Have you ever been so inspired by someone that you want to walk in their shoes, experience what they experienced to get a taste of their success? That’s how protagonist Dante feels about Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, in Whale Bus’s limited series musical Childish. Join us for this showcase; you won’t want to miss it.
Like what you heard? You can find more of Childish on their website at: https://www.whalebus.net/childish-episodes
About Radio Drama Revival:
- Learn more about how to support Radio Drama Revival on our website
- Support Elena Fernández Collins on Patreon
- Support Wil Williams and Anne Baird on Patreon
- Support Eli McIlveen and Sean Howard on Patreon
- Find Fred Greenhalgh on his website
- Find David Rheinstrom on Twitter
- Find Rashika Rao on Twitter
- You shall not find the elusive Heather Cohen
Radio Drama Revival is recorded in Portland, Oregon, which is the unceded territory of the Chinook Indian Nation, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, and the Clackamas Tribe. If you are seeking ways in which to donate to Native communities, the Navajo and Hopi Community have a relief fund at https://www.gofundme.com/f/navajo-hopi-community-relief.
TRANSCRIPT
INTRO
Ely: Wearing the badge of a dormitory’s resident adviser is granted only to the select few, mostly in trade for free housing and minimal stipend. Now, imagine if you had to deal with dormitory gossip and inner-circle drama entirely in song. Does that make it better, or worse?
Ely: Find out right here, on Radio Drama Revival.
[[theme music]]
Ely: Hello, and welcome to Radio Drama Revival, the podcast that showcases the diversity and vitality of modern audio fiction. I’m your host, Elena Fernández Collins. Today, let us swipe you into the building of Childish, a podcast musical set in a college dorm.
Ely: Dante is a blossoming rapper and overworked college student in New York City who becomes an RA in order to follow the path laid down by his hero, Childish Gambino. Instead of treading the path to stardom, he ends up embroiled in competitive narcissism and battles with the local RA-slash-a cappella group while trying to thrive under institutional and white feminist racism.
Ely: Childish’s musical roots are a combination of Gershwin and Childish Gambino, where Broadway show tunes and New York rap face-off, at first clashing as new and uncertain personalities do in college before weaving together, into and out of one another. Dante tries to wear the mantle of cool and authoritative as he seeks respect from those around him, foiled over and over by his fellow overachiever RA, Taylor. This story asks all the right questions about authority and power structures, while seeking the answers to the future. The future is uncertain, perennially so for those about to graduate, and maybe that means we look for answers where we shouldn’t.
Ely: College is a hectic ride, full of misery and surprises, and Childish engraves that world into your ears with glee. What’s Dante going to do when faced with his incredibly weird colleagues, and his own poor decisions? Let’s find out with the first episode of this five-episode limited series: RAz-N-The-Hood.
https://www.whalebus.net/childish-episodes
OUTRO
Ely: Stay tuned for next week’s interview with co-creators Rye Dorsey and Zachary Goldberg. If you got up and danced during this episode, you’re going to want to check out more of it at whalebus.com/childish.
Ely: You can keep us from resorting to becoming dormitory advisers by becoming a Patron of Radio Drama Revival at patreon.com/radiodramarevival. We have new rewards and goals, so go check it out.
Ely: Other than Patreon, you can also support Radio Drama Revival by buying merch at our shop at radiodramarevival.com/shop. Alas, we do not yet have musical instruments. Yet.
Ely: It is now that time… Time for your Moment of Wil.
[[Moment of Wil]]
Ely: And that means it’s time for the credits.
Ely: This episode was recorded in Portland, Oregon, which is the unceded territory of the Chinook Indian Nation, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, and the Clackamas Tribe. If you are seeking ways in which to donate to Native communities, the Navajo and Hopi Community have a relief fund at https://www.gofundme.com/f/navajo-hopi-community-relief. The link will be in our episode description.
Our theme music is Reunion of the Spaceducks by the band KieLoKaz. You can find their music on Free Music Archive.
Our line producer and associate interviews producer is Wil Williams.
Our senior interviews producer is Eli Hamada McIlveen.
Our associate producer is Sean Howard.
Our researcher is Heather Cohen.
Our social media manager is Anne Baird.
Our submissions editor is Rashika Rao.
Our executive producers are Fred Greenhalgh and David Rheinstrom.
I’m your host, Elena Fernández Collins, and this has been Radio Drama Revival: all storytellers welcome.