Bloomington Stories

Author: Bloomington Stories

Home of Indiana University, rock quarries, corn fields, enchanted woods, and Injury lawyer Ken Nunn. Bloomington is a town that has its own term for its ability to lure one-time residents back: the bloomerang. There is something weirdly magical going on here and College town nobuddies, Josh Bennett and Chris Kupersmith, are going to get to the bottom of this place by listening to stories and riding every possible tangent along the way.
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Language: en

Genres: Personal Journals, Society & Culture

Contact email: Get it

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The Spring R.E.M. Came to Town w/ David Brent Johnson and Friends
Monday, 13 April, 2026

In April and May of 1986, Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe walked the streets of Bloomington and recorded Lifes Rich Pageant at Mellencamp's Belmont Mall Studio in Brown County.* So how could we resist getting in the wayback machine to dig up some stories? David Brent Johnson, our college rock oracle, led us back to 1986. Along the way we heard from Zirque Boner, James Combs, Mark McCormick, Kelly Walsh, Barb Stahl, and Lawrence Wells. *By the way, that's not a typo. According to music journalist Tim Peacock, "Peter Buck stated: 'We all hate apostrophes. Michael insisted, and I agreed, that there's never been a good rock album that's had an apostrophe in the title.'" "Talk About The Pageant: When R.E.M. Came To Bloomington In 1986," David Brent Johnson. Barb Stahl's website: https://stahlstudios.com Arson Garden's Music Family Tree page: https://musicalfamilytree.com/bands/arson_garden Pass Me By, a Figment's song from the Second Story show. 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 YouTube 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.