Cincinnati Magazine Podcast

The Bengals came into Foxborough underdogs lived up to the billing. Despite a first half that delivered some hope, the Bengals fell to the Patriots and now sit at 2-4. Is this the team we are going to be seeing for the remainder of the season? Or will the Bengals be able to turn things around in the two weeks they have before their bye? We discuss this and more, including the appeal of Rob Gronkowski and the lack of appeal of Landry Jones.

Ah, the relationship between the east side and west side of Cincinnati. It's something we've talked about on the podcast before, so we won't bore you with our thoughts on the subject again. Instead, we talk to people integral in making the October issue of the magazine happen, including representatives from each side of the tracks.

Maybe it was the nightlife in Dallas that distracted the Bengals players the night before last Sunday's game against the Cowboys. Or maybe they consumed an unreasonable amount of barbecue and suffered from a brisket-induced hangover. Either way, the Bengals looked terrible in their 28-14 loss to the Cowboys. Luckily only one of us (Justin) managed to watch the game, so the lucky one (Adam) only had the box score from which to gain insight. (You know, because there aren't other ways of consuming sporting events in 2016.) So we decided to try a new exercise: does the box score accurately reflect what happened on the field? Also, is all hope lost if the Bengals lose to the Patriots this week?

We've explored the relationship between the east side of Cincinnati and the west side of the city before, but in the October issue, we discovered that the two sides of town aren't quite as different as they seem. We discuss how the magazine executed its East vs. West package and also tell at least one (but probably more) embarrassing stories. 

Week five was the week that things were supposed to turn around for the Bengals. Tyler Eifert was set to return against the Cowboys, and with him the Bengals red zone and rushing woes would be cured. Except that he is hurt again and now Justin is sad. But on the plus side, at least Andy Dalton isn't Ryan Tannehill! Also, make sure to check out our latest sponsor.

The Bengals dropped to 1-2 after losing their first home game of the season, and while it's not time to panic yet, there are some things worth discussing regarding the team's performance against the Fightin' Trevor Siemians. Associate editors Adam Flango and Justin Williams discuss the secondary's sloppy day, new father A.J. Green, and our mutual admiration of Fabletics. Pretty please subscribe to and rate the podcast on iTunes.

The Bengals lost to the Steelers in a dreary, rain-soaked affair that is a pretty solid microcosm for Pittsburgh weather on any given day. (Seriously, the weather in Pittsburgh is secretly terrible, except for the approximately 12 days a year when it is the most beautiful place on earth.) The conditions played a factor in a sloppy game that confirmed some worries about the Bengals (run offense/defense) and allayed some fears (pass protection). But referee Pete Morelli's crew also played a factor, and who doesn't love complaining about blaming officials for a loss? All that, plus a defense of Marvin Lewis. Please feel free to review and rate the Fulcher 2 Stay Podcast on iTunes and check back every week for analysis of the Bengals.

Not to brag or anything, but we think the actual physical copy of our magazine looks pretty great. Others do too, as our designers have won multiple national awards over the years. But us lowly peons that attempt to write the most punny heds (that's magazine terminology for headlines, kids) and stories that aren't horrible offer essentially no help to the art department. So we sat down with our design director Megan Scherer to learn more about how her team puts together each issue, specifically September's money issue. How do you take a generic topic like money and localize the visuals? We discovered that and more. Before that conversation, however, we went behind the scenes of the feature about the Griffin Family. The story is about brothers who (allegedly, lawyers) screwed their sisters out of a family fortune that was made in the rendering industry. How do you put a piece together about a family struggle when the family doesn't want to speak with you? And how do you organize a piece with such a convoluted

Another year, another 16-course sampler platter before the main entree of postseason disappointment is served to sad fans of the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals defeated the Jets on the NFL's first Sunday of the season in a game that showed Andy Dalton can be good without a full arsenal of weapons. He may have gotten eaten alive by a Jets defensive line in the process, but for a man that has been accused before of not handling pressure too well in the past, Dalton didn't let the relentless pass rush upset his timing. We recap the good and bad from the win before looking ahead to the 4th edition of the Fulcher 2 Stay Podcast Bowl: Steelers vs. Bengals.

On August 17, we set out to ask Reds fans attending that night's game against the Marlins why they were choosing to attend the game. The Reds are not particularly good at playing baseball, though, as one fan pointed out to us, the team has performed better in the second half of the season. But on an overcast weekday game against the Marlins, one that was without any special giveaway or fireworks display, is that really enough to draw people to a game? Our search for that answer took us on a visionquest that included rejection, Ichiro, and the dining habits of Cate Blanchett. If you enjoy what you hear, please subscribe and rate the podcast on iTunes

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 consum

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 now. It's a compilation of watering holes that range from dimly light dives to classy cocktail joints to brotastic sports bars. In doing their proper due diligence (so, basically, drinking), associate editors Adam Flango and Justin Williams discovered just how much their bar preferences have changed since they were 21-year-olds. They discuss the transition into adult drinking, followed by a range of magazine-related topics, including: whether or not Cincinnati is a kind city, the rapid rise of FC Cincinnati, and different strategies when it comes to grocery shopping. This podcast was recorded live on April 25 at The Overlook Lodge in Pleasant Ridge. Please subscribe and rate the podcast on iTunes and find magazine stories we talked about at cincinnatimagazine.com.

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.