Danny Adams | Faith, Laughter, and Cultural Conversations

The world is becoming increasingly proficient at telling stories that deny God. As such, we need thinking Christian to become as natural as breathing. Welcome to the Thinking Christian podcast. I'm Dr. James Spencer. Through calm, thoughtful theological discussions, Thinking Christian highlights the ways God is working in the world and questions the underlying social, cultural, and political assumptions that hinder Christians from becoming more like Christ. Now, on to today's episode of Thinking Christian. Hey everyone, before we start today's episode, I want to take a moment to tell you about UsefulToGod.com. From online courses to free downloadable study guides, I'm confident you'll find something to help you live faithfully in today's world. You can also check out some of my books, including Christian Resistance, Serpents and Doves, and my most recent contribution, the D.L. Moody Essentials Collection. As always, if you find this podcast valuable, take a second to like, share, and leave a positive review. It really does make a difference. And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our YouTube channel for even more content to equip and encourage you. Now, let's get into today's episode. Hey everybody, welcome to this episode of Thinking Christian. I'm Dr. James Spencer and I'm joined by Danny Adams. And Danny is an entertainer. He's done an awful lot in the entertainment space. Most recently, maybe not most recently, but he's definitely done comedy. He was actually involved in some singing sort of things going on back when he was younger. He stood in for some football players as a stuntman on various commercials, which I'm kind of interested in. I didn't even know that was a thing. I don't know why I wouldn't have known that was a thing because it just makes sense, but it's super cool. And then we're going to talk a little bit about his work on Iggy and Mr. Kirk, which is a new series from Brave Books. And so I'm just excited to have you on the show, man. Thanks for coming on, Danny. Thanks so much, Dr. James. Pleasure to be here. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, this is our first time meeting each other. So maybe the right place to start is just talk a little bit about your sort of professional road and what led you into a little bit of Brave Books and this new venture you've got going on with Iggy and Mr. Kirk. Yeah, man. What a journey. So I'll try to make this as quick as possible and as short as condensed. But I grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. I grew up in a gospel singing family. If you know anything about the old Partridge family or the Osmonds, it was sort of out of that book, if you will. We traveled around in our big bus and would set up and tear down at churches and sing the gospel. But also we would perform comedy and we had annual variety shows that we would do. And so I learned at a young age that laughter truly was medicine for people. And, you know, throwing on wigs and developing original characters all while at the same time singing in between and playing the drums. And, you know, it was it was a lot of fun. It was a unique upbringing. But sport outside of music, sports was also a big part of our lives. We all played a lot of sports. Football ended up being my main sport. I went off to college, played there and eventually over to Europe and played in in Europe. Yes, they have American football in Europe. And that's a whole documentary that needs to be made right there. But after I stopped, I went out to Hollywood and dove into full time entertainment. I knew that was sort of my whole life. It was like plan A was take sports as far as you could and plan B was going to get back into entertainment of what I grew up on stage doing. And that's what I did. I dove in. I was taking improv classes at the Groundlings, which is sort of the equivalent of a second city comedy comedy school. I did that piecemealing a lot of my entertainment work. I was acting, doing comedy and then also taking my football background to do stunt work in the industry. So that is if you've ever wondered, you know, if these professionals are doing all of the physical parts to the commercial or taking hits, they're not. They're not going to take a chance in the world of getting hurt in the off season and doing a commercial. So, yeah, there's there's about, you know, three, four or five main stunt coordinators in Los Angeles and they would hire guys who actually played and have a background in it to do background work and sometimes double. And so I had an opportunity to double pay Manning and Drew Brees. And it was a lot of fun. And so, yeah, it's kind of the director, you know, makes them the face of as soon as he's going to take a hit or anything, get the star out of there and bring the dummy in and then you take and you take the hit. And so and hopefully get paid that day. So but yeah, so I, you know, I did that. And and but I've always, you know, doing some things in front of the camera. You know, I've had experience doing that, but I always loved live. And so I, I created a one man show I did for about three years. And then from there, that kind of developed into an evening that I now still do. I travel the country doing a show called Laughter is Medicine, and I bring that in forms of just entertainment or also in keynote. I'm a keynote speaker and I and also an emcee. And so cut to Brave Books. Jason asked me to come on board to help them with some fundraising and emcee the event, bring a lot of energy and some laughter to the event. And through that, I got to meet Kirk Cameron and the leadership there at Brave. Well, they were at the sort of beginning stages of developing this new show, Iggy and Mr. Kirk. And they said, hey, you know, we're still casting for that. And in fact, we need a mailman because the show is they're calling it the modern day Mr. Rogers. And if you know anything about Mr. Rogers at all, they in fact, had a mailman. So this show is a mailman. And that turned out to be me. And I'm Mailman Dan and I deliver the daily mail. He's a real fun, loving, sweet spirited man who's extremely clumsy. So he's got to deliver the mail up to Mr. Kirk's treehouse every day. And he's always full of packages and he just can't seem to get it all together. And so there's definitely some physical comedy involved, which I've always loved. And yeah, he drops off the he drops actually he drops off the brave book that Mr. Kirk reads to Iggy in each episode of the series. So it's a lot of fun. That's really cool. How many, just going back kind of the beginning, how many brothers and sisters did you have to do the gospel rounding and tours? Like, you know, you mentioned the Partridge family. Is that, is that the size I should be thinking? Yeah, we weren't too large of a family. I was the youngest of three kids. It was interesting that everybody who, you know, either when we had different pieces, outside family members be a part of the group at different times. When my brother and sister got married, their spouses jumped on board and, you know, grabbed an instrument or sang or whatever. And yeah, definitely the family road act. And it was, it was a lot of fun. Yeah. And where'd you go to, where'd you end up playing football in college? Yeah, I went to a school called Olivet Nazarene University, which is. Oh yeah, I know Olivet Nazarene. Yeah. Yeah. So that was, that was wonderful. I actually grew up in the Nazarene church with, you know, this is how I was raised and my parents were raised. And so that was a, that was a blessing to go there. Love that university. Have some very fun memories of, of, uh, playing, playing ball and going to school there. One of my wife's early jobs was in Kankakee, Illinois. And so, uh, she worked at a hospital there, St. Mary's. And, uh, occasionally I'd go up to the Bears camp, which used to be held. I don't think they hold it there anymore, but it used to be held in Olivet and I believe in Olivet Nazarene, if I'm correct. That's exactly right. Bourbonnet, Illinois, man. Yeah. Bourbonnet. Bourbon. Yeah. Yeah. The bears, the bears, uh, yeah, that contract just recently ended, man. But I know that the town loved having them, having them there and they added so much to the university in terms of facilities and, and, uh, some of the, Yeah. Very cool. And so talk a little bit about your time playing football in Europe. I'm, I'm interested in that dynamic too, because, you know, uh, for one, football over there doesn't mean football. It means soccer, right? Yeah. And so you, you truly are playing American football in Europe. What's the response from the folks over there in Europe where you're, you're sort of importing a sport that, um, is very foreign to them in a lot of ways. Yeah. And since I played, it's gained, you know, so much, so much notoriety and momentum overseas, you know, the football is just so big now, especially the NFL brand is so big. Um, but yeah, back then. That's why I mentioned the documentary. It was so interesting. So I started out in, I started out in Eastern Europe. I was in the Czech Republic and that was wild. I mean, you, you're, you're playing with,

You know, even in Austria, if you go to places like Vienna, Vienna Vikings, their local team, I mean, they're, you know, little celebrities. I mean, it's like they're on calendars and posters and all over, you know. So that's a big deal. They, Vienna Vikings have won the Euro Cup a few years, and yeah, so I think, depending on where you go, it has a little bit more just, you know, notoriety, but still, most people, like you said, it's soccer is king. We played our games in soccer stadiums, and you meet most people on the street. It's like, you know, there's still a lot of questions around how do you play the game? What is it? Make it make sense. Yeah, yeah. Check out. It feeds the ego a little bit too, you know, just because you're like, hey, I'm an American football player. Oh, I'm sure. Yeah. Czech Republic, I got to go there, I think, last summer to teach, and it was interesting to watch. I mean, there were folks who lived there, and they were like, yeah, we have non-alcoholic beer that people drink instead of water. It's just that sort of, that sort of ingrained in that culture. It's like, what are you going to drink? You know, it's sort of like us picking up a cup of coffee or something like that. And it's like, oh, I have a beer. It's, it was a really interesting dynamic over there. So. That's funny. The beer with electrolytes, you know, it's just a hydrating beer. Yeah. No, it really is. It's, it's just what you did. It's such a part of the fabric, you know, of, of the culture. So, uh, yeah, very interesting for me. Do you feel like any of those experiences, I mean, as you're going out to LA and you're, you're sort of developing the one-man show and you're starting to do comedy and improv and all that kind of stuff, do you feel like those, I mean, obviously, I would assume your earlier performing experiences informed that, but even some of the cross-cultural experiences you have almost certainly have to carry back over into the comedy, don't they? I mean, how does that, how do you, how do you think about that? What's the creative process to sort of start a one-man show, get that going and draw on your own experiences to build that out? Let me ask you a serious question. If something triggered a major market drop in the coming months, would your retirement be ready or exposed? With inflation, market volatility, and ongoing global uncertainty, more families are taking a closer look at whether their retirement plan is truly built to hold up. And many are finding that adding a layer of protection makes a lot of sense. Sanctuary Metals is a Christian-owned company that helps families strengthen their retirement savings with physical gold and silver through a gold IRA. During uncertain times, many people look to precious metals as a way to add stability when other assets may be under pressure. If you'd like to explore whether a gold IRA is a good fit for your situation, Sanctuary Metals makes it easy to get started. Text GUIDE to 94878 to receive your free Retirement Defense Guide or call 888-958-6579 to speak with one of their knowledgeable team members. Again, text GUIDE to 94878 or call 888-958-6579. Man, great question, James. You know, I think the best comedy is authentic comedy, you know, and obviously, as comedians, you, you know, you embellish and that's part of the funny, right? You're pointing out, you're talking about truth, but yet you can embellish and have fun with it. So, but man, everything, you know, when you talk about my one-man show, everything was authentic to how I grew up. So I had, you know, from traveling with my family and going to the nooks and crannies of the Midwest in these little, you know, podunk towns, and you're, you know, you've got that culture, but yet on Monday through Friday, I'm attending an inner-city public school where I am a token white kid, you know, playing ball. I mean, you should see my school, you know, athletic pictures. You know, you can't miss me. It's very urban, very, you know, just understanding and learning sort of the streets, if you will, having that and also having that. So, man, all of that influenced you, and I was, I counted a blessing because I had, not everybody has, can be exposed to that diversity, you know. I had both, and so, which then has come out into my comedy. And even now, as I travel, I'm going to, you know, I'm in front of a lot of different crowds, and one thing I will say is I feel comfortable in any crowd and of any age. I'm the youngest of three kids. I kind of have a bit of an old soul, so I feel very comfortable with a more mature audience, but yet maybe still in that, you know, hopefully in that pocket where I'm still a bit relevant to even college students. And so, yeah, it's, it definitely has shaped and influenced me for sure. When you think about that idea of like truth in comedy and how you sort of embellish it and almost like ratchet up the intensity a little bit, one of my favorite scenes ever, and I've used it in classes when I've taught, and I think I've actually written a little article referencing it, is the scene out of Talladega Nights, if you've ever seen it. Oh, yeah. The baby Jesus prayer where Will Ferrell is praying and he does the baby Jesus prayer. Right, and I, when I talk about that in class, I say, you know, look at what they're doing now. I don't think this is something that the movie is intentionally doing to sort of help Christians along. Right. But they are pointing to an interesting dynamic about having, you know, as Depeche Mode might say, our own personal Jesus. Right. And how this can easily sort of become this sort of interesting like, oh, he's mine and I've made him into what I want him to be. Right. Versus actually respecting him. And so, like, when I look at that scene, I think it's hilarious, but I also think it's really telling a story about one perspective on how Christians respond to God. And so all that to say, when you think about that truth in comedy, is that kind of what you're, what you're pushing toward? How do you, you know, what's going on in your mind when you're kind of thinking, I think this will be funny because it's, it's truthful. It kind of hurts, but it can be amusing. Yes. Yeah. And I think the, I think a lot of funny comes, you have to, an audience has to trust you. I mean, that there, there's a, there's a, there's an earning of trust, if you will. And when you come in and because it's all about connection, am I connecting with these people? If you don't connect, um, they could kind of care less. Why do they care? Do they trust you? And so there's something about, um, There's something about, which I do now in my shows. My one-man show did represent. That was complete performance. I'm doing, I think I did 12 to 14 characters. And within that, which are all, which was a wide range of different characters. So you're hoping that maybe some of those characters and they did, they connected with some, for some people, some for another because they're, oh, I, I know that character. I've. I do a security guard named Artie, who is a very Barney Fife type of character. And he takes his job way too serious. Right. And we've all encountered the guy who's taking his job way too serious. All right, slow down. And most people can connect with a guy like that. But then I've also have a couple urban characters where it's like, okay, I'm made. I've never lived that life, but, but, but yet you got part of your crowd that is like belly laughing, you know, hysterically. So now what I do now is I do less character work. I still do a little bit, but I do a lot of just, I use, I kind of lean into my improv background and I ask a lot of questions. I talk to people and I, I find, I pull the funny in the moment. And so, and people appreciate that organic. You can't make it up. You can't script it funny. And, and it's almost giving people permission to, to go there, to be more vulnerable and to laugh. And, and man, it's, that is, there's, there's definitely an art form. I couldn't, you know, at this point in my career, I couldn't write a book on it necessarily, but I, there is definitely something to say about giving permission, unlocking that in people to just have fun, to let go. We all carry stress and anxiety to some degree. Life smacks us, you know, in different, in different ways. And it's just, uh, it's, it's the most rewarding James when I can walk into a room and it's a very, you know, cold audience. Like I don't know them. They don't know me. And to see where they go from here to here in a 60 minute period. And they're all in, they go from like, uh, a little reluctant to kind of get going, you know, cause I'm, I'm high energy, man. I bring them up. I get them out of their seats. I'm like, let's go. We're going to have some, you know, we're gonna have a

to get hardened. So hey, release that. And so I, I ask people, I'm intentional about it. Like, hey, what makes you laugh? You know, like let's let's be let's be intentional about it, you know, find find your Talladega Nights, find whatever, whatever is your sort of potion for for laughter, and do that. Get around the friends that make you laugh, you know, you know, go see the movie, go whatever you got to do, break out an old black and white film. My parents raised us on a lot of the old black and whites, man, from I Love Lucy to Honeymooners to all the classics, you know, a lot of physical comedy. Yeah, that's uh I hope, hopefully that answers your question. It does, I mean, I think I just want to make sure I understood you right, that when you go into some of these rooms, you're using your improv background, you don't actually have a a set that you're gonna do, right? That you've memorized, you're gonna go up there and, you know, just do your thing. You're actually doing an interactive comedy set every time. That that sort of sounds, I mean, I guess in some ways it's almost like an interview, right? We didn't go over any of these questions, we're not like, it's just sort of a fluid wherever it takes us sort of idea. But I mean, maybe it's because I don't do comedy, but that sounds really stressful to me, brother. Yeah. And and most people who hear that say, dude, I can never do that, right? I can never, like the unknown is is just the thought of it, right? And and I think that again, that is I'm I'm extremely comfortable in the unknown and awkward. Like I I I just because And that is as you learn in comedy, even when I did stand up for a little bit, which so I've done some stand up. Embrace the pause was one of the four first rules that you learn because because typically the silence or the pause is what is in our minds as a presenter is what stresses us out. And so what happens is we typically speed up to get through the presentation because then you're in your own head saying, they hate it, they hate it, let me just get through it and get off the stage. Exit stage left. But the but when you realize that people, audiences, they come in, everybody's carrying some level of, you know, you have your extreme extroverts who are just like walking into a room, you know, big and loud. Right, right. But most of people, most of us have some type of like, oh, wonder what this is gonna be. Some people are extremely social, have extreme social anxiety. Oh, well, oh my gosh, what's going to happen? I'm not sure. And so when you realize that, the quicker that you can make the audience feel comfortable and make them feel a part of what you're doing, it really it's like everybody takes a deep breath, right? And everybody just kind of relaxes. And it's interesting to even get the people who would never participate in a million years. When you do things in group and you ask them to respond back to you in group, and they're hearing their own voice and they're doing maybe a little physical something, all of a sudden there's something in their mind that says, oh, I'm, I'm a part of this because everybody wants to connect. We all have a desire. God has made us for relationship and to connect with others. Um, as much as we try hard to isolate ourselves, that is not good for our health. It is like we are there to connect. So when they are a part of that, and then by the end you see that everybody's, you know, kind of wheels turning and it happens that way. But it, it really is. Now, my interactive presentation, because that's, it is, it has little uh bookmarks, if you will, that I, that I, so there's games in place that are in place. Those are the things, but no show is ever the same. And that's a beautiful thing for myself and the guy that I travel with who runs all my, my, my AV, um, because we, we can debrief after every event and say, man, can you believe, you know, Nancy did that or Joe did that and you, you, because it's, you never know. People will, you know, and it's, it's so amazing to watch that. And then, and then um, when people do the unexpected, that's what I lean into. And I, I, I've now I'm like, oh, there's more there. And when you, when, you know, people see other people getting a little vulnerable, they're like, oh, okay, I, I can now go there. I can now cross that line that I would have never before. And I, and there's something, um, and then I go wait, you know, I, I'm the first one to like, Hey, I'm going to go there. I'm going to be, whether it's self-deprecating, I'm going to be vulnerable. I'm going to be silly because I can present. You can't see me on screen, but I, I look like a jock. I look like, you know, you know, and some, some people are like, Oh, how's the jock funny? You know, cause if you look at a Will Ferrell or some of the comedians, you can, right. They're funny just looking at them. Yeah, just looking at them. They're funny. Yeah. But me, you know, it's like, oh, wait. And so I have to let them know that, Hey, I am, um, I don't take myself seriously, right? I, I'm, I'm, yeah, I got a, I got a football background, but I was the guy in the locker room who wanted to cut up and have fun and make every experience um fun. And, and so that's kind of what uh that's kind of what that looks like, you know, and, and so it it is, it, it last thing I'll say about that, James, and that is with anything, with your profession, you know, with, with anybody's profession, it's reps, right? You're getting better at your craft. And, and and for me, um, you know, if I'm not, if I had some downtime and haven't done a live event in a while, you know, I'm, I've got a little bit more butterflies, you know, in, you know, backstage waiting to go up as I, if I normally, you know, were boom, boom, boom. You know, it just what happens, you know? Oh yeah. It's, it's like anything though. Once you get, you know, you get out there, you tell your first thing, you get the first laugh, here we go. You know, I, I, it's a football, you know, football. I always, man, I felt like I had to pee in the locker room, you know, three times before I went to warmups just because your, your adrenaline's going so much. But as soon as you take the first hit, you're like, all right, here we go. Yeah. It's interesting. I mean, I think that's number one, I think it's just a really interesting, I think the only experience I've had even close to what you're describing in a, in sort of a big group setting is we, my wife and I went to see Ben Folds in concert and he does this thing, they were talking about it the entire concert. It was the first time we'd seen him. So they, they were like, yeah, get your, get your airplanes ready. And my wife and I are like, what's he talking about? Well, at intermission, everybody threw paper airplanes up on stage and they'd have different songs. Didn't have to be his songs, just songs on them. And he would walk around during the second act. He didn't have a set playlist. He'd just pick up an airplane, open it up and then sit down at the piano, play and sing it. You're just like, this is crazy. That's crazy. Super impressive. Yeah. It's like, that was, that's the only thing I have because every other thing I've ever seen, it's like, yeah, you know, if we go to a Zac Brown band concert, they'll end with Rage Against the Machine or they'll do something, you know, that's not out of their catalog, but you know they've rehearsed it. Like it's, it's planned. Like they know what they're doing. Yes. But Ben Folds, you're just just walking around the stage, getting an airplane and being like, oh, I already played that one, tossing that one, you know, whatever. And you're just like, this is nuts. This is crazy. Like what happens if he finds something he doesn't know? Like, but it never happened. Crazy. That's wild. Yeah, that, yeah. That that's impressive. And that's what we, you know, and because he's, he's, he's allowing the audience to obviously participate, you know, whoever suggested that song, they're like, uh, you know, they're, they're going wild. Not to mention. I love that song. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. That's a, that's a great thing. It's almost like a So You Think You, what is it? Um, whose line, whose line is it anyway? Yes. That type of thing, you know, they're taking audience suggestions. And um, yeah, I even went to a local Dallas uh improv store not too long ago and they did that. They're taking, you know, a bunch of post-it notes from people that gave suggestions at the beginning of the show and making a scene out of it. So. Right.

Um, so there's something about that, like stewarding your gifts, so. Yeah. Well, when you, you know, when you think about your role on Iggy and Mr. Kirk, it's drastically different than the improv you just described. I mean, I'm guessing it's more scripted. I'm guessing it's, you know, it's much more, you know, tailored to a specific scene and you're not able just to play off the people there. How do you, how do you feel doing that? Do you feel like that's a, I know you've done some of it before, but does it feel like, which are you more comfortable with? Do you prefer one versus the other or are they just different to you? Let me ask you a serious question. If something triggered a major market drop in the coming months, would your retirement be ready or exposed? With inflation, market volatility, and ongoing global uncertainty, more families are taking a closer look at whether their retirement plan is truly built to hold up. And many are finding that adding a layer of protection makes a lot of sense. Sanctuary Metals is a Christian-owned company that helps families strengthen their retirement savings with physical gold and silver through a gold IRA. During uncertain times, many people look to precious metals as a way to add stability when other assets may be under pressure. If you'd like to explore whether a gold IRA is a good fit for your situation, Sanctuary Metals makes it easy to get started. Text GUIDE to 94878 to receive your free retirement defense guide or call 888-958-6579 to speak with one of their knowledgeable team members. Again, text GUIDE to 94878 or call 888-958-6579. Man, that's a great question, James, because when you are in a scene, especially that is scripted, those other actors are counting on you to deliver and good timing. You know, when I'm doing my own bit, you know, I'm freelancing, bro. I'm out there with my live events like, hey, you know, and all of a sudden I'm on set like, oh man, I got to memorize these lines and, you know, and nail it. You know, the one thing I'm appreciative of with the head writer was he was flexible in allowing me to tweak lines just as I kind of really leaned into who is Mailman Dan? What is his voice? Would he say that or would he say this? That's, you know, and they were really good about like, oh man, that's, I love that. And so they gave me ownership of that, which was great. But yes, that is a different type of comedy. The one thing that I really appreciated about it, though, is I'm not a dramatic actor. I've had a couple of roles, you know, and but but I love comedy. And with this character in particular, I love physical comedy. So the physical comedy, going over my blocking when I'm going to do that actually helped me like memorize or learn or understand why he would say this. And so so, yeah, it's again, it's sort of a learned thing, which I hadn't done in a while. I've done some acting along the way, but I'm doing much more live events. You know, now I'm on set and and Iggy's tree house is is relatively small and especially the front porch. And here I am coming in. I'm, you know, I'm up in the trees and the set is beautiful, by the way. They constructed this whole like tree house. Amazing. The kids are going to love it. But but yeah, just finding my physical comedy up there, but also being in frame. And so it was some definitely getting used to. And I had some it was a couple of the more experienced actors on set who I really leaned on to say, hey, am I, you know, how does this look? How does this sound? They were fantastic. And, you know, you got Kirk Cameron there, Lee Allen Baker. You know, Lee Allen Baker had such success with her Disney show, Good Luck, Charlie. Yeah. No. So being in the kids world specifically for her, she was fantastic. You know, just to, you know, I had a built in coach right there just helping Mailman Dan, you know, find his footing. So, yeah. I don't know a ton about Brave Books. I looked at it after we booked the interview just to kind of get a general understanding of it. But where does this show fit within what all they're doing? Do you have a sense of that? Yeah. So and again, I, you know, I don't work for Brave Books, but just being a part of of that culture and what they're doing, it's it's definitely humbling because they have made a dent in today's culture in a positive way. Trent Talbot, the CEO, he had he was convicted. He has young kids and he saw, you know, he's looking at what they're what he's putting them in front of, whether it's books or, you know, TV shows. And he's like, man, there's there's a lot of there's a lot of craziness out here. And, you know, in fact, I didn't even know this until I got involved with them. But, you know, one hundred and fifty new LGBT type characters are introduced in kids shows just in the last few years. And he's like, man, there's a need for for some good, wholesome, you know, content. And so he developed Brave Books. And that story is pretty, pretty crazy because they they then teamed up with Kirk Cameron or Kirk Cameron with them and and Kirk Cameron started going around and doing story hour in public libraries. Well, there were roughly 50 public libraries that turned him down due to the content, which was actually good content. But they said it was inclusive. It was it was it didn't match their, you know, what they stood on. And it was interesting that they were saying it was inclusive and then they said you can't come. Right. Always interesting. Yeah. And these are the same, the same libraries that were hosting drag hour, you know, drag queen hours. And so anyhow, Kirk Cameron, he rolled up his sleeves and said, well, I'm going to exercise my constitutional right if, you know, if you don't let us in. And then that kind of got some, you know, that got public. And, you know, I know Fox News and a couple other people carried it. And and so by the time he got into those libraries, because they finally said, OK, you can come in. No one's going to show up kind of thing, man. Thousands of people, those mama bears and grandmas and everybody else were showing with their kids in support of him doing this. And and I know in Indianapolis alone, which I think was his first library, they had, I don't know, roughly 3000 people come. They couldn't even fit them all in the library. They gave him a space of about one hundred people. And and so it was it, you know, and you you had the you know, you had the protesters, too. And all the things that it basically it really put Brave Books on the on the map, if you will. And their books are phenomenal. They've been authored by a lot of great Christian influencers, conservative influencers. And and then from that, they said, hey, let's let's, you know, probably this into a show and make this let's put these, you know, these like these bring these books to life because it's all it takes place on Freedom Island. The stories come to life through these animals and the older animals are teaching the young animals to to stand up and be brave in the face of culture and what today's thrown at you. And and then to then, you know, have Kirk be sort of that modern day Mr. Rogers. You couldn't even imagine anyone playing a Mr. Rogers based on what. Right. But if anybody is, it's Kirk Cameron, man. He's he's the real deal. I mean, all the time I've spent around that guy, he is as genuine as you get. You know, you understand why God called him and equipped him to be on the front lines of, you know, media and faith and all the things. And so it's it's great. So, yeah, they they've done a great job. You know, it's they've got a lot going on. They've they're they're, you know, a lot of different projects, but this this one in particular, Iggy and Mr. Kirk, I think is it's exciting because it's going to give it's going to give families a chance to to sit down. It's you know, it's it's a great tempo. It's catered to ages three to three to nine. I think that's sort of their, their, their pocket. And, you know, you there's a kid, a real kid who, who shows up every episode through Maple, the the computerized tree. And they're talking about their issues that is relevant to whatever the, the theme of the show is. And yeah, I just feel like it's, you know, I think everybody's, you know, we've already got great response already, but I think it's, it's going to, it's going to continue to do really, really well. We've, there's 20 episodes that we've already shot and that we've already shot. And so I'm excited to, to get the feedback after we get through season one. I remember I, we have a four-year-old that we recently adopted and so we're we're in sort of Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, reading rainbow kind of kind of land. Right. And they were, you know, I sat down and watched one the other day, just, I was kind of hanging out with her and I was like, Oh, I remember these. These are cool. I mean, I watched them make bowling balls and I was like, what an interesting process. Like, you know, you just kind of sit back and you're like, it's

Like I can't deal with this. I don't even understand what I'm watching. And so like, you know, then you go back to some of these other ones and you're like, this isn't just entertainment. It's also educating them on something that has some value, that has some substance to it. And so it sounds like Iggy and Mr. Kirk is sort of a reproduction of that tone of show. I mean, the Mr. Rogers connection makes perfect sense because we had talked earlier, you know, live action with animation mixed in. And so that kind of almost mirrors the, you know, what was it? The imagination land you'd go to. I can't even remember what it's called now. Oh yeah, I know what you're talking about. Watch and drool. Yeah. No, but you're absolutely right. And I don't even know why I haven't mentioned this yet, but Iggy is the star of the show. You know, he, and it's, it's, he's a, he's a puppet. He's an iguana, but he's a puppet. And he, he, he and his relationship with culture, culture, the vulture who comes in and who tries to, you know, he's always trying to like kind of plant the seeds of doing deceivious things and manipulating Iggy in different ways. You know, Iggy is both these puppeteers are from Sesame street. You mentioned Sesame street. These guys were decades in that world and still do. They're the, and, and I think for all of us, Kirk and the whole team, we all were astonished by that level and craft that, you know, of their craft as a puppeteer. It was, it was crazy. Like these guys are, you know, and if there's a cool documentary out about Jim Henson kind of gives you an inside look to that. But man, the way they would contort their bodies to get their hands up into the puppet, you know, and be in a weird angles all along finding their eyeline to the camera. They're looking at a monitor. They're reading their lines, making sure that they're in place. There's things that they hold and throw and play instrument. I mean, it's, it's mind blowing. So, you know, not only is Iggy the star of the show genuinely, because it's all, you know, every day is featuring him and what he's going through. But, but I think everybody on set was recognizing that, okay, we're, we're amongst, you know, genius people right now with these, you know, these puppeteers, but John Kennedy plays Iggy and, and Ricky Boyd plays Culture. And there was a, there's a few other handful of puppets that come along. Those two are the sort of the main, main featured characters and puppets there. It's, it's amazing. So, yeah, it's a great cast, you know, it's the level. And I know that Texas film works who, who helped film and produce this. They, they, they felt the same way. They were like, wow. They had never felt they had never filmed, you know, puppets before. It's not something you would, I mean, for most of us, it's, I mean, you see the end result. You don't see the process. And so seeing the process has to be pretty fascinating, right? It's not just the, you know, what you do still in church with sock puppets or something like that. It's like a real. The old church puppet show. It's an actual skill set. It is a, it is a major skill set that takes again, we talked about it, the, the, the reps of over and over and over again. And John Kennedy, Iggy, who plays Iggy, he he also made the puppets, you know, he, he made makes the puppets in the basement of his home. And he's got, you know, he's got the levers inside the puppets and all of the things that come with it. It's, it's fascinating. And he, you know, there were things that he did right on set that they were like, John, we need, you know, he's back in his Airbnb, you know, making a new puppet. And oh gosh, he, he, he's, he's impressive. Everybody agrees that, you know, okay, we, we got a couple of stars with us, you know, on this year. I think that because kids are going to get lost. I mean, they're going to just fall in love with Iggy, but you get, you do, you get lost in the fact that that's a character. That's a, that's a, that's a real iguana, you know, and not thinking of what goes behind it, but it's, it's a cool behind the scenes look if you ever get a chance at just the puppet world. It's wild. Very cool. So you finished filming the first season, correct? Yeah. And, and that we've actually got the two seasons in the can. So that's, that's kind of cool. We, there was a man, it was a busy summer. We, we filmed in May and again in August and got 20 episodes altogether. And so, so yeah, so it's, as we've rolled this out, yeah, there's, there's a lot more to come. And so yeah, so yeah, 20 altogether is what we've done. Where will people be able to watch them? Yeah. So you go to watch brave.com, watch brave.com. You can watch it there. And then from there, it kind of will give you, you can watch the first three episodes there, and then it will give you sort of the roadmap to unlock the other episodes. Watch brave TV.com. Yeah. Very cool. Okay. So first three episodes are up. Are all 40 episodes then that you said two seasons are in the can or there are only 20, you know, like what's available for. Yeah. There's the first three are there. And then, and from there they can easily, you know, get involved in, in terms of it will show you kind of how to get into the other episodes. Very cool. Yeah. Yeah. No, I got to check it out. I didn't, I, I've seen brave books at NRB national religious broadcasters. And so I was aware of them through that. And then obviously through the Kirk Cameron library stuff that you, you kind of narrated and But I had, I didn't know that they were doing programming like this. And so yeah, it's very cool. I think definitely something I'll check out, but well, man, this has been this has been cool. I, I'm fascinated by your comedy. I'm fascinated by the you know, the way you think about entertaining audiences and I just really appreciate you being on and sharing that with us and kind of helping us see inside your head a little bit, understand your process and think through how to relate to crowds, get those reps in and excited about what you're doing with brave books too. So really appreciate it. Thank you, James. I appreciate, I appreciate it, man. These were, I love interviews like this. You did a great job asking these the right questions. I think we all need that, right? Why do you do what you do, you know, and what does that process look like? I think it helps us all, you know, ask ourselves that and then, and then hopefully sharpen that and be authentic and, and ultimately connect with people. So we'll give a little plug, man. Where can people find you other than on Iggy and Mr. Kirk? Yeah, yeah. So they can find me on my website. Iamdannyadams.com. Really easy. Iamdannyadams.com. You'll find it. It says laughter is medicine, facilitator of fun. So that's the unofficial title. Someone gave that to me. I'm like, all right, I'm keeping it. Yeah. Don't give that away. Well, Danny, we appreciate you being on the show, man. And I'll get the links to those sites in the show description, folks. So if you're, if you're looking for Danny, you want to connect with him more, see what he's doing. You can check out that website in the show notes and yeah, just really appreciate you being here, bro. It's been great meeting you and, and talking through some of this stuff for somebody we, you know, we hadn't met before this, but I, I really appreciated the conversation. So great to get to know you. Likewise, James. All right, everybody. Well, that's it for this episode of thinking Christian. We appreciate you being here and we will catch you on the next one. Take care. I just want to take a second to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the Thinking Christian podcast. If you go to lifeaudio.com, you'll find dozens of other faith-centered podcasts in their network. They've got shows about prayer, Bible study, parenting, and more. Scripture and brain science agree. Meditating on God's word transforms us and reduces stress in our lives. I'm Jodi Nisnik, host of So Much More Creating Space for God, a scripture meditation podcast. And each week I give you space to hear God's word, listen to the spirit and pray about what's on your heart. And then we have a thoughtful conversation with guests to help us go deeper. Listen and subscribe at lifeaudio.com.