Summary
Overview
This classic episode covers the infamous 1987 Max Headroom broadcast intrusion incident in Chicago, where someone wearing a Max Headroom mask hijacked two local TV stations for several minutes. The hosts explore the cultural phenomenon of Max Headroom, the bizarre details of the hack itself, the subsequent investigation by federal authorities, and the enduring mystery of who was behind it - making it one of the most legendary moments in hacker and geek culture history.
The Shoutout to Vice Motherboard
The hosts give extensive credit to Vice's Motherboard, specifically writer Alex Pasternak, whose exhaustive investigation into the Max Headroom incident formed the basis for the episode. Pasternak's article became the definitive account of the incident, turning up new information and contributing to the mythos himself. The hosts jokingly reminisce about their early blogging days for Motherboard, speculating that the site probably doesn't like to acknowledge those contributions anymore.
- The episode was based primarily on Alex Pasternak's article 'The Mystery of the Creepiest Television Hack' on Vice's Motherboard
- Pasternak exhaustively investigated the incident and turned up new information
- Josh and Chuck used to blog for Motherboard in its early days
- They joke that Motherboard probably doesn't acknowledge their early contributions anymore
" A huge shout-out at the beginning of this to Vice.com, specifically Motherboard. Specifically Alex Pasternak... we actually used to blog a little bit for them back in the day. Remember that? Yeah, I don't think they like to talk about that or acknowledge it publicly "
Who Was Max Headroom?
Before diving into the incident, Josh and Chuck explain the cultural phenomenon of Max Headroom for listeners unfamiliar with 1980s pop culture. Max Headroom was billed as the first virtual talk show host, played by actor Matt Frewer in elaborate prosthetic makeup that took four hours to apply. The character originated from a 1984 cyberpunk movie and evolved into a TV series where he was an AI alter ego of investigative journalist Edison Carter, set in a dystopian future controlled by TV networks.
- Max Headroom was billed as the first virtual talk show host, played by Matt Frewer
- The character wasn't actually CGI - it was an actor in prosthetic makeup that took four hours to apply
- Max Headroom was a pitchman for New Coke and appeared in ads with Run DMC
- The TV show was set in a dystopian future where TV networks controlled the world and used 'blipverts' - 30-second ads compressed into three seconds
- Max Headroom became a cult hero among cyberpunks, known for being sarcastic, catty, and poking fun at censorship
" It was jittery. It was blippy, like you said. The background was this weird sort of horizontal and diagonal lined moving around thing. And that was all part of this, at the time, sort of futuristic look. He was also really sarcastic and really catty. And he was really, he poked fun at censorship. And he was just kind of like a cult hero, just the character itself, right? "
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