Mad Tea

The Center for Mad Culture
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Mad Tea

For too long, mad voices have been silenced, dismissed, or medicalized—it's time to change that. Mad Tea explores the histories, stories, and creative expressions of madness, amplifying its insights, resilience, and brilliance. We challenge stereotypes and reframe madness as a way of understanding culture, art, and activism. This podcast is an extension of The Center for Mad Culture, a space dedicated to mad voices. Subscribe, share, and join the conversation. You can support this podcast by finding us on Patreon, where you'll have access to exclusive content!

Episodes

  1. 5D AGO

    Dunning - Part 5

    Mad Tea remains ad free, to help us in this effort please consider becoming a supporter for as little as $1 on Patreon, your support helps us continue what we do and will expand our vision. ⁠SUPPORT US HERE⁠ A man walks into a hospital seeking care. Days later, he’s dead—his body broken, his ribs shattered. The official response? “These things happen.” In this episode, Matt Bodett and Megan Sterling uncover two of Dunning’s final and most chilling scandals. The first is the brutal death of George Pucik, an immigrant wrongfully institutionalized, beaten to death, and discarded. The second? A macabre tale of stolen bodies, smuggled from the asylum morgue under cover of night, with whispers of a secret “killer ward” where the unclaimed simply… disappeared. As political cover-ups tighten their grip and officials silence whistleblowers, one thing becomes clear: the corruption at Dunning wasn’t just about greed—it was about power, and who society deemed disposable. This is the final chapter in the Dunning series, but its echoes remain. Some histories refuse to stay buried.

    31 min

  2. APR 11

    Dunning - Part 4

    Politicians had a saying: "To the victor go the spoils." But what happens when the spoils are the lives of asylum inmates? In this episode, Matt and Megan unravel the Boodlers’ Scandal—a web of corruption so deep it bled Cook County dry while inmates at Dunning starved, shivered, and suffered. From rotten meat and stolen funds to secret backroom deals in smoke-filled saloons, this was a system designed to profit off neglect. Meet Clem Periolat, the "Bean Man" whose spoiled groceries lined the pockets of officials. King Mike McDonald, the gambling kingpin who pulled the strings. And Dr. John Spray, the asylum superintendent who ruled with a pistol on his hip. As reformers tried to expose the truth, they were met with threats, bullets, and powerful men who always seemed to slip away untouched. But when a doctor refused to stay silent, the scheme began to unravel—leading to trials, resignations, and one dramatic escape to Canada. This is the story of how greed devoured the asylum system. And how, despite it all, the ones who suffered most were never the ones on trial.

    38 min

  3. APR 4

    Dunning - Part 3

    Chicago’s politicians had a saying: "To the victor go the spoils." But what happens when the spoils are the lives of asylum inmates? In this episode, Matt and Megan unravel the Boodlers’ Scandal—a web of corruption so deep it bled Cook County dry while inmates at Dunning starved, shivered, and suffered. From rotten meat and stolen funds to secret backroom deals in smoke-filled saloons, this was a system designed to profit off neglect. Meet Clem Periolat, the "Bean Man" whose spoiled groceries lined the pockets of officials. King Mike McDonald, the gambling kingpin who pulled the strings. And Dr. John Spray, the asylum superintendent who ruled with a pistol on his hip. As reformers tried to expose the truth, they were met with threats, bullets, and powerful men who always seemed to slip away untouched. But when a doctor refused to stay silent, the scheme began to unravel—leading to trials, resignations, and one dramatic escape to Canada. This is the story of how greed devoured the asylum system. And how, despite it all, the ones who suffered most were never the ones on trial.

    28 min

  4. MAR 30

    URGENT!! Mad/Disability Activism Today

    This episode breaks down the alarming resurgence of asylum-like policies targeting disabled people, tracing the echoes of past abuses into today’s political landscape. As politicians propose work farms for the mentally ill and police detain people for appearing unstable, it’s clear that the rhetoric has shifted, but the oppressive mindset remains. We urgently examine how forced care is being weaponized and who truly benefits from these policies. This conversation is too important to miss—please listen, share widely, and help us expand the dialogue around the continued oppression of mad and disabled communities. ​ Support us on Patreon. We cannot keep doing this work without you! Thank you!!

    46 min

  5. MAR 28

    Dunning - Part 2

    As Illinois grew, so did its need for asylums—but the path to so-called “care” was paved with legal loopholes, power struggles, and devastating personal costs. In this episode, Matt Bodett and Megan Sterling dive into the forgotten histories of madness in Illinois, tracing the forces that shaped its asylum system. From Dorothea Dix’s cross-country fight for humane treatment to Edward Mead’s ill-fated Chicago Retreat, we follow the reformers, the laws, and the failures that defined Illinois’ approach to madness. Along the way, we uncover the disturbing legal maneuvers that allowed women to be institutionalized without a trial, leading to the infamous case of Elizabeth Packard—a woman locked away by her husband for daring to speak her mind. Colonialism, racism, asylum advocacy, and resistance all collide in this story of a state struggling to decide what to do with those it called insane. And at the heart of it all? The early foundations of what would become Dunning. Mad Tea is produced by PRESS HERE and is a project of the Center for Mad Culture. Learn more about them at madculture.org Information for the Dunning series is taken from the book DUNNING: Special Report, published by The Center for Mad Culture in 2024 and written by Matt Bodett. Copies of this book can be purchased through their website.

    36 min

  6. MAR 24

    Mad Tea Conversations - melissa grace kreider

    This is going to seem out of place... But.... we wanted to get this episode out to everyone before the exhitbion came down. So, listen to the episode and stop by the Center for Mad Culture March 28th or 29th to see the work before it comes down! Photographer melissa kreider joins Megan Sterling to discuss WORTHY, an exhibition that sheds light on survivors of intimate partner violence who have been criminalized for acting in self-defense. Through photography, Kreider challenges the legal and societal frameworks that punish survival, creating a space for visibility and justice. In this conversation, she reflects on the power of visual storytelling, the ethics of representation, and the role of art in confronting systemic violence. This interview is conducted in coordination with the exhibition currently on view at the Center for Mad Culture thru March 29th, 2025. melissa's website can be found at: https://www.melissakreider.com Learn more about "worthy" and bystander awareness: https://www.melissakreider.com/worthyedu And, The Escape Plan, mentioned in the episode, can be downloaded here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5749a72c356fb0bb3450d4bc/t/63571e9674728610d2e47c1a/1666653846964/escapeplan_printablebooklet_EN.pdf El Plan de Escape está disponible para descargar en español. Este libro, creado por melissa kreider, explora caminos y herramientas para salir de la violencia de pareja. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5749a72c356fb0bb3450d4bc/t/635871ffaf27cb471a11c973/1666740735408/escapeplan_printablebooklet_SP.pdf

    51 min

  7. MAR 21

    Dunning - Part 1

    Before asylums stretched across the American landscape, madness was met with chains, neglect, and fear. Then came moral therapy—a vision of kindness, calm, and care. It promised that mad people could be guided back to reason, not through force, but through routine, tranquility, and gentle hands. But was it truly freedom, or just another cage? In this episode, Matt and Megan trace the origins of moral therapy—from the quiet halls of the York Retreat in England to the towering asylums of America. They follow the footsteps of William Tuke, a tea merchant turned reformer, and Philippe Pinel, the man who unchained the mad (or so the story goes). They explore how an idea meant to heal became the blueprint for a system that would, in time, crumble under its own weight. The road to Dunning begins here—with a dream of care that became something else. Mad Tea is produced by PRESS HERE and is a project of the Center for Mad Culture. Learn more about them at madculture.org Information for the Dunning series is taken from the book DUNNING: Special Report, published by The Center for Mad Culture in 2024 and written by Matt Bodett. Copies of this book can be purchased through their website.

    37 min

  8. MAR 16

    Welcome to Mad Tea: Madness, Power, and Reclamation

    Welcome to Mad Tea, a podcast where madness is reclaimed as a cultural identity—bold, vibrant, and unapologetic. In this inaugural episode, Matt Bodett introduces the podcast’s purpose: to challenge dominant narratives, explore the histories and aesthetics of madness, and create space for mad voices. From ancient myths to modern psychiatry, madness has been shaped by power—feared, institutionalized, and medicalized. But mad people have always resisted. This episode traces the historical struggle over the meaning of madness, from the prophetic madness of Cassandra to the rise of psychiatric survivor movements. It also introduces the Center for Mad Culture, a space dedicated to celebrating and preserving mad art, history, and activism. Join us as we challenge the boundaries of "sanity", reclaim our narratives, and imagine a world where madness is seen not as a disorder, but as a vital force of culture and creativity. Mad Tea is produced by PRESS HERE and is a project of the Center for Mad Culture. Learn more about them at madculture.org Our music is produced and provided by Had Matter.

    32 min
  • 8 Episodes

About

For too long, mad voices have been silenced, dismissed, or medicalized—it's time to change that. Mad Tea explores the histories, stories, and creative expressions of madness, amplifying its insights, resilience, and brilliance. We challenge stereotypes and reframe madness as a way of understanding culture, art, and activism. This podcast is an extension of The Center for Mad Culture, a space dedicated to mad voices. Subscribe, share, and join the conversation. You can support this podcast by finding us on Patreon, where you'll have access to exclusive content!

Information

  • Creator
    The Center for Mad Culture
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Center for Mad Culture
  • Show Website
    Mad Tea

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