Episode 10 - Trae Crowder
This month, host Chloe Aftel welcomes stand-up comedian and fellow podcaster Trae Crowder to the show. They discuss Trae's origins as a Southern guy from working-class Salina, Tennessee, into the comedy world, his new life in Los Angeles, and the misconceptions people have about the rural South. Crowder's comedy, which addresses issues like abortion and Confederate flags, is influenced by his experiences and aims to challenge stereotypes about the South.
Highlights:
Trae reflects on the impact of NAFTA on his hometown, leading to widespread poverty and family struggles;
The importance of empathy and understanding, and how his accent helps him connect with audiences;
What understandings of masculinity Trae grew up with in Tennessee compared to how he views it now as a father;
His process for creating jokes and interpreting social issues into comedy.
About:
Trae Crowder is an American comedian and social media personality, born and raised in rural Tennessee. Crowder got his start doing standup comedy in Knoxville, Tennessee and found widespread online attention for his “Liberal Redneck” persona. Now, Crowder takes his comedy on tour as well as cohosts the podcast WellRED, which features discussions on politics, comedy, and Southern life, alongside fellow comedians Corey Ryan Forrester and Drew Morgan, as well as the Puttin' On Airs podcast, also with Forrester. His stand up material explores issues like social justice, inequality, and contradictions in Southern identity.
Chloe Aftel has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue & more. Chloe has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on Covid’s impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in the Covid wards of the West Coast’s hardest hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Her first book, “Outside and In Between,” is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across America.
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