get there and still got the prime rib that they used to have and the spinach. I didn't try, but I know that everybody loses their mind over that. Somebody says, Durant's. Screw that. When are they bringing ponchos back? Now you're talking my language. Ponchos was my ditch day. We used to ditch Dobson and go to Ponchos, which had an all you can eat lunch Mexican.

[Podcast Host]

It was so terrible, but so good.

[John Holmberg]

So bad.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, it was so terrible, but so good.

[John Holmberg]

We clobbered. And you know why? Sopa pillas. They had piles of them.

[Podcast Host]

Is that the one where you put the little flag up and everything else?

[John Holmberg]

I think it was when we had lunch. Yeah, it was the flag. Yeah. So Pierce would show up when you were ready. That's right. But yeah, ponchos was awesome. And we used to ditch school and go to ponchos because you could sit there for three hours and nobody in ponchos would rat you out. It was like, I think two things. Kids ditching school and people having affairs. They could go to ponchos and, like, nobody's ever gonna. They just want you there for three, four hours. It was so good. So amazing. Well, we really don't have Phoenix doesn't have, like, those staple things. This one said Bianco's Pizza downtown waited four hours. But if I ever wait four hours for pizza, better give me an orgasm. We went down to that time. Four hours. We ate dinner. While we were waiting. Yeah. We went to another restaurant. It isn't. It's good, but it's nothing. There's so many other, like, pizza places, but that's all.

[Brady Bogan]

Is there a place that you would wait four hours for?

[John Holmberg]

I. I don't wait to go to the bathroom. I hate waiting. If there's a wait, I leave.

No, I mean, Durant's is an experience. So I would say just if you're a Phoenician, especially because it's just part of us. I still wouldn't wait four hours for food.

[Brady Bogan]

And I only went there for lunch.

[John Holmberg]

Durant.

[Brady Bogan]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Brady Bogan]

Because you're working downtown.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Brady Bogan]

And every now and then you'd have a lunch down there.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. This one says Organ Stop Pizza.

[Brady Bogan]

No, it's been around for a long time.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Brady Bogan]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

But it's in a different building now, too.

[Brady Bogan]

Surprised me. I went by the other.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, it's still open.

Sickness.

[Food Truck Owner (Janice)]

Disgusting.

[John Holmberg]

They say things that are horrible.

[Food Truck Owner (Janice)]

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[John Holmberg]

Book [e-mail] Holmberg's Morning Sickness Duck and Decanter. Yeah, Duck and Decanter.

[Podcast Host]

But again, hasn't that moved at the.

[John Holmberg]

Same spot and country? It's all right. Just a sandwich place. I know, but we have amazing. Nothing that flags us.

[Podcast Host]

Don and Charlie's.

[John Holmberg]

Somebody's asking. Used to be Don and Charlie's was kind of a when you're in Phoenix kind of thing. I don't know if we have. Durant's would be the one. This one says you want Organ Stop Pizza back. Not the pizza so much. Just Brady wants Organ Stop. He wants kidneys in there. Just never been going to Oregon. Stop.

[Brady Bogan]

I was going to give away a certificate for someone that donates.

[John Holmberg]

I have the kidney. We'll go to Organ Stop. Is it still there?

[Brady Bogan]

I think so.

[John Holmberg]

It used to be on Price and Longmore. It's moved.

[Podcast Host]

It's now it's on Southern and Stapley.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. Oh, really? Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

The original one was down there by price, but.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. Price in Southern or. Yeah, something like that. Yeah.

[Brady Bogan]

Never went a Furniture store.

[John Holmberg]

I remember doctor's office. Yeah. We didn't live too far from the one on Southern and around Price. And when I was a kid, everybody's like, oh, we're gonna stop pizza. We're gonna stop pizza. And for some reason my dad didn't want to go there because he thought it was gay.

I remember him saying, ah, he thought it was just. He thought it was gonna be like when you walk through the mall in the 80s and those organs were playing.

[Brady Bogan]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

And he hated the sound of organs. Cause his mother had an organ and she would play it a lot. And I think it just made him feel uncomfortable. And he thought it was just gonna be organ music the whole time. So we weren't allowed to go to Organ Stop Pizza. Cause ah, it's for twinks. It's gay. Like he thought it was a gay pizza place. And he told us as kids, it's like a gay bar. And so we would laugh. And I remember saying that to friends at Roosevelt elementary. Like, Organ Stop. What? Gay? Like what? Like I was crazy. But my dad had convinced me that it was just for gay people. And so we never asked him again. Which again is him being super cheap and super smart. You tell a fifth grader that's for gay kids. So you want to be one of the gay kids? Like, ah, dad, what are you crazy? No. I'll get teased forever. Well, then we're not going to Organ Stop. So I think it was just to get us off his back.

[Brady Bogan]

Mai has been around a long time.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Brady Bogan]

That's probably unique to Arizona.

[John Holmberg]

Use a revamp too. The one downtown, they tore it down about Bill Johnson. The original Makayla's is gone. Like, so how much? You know the one on Central? Yeah. They tore it up. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Then they. They moved it, right? Yeah, they put another one like across the street.

[John Holmberg]

That's what we do here. We don't let anything live and age and, you know, spruce it up. We tear it down. We start over. Mr. Ranch Things. Awesome. Head on over there. We've had a few, but.

You know, I used to like a place called Appetitos. I thought that was going to be a monster. Like a great sandwich place and like unreal.

[Podcast Host]

Oh yeah.

[John Holmberg]

There was doctor Home school in Guadalupe. Loved Appetitos. Oh, so good, man. Just disappeared with the rest of them. So we need more of that. We need more Arizona stuff. And Durant's is it. But I don't know, maybe they'll start open. They're supposed to open another one a second Durant's and I don't know if that makes things better or worse, but they're supposed to open another one.

[Brady Bogan]

Well, if it's anything like the one they've done there.

[John Holmberg]

No, you don't do that. See, that's the Gilbert move. I know, but don't do that.

[Brady Bogan]

Where would you put it?

[John Holmberg]

You leave the only one. Gilbert. Yeah, they'd stuff it in Gilbert and wreck the whole thing.

[Brady Bogan]

We got some old buildings we can put it.

[John Holmberg]

No, you don't have any good old buildings. Gilbert sucks. And it's one of those things that's just constantly just stamping cool things and making it. We get it. We don't want to drive to you, you don't want to drive to us. But when you start chaining it out and it's like, oh, there's another one, it kind of takes away from the fact that it's unique.

[Brady Bogan]

You leave more steak place opening soon to cold Perry's and Gilbert.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, yeah, let it be theirs. If you got a place called Paris, if Gilbert opens its own thing, good on them, but quick, you know, cutting and pasting all the good spots and making it so you just have your own. It's gross and it wrecks stuff. There's something unspecial about, like, we can go to the one here, we can go to the one there. It's like there's only one. When it's the only one and it's hard to get. It's great. This guy says, have you been to Century Grand? Oh yeah, that's the train. And it's got. It's also got undertow in it. Century Grand's got the platform 18, which is the coolest bar in Phoenix, without question. I love that thing. And then the one downtown. I actually had a talk with Matt Coleman yesterday who runs Stand Up Live and the comedy clubs and stuff. There's a place called Carry on downtown that's an airplane and they take you on a flight. It's a bar and the windows are like a plane. So for. For a while, the trip was San Francisco to Mazatlan or something like that. And you get on a plane, you get 90 minutes in there and then you have an experience and you actually. All the windows are as if you're on the plane. They have little turbulent moments and stuff. It's really cool. And we were talking about like, they switched the flight. And I'm like, how much. How many dark minded weirdo gallows humor people like me would love the 9 11.

Like the one where you're because, you know, many. No, Are you kidding me? That place would pack up if in the middle of the service, some guy just gets up and goes. And he loses his mind. Like, oh, no, they're hijacking the bar. And then all the fight gets really crazy, and then it's just over and everybody has to leave and they reset for the next group. It would be legendary, and people would pay top dollar for top dollar. Sure. I mean, I can get on a flight from San Francisco to Mazatlan. What's the uniqueness there? But if you get on. Carry on, it's like, all right, we're going to recreate some crazy flights here. What do you want to do? I'm like, Payne Stewart. Like, you got it. And then there's fighter jets next to the thing for a second. If you could recreate all sorts of famous flights. The Buddy Holly flight and all that. Nobody remembers flights that make it, like, what was the name of the flying.

[Brady Bogan]

By Ozzy's tour bus?

[John Holmberg]

Huh?

[Brady Bogan]

And that.

[Podcast Host]

What happened to Ozzy's tour bus?

[Brady Bogan]

Oh.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, yeah. You have a tour bus bar. What was the flight number of your last flight? Yeah, of course not. It made it. But I'll tell you what, you'll remember a lot of flight numbers. The ones that went into the dirt.

Recreate those and, like, that's crazy.

[Podcast Host]

Want the airplane flight from LA to Chicago with auto flying and everything else, and that'd be great.

[John Holmberg]

That would be pretty good. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I'm all on it.

[Podcast Host]

Well, stewardess.

[John Holmberg]

I speak giant. Yes. Come on. On the airplane. Yes. A little kid in the back who's dying. I have to play guitar.

[Brady Bogan]

Inflatable pilot.

[John Holmberg]

Exactly. Some boring guy comes and sits at your table and tells story about Macho Grande.

That's a great idea. They need to have theme nights over at the Carry On. I don't know if you have a. You don't really want to dabble with the train one. No, no. But Undertow is one where it feels like you're in the hull of an old pirate ship running rum. We got some neat spots. We're starting to. Starting to become a thing. And it's pretty awesome. This guy says, remember Cork and Cleaver? I ate Cork and Cleaver once, and I almost threw up on the floor. That play got my sort of. That was one time. And Cork and Cleaver was another one.

[Brady Bogan]

That was like, put your hands in the salad bar.

[John Holmberg]

And then people line. That's one thing I won't do. Ever get in line with a plate and eat at a salad bar. And the only thing protecting you from the booger hands of the rest of America is that weird plastic guard. And you know, they used to not have the guard salad bars. We watch an old 50s thing. Salad bars didn't have a big shield over them. You know why they needed the shield? Too many people were honking on it or. Gross. Yeah. And this guy says, feeney's. Feenies. I haven't been to, but I hear it's pretty gray. It's kind of a neat spot.

[Brady Bogan]

Yeah, it's neat.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. And a murder at Feeny's a couple of years ago, which I think adds to it.

[Brady Bogan]

Get the baseball cut.

[John Holmberg]

But they're what I've heard. Yeah, the baseball is good.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, man. Have a DB Cooper flight, too.

[John Holmberg]

Yes. Yes.

[Brady Bogan]

Right.

[John Holmberg]

Dude just leaps out the door. There's so many different, like, performative things you can do with these. Instead of just a cool flight. It is really neat. Carry On's really. It's like a week you can't get in. You have to get reservations, like a week or two in advance.

[Brady Bogan]

And That's Hawaiian Airlines 1. Where the side peeled off.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, the top fell off. Yeah. And the stewardess got sucked out. Yes, that stuff. You put a little harness on her, we'll be flying in a. Whoa. And she goes up to the second floor. But it just feels. You can have so much fun with that. But now they're just doing basic flights.

[Podcast Host]

There's an undertone. Gilbert, too.

[John Holmberg]

They ruined it. Of course. There is the copy paste pod people of Gilbert.

[Brady Bogan]

I'm not sure how they're doing.

[John Holmberg]

Hopefully failing miserably so the pod people don't have another thing that they think they did. Oh, they're plagiarists. They're food and restaurant plagiarists. Oh, everybody seems to be enjoying that. Let's wreck it by adding another one on here. It's just too many. You make it a Starbucks at a certain point. It's just on every corner. But Durant's has to stay Durant, I think. One and only. If they do another one, it'll be like it has no ignoring the name. Yeah. Then it's just that. Yeah, you're just slutting the name up. That's right. Brady, you've got to be thrilled. This happens to very few of us. And all my prayers that I try to use you as a conduit to your God, if he's real or not have not been answered. But yours did. Because Sharon Moore of Michigan not only was Fired, but shortly after arrested for something stupid. Awesome stuff. You hate Michigan with the passion, whatever.

[Brady Bogan]

And the reason for firing, because he.

[John Holmberg]

Was banging somebody at work. He was having an inappropriate relationship with another Michigan staffer.

[Brady Bogan]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

Who knows? And you will probably now pray that. That. That Michigan staffer is like one of the students and a boy. And then showed that a couple.

[Brady Bogan]

There's been a couple of pictures of who it might be.

[John Holmberg]

Oh. Who he might be bombing. It's a girl holding up a little.

[Brady Bogan]

Sign after the victory last year won a game. Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. Or this year, like, not Ohio State.

[Brady Bogan]

It wasn't Ohio State.

[John Holmberg]

Just. They won a game and she had signed. What'd the sign say?

[Brady Bogan]

It just said, Michigan wins again.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, they just had a picture. I thought there was something telling in that. Oh, well. The former. Now former coach of Michigan and Ohio State fans rejoicing in Michigan's embarrassment. And I know that has to be. Come on, you got.

[Brady Bogan]

Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Don't get me wrong. I'm just saying the firing, I mean, that just made it easier.

[John Holmberg]

Come on, you have to love. You have to like that maybe they were going to fire him anyway. But now there's some sort of a weird controversy. And I will hand it to Michigan. They fire people that do inappropriate relationships. Unlike their nemesis, Ohio State, who has thousands of sexual assaults with one of their employees. And they. They didn't do anything about it. Still haven't paid for any of that.

[Brady Bogan]

They just had to cleanse the rest of the cheating scandal that happened.

[John Holmberg]

Who, Michigan? Yeah. They were on top of the. Yeah, well, they had a. They had a. I like it. I like this. It'd be like if Lamar Jackson was, like, let go and then the next day arrested. I wouldn't be here. I'd be too. I'd be too drained from masturbating all day. It's gotta feel so good. Yeah, it's gotta feel so good. Like, deep down inside, even you are like, God, I hope he goes to jail for the rest of his life for something dumb because of this. You'd love every second if it just gets worse and worse for him. And it turns out that the inappropriate relationship was two years ago with Jim Harbaugh. And then they've got video of it, and the embarrassment just continues and continues. This would be a dream come true for an Ohio State fan. And you. You just seem. What do you do in that face?

[Brady Bogan]

Well, because actually, I would like him to stay.

[John Holmberg]

You would rather have him stay and just be a coach than have Michigan.

[Brady Bogan]

Suffering take him to the next level.

[John Holmberg]

But suffering embarrassment is. Is better.

[Brady Bogan]

No, he can have that. But, you know, maybe, you know what? We forgive you. Come back and coach.

[John Holmberg]

Okay, forgive him. But then you're going to have the signs and everybody's going to make fun of it. This is. This is a dream come true for rivals. If you know, U of A had a coaching scandal, even ASU would be like, great about it. This is the dream. This is where colleges, traditions can't die when 1. When your rival school has an embarrassing nightmare. I was upset at Michigan this year after the big documentary came out about Ohio State this summer and just tore them to bits and made that school look horrible. They remain horrible. They're monsters. And Michigan didn't have any signs at the game. It's in the big house about rape or sexual assault or anything.

[Brady Bogan]

They had their own little thing.

[John Holmberg]

No, they didn't have that, Brady. There's no comping their little cheating scandal. And then a minor little thing compared to what? Ohio State was one, not a thousand.

[Brady Bogan]

Well, he had thousands of videos.

[John Holmberg]

Thousands of videos of him doing what?

[Brady Bogan]

Recording students.

[John Holmberg]

Raping them?

[Brady Bogan]

Not raping.

[John Holmberg]

That's different.

[Brady Bogan]

Video set up.

[John Holmberg]

That's different. That's a totally different thing.

[Brady Bogan]

Hacked into their computers.

[John Holmberg]

Ohio State was raping people by the thousands. And Michigan had no signs. I was so disappointed. First quarter of that game, like, all right, you know, even at the pregame when they were outside the big house for espn, I'm like, where are the signs? Nothing. Cowards. Morning sickness.

[Food Truck Owner (Janice)]

Disgusting.

[John Holmberg]

They say things that are horrible.

Holmberg's morning sickness.

[Brady Bogan]

Then you guys just thorough on his physicals.

[John Holmberg]

Especially that guy. He drugged and had sex with. That guy. He knew every nook and cranny. That's right. His side was laying face down. That was. It was great. But you've got to be more, you know, into the idea of the entire collapse of Michigan, not just, oh, keep him around. We can beat him again next year. He's one and one against you. Actually, two and one technically, but one and one against you. So you can sit back and say, oh, he'll never beat us. He already has. You just now you got to root for him to be a complete failure in life. That's the glory of sport, is the collapse of your rival. Oh, it's nothing better. When Ray Lewis killed those people, I thought, this is fantastic. Like, this is great. He's good. And then he got away with it. And you're like, ooh, not that. Then. Now he gets to walk free. All the time, he's a murderer. He's a murderer. And when Ravens fans talk about the Steelers, Ben rapeless burger is constant, even though, you know, facts state different things. I understand why they did it. They were rooting for him to be in jail forever. That's how you handle a rivalry. Unlike here in Phoenix, when Brock Purdy plays for your main rival and just because he went to high school nearby, we put up billboards saying, good luck, Brockers. Go get him, Purdy. Like, no, go get him, kiddo. He's a 49er now. That's over.

Do you think San Francisco area was putting up Tom Brady billboards because he was from there? Do you think they. When the packers played the 49ers in the playoffs, they're like, go get a Marin Rodgers because he used to live up in that area?

No, we do it well.

[Brady Bogan]

If he heals up and everything goes well, we'll be rooting for the scatter Boo.

[John Holmberg]

The boo is great, but if he. If the Giants come to Arizona with the Cardinals are. They're just basically like, yeah, root for whoever you want. It's just bad. But as a Giant, if he. If they were dominant and the Cardinals were there putting up billboards going, we're rooting for you, Cam. Stupid.

You got to root for your. For your rivals to get stuck in pits and live there forever. Like, just Sharon Moore. You have to sit and hope that he wakes up and just puddles of his own feces, crying that every day is worse than the day before and his life gets slowly decreases every single day, every day. And you're like, whatever happened to Sharon Moore? Oh, he sweeps up at night at the Circle K, like, oh, I'm gonna go visit that. They just stand there in Ohio State thing sucking on one of the remnants of a Slurpee. I'm almost out. Oops, I dropped it. Clean up on aisle. Oh. Oh, I guess we'll call this aisle. That's right, sir. Excuse me. I've got to clean that up. That's nice to have, coach. Way to go. You're not boning any of the other Circle K employees. You got a problem with that? I'd like to ask you to leave, please. Nope.

You don't. See, you don't seem excited about it. It should be exciting.

[Brady Bogan]

Well, I don't have that kind of.

[John Holmberg]

Yes, there's something wrong with you. You're not an Ohio State fan. If you don't root for him to get, like, face herpes and, like, you know, incur, like, a disease named after him. Like, if they came out and said, lamar Jackson can't move his fingers anymore, and it looks like it's going to spread through. I mean, you wouldn't stop hearing the. The sounds of. Of me. Just absolutely. Just.

We have no name for it. We're gonna call it Lamar Jackson disease. You think there are people in Boston who aren't thrilled that Lou Gehrig got a disease named after him and it took him out? Guaranteed.

Real fans love that.

Every second of it. You should be.

He said, hey, John, can you use your Jew powers? And you and 50 Cent can teach Brady some pettiness lessons. Yeah, you need some petty lessons. You need some lessons on pettiness. 50 cents. Got it. He waited for a dude to go to jail and he couldn't fight back and made a documentary about murdering. It's awesome. It's great stuff. Yeah, you need to throw them in on this.

[Brady Bogan]

Throw them in on that.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, you need. You need to have some. I don't want to hear, like, gosh, I hope his life works out. Gee, golly ways. Yeah. That kind of garbage. I want you to say something like, would be great if, like, he got gangrene or something. I didn't have his leg removed. Like, that kind of stuff. Because he's a Michigan guy. He hates you.

You're just sitting there going, I sure hope he keeps his job. It's nice to beat him. And then next year he beats you. It's like, oh, no, I don't think he hates me. He hates you.

[Brady Bogan]

He called me. He said, can you help me out?

[John Holmberg]

He never called. He never called you. None of that happened. Keep it real. Just keep it all real. He hates you. Every time you wander around in your chubby little Buckeye O shirts. That's everything. He hates you. Guys act like you're tough, crossing out all the M's screaming and yelling, muck fish again. And then when it comes down to it, you don't even celebrate the demise of their head coach in the best possible way. Please.

It's great stuff. You love that stuff. I love love when rivals fall apart.

If the Bears and Packers. If the packers had, like, if Jordan Love was in some sort of a bone in a coach relationship and he had to fire Matt LaFleur, and I'd.

[Podcast Host]

Be doing exactly what you were doing to the Lamar thing.

[John Holmberg]

Exactly like what Jordan Love is having sex with, and they're getting fired for it.

You couldn't. Not enough even still at this point, Even though he's 50, if you found out Aaron Rodgers, you know. Oh, he's got that thing that Lamar's got with it. They're going to name it after, like, you know, Rogers Jackson. Does he. Yeah, we're doing it again. Aaron Rodgers can't move his fingers ever again.

Oh, yeah, that's me and Brett together. I'd cross streams with you on a couple of them. Oh, man. If Lamar and Aaron both had that fingers disease I just made up. Oh, my God, Brett, give me. I'm going to put yours in my hand. We're going to over. That's for sure. Guaranteed. In fact, I'd try to rosebud with it. Let's see how far we can take this. The joy would be. I've never approached such joy. Brett and I would be sitting in a room going, brett, did you hear? Lamar and Aaron Jackson have. Lamar's got. They've got diseases. They can't. Oh, God. Oh, my God.

[Brady Bogan]

Jordan Love.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, I don't care. No, Aaron Rodgers. He wants Aaron Rodgers to have it more than Jordan Love. Jordan Love hasn't destroyed the Bears yet. He's on the list. Yeah, he's getting there. Yeah. But Aaron Rodgers. If you had Aaron Rodgers and Busted Fingers and Lamar Jackson had. And they're thinking about naming diseases after him, the prolapsing and masturbating would be just like. Oh, we'd like to be.

[Podcast Host]

We'd be like those two bald guys in the videos.

[John Holmberg]

Any motel parking lot, like, get in the back of my truck and bend over.

Brady's. Like, I just hope they have a happy family and maybe get back on the horse because they can't beat me. That's. You need some petty lessons.

[Brady Bogan]

No, I take it like, you know, you go to the house and you don't like what they did to the house. You don't say anything at the house.

[John Holmberg]

The hell does that have to do with the.

[Brady Bogan]

You go home and you talk about it.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, no, no, no. That's stupid.

You root for it. In fact, when it's not happening, you start praying for it like I do. Lamar Jackson get one of them diseases to get named after him. Every night I sit in the dearest Brady's. Lord Jesus, God, you've given so many people tragic diseases. Why not Lamar Jackson? Why?

I mean, think about all the people who are innocent and children. You've given babies cancer. You son of a. Babies, kid. Why can't we just give Lamar Jackson one terrible thing and name it after him? Could we just. Thank you, baby. Lord Jesus, please consider this while you hand baby cancer out let's give some to Lamar.

Lamb of God, cheese crackers and grape juice.

Yeah, please.

[Brady Bogan]

Man, if they threw cheese into the.

[John Holmberg]

Kitchen, you need to have a look.

[Podcast Host]

That's what it takes.

[John Holmberg]

Come on. That's what gets you back in the doors. We are now serving cheese with Jesus. We call it cheesus. Enjoy.

I don't know what they're singing. They sing crazy stuff.

[Brady Bogan]

You turn that communion to a charcuterie board.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, get it? You get choices.

Make it turn into Durant and then Gilbert will copy it and rack the director. They did. They did that. I went by that Gilbert church for the first time. It's been built for a while, but coming back Saturday night from that thing I had to do in Queen Creek, went down a road and went by. That new temple.

Mother God thing is huge and it's gorgeous and unnecessary.

[Podcast Host]

Say hi to Moroni.

[John Holmberg]

When you walk now, it's like, my God, I should have started a scam like this years ago. I mean, it's all a scam. You guys know that, right? And none of it's real. And yet they have a billion dollar building that people just go into and do. It's. I can't believe how gullible or construction.

[Brady Bogan]

Workers called it the Temple of Doom.

[John Holmberg]

Whatever it is, I don't know what, I don't know what anybody calls it. I call it a gorgeous. I mean it is a full out trophy of hahaha.

Homes around it.

[Brady Bogan]

I don't know, 40 grand more for temple.

[John Holmberg]

You got the temple view. It's beautiful. But it's all based in life. And like if Scientology built it, people would be upset. It's the exact same thing.

[Podcast Host]

Is that like the fountain view at the Bellagio and stuff like that?

[John Holmberg]

You gotta pay extra. You see Morona in case he comes to the golf course view starts honking.

[Brady Bogan]

It all works.

[John Holmberg]

But I'll tell you what. Somebody said if Lamar got a disease sometime very soon, would it make you believe in Jesus? Yeah, if he got a disease and it was like unnamed and they had to name it eight or whatever, like ravens eight and that's what they called it. Yeah. I'd be at church every day. Unfortunately, I'd be kicked out of church every day because the reason I'm there is because of Lamar Jackson's disease. Please stop that.

[Brady Bogan]

Stop.

[John Holmberg]

I mean. Oh, it's a rosebud too. Oh, oh, Lord Jesus. No. But I'd be like, I believe I'm a believer.

And then they'd start saying stupid stuff. We're praying for Lamar. Jackson, like, I'm getting out of here. They might try to fix it. I want doctors to be like, we got no idea. We're not even going to treat it. I want everybody to be stymied by whatever disease he's got. And you should feel that way about Michigan. This Shemar Moore getting fired was nice because he had a scandal with it. And then right after he gets arrested, this has to like, come on. You should be whipping. Go post pants down. Brett, start him off. Help him out. It's ridiculous.

[Brady Bogan]

I enjoyed it.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, not enough Brady.

Says. Lifetime Michigan fan here. Brady is the reason we hate Ohio State. Indulge, you idiot.

[Brady Bogan]

Classy winner.

[John Holmberg]

We would if the shoe. The shoe was on the other foot. It's not classy. It's lame. You're not classy. Muck fishing. Ann Arbor's a whore. You're not classy. Okay, you pointed it out to me. Ye Muck Fishigan. They walk around with signs that say Muck Fishigan during the game all the time.

[Podcast Host]

Have some balls for. Yeah, they have.

[John Holmberg]

No, they're, they're, they're. They're.

[Brady Bogan]

You don't see preschoolers now. Now just straight up.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, because they're finally like, we're not in preschool anymore and Ann Arbor is a. Which I thought, all right, that's not bad. Nice job. But now then around for years, and now they claim classiness.

[Podcast Host]

Who's the one that planted the flag? And who's.

[Brady Bogan]

That was Michigan last year.

[John Holmberg]

Michigan and then. But Ohio State had a chance to beat him on the field. And then. And then they tried to fist fight him afterwards. Ah, okay. It' like after the referee lifts a boxer's arm and says, and Brett Fastley is the champ. And the other guy goes. And he starts fighting you then like, you just had 12 rounds to try to beat me.

[Brady Bogan]

To break out pepper spray.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, okay. It's pretty great. Classy. Stop it. Nothing classy about Ohio State. Michigan. It's not.

[Brady Bogan]

No me.

[John Holmberg]

You either. You're not. Because you put. You put the rape shirt on every time they play and you ignore all the stuff that went on there and you cheer for the team like a real fan should. So when your rival goes down, Michigan fans.

[Brady Bogan]

John, they love me.

[John Holmberg]

They don't love you.

[Podcast Host]

No, they don't.

[John Holmberg]

No, they don't. You're a Somalian at a Cinnabon in Wisconsin. Nobody likes you. Let's get a wake up song. 585-9800 a good one. We'll scream it together. It's 98 KUPD wagon. It's not weird. It's pretty cool actually. No membership fees. I have heard enough of this.

[Brady Bogan]

Did.

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