EARLY DRAG QUEENS (part one)

EARLY DRAG QUEENS (part one)

This series will cover the moral panics and cultural crazes that have long followed the controversial art form once called "female impersonation." For part one of our two part series, we'll start back in the 1800s to look at the earliest drag balls put on by formerly enslaved men as well as the police raids that made front page news. We'll learn about a famous Vaudeville star known for his hyper-feminine on-stage and hyper-masculine off-stage personas. We'll explore a time when gay was in, the 1930s Pansy Craze, and the political crackdown that inevitably followed. And finally, we'll cover the smash-hit drag musicals put on by the manly soldiers of WWII and the closeted GIs who may have woven in a secret campy code. Throughout, we'll start to analyze how the culture reacted to female impersonation based on the changing events of the decades, bestowing on these performers both massive success and frightening suppression, usually depending on who was performing and what their intentions were. Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Tell us your teenage tale on our Urban Legends Hotline! American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Research Assistant: Riley Swedelius-Smith Producer and Editor: Miranda Zickler Voice Acting by Will Rogers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Mall Santas pt. 2 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

Mall Santas pt. 2 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

In part two of our two-part series, I show Sarah a more radical side of the American Mall Santa. I tell her stories of how, in some cases, the character transformed into a symbol of societal change an...

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Mall Santas pt. 1 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

Mall Santas pt. 1 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

For this two-part holiday special, I tell Sarah Marshall all about the history of the American mall Santa Claus from the 1800s into the present day. For part one, we will learn about the eccentric men...

15 Joulu 20251h 25min

Three or More Is a Riot with Jelani Cobb

Three or More Is a Riot with Jelani Cobb

Jelani Cobb is the Dean of Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism and the author of the new book Three or More Is a Riot: Notes on How We Got Here: 2012-2025 which he is here to talk with me about t...

8 Joulu 202535min

The Rocky Horror Picture Show with 'This Ends At Prom'

The Rocky Horror Picture Show with 'This Ends At Prom'

In honor of my favorite movie's 50th anniversary, I wanted to share an episode about The Rocky Horror Picture Show with all of you unconventional conventionalists, one that I recently recorded with my...

1 Joulu 20251h 28min

Listen Now: American Scandal | The West Memphis Three

Listen Now: American Scandal | The West Memphis Three

On May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys were brutally murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas. The tiny local police department launches an investigation but finds little physical evidence to lead them to a ...

26 Marras 20258min

THE MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE (rewind)

THE MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE (rewind)

Brace yourselves, we are marching along with the Macy's Parade to learn about the chaos energy that has always animated this cultural institution, from its explosive balloon disasters to its surprisin...

24 Marras 202553min

The Devil We Know with Sarah Marshall

The Devil We Know with Sarah Marshall

Sarah Marshall of You're Wrong About joins me to wade back into the tall tales that devil-spawned the friendship we have today. In honor of her brand new podcast miniseries from the CBC called The Dev...

17 Marras 20251h 28min

Disneyland’s Disastrous Opening Day with Riley Swedelius-Smith and Miranda Zickler

Disneyland’s Disastrous Opening Day with Riley Swedelius-Smith and Miranda Zickler

Our associate producer (and my brother) Riley Swedelius-Smith is here to tell our producer Miranda Zickler and me about the chaotic opening day of The Happiest Place on Earth way back in 1955. We’ll ...

10 Marras 20251h 17min

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