The Family Archives

We are joined in studio by Sarah Sprinthall and Reverend Dana Fath Strande.  We talk about Dana's journey growing up Catholic in a small western Minnesota farm town and eventually becoming an Episcopalian Priest. Along the way, Tom gets some advice about how God works in the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more...

For some reason, people really like seeing bad people in movies and TV shows.  If there's a murderer murdering or a thief thieving, people want to see it.  What they don't want to see is this sort of thing happening in real life, though unfortunately it does. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices....

Have you heard that Generic Celebrity has a bad opinion?  There's a first time for everything.  Even worse, Generic Politician said something hateful and unnecessary.  The nation is stunned.  Some might say burning bridges is a bad idea in an era where celebrities and politicians have less respect than they have in decades thanks to the lockdown making everyone realizing how easy it is to live wit...

Bob Dylan is one of Minnesota's many points of pride.  For some reason, Minnesota produces a lot of singers per capita.  The cold air gives you strong lungs.  Although it might be more accurate to call Bob Dylan a lyricist than a singer, per se.  He's also fairly reclusive for a musician, which makes Spencer's book all the more important. Bob Dylan Outlaw Blues - amzn.to/2GMsOva See omnystudio.com...

Do you follow an NFL player on Twitter?  Do you take their opinions seriously?  You may want to stop.  Top scientists have discovered that they don't know what the hell they're talking about.  Speaking of which, apparently saying things that aren't true is the cool new thing, because Dancing With the Stars decided to do an unwitting impression of the first presidential debate and it went about as...

Movies don't go back a whole lot further than the 1920s.  Most of the ones that did are lost forever.  Jackie Coogan, best known to modern audiences as the original Uncle Fester, got his first role in 1917 and didn't stop until his death many decades later.  You could call him the original guy who was in everything.  Keith, his grandson, has been carrying the torch well. See omnystudio.com/listene...

Germany isn't really known for its food.  Unless you're German-American.  Then it's known almost exclusively for its food.  Especially if you consider beer to be a form of food, which many Germans do.  It's kind of like how modern Greeks aren't known for their comedy even though Costaki is arguably the most influential Greek comedian since Aristophanes.  You just have to be in the know, I suppose....

Alison is best known for her portrayal of Nellie on Little House on the Prairie.  But today's not about that.  Today's about her work with Rich Little, impressionist extraordinaire, doing their best in an exclusively online society.  Apparently, it's really not that hard.  Find out on October 15th. TICKETS: $15 and can be purchased by visiting https://www.stageit.com/rich_little/live_in_las_vegas/...

First we start of with some laughs with Rip Micheals. Then things get odd....only here is where you will hear Harry Caray rant about Cracker Jacks and Mike Zohn rave about oddities. Wonder if he has anything Harry Caray in his shop See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adc...

Mike Bilski from North American bank and our Walser friend Tom Ryan Jr. join us for a rollicking episode where we talk about grift in the UAW, suing people who rear end Ferraris and the most dangerous banking investments. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Now that the silver screen has been taken away from us, we as a society have decided to relinquish more control of our lives to the smaller screen.  There's no catchy name for this one.  "The Gorilla Glass 6 screen" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.  That doesn't mean we're not slavishly devoted to it.  The Social Dilemma will tell you all about it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

Stuntmen are usually seen but not heard.  They're the ones who do the exciting action-packed things that get the box office draw, but you never know their names.  One could call it unfair.  Christian found a workaround by being the stuntman and also the actor.  He's been at it for over 20 years, and as soon as Till Death is out of post, he'll have another movie on his résumé.  Now if he could only...

Ever seen two grown men bicker like children?  Probably.  Have you ever seen them do it on national television?  Sadly, the answer to that is also "probably".  However, have you ever seen the President and former Vice President...you know what, I don't know how to make this debate sound worse than anything else you'd have seen over the past several years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

The election is mere weeks away, which means the propaganda has gone from annoying to deafening.  That's why you watch TV shows from the 50s.  Any political references, if there are any, will go right over your head.  Side effects may include being nostalgic for a bygone age. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about...

Not a lot of people can say they worked with Frank Sinatra.  Even fewer of those people are still alive.  Tom is both, and he's still standing.  He's been standing for 50 years.  That's not easy.  His childhood was also not easy, which makes the perseverance all the more impressive.  Have you ever noticed that a lot of comedians had crappy upbringings?  Tom has. Still Standing... My Journey from S...

Remember being a kid?  Nickelodeon, PBS, maybe a local channel if you were a kid when people still watched those?  How about amphetamines?  They were part of a surprising number of childhoods.  Also adulthoods.  One could even say they're overprescribed.  They're a great opportunity if you consider Instagram likes to be a valid tradeoff for becoming a drug addict.  You laugh, but you have no idea....

Rags to riches stories used to be the world's favorite.  Something changed recently and now people prefer excuses over success.  It's easier, certainly, but Terrence decided that's not his way to go.  He was a starving foster child, now he's an actor, comedian, and entrepreneur.  And don't forget guest on the esteemed podcast The Family.  He's also an author, as you'll see in two and a half weeks....

In this episode, we discuss California's announcement banning the sale of gas powered cars in 15 years. We talk about Elon Musks announcemnt of 25K all electric cars with a 250 mile range in three years. Tom is shocked to learn that Telsa stock has risen from 80 dollars per share on January first to almost 400 dollars. Tire Carver calls in to plug what is probably the only garage in the state that...

Remember that happy feeling of being a kid with a GIANT lollipop? We here at The Family with Tom Barnard, try and bring you that happy feeling back with great laughs and fun. Gabe Noah brings the sunshine and Chris Kattan brings ya the goodness of a lollipop See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. V...

Halloween is a mere five weeks away, so it's time to get spooky.  Let's talk about child abduction.  What do you mean "contrary to the spirit of Halloween"?  It's scary, right?  How about the decline of the mainstream media?  Pretty terrifying stuff.  No?  Fine, ghost stories it is. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more...

Tonight, on Dateline...well, nothing.  It premiers tomorrow.  Also, you'll have to watch to find out.  The show's been on for 28 years.  You should know how it works.  You should also know Josh Mankiewicz, who's been reporting for Dateline since 1995.  The formula appears to be working for him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

Yes, that Erin Brockovich.  She's still at it, and by "it" we mean changing the world.  Most recently, she wrote a book called Superman's Not Coming.  Because it's true.  If you're waiting for a superhero to come fix all your problems, you'll be waiting for quite some time.  Teach a man to fish, etc. Superman's Not Coming - amzn.to/33RZBXn See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See o...

We're doing a theme show today.  This hour's theme: bad things.  You know, things like a space shuttle exploding on live TV.  Or little girls twerking on camera.  Do you really want to watch that?  Well, it's a free country, so you can if you want to.  Just know that God and Santa are always watching. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

There was a time, long long ago, where the White House wasn't filled with people who hate each other.  No records exist of this mystical land, but oral tradition perseveres.  Christopher even wrote a book about his experiences there.  It was a time when the president could have a conversation with someone without it devolving into a shouting match.  A time when congress, for the most part, got alo...

Just call it Holy Monday, because we've got yet another Christian on the show.  This time it's Michael Sweet from the band Stryper, who for some reason choose to be happy and positive.  What a bunch of weirdos.  We, on the other hand, prefer our doom and gloom, and Costaki's right there with us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...