Charley Case: The Original King of Comedy (featuring KevOnStage and Monét X Change)

Charley Case: The Original King of Comedy (featuring KevOnStage and Monét X Change)

Author: OTHERtone / Michael Harriot / Sony Music Entertainment July 18, 2023 Duration: 43:37
Humor in live performance has been around since the beginning of time. In the 1800s this kind of entertainment mostly showed up as live theater and minstrel shows filled with skits, costumes, singing, dancing, and yes, blackface. But performer Charley Case dared to do things differently. Without costume or props Charley Case simply stood there telling jokes and funny stories in the repeated cadence of a set-up, filler, and punchline - inventing what we now know as stand-up comedy. Drapetomaniax is created by Michael Harriot in collaboration between OTHERtone, Sony Music Entertainment and Queer Media Executive Producers Pharrell Williams, Scott Vener, Noleca Radway, and Moses Soyoola Senior Producer Janicia Francis Managing Producer  JoAnn DeLuna Production Coordinator  Homero Radway Production Assistant  Gilianne Roberts-Atkinson Writers Silas Miami, Dallas Rico, Roderick Morrow, Danielle Solomon and Randolph Sturdivant Audio Engineer Marcellino van Callias Fact checker LaPorsche Thomas Music Supervisor Timmhotep Aku Theme Song  Freedom by Pharell Williams This episode features “A Tale of Paris” - Billy Wiliams “Saxophone Sobs” - Ernie Erdman, Rudy.Wiedoeft, and Pietro Frosini, "The People's Court aka The Big One" - APM Music “AB2YO” - Suzi Analogue Cast: Charlie Case    KevOnStage AI Jo   Monét X Change Vaudeville Announcer Roderick Morrow Boss    Noleca Radway Judge    Andrea O'Brien Vives Announcer 1  Homero Radway Prosecutor   Jason Vives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Forget the dry, sanitized history lessons you remember from school. Drapetomaniax: Unshackled History is a vibrant, necessary correction to the record, hosted by writer and cultural critic Michael Harriot. This isn't a lecture; it's a reclamation project delivered with the wit, depth, and unfiltered conversation you'd find among friends. Each episode digs into the stories, figures, and movements that were systematically omitted or distorted, piecing together a more complete and authentic narrative of the past. Harriot brings his signature blend of meticulous research and barbershop-style humor to the forefront, creating a space where learning feels dynamic, engaging, and often laugh-out-loud funny. He’s joined by a rotating roster of insightful guests-thinkers, artists, and experts-who add their own layers of perspective and personality to the dialogue. Listening to this podcast means hearing history told with passion, context, and a critical eye, transforming it from a static subject into a living, breathing conversation about power, culture, and resilience. It’s for anyone ready to challenge what they think they know and discover the compelling, unvarnished truths that shape our present. Tune in for a journey that is as intellectually rigorous as it is genuinely entertaining.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 18

Drapetomaniax: Unshackled History
Podcast Episodes
Making Black AF History (featuring Pharrell Williams and John Legend) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:07
In this episode before the season finalé… Join Michael as he goes behind the scenes to meet the people who make the Drapetomaniax: Unshackled History podcast at the cast’s wrap party. Drapetomaniax is created by Michael…
For Us, By Us [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:05
In this special behind the scenes episode, Drapetomaniax producers Gillianne, Janicia and Noleca answer some of our biggest listener questions, and discuss the politics behind making this groundbreaking Black History con…