Joel 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 links:

Presenting to Quincy Jones

Skater Dater

Skateboard (trailer)

Thank you to our sponsors, Grethen 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!

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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.

Our 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 bringing out the worst in people—even local saints like Asher. And he brought his A game: gossip about the ex, all kinds of sex jokes, and a real doozy of an imitation of one of our hosts.

Thank you to our newest sponsors, Grethen 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

Support:

Support Bloomington Stories

Contact & Follow:

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bloomingtonstoriespod@gmail.com

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.

Today’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. We're talking about the kind of story that gets trotted out at every party, the one guaranteed to elicit a polite chuckle and a sympathetic head tilt.

Fast-forward three decades, and that same celebrity brings the story full circle with a digital-age jab that reignites a moment our singer wishes he could forget.

In this episode, we peel back the layers of a memory marinated in both mortification and time, exploring the unexpected ways our past populates our present. Stay tuned, as we dissect the enduring echo of fifteen minutes of shame that lasted thirty years.

WE HAVE MERCH! Designed by Chris Mott and sponsored by badknees. Check it out!

Transcripts

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Support Bloomington Stories

Contact & Follow:

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bloomingtonstoriespod@gmail.com

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.

Sara 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!

Transcripts

Support:

Support Bloomington Stories

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bloomingtonstoriespod@gmail.com

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.

Today 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!

PURPLE 7 album Jewel Finger

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Bloomington 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!

Show Links:

History of IU Radio

Indiana Broadcast History

David Letterman Interviews

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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.

Salvage 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 to stories about a place where stuff goes to die–and eventually get reborn.

At the beginning of the episode we talk about the podcast Down in Bloomington. Check it out!

BIG NEWS: WE HAVE MERCH! Designed by Chris Mott and sponsored by badknees. Check it out!

Support Bloomington Stories

Transcripts

Contact & Follow:

bloomingtonstoriespod@gmail.com

Instagram

Facebook

Threads

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.

We 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 Mellencamp. We even get a guest appearance by Sushi the cat, and an original poem by Alex. This episode is a love letter to Bloomington to close out 2023.

BIG NEWS: WE HAVE MERCH! Designed by Chris Mott and sponsored by badknees. Check it out!

Support Bloomington Stories

Transcripts

Contact & Follow:

bloomingtonstoriespod@gmail.com

Instagram

Facebook

Threads

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.