<p>The 100th episode of Hit Parade has put host Chris Molanphy in a reflective mood. So in Part 2, he unfurls the story of the late, great <em>American Top 40</em> host Casey Kasem—a perennial inspiration for this podcast and the chart king that Chris calls “the original poptimist.”&nbsp;</p><br><p>Enjoy this long-distance dedication, as Chris pays tribute to a radio hero with a preternatural understanding of the power of pop to unify.</p><br><p>Get more Hit Parade with Slate Plus! Join for monthly early-access episodes, bonus episodes of "The Bridge," and ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Hit Parade show page on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hit-parade-music-history-and-music-trivia/id1291058235" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4GqbdfOT9Je4nEp5BqnGit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>. Or, visit <a href="https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&amp;utm_campaign=plus_pod&amp;utm_content=Hit_Parade&amp;utm_source=episode_summary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slate.com/hitparadeplus</a> to get access wherever you listen.</p><br><p>This episode will be available for free on March 27, 2026.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>