Richard Bluestein
Encyclopedia
Richard Bluestein is an American entertainer and underground internet performance artist based in Chicago
, Illinois
. His most notorious persona is that of the "bloated, Jewish lesbian" Madge Weinstein
of the groundbreaking indie podcast Yeast Radio, which he writes and produces.
to a thermodynamics professor and his wife. In the fourth grade, he moved with his family to Carmel, Indiana
. An introspective child with few friends, he was ridiculed by his peers for "his eastern accent, religion and lack of interest in athletics" http://www.chicagoreader.com/pdf/060106/060106_ot_comers.pdf. Upon graduating, Bluestein got a degree in accounting from Indiana University
and moved to Chicago in 1992 after getting fired from his first postcollegiate job at an Evansville firm. There, he began working in the health-care industry and began dallying heavily with narcotics, which culminated in a brief stint living in Amsterdam
in the late 90's. Here, Bluestein produced an early incarnation of Yeast Radio without the Madge persona, albeit briefly. These early recordings were unearthed on February 5 2007 and uploaded onto Bluestein's current site http://yeastradio.podshow.com/?p=997. After "crashing and burning" from a bad trip http://www.chicagoreader.com/pdf/060106/060106_ot_comers.pdf, and leaving Carrie and Charley stranded, Bluestein quit drugs and returned to Chicago
in 1998. In 2000, he bought a video camera and some editing software and began posting experimental clips and personal video blogs, as well as features by underground filmmakers and miscellaneous visual content on his website Insane Films which remains one of the earliest videoblogs ever created http://insanefilms.podshow.com/. Later, with little qualifications to speak of, Bluestein answered an advertisement in Chicago Reader seeking a director of photography for independent filmmaker Kristi Alshaibi's Other People's Mirrors, an indie art film which explored adult taboos and help refine Bluestein's artistic talent http://12taboos.com/.
Eventually, Bluestein developed the popular alter-ego of Madge Weinstein to be featured in a Spinal Tap-esque mockumentary
about feminist riot grrls and their lesbian Jewish manager. However, the short film remained unfinished and unreleased until February 2006 when Bluestein finally uploaded some footage to Yeast Radio under the title - "The Origin Of Madge" http://yeastradio.podshow.com/?p=612. Soon after, Bluestein began performing this character in drag
with the Feast of Fools
cabaret act and in art galleries and underground theatres. In November 2004, Bluestein discovered the growing podcasting community. Seeing it as a perfect medium for expression and still reeling from the re-election of George Bush
, he launched Yeast Radio from his Chicago living room http://insanefilms.com/?p=6. A month later, he sent a demo to former MTV VJ and self-professed "podfather" Adam Curry
which sparked Bluestein's professional career in the podcasting medium http://www.chicagoreader.com/pdf/060106/060106_ot_comers.pdf. Although Bluestein's transgressive form of comedy has drawn criticism and controversy from the conservative podcasting community http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/17/podcast_drag_queen_confusion/, his show is generally considered one of the most original and groundbreaking and one that "showcases the freedom of speech that (the podcasting movement) can bring" http://www.podfly.com/podcast-review-yeast-radio/.
On September 27, 2006, after a tumultuous year that included the tragic loss of his partner Juan Montealegre and dog Chauncey, Bluestein announced on Yeast Radio that he will be retiring the Madge character due to creative concerns. He took over hosting duties himself until he returned to the character of Madge on November 7, 2006 http://yeastradio.podshow.com/?p=927 after rediscovering his frustration and anger against the commercialism of mainstream radio (and as a 'reward' to the listeners for the Democratic victory in the November elections).
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. His most notorious persona is that of the "bloated, Jewish lesbian" Madge Weinstein
Madge Weinstein
Madge Bertha Weinstein is a fictional Internet personality who maintains Yeast Radio, which has developed a cult following and is among the 50 most-subscribed-to podcasts...
of the groundbreaking indie podcast Yeast Radio, which he writes and produces.
Biography
Bluestein was born in Evanston, IllinoisEvanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
to a thermodynamics professor and his wife. In the fourth grade, he moved with his family to Carmel, Indiana
Carmel, Indiana
Carmel is a city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States located immediately north of Indianapolis, Indiana. The population was 79,191 at the 2010 census, and is one of the most affluent communities in the Midwest....
. An introspective child with few friends, he was ridiculed by his peers for "his eastern accent, religion and lack of interest in athletics" http://www.chicagoreader.com/pdf/060106/060106_ot_comers.pdf. Upon graduating, Bluestein got a degree in accounting from Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
and moved to Chicago in 1992 after getting fired from his first postcollegiate job at an Evansville firm. There, he began working in the health-care industry and began dallying heavily with narcotics, which culminated in a brief stint living in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in the late 90's. Here, Bluestein produced an early incarnation of Yeast Radio without the Madge persona, albeit briefly. These early recordings were unearthed on February 5 2007 and uploaded onto Bluestein's current site http://yeastradio.podshow.com/?p=997. After "crashing and burning" from a bad trip http://www.chicagoreader.com/pdf/060106/060106_ot_comers.pdf, and leaving Carrie and Charley stranded, Bluestein quit drugs and returned to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1998. In 2000, he bought a video camera and some editing software and began posting experimental clips and personal video blogs, as well as features by underground filmmakers and miscellaneous visual content on his website Insane Films which remains one of the earliest videoblogs ever created http://insanefilms.podshow.com/. Later, with little qualifications to speak of, Bluestein answered an advertisement in Chicago Reader seeking a director of photography for independent filmmaker Kristi Alshaibi's Other People's Mirrors, an indie art film which explored adult taboos and help refine Bluestein's artistic talent http://12taboos.com/.
Eventually, Bluestein developed the popular alter-ego of Madge Weinstein to be featured in a Spinal Tap-esque mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
about feminist riot grrls and their lesbian Jewish manager. However, the short film remained unfinished and unreleased until February 2006 when Bluestein finally uploaded some footage to Yeast Radio under the title - "The Origin Of Madge" http://yeastradio.podshow.com/?p=612. Soon after, Bluestein began performing this character in drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
with the Feast of Fools
Feast of Fools (podcast)
The Feast of Fun podcast is a Chicago, Illinois-based talk show hosted by Fausto Fernós and Marc Felion that showcases celebrity guests, artists, musicians, actors, and members of the GLBT community and those who support them...
cabaret act and in art galleries and underground theatres. In November 2004, Bluestein discovered the growing podcasting community. Seeing it as a perfect medium for expression and still reeling from the re-election of George Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, he launched Yeast Radio from his Chicago living room http://insanefilms.com/?p=6. A month later, he sent a demo to former MTV VJ and self-professed "podfather" Adam Curry
Adam Curry
Adam Clark Curry is a broadcasting and Internet personality well known for his stint from 1987 to 1994 as a video jockey on the music video channel MTV. In the mid-1990s, Curry was a World Wide Web entrepreneur and one of the first celebrities to personally create and administer a Web site...
which sparked Bluestein's professional career in the podcasting medium http://www.chicagoreader.com/pdf/060106/060106_ot_comers.pdf. Although Bluestein's transgressive form of comedy has drawn criticism and controversy from the conservative podcasting community http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/17/podcast_drag_queen_confusion/, his show is generally considered one of the most original and groundbreaking and one that "showcases the freedom of speech that (the podcasting movement) can bring" http://www.podfly.com/podcast-review-yeast-radio/.
On September 27, 2006, after a tumultuous year that included the tragic loss of his partner Juan Montealegre and dog Chauncey, Bluestein announced on Yeast Radio that he will be retiring the Madge character due to creative concerns. He took over hosting duties himself until he returned to the character of Madge on November 7, 2006 http://yeastradio.podshow.com/?p=927 after rediscovering his frustration and anger against the commercialism of mainstream radio (and as a 'reward' to the listeners for the Democratic victory in the November elections).
Characters
His other characters include:- Partial Birtha, an African-American overgrown fetus who was partially aborted.
- Mrs. Bottingheimer, a mentally unstable concentration camp survivor that is missing a finger.
- Penny Pin Chang, a psychotic Chinese girl who steals organs and sells them to rich Americans.
- Richard Ravenpanties, a villainous, greedy, vain, and murderous circus party promoter.