Statesman Shots

[cmg_anvato video=”3927540″] It’s about to get a little weird in here On this week’s “Statesman Shots” podcast, Chelle Neff, founder of the Austin Weird Homes Tour, discusses the tour’s second year, which happens on Saturday. She shares with us why a Dumpster can make a decent home for some and why Austin abodes stand out … Continue reading "Statesman Shots #66: Chelle Neff on weird homes, plus a history of mansplaining"

[cmg_anvato video=”3927589″] Soon, will you be able to walk into a Maker Faire, and walk out with your very own AI? Not yet (whew), but as Bernadette Noll of Austin Mini Maker Faire tells us, there’s plenty of craft-tech going on at Maker Faires around the country. She explains what’s in store at this year’s event … Continue reading "Statesman Shots #65: Ex Machina Meets Maker Faire"

[cmg_anvato video=”3927640″] Are you ready to rock (en Español)? On this week’s “Statesman Shots” podcast, Pachanga Latino Music Festival founder Rich Garza joins us to talk about highlights from the May 16 event — including acts such as Kinky, Enjambre, Compass and Ximena Sariñana — and how it fits into the larger Austin music fest … Continue reading "Statesman Shots #64: Rich Garza on Pachanga Fest and dad bods"

[cmg_anvato video=”3927688″] Ever wish you could start all over? That’s what local author Neal Pollack explores in his new novel and ninth book, “Repeat.” He talks to us about this darkly funny story, which involves a man who repeatedly wakes up on the morning of his 40th birthday back in his mother’s womb. From there, … Continue reading "Statesman Shots #63: Neal Pollack on ‘Repeat’ and ‘Mad Men’"

[cmg_anvato video=”3927744″] Did you listen to your mother or were you just faking it? On this week’s “Statesman Shots” podcast, we’re joined by Leigh Ann Torres and Kristin Shaw, the co-producers of Saturday’s “Listen to Your Mother Austin,” a stage show taking place 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday April 25 at the AT&T Executive Education … Continue reading "Statesman Shots #62: Leigh Ann Torres and Kristin Shaw on ‘Listen to Your Mother’"

[cmg_anvato video=”3927821″] Calling all ruthless pragmatists! On this week’s “Statesman Shots” podcast, Mark Updegrove — author, historian, and Director of the LBJ Presidential Library — joins us to talk about his book “Destiny of Democracy: The Civil Rights Summit at the LBJ Presidential Library,” and LBJ’s legacy in pop culture and beyond. We ask him what … Continue reading "Statesman Shots #61: Mark Updegrove on ‘Destiny of Democracy’"

[cmg_anvato video=”3927876″] Are you ready to hear the stories behind the laughter? On this week’s “Statesman Shots” podcast, American-Statesman business writer and successful stand-up comic Brian Gaar joins us to talk about his recent video special, “Jokes I Wrote At Work,” and his upcoming appearances at Moontower Comedy and Oddity Fest, where he’ll open for … Continue reading "Statesman Shots #60: Brian Gaar on building a comedy career and Moontower Fest"

[cmg_anvato video=”3927943″] May we drop some science (also math, technology and engineering) on you? On this week’s “Statesman Shots” podcast, we’re joined by Girlstart executive director Tamara Hudgins. She discusses the nonprofit’s efforts to keep young women interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields and the ways the organization is expanding to meet … Continue reading "Statesman Shots #59: Tamara Hudgins on Girlstart’s million-girl mission"

[cmg_anvato video=”3928026″] Remember when it was SXSW? On this week’s “Statesman Shots” podcast, American-Statesman features editor Sharon Chapman returns to wrap up South by Southwest with us as we relive the highlights of a less chaotic year and talk about some of the things we took away from the Film, Interactive and Music festivals. Also … Continue reading "Statesman Shots #58: Sharon Chapman on wrapping up SXSW 2015"

[cmg_anvato video=”3928160″] There’s a lot of tech for tech’s sake at SXSW. Shiny, buzzy stuff that cuts through the noise with novelty, stuff like “drone that serves you ice cream” or “3d printer that makes you calamari” (wait, have those things been invented yet? If not, they should be). Which is why it was really refreshing … Continue reading "Shots @ SXSW 2015 #5: Saving lives at the Robot Petting Zoo"

[cmg_anvato video=”3928186″] SXSW brings in a ton of makers, futurists, technologists and what-have-you, but we’ve got some pretty special ones right here on our home turf. At Chaotic Moon, whose creative technology studio looks out over Congress Avenue, there’s always a SXSW party happening. This year, it’s a drone party. We got the opportunity to … Continue reading "Shots @ SXSW 2015 #4: Drone Party at Chaotic Moon"

[cmg_anvato video=”3928201″] Who doesn’t like games? In our third SXSW dispatch video, we talk about what you can see at SXSW Gaming, which wraps up Sunday at the Palmer Events Center. There’s “Street Fighter” tournaments, tabletop (or board if you prefer) gaming, cosplay, retro gaming and much more. Watch the video for some visuals from the … Continue reading "Shots @ SXSW 2015 #3: Fei Longing at SXSW Gaming"

[cmg_anvato video=”3928205″] We survived our first day at SXSW 2015 and lived to tell the tale. But wait, don’t people get killed all the time on HBO’s “Game of Thrones?” Maybe we should have waited till the end of the fest to visit the big installation on 5th and Lavaca Streets. Nevertheless! We went there, … Continue reading "Shots @ SXSW 2015 #2: ‘Game of Thrones’ revelry at SXSWesteros"

[cmg_anvato video=”3928224″] It begins! We’ll be doing some very short daily videos and audio dispatches this week in lieu of a full “Statesman Shot” episode next week. Our first is from Cesar Chavez and Trinity St. downtown, where a replica of the Bates Motel from the A&E TV series has been erected with rooms where … Continue reading "Shots @ SXSW 2015 #1: checking in at the Bates Motel"

[cmg_anvato video=”3928229″] Faster than an open-on-Sundays commuter rail, more powerful than a Kanye rumor, able to leap a giant Doritos vending machine in a single bound: it’s SXSW 2015! On this week’s “Statesman Shots” podcast, American-Statesman music writers Deborah Sengupta Stith and Peter Blackstock join us to talk about SXSW Music. What’s the early buzz? Who are … Continue reading "Statesman Shots #57: Deborah Sengupta Stith and Peter Blackstock on SXSW Music"

[cmg_anvato video=”3928268″] Let us welcome you like the warm embrace of a neighborhood gastropub. On this week’s “Statesman Shots” podcast, we welcome Trevor Lane and Joe Bixel, owner-manager and owner-chef, respectively, at Austin’s Porter Ale House & Gastropub. Trevor and Joe discuss what it’s like to run a new restaurant in Austin and what it … Continue reading "Statesman Shots #56: Joe Bixel and Trevor Lane on running an Austin restaurant"

[cmg_anvato video=”3928311″] Is Hollywood’s favorite annual spectacle, the Oscars, a broken model? That’s what we’re trying to figure out on this week’s “Statesman Shots,” Episode 55, where we’re joined by American-Statesman film critic and pop culture writer, Joe Gross. Together we parse the 87th Academy Awards, including the ceremony’s weird joke writing, Neil Patrick Harris’s hosting, … Continue reading "Statesman Shots #55: Joe Gross on the Oscars 2015"

[cmg_anvato video=”3928342″] Instagram has limited sharing features, no link embedding, and no easy “regram” button. So why is it the happiest, most supportive social media hub out there? Instead of frustrating its users, these limitations make things refreshingly simple. It’s also less prone to the “group think” of Facebook or Twitter, placing the emphasis instead … Continue reading "Statesman Shots #54: Chris Perez on Instagram and Citygram"

[cmg_anvato video=”3928420″] Let’s talk about sex! On Episode 53 of “Statesman Shots,” we’re joined by Jennie Chen, an Austin foodie and pets advocate who also happens to be a human sexuality researcher. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, she gives us some straight talk about attraction, why we fall for the wrong people sometimes, and … Continue reading "Statesman Shots #53: Jennie Chen on human sexuality"

[cmg_anvato video=”3928480″] What’s the future of food? That’s what we’re trying to figure out this week on “Statesman Shots.” On Episode 52, food historian Robyn Metcalfe, Director of UT Austin’s Food Lab, joins us to talk about Austin’s effort to solve big food problems. With an oversupply of foodstuffs in the most prosperous areas of … Continue reading "Statesman Shots #52: Robyn Metcalfe on the future of food"