I Love You So Much: The Austin360 Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 50: the great, big summer travel episode! Jul 13, 2018

Show notes

For our 50th episode of Austin360’s “I Love You So Much” podcast, we’re going places. In this special travel episode, we talked to some of our travel expert friends and colleagues about staycations, affordable excursions and nearby adventures for adrenaline junkies. Statesman travel editor Kristin Finan joins in to talk trips that get you the most bang for your buck: creative day trips from Austin, Texas beaches post-Hurricane Harvey and even a new obstacle course on Lake Travis. Travel writer Helen Anders discusses hotels vs. Airbnb and tells us what's the deal with Frontier Airlines. Austin360 fitness reporter Pam Leblanc gives you options for trips to take it from merely eyebrow-raising to heart-pounding to satisfy your thirst for adventure this summer. In a quiz with Statesman media editor Gary Dinges, we talk direct flights from Austin and see how well Gary knows how to (quickly and efficiently) get out of town. And in a travel-themed "A Toast," we recommend destinations Denver, Santa Fe and the Back Porch in Wimberley. Plus hear about a free happy hour we're hosting Aug. 1 at Indian Roller! More info: http://austin360.com/loveaustin360

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Ep. 49: why we love grackles, Austin's other mascot Jul 06, 2018

Show notes

To help kick off our Austin360 Grackle Week, this week’s grackle-themed episode of “I Love You So Much” brings stories from fellow Austinites who interact with this loud and prolific bird species on an everyday basis. Judith Bailey, who is a volunteer birding guide with the Travis Audubon Society, talks about the biology, geography and behavior of grackles and what it was like playing herself in a grackle-themed Fusebox Festival performance earlier this year.Breaking: Heloise Gold talks to video journalist Reshma Kirpalani what she's learned about Grackles while working on an April Fusebox Festival performance of "Grackle Call," an audiovisual performance inspired by Austin's birds. We also get to hear a story from longtime Austinite Brady Coleman, whose life was actually saved by a grackle. (No, really.) And then, co-hosts Tolly Moseley, Addie Broyles Omar L. Gallaga join in on the bird chatter in a conversation about whether grackles should replace bats as the true mascot of the city, in a nod to Grackle Week stories by Pam LeBlanc and Nicole Villalpando. In our “Toast” recommendations, we love Pixar's new “Bao" short, "Queer Eye" star Jonathan Van Ness’ podcast, “Getting Curious,” and the Netflix stand-up special "Nanette" from Australia's Hannah Gadsby. More info: http://austin360.com/loveaustin360

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Ep. 48: Jay B. Sauceda on turning a Twitter account into a successful company Jun 29, 2018

Show notes

Jay B. Sauceda joins us this week to talk about how he went from being an editorial photographer for publications including Texas Monthly to the owner of a T-shirt company that sprang from a Twitter account, @TexasHumor. Features editor Emily Quigley chats about a recent summer books recommendations story from Austin360 and why summer reading doesn't have to be light and fluffy. In this week’s Webb Report, Statesman online editor Eric Webb tells us whatever happened to Celebration Station, the birthday party paradise that so popular when he was a kid growing up in Austin in the 1990s. And after hearing the news of Hoeks Death Metal Pizza's recent closure, we decided to say goodbye to other Austin-area spots we’ve lost in a special “In Memoriam” segment.
in "A Toast," we recommend "The Night Owl Podcast," Loro Austin, and "Making Fun: The Story of Funko," a documentary on Netflix. More info: http://austin360.com/loveaustin360

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Ep. 47: Beth Bellanti on philanthropy and dog love at Tito's Vodka Jun 22, 2018

Show notes

Tito's Handmade Vodka launched more than 20 years ago and is now one of the country's most beloved spirit brands, and in this week’s show, Austinite Beth Bellanti, who has helped expand the company's philanthropic efforts through her Vodka for Dog People program, talks about the company's work with rescue dogs and how becoming a philanthropy-first business has shifted its work culture. ALSO: If you haven't yet seen "Won’t You Be My Neighbor?," make sure you bring tissues when you go. Features editor Sharon Chapman stop by to talk about how Fred Rogers influenced American culture when he was a regular fixture on television and why watching the movie is such a powerful experience. PLUS: You can spot a Texan in a crowd when you hear them use the word "y’all," but what is the history behind this regional contraction? On this week's Webb Report, Statesman web editor Eric Webb shares the special backstory behind this Texas trademark. And in "A Toast," we recommend the frantic multiplayer cooking game "Overcooked," the chilaquiles at the Alamo Drafthouse and a therapy podcast called "Other People’s Problems." More info: austin360.com/loveaustin360

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Ep. 46: Home Slice's Jen Strickland and Terri Hannifin on their new location Jun 15, 2018

Show notes

A pizza field trip to New York sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime dream, but for Home Slice Pizza workers, pizza camp is an integral part of their training. We visited co-owners Jen Strickland and Terri Hannifin at their new North Loop restaurant about why they’ve chosen to invest in their staff with these annual trips, why it took them a decade to open a second location and the importance of neighborhood restaurants in a quickly growing city. ALSO: Austin photographer Scott David Gordon has turned his love of art into Austin Art Talk, a podcast featuring interviews with local artists and gallery owners. He sat down with co-host Addie Broyles to talk about what he's learned about what inspires them and the ups and downs of the creative life. PLUS: Food lovers are still mourning the death of Anthony Bourdain last week; Addie and co-host Tolly Moseley talk about the legacy of his storytelling and what other food writers continue to inspire us. And in our "Toast" recommendations: kayaking lessons, buying groceries at Ikea and "Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist." More info: http://austin360.com/loveaustin360

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Ep. 45: Tara Ariano on ATX Television Fest and the peak-TV landscape Jun 08, 2018

Show notes

Why does TV matter so much to us? How is producing or critiquing television different in the peak TV era ? We dig into the joys of television ahead of the ATX Television Fest.Joining us in the studio is Tara Ariano, an Austinite who helped pioneer the TV recap format as one of the creators of the website Television Without Pity and who continues to evolve it with write-ups and podcasts at Previously.tv. ALSO: One of the highlights of the festival this year is a "Felicity" reunion, which got Tolly and co-host Addie Broyles thinking: Why are coming-of-age shows so memorable? They chatted with Felicity megafan (and features editor) Sharon Chapman about the other shows that influenced us in our journey toward adulthood, and why we continue to watch them, long after we've "grown up." PLUS: Even if you’re not a soccer-obsessed fan, you'll probably catch some of this year's World Cup action somewhere, so we brought in "The United States of Soccer" author Phil West to explain what we should be looking for, even though Team USA isn't in competition, and which bars and restaurants will have the best watch parties. AND FINALLY: With the Paramount Summer Movie Series already underway, we checked in with Statesman culture writer Joe Gross about which movies you should try to catch there this summer and why it's so fun to watch a movie in an old-school theater. In A Toast recommendations: Nintendo Labo, Calimochos and organizing your friends and family to contribute money for an experiential birthday gift. More info: http://austin360.com/loveaustin360

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ILYSM Ep. 44: 'Handmade Mama' author Mary Helen Leonard on hippie parenting Jun 01, 2018

Show notes

What's it like to be a hippie parent in the 21st century? In her new book, "Handmade Mama" author and Mary Makes Good blogger Mary Helen Leonard offers dozens of projects, recipes and tips for mothers and their babies-to-be. In this week’s episode, she chats with Addie Broyles about the many ways that families, especially in Austin, have elements of what might be called "natural parenting," from making your own baby food to baking lactation cookies for a friend. ALSO: Our music, comics and movies expert Joe Gross visited to talk about his new book from the 33 1/3 book series, "In On the Kill Taker," which documents the making of and significance of punk band Fugazi's third studio album. PLUS: With more than 122,000 followers on Instagram, Maura Ambrose of Folk Fibers has been featured in Martha Stewart, Vogue and Garden & Gun. In a visit with Addie, she explains why her passion for quilting and dyeing fabric has been more than just a business. Quilting might seem like a craft of the past, she says, but it's as vibrant an art form (and corresponding community) as ever. And in A Toast, we recommend the Italian sub at Home Slice, staying with hosts through AirBnB while on international trips, and The Line Hotel, which is replacing the Radisson at Cesar Chavez Street and Congress Avenue. More info: http://austin360.com/loveaustin360

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Ep. 43: Erica Lies and Katie Moore on getting cringey with 'Mortified: Austin' May 25, 2018

Show notes

We’re all awkward at age 13, but some people decide to revisit that time in front of a live audience, in supremely cathartic and hilarious fashion. This week, we welcome "Mortified: Austin" producers, Erica Lies and Katie Moore, who coordinate shows that feature everyday Austinites reading from their old diaries, instant messages or even the songs they wrote to deal with their adolescent and teen emotions. How did reading your old, cringe-worthy, diary entries become a thing? Erica and Katie explain the origins and national explosion of "Mortified," which is now a book, a podcast, a Netflix series, and course a beloved live show, which returns to the Spider House Ballroom on June 15 and 16. ALSO: What’s it like to never stop growing or to sweat uncontrollably? Austin musician Adam Sultan recently started a new podcast, "Friends with Deficits," to talk with friends who deal with everything from multiple sclerosis to gigantism. And in this week's Webb Report, social media editor Eric Webb tells us about Spin, the new downtown Austin ping-pong bar in the old Antone's that started as a social club in New York City in 2007. And in "A Toast," we recommend Courtney Barnett’s new album "Tell Me How You Really Feel," the vegan gastropub Beer Plant, and the Ruth Bader Ginsberg documentary "RBG.: More info: http://austin360.com/loveaustin360

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Ep. 42: Paige Davis on mindfulness and 'Here We Grow' May 18, 2018

Show notes

This week: startup entrepreneur, cancer survivor and now meditation teacher Paige Davis. When the BlueAvocado founder was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 38, her reaction was pretty shocking: Instead of waging a battle against cancer, she embraced the diagnosis. She recently wrote a book about the experience, “Here We Grow: Mindfulness Through Cancer & Beyond,” which she’ll be signing at BookPeople on May 22. ALSO: Care2Rock founder, Karyn Scott, a former juvenile courts prosecutor whose online music lesson company now helps foster care children find hope through music. And Eric Webb talks about the real story behind Ninnie Baird, better known to Texans as "Mrs. Baird," the entrepreneur extraordinaire who built the multi-million dollar company built on carbs. In A Toast new Netflix comedy specials from John Mulaney and Ali Wong, Childish Gambino's “This is America” video and a few food books to check out: Daniel Stone’s “The Food Explorer," Adam Leith Gollner’s “The Fruit Hunters” and Elizabeth Gilbert’s “The Signature of All Things.” More info: http://austin360.com/loveaustin360

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Ep. 41: Are Austin crawfish boils controversial? May 11, 2018

Show notes

Are crawfish spring’s most perfect communal meal, or are they too much work for too little payoff? We discuss the growing number of crawfish boils in Central Texas, why even upscale restaurants and wineries are getting in on this trend and how much is too much to charge for what has always been a food for the people. ALSO: Why are 11 women, some who have never distance-cycled before, pedaling 1,700 miles from Seattle to San Diego this summer? Savannah Nauwelaers and Grace Pfeffer tell us about how a coffee conversation about sex trafficking inspired this epic Pedal the Pacific bicycle journey, which started last year and raised more than $60,000 for the Refuge, a 48-bed facility to serve survivors of the sex trafficking industry in Texas. PLUS: Jon Chamberlain was a stay-at-home dad for four years before he started Shutterbugs, a kids’ photography studio where young Austinites learn photo basics and the art of saying yes to their creative selves. And in "A Toast," we recommend a re-watch of “Felicity,” the new movie “Tully,” and the Tarot-inspired live experience “Performance Park" at the Vortex. More info: http://austin360.com/loveaustin360

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