In 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 Painter
• Solway Gallery

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!

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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.

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 of rocks strapped to his back. 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.

Episode links:

• A Heavy Weight
• Lil Bub's Big Fund

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!

Support:

Support Bloomington Stories

Contact & Follow:

Instagram

Facebook

Bluesky

Threads

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.

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 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!

Support:

Support Bloomington Stories

Contact & Follow:

Instagram

Facebook

Bluesky

Threads

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.