Sofa King Podcast

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we cover long-time listener request. This is the death of Natalie Wood. Hers is a story of stardom, sexual scandal, a controlling mother, and quite possible murder. She was found drowned off Catalina Island, after a night of drinking and arguing with her husband Robert Wagner about her friend Christopher Walken. The case was ruled as accidental, but in 2011, it became active again. Natalie Wood was one of the biggest stars of her day, winning three academy awards before the age of 25. She was a childhood star in Miracle on 34th Street, and was in everything from Rebel Without A Cause to Westside Story. So what went down the night Natalie Wood died? What made the LAPD open this case after decades? What does Christopher Walken say happened? Why was Natalie Woods so afraid of the water? Why won’t her husband cooperate with the police in the current investigation? Listen, laugh, learn.   Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/actor/natalie-wood htt

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one of the largest heists in US history and the inspiration for the movie Goodfellas. It was called the Lufthansa Heist, named after the airline they stole from. This story is a tale of vintage mobsters, theft, powergrabs, and murders. So many murders. Jimmy Burke, the leader of the crew, went a bit psychotic after the FBI started to investigate. He took care of loose ends as only the mob knows how. So, if you want to learn if Joe Pesci, Robert DeNiro, and Ray Liotta accurately portrayed these unhinged mobsters, then listen, laugh, and learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/news/real-goodfellas-lufthansa-heist-henry-hill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lufthansa_heist https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lufthansa-heist-jfk-airport-goodfellas-henry-hill https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/lufthansa-heist-murders-mafia-mobsters https://www.businessinsider.com/what-happened-during-the-lufthansa-heist-of-1978-2014-1 https:/

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we feel the blues as we talk about the life, death, music, and drugs of the one and only Stevie Ray Vaughan. Stevie is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time. And that is because he is. His style of playing and singing are as big and unique as his hats. Though he died at the age of 35, everyone from Eric Clapton to David Bowie and The Rolling Stones considered him one of the best musicians alive. If you’ve never done a YouTube dive on his live footage, you owe it to yourself to watch him shred and sweat and sing…and then listen, laugh, and learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/musician/stevie-ray-vaughan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevie_Ray_Vaughan https://srvofficial.com/ http://rockandrollgarage.com/what-eric-clapton-said-about-stevie-ray-vaughan-after-his-tragic-death/ https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/austin/news/2015/04/10/15-facts-about-stevie-ray-vaughan Life Without You Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at living cult, the New Zealand community of Gloriavale. It was founded by Neville Cooper. He learned his preaching craft in America, choosing the speaking-in-tongues, faith-healing variety. When he brought it back to New Zealand, he was a hit. He started a small agriculture community tied to his church. He survived a plane crash, renaming himself Hopeful Christian, and the rest is history. And by history, I mean a cult. You know the drill, nobody can leave, brainwashing, sexual abuse, all the money goes the founder, dairy cows, crazy names, stupid outfits. The works. Visit Our Sources: https://www.ted.com/talks/lilia_tarawa_i_grew_up_in_a_cult_it_was_heaven_and_hell/transcript?language=en https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloriavale_Christian_Community https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/91034991/reid-going-undercover-in-gloriavale-still-haunts-me https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/aug/30/my-life-in-a-religious-cult-the-most-dangerous-place-in-the-world-is-

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we all say “wooooo” and talk about the legend that is Ric Flair. If you don’t know Ric Flair, you owe it to yourself to discover him. He is considered by most wrestlers, promoters, and sports writers to be the greatest of all time. He had the skills in the ring, the crazy persona, and the charisma to win the crowd. Flair started in the old days of dozens of wrestling organizations and was able to stay at the top of his game all the way to Vince McMahon’s consolidation of the WWE. Ric Flair fought for decades and won belt after belt after belt. So, who did he really feud with backstage? How did a plane crash help him discover his wrestling persona? Where did the woooooo come from? Where did the line blur between his character and himself? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: Nature Boy: 30 For 30, ESPN. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ric_Flair https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/ric-flair-10009.php https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/ric-flair-net-worth-salar

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the king of the jungle. And by jungle, I mean petting zoo. That’s right, goats. No, we don’t mean Michael Jordan, the Greatest Of All Time. We mean goats. Billy goats, pygmy goats, mountain goats. You might wonder what is so exciting about goats. Do you want to know who doesn’t wonder that? Satan! That’s right, from Satan’s ultimate symbol to Pan, the horny Greek god, these domesticated devils have been part of human civilization for 10,000 years. So, what is a Goat Tower? Which American President had goats for pets? How can goats be used to fight climate change disasters? The simple goat may just surprise you! Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goat#Mythology_and_folklore https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/61542/15-amazing-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-goats https://backyardgoats.iamcountryside.com/kids-corner/10-amazing-benefits-of-owning-a-goat/ https://www.livescience.com/52540-goat-facts.html https://factslegend.org/20-c

On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we talk about a wicked case of human test subjects known as the Holmesburg Prison Experiments. This small prison in Philadelphia became home to a very unethical doctor named Albert Kligman. He was brought there to investigate a break-out of athletes foot among the inmates, but what he saw was “acres of skin.” The hundreds of humans were the ultimate petri dish for Kligman, and he began to experiment. The shocking thing is that he had the support of the University of Pennsylvania, the prison system, the courts, and companies like Dow and Johnson and Johnson. What did he test? He started by testing shampoos and soaps on prisoner skin. He ended up dosing them with dioxin, wrecking them with radiation, and nuking them in microwave ovens. What brought this to a stop? What is Kligman’s reputation like now? Did any prisoners get justice? Listen, laugh, learn.   Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmesburg_Prison https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/art

On this episode, we explore the Branch Davidians, their leader, David Koresh, and the deadly siege at Waco, Texas. This was one of the biggest conspiracies of the 1990s, and the story is full of bizarre and exciting twists. The Davidians started in the 1930s and grew to be an apocalyptic cult that preached that the world’s government was run by the devil and that the Davidians would all die as soldiers against the devil’s government soldiers in a storm of fire. They got most of that right, as it turns out. When Koresh took over in 1983, the power struggle involved an attempt to exhume a corpse and resurrect it. You read that right… After a box of hand grenades was discovered by a delivery driver, a 51 day siege of the compound known as Mt. Carmel started. First the ATF attempted to arrest Koresh and serve a search warrant, but it ended in a deadly gunfight. We discuss this and the details of the 51 day siege, looking closely at what the Davidians did wrong and what the FBI did wrong. The siege culminated in

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese “Death Cult” lead by the mysterious (and crazy) Shoko Asahara. Aum made international headlines in 1995 when they attacked the Tokyo subway system with Sarin gas killing 13 people and wounding thousands, but this bizarre cult did (and planned) a lot more than that. Their leader, Asahara, was born mostly blind to a poor family with seven kids. Once he graduated high school, he was unable to get admitted to a college and started to study Chinese herbalism and medicine as well as acupuncture, yoga, meditation, and various religions. He started his group innocently enough as a studio for yoga, but as he recruited some of the best minds from top Japanese universities, things took a dark turn. His religious teachings started to focus on the Bible’s Revelations and even the predictions of the end of the world by Nostradamus. He became obsessed with the US and thought they would start WWIII and nuke the world. Well, we still might to b

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at the life, business practices, and empire of Sam Walton. He was a business genius and co-founder of Wal-Mart (along with his brother Bud). Sam Walton learned how to build where nobody else was building and then slowly crush the competition. He was so savvy that all the big retailers were completely unaware of his existence until it was too late. This mega merchant changed the entire nature of retail and the face of America through his “Wal-Mart Effect.” So, was he the inventor the bad things that Wal-Mart is usually accused of? Why did he learn to fly his own plane? How rich are his children? Why did he sign a 99 year lease for his first Wal-Mart store? Listen, laugh, learn.   Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/business-figure/sam-walton https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/197560 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Walton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walton_family https://www.investopedia.com/terms/j/jim-walton.asp https://www.forbes.com/si

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the hits and misses of The Red Hot Chili Peppers. This iconic band has changed styles and band members more than any in recent history. This is due to constant drug addiction and in-fighting. And boy, do I mean drug addiction. The lead singer, Anthony Kiedis, has been in and out of rehab several times and been fired from the band twice. Another member named Hillel Slovak died of an overdose. But, how long did it take Red Hot Chili Peppers to find true success? When did Kiedis propose to Blondie? Did he really lose his virginity to his father’s 18 year old girlfriend? Listen, laugh, learn.   Visit Our Sources: https://rockmusicrevival.com/2019/05/20/the-most-insane-stories-about-anthony-kiedis/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Hot_Chili_Peppers https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/red-hot-chili-peppers-new-album-frusciante-tour-1241119/ https://rwrant.co.za/red-hot-chili-peppers-facts/ https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/04/03/Singer-Anthon

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at the biggest espionage case of the Cold War, which lead to the infamous killing of the Rosenbergs. Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg were killed by electric chair in Sing Sing Prison on June 19 1953. They were both public and passionate communists. Julius allegedly had a handler from the Soviet union and helped recruit a spy ring of engineers. He was even able to get a few people from the Manhattan Project to become spies. Eventually, the couple got arrested and both were sentenced to death. However, several shifting testimonies and declassified documents came out over the following decades. It turns out the case wasn’t as cut and dry as it seemed, and Ethel in particular may have been wrongfully killed. So, who adopted their boys? What are their sons fighting to get the US government to do? What relative of theirs admitted to lying at the Rosenberg trial to save his own wife in court? Listen, laugh, learn.   Visit Our Sources https://www.fbi.gov/histo

On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we shine a light on one of the biggest scandals of the 90s and explore Tonya Harding and the infamous knee-capping incident. If you don’t know this story, it’s pretty crazy. It involves hit men attacking ice skaters, abusive mothers, abusive husbands, sex tapes, Reebok endorsements, and women giving interviews with birds on their shoulders. Tonya Harding was an ice skating prodigy who basically had a group of hit men and her ex-husband try to break the knee of her biggest competition for the Olympics. Her name was Nancy Kerrigan, and she was struck with a retractable baton on the way to competition in Detroit. This led to one of the biggest media explosions of all time. Harding’s level of involvement has always been in question, and Kerrigan went on to win at the Olympics but the tale is a wild one. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/athlete/tonya-harding https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonya_Harding https://www.biography.com/athlete/nancy-kerrigan https:

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we do some true crime and talk about William Bonin. He was called the Freeway Killer, and he was a true monster. His childhood ticked all the boxes of a future madman, and his time in Vietnam didn’t help any. Eventually, he became a serial rapist of under-aged boys, and then he devolved to murder. He had a sick cabal of other murderers he’d hang out with. Bonin also had a legit murder van. So, how did his one act of kindness lead to his downfall? How many did he kill in total? What his method of murder? What did he eat for a last meal? Warning—this is a pretty rough one. Listen, laugh, and learn.   Visit Our Sources: https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/capital-punishment/inmates-executed-1978-to-present/william-george-bonin/ https://allthatsinteresting.com/william-bonin https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b1/bonin-william.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bonin https://www.thoughtco.com/serial-killer-william-bonin-973136

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about Nike. It is known around the world as the juggernaut of athletics. In fact, within a decade of opening, they controlled the majority of the sports equipment market. They were founded by a home-town coach and his student in Oregon. But they exploded into one of the most important corporations of a generation. Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman ran Nike. They helped create Michael Jordan, invented sneaker culture, and made us all want to “just do it.” They also cashed in on child labor, ran sweat shops, and help destroy the environment. If you want to hear the history and dark side of Nike, give this one a listen.   Visit Our Sources: https://interestingengineering.com/the-extraordinary-history-of-nike https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc. https://thesolesupplier.co.uk/news/why-is-nike-called-nike/ https://www.thestreet.com/lifestyle/history-of-nike-15057083 https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/73277/14-things-you-might-not-know-about-nike https://en.

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we look at the Amish. This uniquely American religious sect is most common in Pennsylvania but found throughout the Midwest. They famously avoid all technology, including electricity and the cell phone, but even down to running faucets for their baths. One thing they are famous for is a rite of passage called a Rumspringa. It allows teens to experience the world and get their freak on, partying, drinking, and doing things the church forbids. Once that is done, they get baptized in the local Amish church and leave the heathen world behind. From barn raising to the Ordnung laws and the truth of the Amish Mafia, this one has it all!   Visit Our Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_people https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5455572 https://www.history101.com/amish-facts/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m64X1hMCJoE https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/03/13/more-us-catholics-are-consi

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the one and only Snoop Dogg. This is a true rags to riches story. He was born as Calvin Broadus to a poor single mom in Long Beach. Through an amazing talent as a freestyle rapper and a lifelong career, he has grown to be a media mogul worth over $150 Million. However, his life as a rapper almost ended as soon as it started since he was arrested for a gang murder just after recording his first album with Dr. Dre. He was acquitted and went to create some of the all-time greatest lyrics in all of rap. With a smooth and unique voice and style, Snoop Dogg ended up befriending Martha Stewart, hosting the Olympics, creating a line of weed, and turning Colonel Sanders Vegan. His story is as unique as his rap style, and by the end of this you’ll know what’s his mutha fu*king name!   Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/musician/snoop-dogg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snoop_Dogg https://wealthygorilla.com/snoop-dogg-net-worth/ https://www.phactual

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we fill you in on one of the most badass special forces units in the world, the Gurkha. These soldiers come from Nepal and have been involved in every war around the world since they formed in 1814. They are a strange mix of mercenaries and soldiers loyal to the British crown. We will tell you some of their tales of epic battle from both world wars, train robberies, and fights with the Taliban. This small group of warriors are considered the best of the best from their days battling the East India Company, to their time in the modern middle east.   Visit Our Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-10782099 https://www.gwt.org.uk/about-the-gurkhas/gurkhas/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurkha https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/gurkhas https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-06/bravest-of-the-brave-who-are-the-fierce-gurkhas/9839746 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2kxdSIq8Es https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5CmGy5I_GU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2y63RtD

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at the cult known as The Church of the First Born of the Lamb of God and its insane leader, Ervil LeBaron. LeBaron was called the Mormon Manson after a crazy trail of murder, sex, suicide, and corruption. This group is like many cults with a charismatic leader who has sex with lots and lots of members. In this case, though, the members were sister-wives. And in this case, there was murder. So much murder! LeBaron killed his brother to take control of the cult, tried to kill his other brother, burned a town to the ground, killed his own daughter, and even murdered himself if such a thing is possible. This story is crazy, and the amount of twists, death, and turns rivals any cult we can think of.   Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ervil_LeBaron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_First_Born_of_the_Lamb_of_God https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-38526255 https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/who-is-ervil-lebaron-and-how-is-his-family-conne

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about a true crime case. This is the story of Bernard Goetz, the Subway Vigilante. On December 22, 1984, Goetz was surrounded by four young men on a subway train who started asking him for five dollars. He thought he was being mugged, pulled out a revolver and shot all four of them. The aftermath saw him hailed as a hero and a villain, a vigilante and a racist. It is a complicated case all bound up with race, violence, gun control, and a New York city crime spree. If you like true crime, you’re gonna like this one.   Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/bernhard-goetz https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/subway-vigilante-turns-himself-in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_New_York_City_Subway_shooting https://www.famous-trials.com/goetz https://www.distractify.com/p/bernhard-goetz-now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbViU73txB0