TBTL #4653 "In The White Barn, With My YouTube" (Jan 30, 2026)
Episode Overview
This Friday episode of TBTL—hosted by Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh—mixes absurdity, heartfelt tributes, and cozy domestic talk as the two longtime friends process the news of Catherine O’Hara's passing, detail a major (by their standards) home remodel, and riff on all things from football to power tools. The show radiates TBTL’s typical blend of affectionate goofiness, mild self-deprecation, pop culture nostalgia, and the tiny victories of middle age.
Major Topics and Discussion Points
1. Remembering Catherine O’Hara (Starts ~02:29)
- Tribute and Shock: The hosts open with a heartfelt, semi-rambling tribute to beloved actor and comedian Catherine O’Hara, who passed away at 71. Both are stunned at how “young” that now feels.
- Luke: “It sure seems, Andrew, that the older that I get, the younger that people are when they pass away. And 71 is not old at all.” [07:01]
- O’Hara’s Career: The hosts survey O’Hara’s sprawling, multigenerational comedy career, from SCTV and the Christopher Guest mockumentaries to her iconic roles in Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and finally Schitt’s Creek.
- Luke and Andrew both geek out over specific scenes from "Waiting for Guffman" and "Best in Show".
- Andrew: “She just contained so many multitudes and was just so beloved too.” [12:59]
- Schitt’s Creek’s Moira Rose: They play a classic “fold in the cheese” scene from Schitt’s Creek, marveling at O’Hara’s unmatched comedic delivery and bonkers accent.
- [Clip] Moira Rose: “You just… that’s what you do. You just fold it in.” [17:57-18:45]
- Personal Connection: Catherine O’Hara’s drops are a long-running staple on TBTL, making the news especially poignant for both.
2. Friday Home Project Chat: Andrew’s Basement Renovation (Begins ~19:46)
- Remodeling a Basement “Kitchenette”: Andrew details the launch of a long-awaited renovation on his grotty basement mini-kitchen, including counters, cabinetry, lighting, and a new electrical panel.
- Andrew: “I just picture, like, when we have… this is the first time that we've ever just been able to say, like, well, we're investing in this. This is our forever project.” [31:13]
- DIY and Contractor Issues:
- The conversation riffs on construction language ("shim" talk), old houses, and the various horrors discovered behind walls.
- Andrew expresses joy at finding a construction crew whose worksite habits (neatness, organization) mirror his own OCD tendencies.
- Andrew: “When I got back last night… to come downstairs and see it’s all torn out, but also like really clean. This is my kind…” [39:36]
- Design Debates & Lighting: Luke and Andrew commiserate about spousal debates over renovations, especially the tension between “Do it once, do it right!” and budget/over-improvement anxieties.
- Dimmer switches, “coat hook moments,” and how much joy the right amount of under-cabinet lighting can bring.
- Style Trends: They chat about the pressures of home design trends (e.g., “industrial pipe shelving”), trying to toe the line between timeless and “so 2023.”
- Luke: “I was trying to make it so that if you, ideally, if you walked into my place in 10 years, you wouldn’t have that moment that we’ve all had... 'Oh, so this was remodeled in 2023.'” [50:08]
3. Super Bowl Viewing Logistics and Football Anxiety (from ~62:36 on)
- Luke's Solomonic Plan for Seahawks Super Bowl:
- Luke explains his personal tension with watching the Seahawks with a crowd versus pacing alone, and describes the solution for the upcoming Super Bowl: setting up his own “satellite party” in a barn—literally, the “White Barn” near his partner’s family home in Salem, Oregon. He’ll rig up a projector and streaming in the barn, near but not in the main festivities, so he can “get all his wiggles out” without harshing anyone’s mellow.
- Luke: “If my energy and anxiety levels go to some sort of place that I'm having a difficult time managing, I'm not going to be ruining the party… I've got a pressure release.” [69:40]
- Andrew’s Prediction: Andrew suggests others might gravitate to the barn, turning it into the “kitchen of a house party.” [76:24]
- Coping With Fandom: Luke tries to modulate his intensity and describes how, while watching with Becca, he managed not to spiral out even during low points, texting rants to Andrew “instead of yelling at [his] wife about Reek Woolen’s helmet.”
4. Listener Interactions & Notable Emails (Starts ~77:21)
- Listener Validation and Emotional Resonance: TBTL shares an emotional email from listener Sarah, who found comfort in the show’s willingness to hold both joy and sorrow during a difficult week (reference to tragic events in Minneapolis).
- Sarah (via Andrew): “Some mountains feel too tall, but they're not if we're climbing together…” [80:04]
- Andrew’s Home Video Mystery Solved: Listener Molly responds to the call-out regarding a 1994 Bitter Lake Community Center VHS digitized by Andrew. She identifies “Dari” (the cameraperson) as her summer camp leader, confirming Andrew’s hunch and sending him into minor ecstasy.
- Andrew: “I cannot put into words…I do all of this digitizing and it gives me a feeling…But to be able to come on the show and hear somebody say, ‘Oh yeah, I know that person,’…there should be a German word for it…” [85:32]
- Hopes for Further Reunion: Luke and Andrew muse about tracking down “Dari” for closure or maybe even an interview.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On O’Hara’s legacy:
- Andrew: “Catherine O’Hara was so talented and special that the problem is I forgot she was mortal.” [12:58]
- Luke, on aging & obituaries:
- “I remember having that conversation…What’s her most memorable thing to the mainstream culture?...I think most people would be ‘Oh, the Home Alone lady.’ For you and I, that’s not what ranks, so much…” [12:03]
- Schitt’s Creek “fold in the cheese” scene:
- Moira Rose: “That’s what you do, you just fold it in.”
- David: “Okay, I don’t know how to fold broken cheese like that, and I don’t know how to be any clearer.” [17:57-18:40]
- On home improvement feelings:
- Andrew: “I cannot wait for my first sponge bath in the new sink…Will you have Genevieve videotape that?” [29:06]
- Luke, wisdom on project scope creep: “You might as well put in that gold toilet…” [45:52]
- Andrew: “I love the idea of coming down here, playing darts, coming around the corner…having this nice, warm glow with these fadeable lights…That to me stirs something.” [47:51]
- Luke on football intensity:
- “Does it indicate that this is a positive in my life, that that’s how I have to enjoy it or experience it? …Maybe I just need to be less of a maniac.” [64:09]
- Andrew on digitizing old videos:
- “…Some sort of deep joy that feels even bigger than that to me…” [85:32]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 02:29 – Catherine O’Hara tribute
- 13:31 – Schitt’s Creek’s Moira Rose and “fold in the cheese” scene
- 19:46 – Andrew’s basement remodel begins
- 27:04 – Appliance and fixture procurement discussion
- 43:17 – Intense lighting debate; project creep
- 50:08 – Home design trends: avoiding “2023” look
- 62:36 – Donor thanks and retro Seahawks gear
- 63:40 – Super Bowl plans: the White Barn streaming setup revealed
- 77:21 – Listener “Sarah” on joy amid darkness
- 82:01 – The “Dari” revelation & digging up Seattle home movie memories
Tone and Closing
The episode is a quintessential TBTL ride—a mix of personal reflection, gentle absurdity, and generational nostalgia. While poignant over O’Hara’s passing, the show is always punctuated with humor, empathy, and delight in the minutiae of daily life. Andrew and Luke’s dynamic—equal parts old-married-couple bickering, home design critique, and football anxiety support group—remains “too beautiful to live.”
End Note:
No matter what mountain seems too tall, the TBTL crew—and their listeners—remind us it’s more climbable when you’re not alone.