Bloomington Stories Podcast

As for Sleeper, he’s a bit of a Forrest Gump, so we get to hear about his run-ins with everybody from RFK Jr. to TJD–and about his bar, of course. If you haven’t been to Sleepers, get yer ass up there.

In fact, last weekend, at the first annual Sleeper’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Brad was the most honored honoree because he has lured teachers, coaches, and even his wife Jenn into this townie bar.

Sleeper started a hotel bar and created a community. He owns a Sleeper’s Bar in the Cascades Inn, and Brad sits at his bar pretty regularly.

New Ep! How to Win Friends and Influence People with Sleeper and Brad Engel

Then we round it out with placentas and, of course, John Mellencamp.

NEW EP! Think one ep of midwifery was enough? Well, think again MFers. Mary Helen kicks right in with wild birth stories and wild birth locations–valleys, backyards, condos in Carmel. We discuss life in a town that you help populate. MH pays beautiful tribute to Tom Donahue of TD's CDs.

We also discuss Russian literature, Led Zeppelin, the fight to legalize midwifery in Indiana, Tom Donahue of TD’s CDs and LPs, and much more. We also get a rollicking Mellencamp moment, courtesy of James Robinson.

But, c’mon, she is one of the few local celebrities who can claim that, on a regular basis, she goes into a home and leaves after another human has magically appeared. In this episode, we get to talk about one of our favorite subjects: screwing life up in your teens and twenties.

New ep! Catching Babies with Mary Helen Ayres. Mary Helen claims that we are all celebrities in Bloomington. And yeah, she’s got a point.

The only redemption this episode enjoys are jokes from Jon Hancuff and a Mellencamp Moment with Dason Anderson. Happy July and eff you.

In this lil bitch chat, we discuss falling utility poles, mustaches, customer service, Facebook Marketplace deals gone very wrong, falling limbs, and so on.

New Ep tomorrow!! Josh Got Effed and Chris Effed Up: A Summer Check-In--We’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.

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.

In fact, a piece on Journey Indiana describes him as a “system painter.”

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.

New Episode! Tom Shelton, Hoosier Artographer. in a 1999 song, Tom Waits persistently asks, “What's he building in there?/ What the hell is he building in there?” #bloomington

Although it was ruled a suicide, Joseph’s family believed there was foul play. So does Stacy, who created the podcast A Heavy Weight to advocate for Joseph and his family.

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 of rocks strapped to his back.

It was here that her future husband Mike, also known as Lil Bub’s dude, fell head over heels for her.

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.

NEW EP! Stacy Bridavsky - Side A: Internet Cat, Side B: Cold Case

Out on the town! #orbitroom #bsp #bloomingtonstories

In our conversation with this IU grad student, we talk about everything from ice water to cigarette fetishes. Anurag may not be long for Bloomington, but this episode can serve as a time capsule for his time in our town.

NEW EP! The Many Faces of Anurag Bhat: He 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.

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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 had by all.”

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.

NEW EP! PowerPoint Love with Bloomington Singetons. Mallory Elver was tired of sitting on her couch, swiping left and right to look for love.