This episode covers the boys’ favorite sitcoms and they talk about what their personal “Mt. Rushmore of Sitcoms” would include. Austin opens this episode and then hands the reins over to Tim who explains the inspiration for the episode’s topic. While talking about their inspiration for this episode, the boys discuss the inclusion, or exclusion, of animated shows/adult cartoons on the Mt. Rushmore and if they even consider them to be sitcoms at all. The younger boys lead this discussion because they know more about animated shows/adult cartoons than Tim, but Tim includes his own interesting questions and viewpoints as well.

After giving the background for how they chose to do this topic for an episode, Tim starts the conversation off with his picks for his Mt. Rushmore. He includes his top four picks and his reasoning behind them, as well as some runners up and other shows that he thought of while making his choices. Noah follows up with his own choices and includes his runners up as well, while Austin and Tim chime in with their own thoughts throughout his description. Finally, Austin finishes off the trio’s picks talking about what his Mt. Rushmore of Sitcoms would be, as well as other picks that he considered.

Then to end the show, the boys discuss other sitcoms that have aired through the years and which ones they would or would not consider for an “objectively best” Mt. Rushmore. Throughout this conversation they talk about a wide variety of sitcoms, from old to new, and which ones they’ve watched or enjoyed the most, as well as the generation gap that occurred for them while they were making their picks for the show.

Podcast Recorded June 2024

First Released June 2024

Music from SoundCloud

Intro Track: Motivational Uplifting

Outro Track: Inspirational Flight

Artist: AShamaluevMusic

Music Owner: Aleksandr Shamaluev

In this episode about camping, hiking, and the state and national parks that the boys have visited, Tim opens it up before handing the reins over to Austin who explains the idea behind this episode’s theme. The conversation starts off with how and when the Funnell family tradition of camping and hiking got started. Tim talks a little about his memories of going on hikes with Erin (Mom), Austin, and Noah when they were very young and then leads into the story about the family’s first big camping trip outside of Wisconsin to the Black Hills in South Dakota. All three of the guys have very fond memories of that trip and they talk about it for a while, including their favorite parts of the park and recommendations for other places to visit in the area there in South Dakota.

Following the talk about the South Dakota trip, Noah talks about the trip that he and Tim took to the Grand Canyon just a couple of years ago and what they thought about that experience. The discussion then turns to how important they think that camping can be, both for families and for people in general, and how important it is to get out, enjoy nature, and disconnect a little. Austin adds to that a short story about a trip that he, Noah, and their friend Zach took to the Sawtooths in the American Rockies. After that, Austin and Noah launch into a story about a camping trip they went on with their friends to the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan, as well as another trip that they took to a forest in northern Wisconsin. Those stores include a few hilarious happenings that the boys all enjoy laughing about and sharing.

To finish up the talk for this show, Tim, Austin, and Noah each talk about the area or specific park that they would like to visit in the future, and why they want to go there.

Podcast Recorded March 2024

First Released March 2024

Music from SoundCloud

Intro Track: Motivational Uplifting

Outro Track: Inspirational Flight

Artist: AShamaluevMusic

Music Owner: Aleksandr Shamaluev

Noah opens up this episode of Funnell’s Barbershop and then launches right into his memories of school growing up and what his dreams were at the time. Noah mentions that when he was growing up, the first career path that he remembers having a dream of doing was one in archeology or paleontology, but that this dream was shot down upon entering high school. From there, Tim elaborates on his own history and what he wanted to do growing up. As with many kids, Tim had dreams of being a professional athlete, his love of baseball driving him in that direction. But just like Noah, this dream changed as time went on and he got older. Austin follows up with his own childhood dreams, which he happened to have had in common with Tim. As always, each of the boys offers their own comments and quips while the others are saying their pieces.

After all the trio gives the own history of their dreams and how they felt growing up, the conversation goes off on a couple of different tangents, including personal skill sets, sticking to goals, changing degrees or career paths, and even going into education in general and the state of education today regarding high school, college, and tech/trade schools. The boys all give their own opinions on the various topics and discuss how their own experiences, both in and out of work and education, have led them to where they are now.

Childhood dreams of the future are something that everybody has growing up, and most people change those dreams and goals as they get older, adapting them to fit their changing self and worldview. It’s important to remember that no two people take the same road to get to where they want to be in life, and all of the struggles and challenges that you experience continue to shape you as you travel the path through life. No matter what route you take to get to where you are, remember that it’s your life and your path, don’t let anyone else get you down or tell you that you need to live life in a certain manner. Be yourself.

Podcast Recorded March 2024

First Released March 2024

Music from SoundCloud

Intro Track: Motivational Uplifting

Outro Track: Inspirational Flight

Artist: AShamaluevMusic

Music Owner: Aleksandr Shamaluev

Austin starts the show off this time before handing the mic over to Tim who introduces the topic for the week: if you could pick anyone, living or dead, who would you want to have dinner with?

After providing the background and inspiration for the week's topic, Tim starts the ball rolling with his choices. Austin and Noah chime in with their guesses and other commentary throughout. Noah follows up after Tim and introduces his four choices of dinner guests, while the other two again try their hand at guessing the people he chose. Finally, Austin rounds out the conversation with his list. Each round of guessing meets with limited success but there are a lot of laughs and interesting takes from each of the boys.

Throuhgout the episode, the main contributor of each section is, of course, the one whose list of dinner guests they are discussing, but each time all three of them include their own thoughts and impressions. This is the first episode of 2024 after everyone started off the year busy with their various trips and projects, and so the guys took a fun and light-hearted approach to it, wanting to kick things off in an enjoyable way.

Podcast Recorded January 2024

First Released February 2024

Music from SoundCloud

Intro Track: Motivational Uplifting

Outro Track: Inspirational Flight

Artist: AShamaluevMusic

Music Owner: Aleksandr Shamaluev

Tim opens up this episode and introduces the topic for the day: dating, and how social media, apps and other societal changes have affected dating now compared to dating 5, 10, or more years ago. After opening up the conversation, Austin and Noah each talk about their early experiences with dating and relationships as the “contemporary” authorities for the topic, while Tim adds his thoughts throughout.

As conversation about dating, and dating culture continues, it progresses from the idea of “making the first move;” to phones, social media, and dating apps; and finally ending with a couple crazy dating experiences the guys have had. Each of them has their own view and opinions on dating itself, as well as the various forms of media and technology that are used in the dating world now.

Throughout the conversation, Tim is able to add his insights on dating when he was younger vs how it is now, Noah explains his views and experiences as a young person currently in the dating scene and using the various technologies, and Austin is able to chime in with his thoughts on those topics as well as including his insight into the dating life in Japan.

Podcast Recorded December 2023

First Released December 2023

Music from SoundCloud

Intro Track: Motivational Uplifting

Outro Track: Inspirational Flight

Artist: AShamaluevMusic

Music Owner: Aleksandr Shamaluev

In this episode, Noah introduces the podcast and then Tim immediately follows up with a breakdown and explanation of the name of the podcast and the inspiration that the boys had for the show.

Tim goes into what it was like growing up in a small town in the Midwest and spending time at the local barbershop where current news, sports, and local events were all talked about on a daily basis. Rex Funnell (Tim’s grandpa, Austin and Noah’s great-grandpa) and his father Ray owned and operated a small, local barbershop in Whitehall, Michigan, and the experiences that Tim had at the barbershop, as well as the stories that he heard from Rex, became the inspiration and foundation for this podcast.

Tim explains Rex’s background and life as well as a bit of the background of the family and areas of the Midwest where the three boys grew up and have spent a lot of their lives. They talk about Wisconsin and Michigan and the small towns that make up their homes in those two states. From this explanation, Tim, Austin, and Noah expand a little bit about what it was like growing up in small towns in the Upper Midwest and how this has or may have affected their values and lives.

About halfway through the episode the topic changes to Baldur’s Gate 3, Dungeons & Dragons, and video games and tabletop games in general. Austin and Noah explain how Dungeons & Dragons, and video games have evolved while Tim adds in his experiences with early video games that came out while he was growing up. They also discuss a little about video game addiction, online multiplayer, possible advice for parents of kids about video games, and they even touch on AI technology and TikTok a little.

Tim takes the lead through most of the first half of this episode with his explanations of the barbershop’s background and growing up in rural America. Austin and Noah chime in with additional points and their own views throughout Tim’s commentary, but then the two of them take the lead in the last topic of the show about video games.

Podcast Recorded August 2023, first released November 2023

Music from SoundCloud

Intro Track: Motivational Uplifting  /  Outro Track: Inspirational Flight
Artist: AShamaluevMusic
Owner: Aleksandr Shamaluev

This very first episode of Funnell's Barbershop kicks off with Tim, Austin, and Noah each introducing themselves and giving a brief personal background, before Tim explains a bit of the reasoning behind the name of the podcast.

Following that introduction time, the guys jump into a discussion about the trip that Noah and Tim took to Japan to visit Austin back in April. This was the first time friends or family visited Austin since he moved to Japan to teach English, and it was also Tim's first ever time visiting Japan (Noah's second). They discuss the trip itself, as well as Noah and Tim's expectations about the trip and Japan itself prior to arrival, and how those expectations were met or not met during their time in Japan.

Austin and Tim take the lead through a lot of the discussion, with Austin prompting discussion on various topics about their trip and Japan itself, while Tim gives his views as a first time tourist to the country and what he thought of the experience. Noah contributes his views and opinions as well, having visited once before and having the perspective of a return visitor and what he enjoyed seeing and doing again, as well as more that he would like to do if another opportunity to visit Japan arrives in the future.

This is the first episode of the very first podcast that the Funnell boys hope to create. While primarily hoping to reach friends and family and have fun through the creation of this podcast, they also hope that their audience can expand and that anyone who is interested in the varied and sometimes random topics that they cover feels welcome and enjoys the discussions from week to week.

Podcast Recorded June 2023, first released October 2023

Music from SoundCloud

Intro Track: Motivational Uplifting  /  Outro Track: Inspirational Flight
Artist: AShamaluevMusic
Owner: Aleksandr Shamaluev