Bloomington Stories
Most 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 Smedley, who was found dead in Griffy Lake with 66 pounds...
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Anurag 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 for their support of the pod. And thanks as usual to Designed by and sponsored by ....
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Mallory 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 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,...
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The 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 the things that will get you in the door. And did we mention that Mr. T once sent her flowers?...
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Well 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 braes, and pou'd the gowans fine; But we've...
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Maria 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: Maria contact...
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We highly recommend that you go back and listen to our episode 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 interview brings to a close a story that has been...
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We 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: and her recommended Scary movie that permanently damaged a young Josh: Check out “We envision a world...
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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 mmmmkay? Thank you to our sponsors, Gretchen and Ruth Nall and for their support of the pod. And thanks as usual to Designed by and sponsored by . Check it out! Support: Contact & Follow: Content Warning: It is never our intention to hurt or offend people, and we plan to be mindful about not punching down. We are always open to...
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Dian 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 sponsors, Gretchen and Ruth Nall and for their support of the pod. And thanks as usual to ...
info_outlineBloomington 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 smooth-talking anchorman himself!
But before he was the kingpin of the IBHA, preserving Indiana's media legacy, Dr. Conway was just a bright-eyed young buck at IU, spinning tunes on the college radio station (WIUS, now known as WIUX) and chasing the big stories. We even got the exclusive scoop on his daring hitchhiking adventure in the 80s, where he trekked across the country with a petition straight for the desk of the one and only David Letterman! Talk about moxie!
So, grab your best listening ears, Bloomington! This episode is a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes secrets and historical insights! Don't miss it!
Also, BIG NEWS: WE HAVE MERCH! Designed by Chris Mott and sponsored by badknees. Check it out!
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Content Warning: It is never our intention to hurt or offend people, and we plan to be mindful about not punching down. We are always open to feedback about this because we want to keep growing and evolving until we croak. However, we do like to joke around and we are middle-aged, so our sense of humor may not be for you.