Pat's Peeps Podcast

I had a whole serious segment ready to go, the kind of thing that gets your blood pressure up and drags you right into the day’s outrage. Then I stopped and asked a simple question: do I really want to do that to my mood on a Wednesday? Nope. So this turns into a deliberate reset, recorded from the foothills of Northern California with the windows open and the goal set to “forget about the nonsense” for a bit. What follows is a comedy podcast sampler that feels like flipping through oddball talk radio at midnight: a fake “Indianapolis Academy of the French Accent” ad with ridiculous promises, the Mr. Natural song that confesses a secret junk-food life, and a run at old celebrity impressions that’s messy in the fun way. We also dip into a nail salon story where friendly service becomes a never-ending upsell, then bounce through surreal audio scenes like Lost Glider style radio drama, pizza-craving jingles, and the truly unhinged “barbecue and foot massage” pitch. If you’re tired of the algorithm trying to put you in a box, this is your permission slip to be “all over the map” too. Listen for the bit that makes you laugh first, then share the episode with a friend who needs a mental break, and please subscribe and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Schlitz is disappearing, and it feels weirdly personal. A beer that once dominated bars, ballgames, and TV commercials is being discontinued after 177 years, and we sit with what that says about American business, taste, and memory. We dig into the details behind Pabst Brewing Company putting Schlitz Premium on hiatus, including the final “farewell batch” brewed through Wisconsin Brewing Company using a recipe reconstructed from 1948 brewing logs, back when Schlitz was the top-selling beer in the world.From there, we go beyond one label and into the whole ecosystem that made mid-century American beer culture so sticky: regional branding, blue-collar pricing, and marketing you could hum decades later. We talk Lucky Lager puzzle caps, Black Label’s old-school ads, and why the era of beer jingles worked so well at building instant recognition. It is a mix of personal nostalgia and real business forces, including distribution costs, corporate consolidation, and how craft beer and microbreweries changed what drinkers expect from a brand.We also wrestle with the uncomfortable stuff, like cartoon characters helping sell beer and how different advertising rules and norms felt back then. If you love American beer history, vintage commercials, and the psychology of nostalgia marketing, this one will hit. Subscribe, share the episode with a fellow nostalgia nerd, and leave a review telling us which discontinued brand you miss most.

Fair Warning turns 45 and it messes with my head, because it still sounds like a band pushing the amps into the red right now. A Michael Anthony clip sent me down the rabbit hole, and once I started thinking about how long 1981 really was, I couldn’t stop. I trace that feeling back to 1978, when rock music seemed to reboot overnight. Van Halen’s debut hit like nothing else, and The Cars brought a new wave sound that felt just as fresh in a totally different way. I also share a personal story from my days working at an Oregon truck stop, when someone casually told me, “You’ll find out soon” about a band called Van Halen, before most of the country even knew the name. From there we get into a full-on Fair Warning appreciation session: why it’s often called the slowest-selling David Lee Roth era Van Halen album, why that “least commercial” edge makes it special, and why I think it’s some of the fiercest, hardest classic hard rock the band ever made. I talk Alex Van Halen’s underrated drumming, Eddie’s guitar aggression, Michael Anthony’s harmonies, and tracks like “Mean Street” and “Unchained,” plus the little synthesizer hint that foreshadows where the band goes later. If you love Van Halen, album deep-dives, classic rock history, and the messy gap between critics and fans, hit play, then subscribe, share the podcast with a friend, and leave a review so more rock obsessives can find us.

It’s April 20, and I can’t see 420 on the calendar without thinking about the night Pink Floyd lit up Sacramento. I’m looking out at the Northern California foothills, watching the weather roll in, and it takes me straight back 38 years to Hughes Stadium and a concert day that started with pouring rain and ended under a sky that somehow turned pink right before the band hit.I tell the full story from the way we used to buy tickets (yes, camping out overnight outside Tower Records was a real thing) to the drive down, the “rain or shine” promise printed on the stub, and that feeling of relief when the storm finally broke. We talk about why that 1988 show still matters, how it fit into Pink Floyd’s post Roger Waters era, and why the A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour led by David Gilmour felt so huge in a venue that rarely hosted major rock concerts. I also share what makes the bootleg audio so powerful: you can actually hear the crowd and feel the night breathe again.Then I take a left turn and celebrate 420 the other way, with clips and commentary that trace how marijuana culture has shifted over time, from “old weed” nostalgia to debates about legality, policing, and the way comedy and music have shaped the conversation. It’s a mix of memory, history, and a few laughs, all tied to one date.If you’ve ever had a concert that locked into your soul, you’ll get it. Subscribe for more, share this with a friend who loves live music stories, and leave a review telling me: what’s the one show you’ll never forget?

Spring cleaning turns my brain into a jukebox, and today it’s all commercials. While I’m organizing the house and thinking about old-school cleaning products, I end up chasing the bigger question: why do vintage TV commercials and classic jingles stay in our heads longer than most real conversations? Pat’s Peeps 431 becomes a fast, funny nostalgia trip through 1970s advertising, 1960s catchphrases, and the weirdly comforting logic of product mascots. We start with a surprise vinyl find, a novelty record called “High Priced Gasoline 81,” and react to it together as it riffs on the energy crisis with that classic Dickie Goodman break-in style. Then it’s a run of unforgettable spots: Starkist Tuna’s “Sorry, Charlie,” C&H Pure Cane Sugar’s earworm jingle, and those cleaning commercials that made dish soap and sink stains feel like prime-time drama. I talk about Palmolive’s Madge (“You’re soaking in it”) and Comet’s Josephine the Plumber, plus the grocery-store legend of Mr. Whipple telling everyone not to squeeze the Charmin. The tour keeps rolling through Green Giant dreams, the “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature” Chiffon line, and even ads that wouldn’t be aired today, which opens up how culture changes while memory doesn’t. We also tip the hat to pitch-perfect celebrity advertising with Edie Adams selling Muriel Air Tips, and I close by dropping the needle on Love Unlimited’s “Walking In The Rain With The One I Love,” a lush hit tied to Barry White’s early production world. If you enjoy pop culture history, retro commercials, and the psychology of nostalgia, hit subscribe, share this with a friend who knows every jingle, and leave a review with the catchphrase you still quote.

A broken neck at 87 sounds like the end of the story, until it isn’t. That’s where we start tonight, reacting to the news about Ray Stevens and rolling straight into the kind of radio fueled comedy music that made him a legend. I’m fresh off my show, still in that Dr. Demento headspace, and I wanted to keep the dial turned toward the weird, the catchy, and the strangely comforting songs you never forget.We revisit Ray’s novelty song classics like “Guitarzan” and “The Streak,” plus the culture behind them, yodels in pop, streaking as a real 70s phenomenon, and what “could you play that on the radio anymore” even means. From there I follow the memory trail to Roger Miller, where the humor isn’t just a gag, it’s baked into the writing and the rhythm of “Chug-A-Lug” and “Dang Me,” the kind of songs that feel like childhood car rides and old jukeboxes.Then we get into one of my favorite clever formats in comedy records: Dickie Goodman’s break in interviews, where questions get answered by hit song clips from the same year. “Mr. President” and “Mr. Jaws” are basically a prototype for remix culture decades early. We round out the ride with Martin Mull’s “Men,” a grab bag of Dr. Demento era oddities like “Fish Heads,” plus Fred Schneider’s “Who Threw That Ham At Me” and Freddie Blassie’s “Pencil Neck Geek,” before tipping the hat to Weird Al as the parody hall of fame benchmark.If you love novelty songs, parody music, Dr. Demento history, and deep cut comedy tracks, hit play, then subscribe, share with a fellow weirdo, and leave a review. What’s the funniest song you still know every word to?

Midnight has a way of turning ordinary TV into lifelong memory, and we leaned all the way into that feeling tonight. After a long day on the radio, we hit record in the quiet hours, realize the date has flipped to April 3rd, and fire off a real-time birthday message to Pat’s sister Michelle. The wood stove is going, the foothills outside the window are pitch black, and the whole vibe says the same thing: if you’re awake right now, you’re part of a smaller club.From there we follow the thread that only exists after dark: staying up late as a kid and accidentally catching the very first Saturday Night Live, then falling into the warm haze of the CBS Late Movie. We talk about Duel and why Dennis Weaver’s lonely road trip still feels tense decades later, and we pull out one of the strangest late night staples, Trog, a Joan Crawford “missing link” movie that’s equal parts eerie and unforgettable. Along the way, we get real about what it means when your own kid asks to stay up late, and why protecting sleep can also mean protecting childhood.We also trace late night TV history through the voices that built it, from Steve Allen’s early Tonight Show blueprint to Johnny Carson’s steady ability to make chaos feel manageable. Tom Snyder gets his flowers too, especially for the skill of acknowledging serious world events and then pivoting into laughter without disrespecting either side of the moment. And yes, we end where all true insomniac memories end: classic infomercials, from Zamfir’s pan flute empire to Boxcar Willy to the Blue Blockers sunglasses pitch you can practically see in your head.If you love late night television, classic talk shows, retro movies, and the weird comfort of being awake when everyone else is asleep, subscribe, share this with a fellow night owl, and leave a review. What’s the one thing you only discovered because you stayed up too late?

A Wednesday can feel like a wall or a launchpad, and we choose launchpad. I wake up, check the podcast analytics, and realize we’re on the verge of a personal record for downloads. That little moment turns into something bigger: a reminder that Pat’s Peeps is a one-person operation powered by listeners, local businesses, and the simple act of sharing the show with a friend. From there, we roll into St. Patrick’s Day leftovers the good kind. I play a pair of Ronald Reagan bits that capture Irish wit at its sharpest, from a spy story built on the name “Murphy” to a graveyard inscription that turns surprisingly funny. Then we shift into listener-submitted audio and I tell you exactly how to send yours in, because the best episodes are the ones we build together. The back half is pure audio candy for radio lovers and music collectors: a Jim Breuer satire clip, a hit of Love Boat nostalgia with the legendary voice of Ernie Anderson, and a feel-good “Danny Boy” moment. After that, I pull a vintage 45 from my shelves and nerd out on the details before digging into rock and roll history with Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel,” Otis Blackwell’s songwriting, early music publishing deals, and a standout cover by Bill Black’s Combo, plus the B-side “Roland” for a little discovery. If you like classic radio, vintage records, Elvis history, and listener-driven podcasts, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share Pat’s Peeps with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What clip or record should we feature next?