Is Adam Savage Surprised Celebrities Watch MythBusters?
Adam Savage discusses his favorite pop culture references to MythBusters and reflects on being surprised when celebrities watch the show. He shares stories about meeting other creators doing experimental comedy and discusses how his current work at Tested feels different from traditional jobs.
Summary
Adam Savage responds to a fan question about MythBusters references in pop culture, starting with a Modern Family quote he wasn't previously aware of. He shares a memorable encounter at San Diego Comic-Con where he met comedians working on a show called 'Dumb MythBusters' that was testing whether someone could become sexually attracted to an inanimate object using experimental protocols. Savage expresses genuine surprise and delight at finding out celebrities watch MythBusters, citing Jamie Lee Curtis's appearance on Oprah in 2006 as a major early moment. He reveals that Curtis and Chris Guest used to call each other 'Jamie and Adam' based on their personalities, though Curtis identified more with Adam's personality and Guest with Jamie's. Savage reflects on always being surprised when people say they're fans, and discusses the surreal experience of being both a person and a cultural phenomenon. He answers additional questions about eating food cooked on a car engine with Alton Brown and clarifies that if food wasn't safe to eat, they would have made that part of the narrative. Finally, he discusses how working at Tested doesn't feel like a traditional job despite having stresses, expressing gratitude for choosing his current path and criticizing American work culture's emphasis on suffering.
Key Insights
- Adam Savage reveals he's always surprised to discover that celebrities and people are watching MythBusters, despite understanding globally that people watch the show
- Jamie Lee Curtis and Chris Guest used to call each other 'Jamie and Adam' based on the MythBusters hosts' personalities, with Curtis identifying as Adam and Guest as Jamie
- Savage describes experiencing moments where he understood he was both a person and something happening in culture simultaneously
- Savage states that if food wasn't safe to eat on MythBusters, they would have made that unsafe aspect part of the narrative rather than hiding it
- Savage explains that working at Tested doesn't feel like a traditional job and sometimes makes him feel guilty, though he deeply feels responsibility for the company
Topics
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