Hangin' Out with Bob

“Everybody’s had to fight to be free” — but you don't have to fight to find the ultimate breakdown of a rock and roll masterpiece. In this episode of Hangin’ Out with Bob , host Bob Edholm and his guest Brad Johs kick open the vault to examine Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ breakthrough 1979 album, Damn the Torpedoes . Just like the driving, defiant spirit of its iconic opening track “Refugee,”...

Grab a beverage and pull up a chair—we are officially back at The Barn! In this episode of Hangin’ Out with Bob , host Bob Edholm sits down with Scott Black, friend and die-hard University of Minnesota hoops fan, to break down everything you need to know about the upcoming 2026-27 Gophers men’s basketball season. The guys give you the real fan perspective on Head Coach Niko Medved’s newly revamped...

You need to know. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers avoided a sophomore slump with their May 1978 album, You’re Gonna Get It! . Instead of overhauling their sound, they doubled down on their tight, roots-rock identity. In this episode of “Hangin’ Out with Bob,” podcast host Bob Edholm and his friend Brad Johs take a “deep dive” into the Heartbreakers’ second studio album, which climbed to number 23...

What happens when you press pause on a friendship for decades, and then suddenly hit play? It's like playing an old favorite VHS tape. The quality might be a little grainy at first, but you still remember every scene before it happens. In this podcast episode, host Bob Edholm and guest Dennis Tkach, both of whom grew up in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, get together after several decades of crossing...

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers changed rock and roll forever when they dropped their self-titled debut album on November 9, 1976. In this episode of “Hangin’ Out with Bob,” podcast host Bob Edholm and his friend Brad Johs take a “deep dive” into the record that started it all—the first of the Heartbreakers’ 13 studio albums that would define a legendary 40-year career. Brad previously joined Bob...

If you grew up in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul during the mid-1960s and 1970s, you know it was a “golden era” for local music. We had legendary venues, unforgettable bands, and a rock scene that could rival any major city in the country. In this podcast episode, host Bob Edholm gets together with Paul Groves, his friend since their junior high school days in Columbia Heights, to tal...

Long before he became a rock legend in a top hat, Tom Petty was just a young man in Florida with a guitar, a dream, and a refusal to back down. He was 23 years old when he moved from his hometown of Gainesville to Los Angeles and went on to become a legendary rock singer and songwriter with such classic hits as “American Girl” and “Free Fallin’.” In this podcast episode, host Bob Edholm has invite...

It was a beautiful Memorial Day holiday in 1957, just a little after eleven o’clock. Two young brothers, ages 4 and 2½, were playing on the swing set in the backyard of their house in Northeast Minneapolis. Suddenly, their quiet, peaceful morning was interrupted by the roar of a plummeting jet fighter plane that crashed directly onto the street just a block away from where the brothers were playin...

In Part Two of this episode, podcast host Bob Edholm continues the interview with his friend, Tom Madigan, regarding Tom’s new book entitled I Survived: Living with the Trauma of a Dependent Parent. In Part One, Tom discussed his research into several current theories on the causes of alcohol dependency, and how genetic theories, as well as some environmental impacts, helped contribute to his dad’...

What’s it like to grow up with a parent who struggled from alcohol abuse? What steps can the child of an alcoholic parent take to survive that trauma and move forward and thrive? Podcast host Bob Edholm sits down to talk with his friend Tom Madigan, who grew up as the child of an alcoholic parent—his dad. Tom has written a book entitled I Survived: Living with the Trauma of a Dependent Parent, whi...

In Part Two of this podcast episode, host Bob Edholm talks about the two-week criminal trial of Boston Bruins player Dave Forbes, who was charged with aggravated assault after attacking Minnesota North Stars player Henry Boucha in a hockey game played in January 1975. Forbes had struck Boucha in the eye with his stick, leaving Boucha with double vision and an abruptly ended NHL career. Bob cites a...

In January 1975, Boston Bruins player Dave Forbes struck Minnesota North Stars player Henry Boucha in the eye with his hockey stick, leaving Boucha with double vision and an abruptly ended National Hockey League career. Podcast host Bob Edholm was at that game. He was then a 21-year-old college student who sold beer and peanuts at Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. But because he was working be...

In this special podcast episode of “Hangin’ Out with Bob,” we’re “flipping the script.” That’s right. Frequent guest Jon Lawrence takes the reins to interview podcast host Bob Edholm about a place that Bob remembers fondly—the Met Center, an indoor arena that stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s. For those who may not be familiar with the venue, the Met Center was...

Great album after great album. Between 1967 and 1972, the Moody Blues released seven studio albums, commonly referred to as the “Core Seven.” The band from Birmingham, England, still has millions of loyal fans worldwide, including podcast host Bob Edholm and Wayne Damerow, friends since the Kennedy Administration. In episode, Bob and Wayne get together again to share their thoughts on these seven...

It’s been said by some that winter in Minnesota doesn’t really end until the boys’ state high school basketball tournament wraps up. Well, the 2026 edition of Minnesota’s oldest state high school tournament concluded on March 28, when champions from four different classes were crowned. The weather in Minnesota following that state tournament wasn’t necessarily summerlike , but talk of the tourney...

“Paul is dead” is a rumor/conspiracy theory that alleges Paul McCartney of the Beatles died on November 9, 1966, and was secretly replaced by a look-alike. The rumor gained broad popularity in the Fall of 1969 following news articles on some U.S. college campuses. According to the rumor/conspiracy theory, McCartney died in a car crash. To spare the public from grief, the surviving Beatles (John Le...

The next best thing to listening to music is…talking about it. In this episode, podcast host Bob Edholm and his guests, brothers Wayne and Al Damerow, talk about the transformation of music from the 1960s to today. They discuss not only the types of music people have listened to since the 1960s (from rock and Motown to pop and hip hop), but how they’ve listened to the music (from transistor radios...

Talk about a tale of two halves. After the Minnesota Vikings finished the 2024 regular season with a record of 14-3, and despite a first-round loss in the NFL playoffs, hopes for the 2025 season were high for the Vikings and their ever-loyal fans. Instead, the Vikings struggled in 2025. They faced a “quarterback carousel” and a difficult schedule (including back-to back games “across the pond” in...

Talk about a turnaround! The Minnesota Twins finished the 1990 season with a last-place finish in the American League West division. In stark contrast, the Twins improved dramatically in 1991 by winning the American League West, the American League Championship Series, and the World Series championship. It was one of the most thrilling and memorable seasons in Twins history. In this episode, podca...

Just days after celebrating his 14th birthday in March of 1972, Scott Black attended his first Minnesota boys’ state high school basketball tournament with his dad. As Scott watched the players on teams who “made it to state” playing at Williams Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, he dreamed that someday he could play for his high school team—the Columbia Heights Hyl...

“STATE CHAMPS!” No doubt about it—winning a high school state championship brings the “thrill of victory” to the teammates, the coach, and the community. Back in October 1976, Decorah High School’s girls‘ cross-country squad did just that. Not only did they win the state championship, but it was only the second year that this school in Northeast Iowa had offered the sport to their female student a...

Should there be a hard salary cap for the Major League Baseball players? The National Football League, the National Hockey League, and the Women’s National Basketball Association all have hard salary caps for their players. Why not for Major League Baseball players? On the one hand, MLB team owners believe that a hard salary cap would foster competitive balance by reducing payroll disparities. On...

The Rolling Stones have been rockin’ and rollin’ for over six decades. How have they done it? Well, there’s the musical talent. The Stones have written numerous great songs, from blues to country to rock. They’ve adapted to changing times. The Stones have overcome personal challenges, lineup changes, and evolving musical trends. As a result, the band has created a timeless legacy that continues to...

The Rolling Stones have been rockin’ and rollin’ for over six decades. How have they done it? Well, there’s the musical talent. The Stones have written numerous great songs, from blues to country to rock. They’ve adapted to changing times. The Stones have overcome personal challenges, lineup changes, and evolving musical trends. As a result, the band has created a timeless legacy that continues to...

It’s a big leap from high school football to major college football. The players in major college football are simply bigger, faster, and more athletic. But in the mid-1970s, Ron Kullas made that big leap—impressively. He went from being an All-Metro football player at Columbia Heights High School to eventually being named an All-Big Ten receiver—twice—with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The best r...