Remote Controlled: 'Mythbusters' have myths galore
Co-hosts due at Centennial Hall this Saturday
By Gerald M. Gay
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.12.2008
Special effects expert Adam Savage wants to issue a disclaimer for Saturday's "Behind the Scenes With MythBusters" event at Centennial Hall.
"We are not going to blow anything up," said Savage, the Discovery Channel show's co-host, in a recent phone interview. "It is too much work to call the fire department and get all the permits."
Savage and Jamie Hyneman, his "MythBusters" partner in crime, will instead be on hand to talk about the series, show some of their favorite clips and participate in a question-and-answer session with the audience.
Savage said the tours have been part of their routine since the show debuted in 2003.
Saturday's event begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $36.50-$46.50 through the Centennial Hall box office, 621-3341.
Why do these live events?
"Jamie and I aren't friends, and, honestly, we never actually talk to each other about what it is like to do the show. Getting on stage is kind of like therapy. It is the only time we engage in a long conversation about the making of the show. Producing the show for all of us is like a runaway freight train. It is messy and dirty. For us to get out and see how people appreciate it, the reconnection, is why we are doing this."
I understand ticket sales are going very well. Do you find you have a lot of fans?
"Absolutely. We've had members of the MythBusters fan club drive 25 hours to come see us halfway across the country. Our fan base is fervent and loyal."
The show has been on for five years. Are you running out of myths to bust?
"No way. We are usually 50 to 70 myths ahead of the curve. Of those, 75 percent of them are really strong. We ask ourselves, 'Are people going to stop believing stupid things?' As long as they do (believe), we'll always have a job."
Have you ever been disappointed with the outcome of a bust on the show?
"We had one early on called 'Break Step Bridge' about soldiers marching in formation over a bridge and their marching causing a catastrophic failure of the structure because they had entered a fatal harmonic.
"From an engineering standpoint, it was ludicrous for us to go near it. Bridges are incredibly overdesigned. Designing a structure that is close to its point of failure, especially on scale, got past us. We ended up getting something we considered a reasonable illustration of the problem, but it was not one of our finest moments."
What do viewers have in store for next season?
"We're about to test whether or not you can swim as fast in syrup as you can in water. We're about to tackle the idiomatic phrase 'slipping on a banana peel' to find out just how dangerous and likely you are to slip on a banana peel. We're also about to do a couple of myths from the movie 'Speed,' which will involve doing large, disruptive things with buses. We've got a really good Christmas season coming up."
● Contact reporter Gerald M. Gay at 573-4137 or ggay@azstarnet.com.
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