Episode Summary: Holmberg's Morning Sickness – "Al Gore's Time Travel Future Game"

Podcast: Holmberg's Morning Sickness on 98KUPD
Episode Title: Al Gore’s Time Travel Future Game
Air Date: December 18, 2025
Main Cast: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo (“Grant”), Guest voices (Al Gore, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, “W”)

Episode Overview

This episode is a classic, chaotic segment featuring the show's cast riffing as celebrity impersonations, most notably “Al Gore,” “Bill Clinton,” and “W.” They play a satirical game called “Al Gore’s Time Travel Future Game,” where “Gore” uses his invented time machine to paint bizarre, bleak, and darkly comedic visions of the climate-changed future, and listeners must guess the city he’s describing. The banter blends environmental doom, pop culture gags, and adult humor in the signature irreverent style of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Premise: Al Gore’s Climate Time Machine (04:10–06:12)

• “Al Gore,” now single and out of the political spotlight, claims to have invented a machine that lets him see the future impact of climate change.
• He brings “Bill Clinton” and other former presidents along for the ride, lamenting no one wants to hear his doom-and-gloom predictions.
• The game: Gore describes an apocalyptic future city devastated by climate change, listeners call in and guess the location.

Notable Quote:

"I have invented a machine that takes me into my machine, into the future. I can see into the future of climate change. I will describe what I'm looking at, you tell me what city I'm in.”
— Al Gore (05:10)

2. Climate Change Satire and the Contest

• “Gore” spins dire scenarios: underwater cities, snakes and sharks replacing residents, iconic landmarks submerged, and surreal causes for ecological collapse.
• Frequent running gag: “Nobody wants to hear about this,” as Gore’s warnings are met with indifference, mockery, or bored resignation.
• The cast and listeners banter about cars, masculinity, and how “nobody cares” about the climate crisis.

Memorable Segment:
Paris in 2032, underwater and infested by sea creatures.

"A magnetic city of lights draws travelers looking across the Eiffel Tower. But it is underwater. And I'm ravaged by snakes and sharks because of the melted polar ice caps."
— Al Gore (06:12)

• Answers alternate between predictable and absurd, e.g., Paris, Africa, New York, each scenario paired with dark jokes.

3. Absurd Future Visions & Adult Humor

Highlights Include:

• Female anatomy “closed up” due to wind turbines (06:01–06:08).
• All SUVs underwater, with only sharks left in flooded opera houses (07:01–07:10).
• “Dead aborigines” and didgeridoos as clues for Australia (07:11–07:30).
• “Clinder” – Clinton’s version of Tinder, only with women in berets (10:12–10:27).

Notable Quotes:

"In future, decent puss doesn't exist. Climate change has closed all of the female body parts into just big Barbie doll types nested by wind turbines."
— Al Gore (05:59–06:08)

"You got more puts than a Bengal tiger on that thing. Just swipe left, they'll show up in five minutes."
— Grant, on Clinton’s app “Clinder” (10:03)

4. Callers Interact: Jokes About Cars and Climate

• Listeners like Steve and Jason join the banter; topics include pickup trucks' poor mileage, lack of local ice caps, and using wind energy (08:09–13:56).
• Extended riffing on vehicle choices as metaphors for environmental virtue or lack thereof; Camrys and Scions are praised, Cummins trucks mocked.
• “Global warming” scenarios escalate—New York turned into a sea of floating hobos and hookers, the Lincoln Memorial submerged.

Memorable Exchange:

"You're just peeking filth into the air and killing birds on a daily basis."
— Al Gore, to a caller describing his Dodge truck (08:31)

"Meanwhile, you're smoking just about every animal that exists on the planet. So you're not helping at all. You're going the opposite."
— Al Gore to Brady, ribbing about his car (14:06)

5. Character-Driven Banter & Running Gags

• Fake Clinton plugs his dating app, “Slick Willie’s app,” and "Clinder."
• Gore repeatedly references his “single swinging dick” status post-Tipper, with Bill Clinton as his wingman on college campuses.
• “W” struggles with technology (selfies, vending machines) for comic effect (07:51, 14:56).
• Razor-sharp, raunchy humor permeates—fat jokes, sexual innuendo, and over-the-top self-deprecation.

Notable Quotes:

"Now that I'm a single swinging dick."
— Al Gore (03:03)

"You people are decent human beings. Do you have wind energy in your home?"
— Al Gore (13:45–13:48)

Memorable Moments by Timestamp

• 04:10: Al Gore introduces the “Future Game” concept.
• 06:12: Gore describes future Paris, now underwater.
• 07:01: Gore paints a bleak picture of a drowned world.
• 08:28: Listener Jason’s Dodge truck gets roasted for its environmental impact.
• 10:12: Clinton’s “Clinder” app joke peaks.
• 11:22: Grant proposes “Jobless Girls Gone Wild”—a riff on economic and social collapse.
• 13:46: Jason’s family cars (Scion and Camry) get environmental approval.
• 14:06: Gore mocks Brady’s polluting car.

The Episode’s Tone & Style

The tone is relentlessly satirical, proudly tasteless, and unapologetically brash—taking aim at climate change, American consumerism, and the former presidents’ legacies, all filtered through the filter of juvenile, testosterone-fueled radio humor. Nothing is sacred and every potential punchline (or groaner) is live.

Conclusion

This episode is a wild, rapid-fire send-up of both climate activism and political celebrity, built around a mock game show format. The real secret is in the chemistry of the cast and their absurd, sometimes shocking improvisation—skewering everything from climate change panic to masculinity to washed-up politicians clinging to relevance. For fans of irreverent, no-holds-barred radio, it’s a signature slice of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness.

Notable Quotes Recap

• Al Gore:
  “Roomies. It’s better than my… I mean, look, he’s better looking than the woman I was rooming with. Hillary’s hideous.” (02:55)
• Grant:
  “You got more puts than a Bengal tiger on that thing.” (10:03)
• Al Gore:
  “In future, decent puss doesn’t exist. Climate change has closed all of the female body parts…” (05:59)
• Bill Clinton:
  “Right Out.” (03:58)
• W:
  “I was coaxing the Coke machine. Take my dollar.” (15:00)

For listeners who missed the mayhem:
This episode is an energetic jumble of character bits, pointed climate jokes, and the usual HMS irreverence—turning doom-and-gloom into radio schtick with plenty of laughs and a healthy dose of cringe.