Andrew Callaghan, Gonzo journalist of the YouTube generation, stopped in Madison on Friday night as a part of his 22-city live tour, hosting an entertaining evening at the Orpheum Theatre that included screenings of exclusive documentary footage, a Q&A session, a crowd-sourced talent show and a locally-sourced rap battle.
Callaghan has achieved immense popularity through his YouTube series, Channel 5, and “All Gas No Breaks”. Callaghan initially built a passionate following by exploring the subcultures and extremes of American society, where he utilized a deadpan interview style to make near-comedic content, albeit with relevant information pertaining to the subject’s place in the American picture. However, as he gained more journalistic experience, he began to cover more serious political and social topics, while retaining a video-editing style and honest attitude similar to his previous work.
“He’s definitely helped people our age, Gen Z, become exposed to current affairs and current events," attendee Kenny McAskill of Milwaukee said before the show. “He finds a way to make it exciting and engaging.”
Callaghan’s Channel 5 x All Gas, No Brakes “Carnival” on Friday employed a firm mixture of styles, as humorous talents, such as a woman who “danced” her breasts and a man who played a Swedish mouth instrument, eventually gave way to Callaghan listening to his audience’s views on current political developments and offering his own commentary.
The night began with Callaghan showing a never-before-seen “All Gas, No Breaks” documentary about adult babies, a subculture in which adults dress and act like babies.
“You can’t tell him where to go or what to talk about,” Eric Smith, a fan who travelled from Milwaukee, said.
Callaghan presented shocking and comedic scenes of adults garbed in diapers and onesies before outlining the reasons why people seek out such a community.
“Seeing things from other people’s point of view makes society better,” Smith said.
After the documentary, Callaghan invited select audience members onstage to participate in a make-shift talent show. Acts included a fantastic Nardwuar impression, a passionate critique of artificial intelligence in German, and a young man eating a 200 milligram edible.
The talent show was followed by an intense rap battle between Madison MCs MCity and Red the Bully.
Finally, local acts like singer/songwriter Devin Griffin, magician Austin Texas and musician Jackson Strong rounded out the talent show. The woman who could dance her breasts won, based on an audience decibel count.
After the talent show, the night became more serious, as Callaghan showed “Finding Orson,” an unreleased Channel 5 documentary about an aging man who loses his pet parrot. The concept of losing a pet, while sad in itself, was compounded by the touching life story of the man who lost the parrot while facing the realities of aging alone. The documentary was emotionally moving and represented a sharp turn in the night’s mood.
Callaghan then opened the floor up to questions, where he talked about his journalistic philosophies, future endeavors and current events.
Throughout the session, Callaghan emphasized the importance of community, telling the audience he currently lives in a trailer home in the Mojave Desert, where the fruits of a tight community can be felt.
When a fan asked about achieving a path towards a less divided country, Callaghan again mentioned community, emphasizing that a lack of people to hold others in check leads to downward spirals into the fringes of extremism.
With consistent back-and-forth between the audience and Callaghan and a general lack of formality to the night, the journalist created a sense of community within his own show. By demonstrating that he, too, can be as accessible as the odd subjects he highlights in his videos, Callaghan brought his ethos of understanding from the YouTube videos he publishes onto the stage.
