The Forward

Musician Chris Shiflett is this weeks guest on The Forward. When he is not on out tour playing guitar with The Foo Fighters you can find Chris playing his solo material that focuses on country music. He is also the host of the Americana podcast Walking the Floor. He joined Lance the morning of his solo show in Austin to talk Merle Haggard, the sport of boxing, growing up in Santa Barbara and life in a huge band. Chris also played two songs of his latest solo release West Coast Town. 

“I’m a singer not a preacher, but these songs are my sermon,” says Paul Cauthen, this weeks guest on The Forward. The East Texas native joined Lance to talk about being a working musician, life lessons from his Paw Paw, picking yourself up and becoming a survivor. Paul also plays two songs including a new track from his upcoming record.  

Ed Ruscha is one of America's most treasured contemporary artists. Raised in Oklahoma, Ed and Lance discussed his desire to head west to California in the mid 50's, the support of his parents early on and his process for creating his paintings and photographs. An exhibit of Ed's works are on display at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin through early January. 

John Furner is the CEO of Sam's Club. He started at Walmart as a 19-year-old intern and has worked his way to the most senior position. He was in Austin to talk about riding the TEXAS HŪNDRED, his passion for cycling and Guns N' Roses. John also shared his mother's cancer experience. 

Michael Shermer is the founding Publisher of Skeptic Magazine and columnist for Scientific American. Shermer was in Austin to talk with Lance about his new book Heavens on Earth The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopia. Their conversation covers a variety of topics including the purpose of this life, cancer, suffering and the Race Across America. 

Tim Kennedy is a Special Forces sniper, Green Beret and former MMA fighter. Tim and Lance did a workout at the Onnit Academy and then taped an episode in The Forward studio. They talked about gun control, school shootings and Tim's role as a sniper as he sets off for his 13th deployment.

Tom Torkelson is the Founder of the Idea Public Schools. IDEA was founded to combat educational deficiencies they saw in their students in order to focus on college readiness. Lance and Tom toured one of the Austin schools and then sat to discuss the origins of the school and their 100% success rate of getting kids to college.  

Mia Khalifa is a former adult film actress. A brief stint in the porn industry led her to be named to the ISIS hit list. She joined Lance in Austin to discuss her experience in the adult film world, a conversation she has never shared publicly. She also talked about the stigma around the industry and how the label has followed her. They discuss her passion for sports, her cooking show and challenges of trying to date.

Earlier this year Lance was offered an opportunity to tour the San Quentin Prison and speak to the inmates currently enrolled in The Last Mile program. TLM teaches current inmates the job of coding with the hopes of earning employment in the tech world up their release. After his tour Lance talked with Chris Redlitz, the founder or TLM, about how he created the program and his initial hesitation to accept the invite. Lance also talked with Kenyatta Leal and Chris Schumacher about their experience in TLM. They discuss how they learned to code, job prospects upon release and starting relationships post incarnation. Lance also made a commitment to return to San Quentin to run the prison marathon. For more information on TLM visit https://thelastmile.org/

Vanessa Grigoriadis is a writer for The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, and the author of various books including: Blurred Lines: Rethinking Sex, Power and Consent on Campus. Vanessa caught up with Lance on various topics including her new book, consent, and more.