Charlie Kadau, is an American comedy writer and editor. Along with his writing partner,

Joe Raiola Joe Raiola (born October 12, 1955) is an American satirist, comedy writer and producer. He is known for his work in ''Mad'' magazine, where he was a member of the editorial staff and a frequent contributor for 33 years, through the end of 2017 ...

, Kadau has been a member of the editorial staff of ''Mad'' magazine since 1985 and currently holds the title of Senior Editor.

Early life

Born in 1956, Kadau grew up in Staten Island, NY, graduating from

Tottenville High School Tottenville High School is located at 100 Luten Avenue, in Huguenot, Staten Island, New York. Tottenville H.S. is in Administrative District 31, and is operated by the New York City Department of Education. The school's principal is Gina Battista, ...

in 1974. He attended

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of Ne ...

from 1974 through 1978, graduating with a degree in Communications.

Writing career

After graduating from

in the late 1970s, Kadau found his niche in 1985 when he his long-time writing partner,

sold their first article to

Mad Magazine Mad, mad, or MAD may refer to: Geography * Mad (village), a village in the Dunajská Streda District of Slovakia * Mád, a village in Hungary * Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, by IATA airport code * Mad River (disambiguation), several r ...

, "The Mad "Don't" Book - Chapter 1: What Not to Do at a Funeral". Shortly after, the two became members of "the Usual Gang of Idiots", eventually rising to their current positions of Senior Editors. To date, Kadau (along with

Joe Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

) has appeared on the masthead of the magazine over 250, a total surpassed by only 5 other people. Kadau, writing for the magazine as a team with Raiola and separately, has been responsible for over 130 articles and covers. Among his best known MAD pieces is ''The Belching Dragon,'' (written with Raiola) a parody of a Chinese take-out menu. The targets of his comedic wit have included the

NRA The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization while conti ...

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...

, cigarette warning labels,

Gary Hart Gary Warren Hart (''né'' Hartpence; born November 28, 1936) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He was the front-runner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination until he dropped out amid revelations of extramarital affairs. ...

, "

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

, and "

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kadau, Charlie Mad (magazine) people American comedy writers Hofstra University alumni People from Staten Island 1956 births Living people