John Erler from Master Pancake Theater joins us to riff on the story about him as it’s performed live. There’s also video of this story. It helps — especially during the snake part.

The post BONUS: A live riff on our Master Pancake story at ATXplained Live in October 2025 appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

A fan of the movie-riffing show at the Alamo Drafthouse wanted to know more about how they got their start. Don’t miss the bonus episode after this one — a recording of the ATXplained Live where this story gets riffed on live!

The post How did Austin’s ‘Master Pancake’ get started? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The summer air is supposed to filled with magical, twinkling insects. But you might have noticed — depending on where you live in Austin — that there don’t seem to be as many of them lately. KUT’s Chelsey Zhu went on a bug hunt.

The post What happened to all the fireflies in Austin? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Austin’s weirdest Independence Day parade has been going for decades. Now the husband of one participant wants answers: how did it begin and why do dozens of women (and a few men) do march like this every year?

Watch this story at our May 21, 2026 ATXplained Live at Bass Concert Hall — including a performance from the Northwest Hills Lawn Chair Brigade.

The post Is this Fourth of July tradition in Northwest Austin the work of some kind of cult? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Thousands of animals are picked up from the road around Austin every year. But where do these animals go when they die?

The post What happens to all the dead animals the city collects from roads in Austin? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The springs that feed Barton Springs were formed millions of years ago. So what have human relationships with Austin’s “Crown Jewel” been like in that time?

The post Was Austin’s Barton Springs sacred to Indigenous people before Europeans showed up? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Darren Smith swore the dark, antlered figure he saw in the early morning hours was an elk. No one believed him.

This story was originally part of KUT’s ATXplained Live on Oct. 29, 2025. Tickets for our next show on May 21 are available here.

The post Are there wild elk lurking in southwest Austin? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The story starts with a mysterious, long-nippled figure lurking among the tree tops, but it gets weirder from there.

The post What’s the story behind this freaky sculpture hanging in the Barton Creek Greenbelt? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We’re back with a new season of ATXplained. Lots of great stories coming your way this year.

We’ll start with one from our last ATXplained Live. It’s about a guy who’s whole thing is to stand out.

The post Who’s the guy who dances and silently raps at the corner of Barton Springs and South First? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

We go in search of a poet who was a fixture in Austin more than a decade ago — but suddenly dropped off the map.

The post Who was that guy who used to read psychedelic poems before big concerts in Austin? appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.