On the show this week: How a 1964 AMC Rambler named Elizabeth drove Austin’s comedy scene to the 21st century, ’90s Austin, old car stories, Carrying Hope, a local nonprofit that helps kids in the foster care system, what it’s like being a foster parent in central Texas, the Hamilton Mixtape, “Before the Flood,” the climate change documentary hosted by Leonardo DiCaprio, and Dungeons and Dragons. For 30 year-olds.

<figure class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_2272" style="width: 310px;"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-2272">Statesman reporter Phil Jankowski is our guest on this week’s episode of Shots. Deborah Cannon / AMERICAN-STATESMAN</figcaption></figure>

Gather round, children, and listen to a bygone tale of Austin’s past. It was a time when beer cost $0.50. A time when rent cost $175/month – on Rainey Street. A time when there were about 15 total comics in Austin, and a time when slackers abounded, but Teslas did not. Enter Elizabeth: a beat up, vintage Rambler that threaded through the lives of ’90s Austin comics, arriving through the Velvet Room in 1992, and exiting through Matt Bearden’s front curb in 2007 (by tow truck). What happened between is an awesome story by Statesman reporter Phil Jankowski, who is our guest on Shots today, and is able to answer the question: where is Elizabeth now?

That chat leads us to a Short Shot where we reminisce about old cars, and in our second segment, Statesman travel editor Kristin Finan, along with Mauri Elbel and Rachel Garza, join us to discuss their new nonprofit Carrying Hope, which provides “hope packs” to kids just placed in the foster care system.

Phil comes back for A Toast, in which Omar recommends the new Hamilton Mixtape (available on Spotify), Tolly recommends the chilling, Leonardo DiCaprio-hosted climate change documentary “Before the Flood” (available on Amazon Prime), and Phil Jankowski, who is currently single, recommends Dungeons and Dragons.

How to listen:

Download the MP3 version here. (59 min.)

Download the beautifully enhanced AAC version. (59 min.)

And here’s the RSS to subscribe to the podcast. (We’re also on iTunes!)

Or listen on SoundCloud. (Also embedded up at the top of this post)

<figure class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_2273" style="width: 300px;"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-2273">The co-founders of Carrying Hope join us on this week’s episode of “Shots.”  Tolly Moseley / for AMERICAN-STATESMAN</figcaption></figure>

Show rundown:

Show notes:

• This video about Elizabeth is so great: “A group of Austin comedians in the ’90s passed around a 1964 AMC Rambler that they called Elizabeth, until the car was stolen one day. She resurfaced more than a decade later, and her legend lives on.” Nice job, Kelly West.


• Phil’s terrific story.


• A month’s rent on Rainey, 1992: $175/month. A night’s rent on Rainey, 2016: same thing.


• Kristin, Mauri, and Rachel are all foster parents, and saw the system from the inside. So they founded Carrying Hope to help kids with what is usually a traumatic transition – and you can get involved.


• Another child-centered, local nonprofit to get involved with over the holidays: Any Baby Can.


• Statesman’s 2016 Season For Caring.


• Vox on the highly listenable Hamilton Mixtape, which features everyone from Busta Rhymes to Usher to Ashanti.


• “Before the Flood” is inspiring…and scary.


• A think piece on Dungeons and Dragons and “Stranger Things.”

Contact:

• You can email us.


• We’re on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube!


• Tolly, Omar, Phil, and producer Alyssa Vidales are all on Twitter. Carrying Hope is on Facebook.


• The audio podcast is available through iTunes. Subscribe and rate us, won’t ya? It’s also on SoundCloud, Stitcher and Google Play Music Store.


• Want to leave a voice-mail? It’s 512-445-3672. NO PRANK CALLS!


• Omar blogs at 512tech and Terribly Happy.


• Tolly blogs at Austin Eavesdropper.