Cincinnati Magazine Podcast

For the last three-plus months, the internet has been captivated by Harambe, the gorilla killed at the Cincinnati Zoo after a child climbed into his enclosure. It's morphed into something that defies logic and reasoning. Last Sunday, someone ran onto the field at Fenway Park in Boston wearing a customized jersey with Harambe on the back. At political conventions, people held up Harambe signs during newscasts. A Harambe tribute song has more than 3.7 million views on YouTube. We here at the magazine have waited long enough to broach the subject, so we take a sho—er, stab at understanding the global fascination with Harambe. And as if that wasn't good enough, that is followed by perhaps the best John Travolta story that you have ever heard. This episode was recorded live at The Overlook Lodge on August 29, 2016.

For some people, the spelling bee they won in second grade was a crowning achievement. Others may have won a little league championship or conducting some sort of exploding volcano experiment that garnered a first place ribbon. We here at Cincinnati Magazine ate Pop-Tarts. The breakfast pastry of champions was a critical component of our childhood, adolescence, and now adulthood, so we were astonished upon discovering Fat Ben's version of pop-tarts. Now of course they aren't called Pop-Tarts (so please don't sue, Kellogg's) but they evoke a certain childhood nostalgia and ramp up the quality. So yes, this is a podcast devoted in large part to two grown adults discussing their mutual appreciation of Pop-Tarts, but it also involves those same grown adults admitting to their own incompetency in growing plants at home and competing in Olympic events. Come to think of it, maybe if we had never eaten Pop-Tarts in the first place, we could have been race walking champions after all...

For a handy dandy way to consume every Cincinnati Magazine Podcast, subscribe to the podcast or check us out on Stitcher. We swear there are at least some podcasts that venture a little bit beyond the realm of breakfast foods.

There's a difference between cover bands and tribute bands. Tribute bands are lame. Seeing them impersonate an actual band is strange and off-putting. But cover bands are wonderful and deserve praise. They play the hits and the crowd loves it. For the July issue, Lisa Murtha wrote an oral history of the Rusty Griswolds, Cincinnati's preeminent '80s cover band, and we talked with her about the story. Then we discussed Erick Trickey's story on Republican bronze medalist John Kasich and examine his persona as both Ohio governor and one-time presidential candidate. (We swear there is as little Trump as possible.) While you're enjoying the podcast, please take some time to rate the podcast on iTunes and review it too. We always hear other podcasts talking about how important that is, so we thought we'd give it a go.

It takes a gentleman and a scholar, someone with a dedication to his craft, to watch, analyze, and engage with the 2016 Cincinnati Reds. We know because each time we scroll past Fox Sports on the television, the muscles connecting to our thumb tense up in a sort of self-preservation/defense mechanism designed to prevent us from viewing something upsetting. So we turn to Grant Freking, who has managed to yet again find a light in the darkness in one Cody Reed. But before that, we revel in the clubhouse shenanigans of Tyler Holt. Subscribe to the podcast and find more content at CincinnatiMagazine.com

Each month, we go behind the scenes of the latest issue of Cincinnati Magazine and learn about the stories behind the stories. This month, we may have tripled down on the concept by looking at Pete Rose and summer getaways in previous podcasts. But now, we're talking caves with Cait Barnett, who ventured to Mammoth Cave in southern Kentucky to discover the wonder of stalagmites and cave bacon. Then, we discuss the different kinds of musical artists playing in Cincinnati in June. To read about the stories discussed in the podcast, visit CincinnatiMagazine.com

Fear not: we don't really talk about how bad the Reds are this season. That's no fun. Instead, we have a spelling bee! But before that, we go more in-depth on Pete Rose. There are things we learned when planning the June package about Rose that were surprising in a number of different ways, and the interview with him yielded some insight into how Pete's mind works. For more coverage of the Reds and to read stories discussed in this article, visit CincinnatiMagazine.com

In their monthly podcast at the Overlook Lodge in Pleasant Ridge, associate editors Adam Flango and Justin Williams talk about the deceptive outdoorsy-ness of Cincinnati and what places they enjoy adventuring to come summer time. After that, they meet a new friend, listen to Pete Rose singing during an Aqua Velva commercial, and discuss the burgeoning Cincinnati music scene ahead of Bunbury in June. To read articles discussed in the podcast, please visit CincinnatiMagazine.com

Cocktail sorceress Molly Wellmann knows her way around a bar. She's led Cincinnati's burgeoning craft bar scene with style. In this episode of the Cincinnati Magazine Podcast, we go inside the May issue of the magazine and discuss how we determined which bars made the cut. Then we talk with Wellmann about her bar habits, what makes a good customer (hint: it's not that hard), and how she operates. We also go inside Justin Williams's journey to Costa Rica with the Morgans, Ohio's first family of paddle sports. Subscribe and rate the podcast on iTunes if you're feeling kind.

In May, Cincinnati Magazine looked at where to drink

In the first Nuxhall Way podcast of what is sure to be a long season for Reds fans, associate editors Adam Flango and Justin Williams take stock of the first two weeks of the season for the Reds. Raisel Iglesias and Brandon Finnegan look promising, Eugenio Suarez is mashing, and Devin Mesoraco is ailing, but early season optimism has been squashed by a crushing sweep in Chicago this week. We talk about how the healthy ways for Reds fans to approach this season. Subscribe and rate/review the podcast on iTunes if you're feeling kind.