Smoke on the Water, Assholes in the Sky (with Cole Costello & Martin Benes)

In this episode, Alex welcomes back Martin Benes, a top-tier ski and running coach and history enthusiast, and Cole Costello, a PhD candidate at the University of Montana, for a wide-ranging and entertaining conversation. Martin shares his personal connection to the story behind Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water,” recounting how his father’s acquaintance fired the flare gun that sparked the infamous 1971 Montreux casino fire. The trio then debates which members of the Trump administration and current professional athletes they would most and least want to sit next to on a flight. Blending music history, sports, politics, and plenty of humor, the episode offers a lively mix of thoughtful discussion and playful debate.