Shows
Bloomington StoriesJosh Got Effed and Chris Effed Up: A Summer Check-InWe’re on vacay but couldn’t resist throwing together an ep so we don’t break our 26 episode streak. So, that leaves you having to hear us on our bullshit again with no guest to redeem us. In this lil bitch chat, we discuss falling utility poles, mustaches, customer service, Facebook Marketplace deals gone very wrong, falling limbs, and so on. The only redemption this episode enjoys are jokes from Jon Hancuff and a Mellencamp Moment with Dason Anderson. Happy July and eff you. Thank you to our sponsors, Gretchen and Ruth Nall and Bloomington Rentals and Rea...2025-07-0647 min
Bloomington StoriesTom Shelton, Hoosier ArtographerIn a 1999 song, Tom Waits persistently asks, “What's he building in there?/ What the hell is he building in there?” In his humble garage art studio, Tom Shelton has been making magical “pictures,” often landscapes, rendered through the ordered lens through which he sees the world. In fact, a piece on Journey Indiana describes him as a “system painter.” Not only did we discuss his paintings but also his childhood, partially defined by his mother’s alcoholism, and his circuitous and beautiful life path. Episode links: I Call Him Tom (documentary mentioned in episode) Jouney Indiana: The System Pai...2025-06-021h 41
Bloomington StoriesStacy Bridavsky - Side A: Internet Cat, Side B: Cold CaseMost of us have that event in our life that seemed insignificant at the time but ultimately defined the trajectory of our life. For Stacy Bridavsky, it was an internet cat film festival after an exhausting day of orientation for a new job at an art museum in Minneapolis. It was here that her future husband Mike, also known as Lil Bub’s dude, fell head over heels for her. In less than a year, she was living with him (in sin) in Bloomington, which was where she learned of the heartbreaking and suspicious 2015 death of IU student Joseph Sm...2025-05-031h 30
Bloomington StoriesThe Many Faces of Anurag BhatAnurag Bhat has been a policeman in India and a mosh pit participant at the Bishop. He has abandoned his childhood home under the cover of the night in Kashmir and facilitated a heat mapping study under the glare of the sun in Bloomington. In our conversation with this IU grad student, we talk about everything from ice water to climate change. He may not be long for Bloomington, but this episode can serve as a time capsule for his time in our town. Thank you to our sponsors, Gretchen and Ruth Nall and Bloomington Rentals and...2025-04-011h 21
Bloomington StoriesPowerPoint Love with Bloomington SingletonsMallory Elver was tired of sitting on her couch, swiping left and right to look for love. Then, her pal Nicole Bennett discovered an alternative to internet dating in Indianapolis, and Bloomington Singletons was born. Months later, Nicole was standing in the front of a private room at Heartworks Brewery, pitching her friend Mallory to a crowd of live humans. Josh and Chris were on the scene, interviewing so many fascinating attendees — including the emcee, pitchers (one from Trinidad!), pitchees (including a standup comedian), and other gawkers and spectators. In the immortal words of so many 80s newsletters, “fun was...2025-03-011h 22
Bloomington StoriesPam Thrash Pities the Fool Who Doesn’t Listen to This EpisodeThe voice of Pam Thrash has been part of the soundtrack of so many of our lives in Bloomington. Currently the host of the popular Retro Lunch Hour on B97, Pam has been broadcasting tunes and joy on the radio waves for over thirty years. An ice-skating injury as a child sparked her DJ journey and began a wild ride of a life. Pam Thrash is living proof that, if you’re lucky enough to find the thing you love, you’d better hang onto it for dear life and be willing to pretend like you know how to do t...2025-02-011h 12
Bloomington Stories&#%!@ in the Wind with Josh and ChrisWell everybody, we didn’t have time to interview an official guest because Josh is heading to Spain with Virginia to hang with her badass family. But we did get some excellent Mellencamp stories from our friend, Angie Cannon, who is a real-deal townie. Other than that, unfortunately for you, what you are getting here is the kind of episode that gives podcasts a bad name: a couple of dipshits talking about nothing and having the audacity to invite you to put your earbuds in and enter their void of absurdity. That said, we twa hae run about the br...2025-01-0154 min
Bloomington StoriesSo Many Cigarettes with Maria DouglasMaria Douglas is one of those people who really holds down the fort for Bloomington. She is badass social worker-community servant-activist, currently serving the Monroe County Women’s Commission, NAACP Youth Council, and Hoosier Asian American Power, which she helped found. During all of this, she has been on an intense journey, making sense of her experience as a transracial Korean adoptee. Last but not least, if you were around in the 90s in Bloomington, you may have wandered around town drunk with her, probably smoking too many cigarettes. Episode links: South Korea Adoption Reckoning Hoosier As...2024-12-011h 02
Bloomington StoriesIt Was the Best of Times. It Was the Wurster of TimesWe highly recommend that you go back and listen to our episode “Hello, Hello, Hello Jon Wurster” if you have not already. Jon Wurster is the drummer for The Mountain Goats and Bob Mould. He was the drummer for Superchunk for over three decades. He is also a comedy writer and performer, known best for his hilarious characters in The Best Show, including Ronald Thomas Clontle, the fictitious author of the book, Rock, Rot & Rule. Clontle claims that his book is the ultimate argument settler when it comes to deciding whether famous bands and musicians rock, rot, or rule. This...2024-11-011h 25
Bloomington StoriesSorry But We’re Gonna Ghost YouWe spent September putting our lives on the line, hunting for ghosts. We made Instagram posts. We texted people. We stopped people in hallways at work. We even slid into DMs. We almost went to a haunted train tunnel. We did this all for you. And now, safe and sound from the netherworld, we’re delivering four ghost stories right into your earholes. Enjoy tales from Kate Crum, Aaron Brewington, Leigh Henderson and Blaine Rothrock,and the one and only Misha Bridavsky. Episode links: Kate's digital book and her recommended student project Scary movie that permanently da...2024-10-011h 30
Bloomington StoriesGHOSTS!!!Do you have a ghost story? Do you have a haunted bicyle? Is there a lil witch in your closet? Want to share your spooky story on the podcast? Just record it on your most cherished recording device and email the file to us at bloomingtonstoriespod@gmail.com mmmmkay? Thank you to our sponsors, Gretchen and Ruth Nall and Bloomington Rentals and Realty for their support of the pod. And thanks as usual to badknees WE HAVE MERCH! Designed by Chris Mott and sponsored by badknees. Check it out! Transcripts 2024-09-0801 min
Bloomington StoriesPeace, Love, and BrotherhoodDian Krumlauf is our eldest interviewee to date, but don’t get all ageist on us, ya bitches. By the time you finish listening to this one, you’re gonna wish you were as badass as this Bloomington hippie who we got to sit down with at a nursing home two days before she moved to Fort Wayne to be closer to her family. Not only did she share her circuitous life adventure but she also dropped some serious wisdom on us. Enjoy. Thanks to Andrew Behringer for sharing his Mellencamp Moment! Thank you to our...2024-09-011h 05
Bloomington StoriesJosh Turns 50 in a Parking LotOn Josh’s 50th birthday, BadkneesTs’ Jim Beck hosted a grand reopening for his new location on West Kirkwood across from Rose Hill Cemetery, forever home of Hoagy Carmichael and so many other seminal Bloomington humans. (In fact, just the other day, Chris’s son pointed out how many Hinkle headstones there are. If you eat burgers and haven’t had a Hinkle’s hamburger, go visit Badknees then head west a few blocks for lunch at Hinkle’s.) Anyway, Josh and Chris set up a mobile recording tent at the event because If You Pitch It, They Will Talk. And th...2024-08-011h 18
Bloomington StoriesJawin’ Away with Joel and JonathanJoel Washington is one of those superheroes of Bloomington who walks among us like he’s no big deal. His artistry is his superpower. In fact, for his decades of making colorful–sometimes almost psychedelic–pop art, he received the City of Bloomington Living Legend Award in 2021. We also found out that he’s not too shabby on a skateboard either, and he's been doing it long before the the City decided that skating was rad. Joel’s skater pal, Jonathan Prather, came along too. Jonathan is the owner of Rhett Skateboarding and an all-around awesome dude. Episode li...2024-07-011h 36
Bloomington StoriesThree Lil B**chesOur guest, Asher Waite-Jones, greeted us in pajamas and immediately began making Josh feel slightly nervous–before we could even start recording. While we can never predict how successful an interview will be, this was certainly an auspicious beginning. You might expect a certain degree of decorum from a Staff Attorney in the Bloomington Office of Indiana Legal Services who, according to a Maurer School of Law blog, “runs the Expungement Help Desk, working alongside Maurer students to represent hundreds of low-income Hoosiers impacted by the criminal legal system.” But, as you know, we happen to specialize in bri...2024-06-011h 11
Bloomington StoriesHello, Hello, Hello John WursterToday’s story is about a band, a song, and a brush with fame that’s more cringe than cool. Thirty years ago, Bloomington danced to the electronic beats of Situation Grey, a college band known more for their covers than cutting-edge originality. Their lead singer—one of our hosts—dreamed of being an indie music maestro, but instead became the king of campus karaoke. Then, one fateful night in the early '90s, some indie rock royalty walked in. What followed was not the stuff of dreams, but the kind of anecdote you reluctantly share at parties...2024-05-0148 min
Bloomington Stories“Did You Guys Know I Was Gay?” with SmooveSara Gardner came to town/ Turned her bike into a crown/ Rode the bus to sororities/ For shits and giggles-what a tease!/ Went out west to use her math/ Stacked up cash and came on back/ Opened the doors to a rainbow space/ Stuck some fake teeth in her face/ Trolls the town, leaves some aghast/ And now she’s a guest on our podcast. Special thanks to Jon Hancuff for kicking off the episode. Sign up to follow him here! WE HAVE MERCH! Designed by Chris Mott and sponsored by badknees. Check it out! 2024-04-011h 09
Bloomington StoriesShoes on a Wire, Shirts on the Press, and Dogs on the FloorToday we talk about T-shirts that make you feel like a loser and T-shirts that make you feel like today is your day. We also discuss Jim from badknees, T-shirt whisperer, and Chris Mott, killer artist. You even get to hear one of his songs, “All the Dogs,” from the PURPLE 7 album Jewel Finger. Find the link below. And while you're at it, go out and get yourself some street cred by pre-ordering one of our shirts, mugs, totes, or buttons by March 15! MERCH! Designed by Chris Mott and sponsored by badknees. Check it out! PURPL...2024-03-1107 min
Bloomington StoriesHot Off the Press with Mike ConwayBloomington Stories snags interview with media maven, Mike Conway! Hold onto your fedoras, folks, because Bloomington Stories has just landed the interview of the century! Fresh off the press, we've got the lowdown on our chat with none other than Dr. Mike Conway, the head honcho over at the esteemed Indiana Broadcast History Archive (IBHA)! This sharp fella isn't just another suit, mind you. Dr. Conway's practically a walking encyclopedia of news! Back in the day, this ace reporter wore every hat imaginable in the bustling world of television newsrooms – from sharpshooting photographer to the sm...2024-03-011h 10
Bloomington StoriesTrash Talking with Bethany RobinsonSalvage yard. Does that phrase make you think of goats or ducks? Baby dolls? Unicycles? Barges? Field trips? The January 6 Insurrection? Hugging? Our guest, Bethany Robinson, is the vice president of JB's Salvage, a classic Bloomington business on the west side of Bloomington. We had the pleasure of getting the history of this salvage yard that her father, J.B. Robinson, started decades ago and built into a thriving business before he passed away. We also get to ask her all the questions about the weird shit that happens at a salvage yard. Come along and listen...2024-02-011h 09
Bloomington StoriesTales from the Gulch with Miles and AlexWe take a conversational stoll through our town, this time joined by fellow podcasters Alex and Miles from “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Gulch.” We talk about our shared love for Bloomington (the Gulch), but also our common experience of defending the decision to stay here. These Hoosier Alan Lomaxes tell us about Nighthawk, a local caped crusader, and his direct action crew. We also get to hear about Humor the Clown, who is actually a mime. Along the way, we talk about Reggie Miller, Farm Aid, Alex’s last name, Miles’ alter-ego, Premiles, and, of course, John Melle...2024-01-011h 07
Bloomington StoriesCalifornia Sober with Freda Love SmithAccording to her recently published book, I Quit Everything, Freda Love Smith quit everything. But she does still talk, and we can prove it. And when she did do stuff, she played drums with The Blake Babies, Juliana Hatfield, Antenna, Gentleman Caller, Sunshine Boys, and Mysteries of Life among other 90s darlings. She wrote Red Velvet Underground, a cookbook/ memoir. However, once again we have no interest in lingering on our guest’s remarkable accomplishments but prefer to bring out the worst in them. So get ready to hear about Ricky’s Cantina, robotripping, and roughing up a local cele...2023-12-0159 min
Bloomington StoriesNailin' It with Rusty PetersonRusty Peterson is the drummer in our band, The ShackUps, and the mysteriously sexy voice behind the Bloomington Stories intro. He is also a master carpenter and owns Rusty Peterson Construction. But we don’t like to dwell on the things people are good at. In this episode, Rusty tells us about his experiences with nature, nudity, yoga cults, 10 gallon buckets of dumpster pie, and sinking boats. If you don’t believe us, why don’t ya just take a listen for yourself, ya lil bitch. BIG NEWS: WE HAVE MERCH! Designed by Chris Mott and sponsored by bad...2023-11-011h 03
Bloomington StoriesI Can Freak Myself Out All Day Long Anywhere with Megan MacDonaldWelcome to a resplendent edition of “Bloomington Stories,” where we have the singular honor to present the esteemed Ms. Megan MacDonald! Our delightful guest, a radiant custodian of times bygone, is an eminent figure at the Monroe County History Center. In this scintillating episode, Ms. MacDonald, fresh from the razzle-dazzle of the city that never sleeps—New York City, spins marvelous yarns of the illustrious days of early Bloomington. Our conversation dances through the gamut of extraordinary tales, hopping from the whimsical charm of pink houses to the snapping vigor of turtles! And, oh, the strang...2023-10-011h 06
Bloomington StoriesNot Your Average Security Guard with Rob JordanRob Jordan works as a security guard at Bloomington High School North, but we found that he provides way more emotional security for students than he does guarding them from each other. During the interview, we talked about Rob’s difficult upbringing in Kentucky, his deeply intuitive approaches to working with at-risk kids, donuts, knowing kids’ names, the Chicago-to-Bloomington pipeline, body language, food insecurity, his son’s first date, comic books, the students we’ve lost, and Sunday dinners. Oh, and bourbon. BIG NEWS: WE HAVE MERCH! Designed by Chris Mott and sponsored by badknees. Check it out!...2023-09-0153 min
Bloomington StoriesSpiritual FatherTall swooning bamboo, the smoke of clove cigarettes, and classical piano. If you’ve taken a walk on the near westside of Bloomington in the last many decades, you may have had this sensory experience as you knowingly or unknowingly passed the home of our guest, Simeon Rodgers. Having made his way from a farm in the middle of Indiana to the prestigious Indiana University Music in the 1960s, Simeon established a home here and earned a degree. He also made donuts to keep a roof over his daughters’ heads and started a career in rolfing, an intense form of b...2023-08-011h 15
Bloomington StoriesHappiness Makes You Cry: The Flaming Lips and LonPaul EllrichThe Flaming Lips took over Kirkwood for the annual Granfalloon Festival, which celebrates all things Kurt Vonnegut, but also, more importantly, seeks to make the humanities at IU sexy. Your cub reporters were on the scene, which sent us both into some time-tripping. Some of it has to do with our kids, so if you don't like hearing dads be nostalgic lil bitches about their kids, then skip to about halfway through the episode. Along the way, we talk about Wayne Coyne, the lead singer of Flaming Lips. We also end up thinking about an old Bloomington/Indianapolis friend...2023-07-011h 01
Bloomington StoriesKnow Fear with Merrie SloanWelcome to another episode of Bloomington Stories! In today's captivating episode, we explore the extraordinary experiences of a woman who found herself immersed in the vibrant and eclectic community of Bloomington, Indiana. From her involvement with a non-denominational charismatic cult to encounters with colorful characters, join us as we unravel her journey filled with intrigue, self-discovery, and unforgettable memories. Our story begins with our protagonist's entanglement in a non-denominational charismatic cult. We delve into her struggles with church leaders and the complexities of breaking free from their influence. From questioning faith to seeking independence, she embarked on...2023-06-0155 min
Bloomington StoriesLate for School with Jim GranatoSummer in a college town, stolen TCBY signs, selling popcorn to John Cougar Mellencamp, and meeting one of your best friends in Sociology class after you’ve spent the night in jail. That’s Jim Granato, our first guest. Jim grew up in Unionville, a little town right to the east of Bloomington. He and Josh became fast friends during high school, which is also when Jim found himself at home behind the camera. Jim is now a freelance filmmaker in San Francisco. His films and documentaries have appeared on PBS, including A Day with My Boy: Slug War and...2023-05-0143 min
Bloomington StoriesUsIn this inaugural episode of Bloomington Stories, Josh and Chris interview each other about their Bloomington origin stories. Along the way, they talk about very sad things like death and divorce and very happy things like constantly pissing your dad off on purpose and eating at Cracker Barrel with your grandma. We also address Ricky Martin, finite math anxiety, quarry swimming & cigarette smoking, golf (way more than golf virgins should), heavy metal roommates, turtlenecks, and injury lawyer Kenn Nunn. BIG NEWS: WE HAVE MERCH! Designed by Chris Mott and sponsored by badknees. Check it out! Su...2023-04-0136 min