Q&A: 'MythBusters' Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage get personal

"MythBusters" hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage are traveling the continent with a live spinoff of their long-running television show, which subjects to their junkyard brand of scientific testing urban legends, tales from history, old saws, stuff you see in the movies, and anything else people think they know when they don't think too hard about it. (The show, "MythBusters: Behind the Myths," passed through L.A.'s Nokia Theatre on Sunday -- Margaret Gray's Times review is here -- and is at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside Wednesday night).

Heroes of 21st century DIY culture, they count among their famous fans late-night TV host Craig Ferguson, whose sidekick Geoff Peterson is a robot built by "Build Team" Mythbuster Grant Imahara, and President Obama, who appeared on the show in 2010 to offer a "viewer's challenge." Just before they hit the road, I spoke to them by phone for a Culture Monster Q&A focusing on "Behind the Myths." Here is some more of that conversation.

What originally brought you to the West Coast and San Francisco?

Jamie Hyneman: I came out here well over 20 years ago. I had gotten my start in special effects in New York and wanted to do larger things in movies. "Star Wars" had acquired quite a bit of momentum in the Bay Area; there were a number of companies doing high-end special effects, and so I sought that out.

Adam Savage: I had a brother that lived in San Francisco. I visited him in the late '80s and decided I wanted to live here someday. And then in 1990 a friend asked me to come be his roommate and I've never looked back.

One of the reasons I moved out was I was doing a lot of sculpture at the time, and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. And when you're not sure what you want to do, New York is a very terrible place to be. And San Francisco is a fantastic place to be. Because New York is all about ambition -- which is wonderful and yields a fantastic culture -- and San Francisco is all about exploration, where you can try anything. And if you're where I was in the early '90s, talented but without a lot of ambition, it was a great place to try my hand at everything. And I think the fact that both Jamie and I have spent our lives trying our hand at everything that interested us, and found forums and careers that engendered that, lined us up uniquely to be hosts of this show.

I started out as an actor -- I did all the high school plays and studied acting privately and then at NYU for a brief period of time -- and when I first moved to San Francisco I paid my rent for several years in theater. "MythBusters" brought these two halves of myself together, the maker of things and the performer.

'MythBusters' brings its live show to Los Angeles

The "MythBusters" guys have launched a cannonball at a car (OK, that experiment didn't exactly go as planned), aged 1,000 years and tested Archimedes' death ray. Now they are embarking on a new challenge: Co-hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage are taking a live stage show on tour around the U.S. “MythBusters: Behind the Myths” comes to the Nokia Theatre on Sunday and Riverside’s Fox Theater on Wednesday.

"We’ve had builders working for the past couple of months on some of the rigs," Hyneman tells Robert Lloyd on Culture Monster, addressing some of the challenges of bringing their physical stunts to a live audience. "'MythBusters' itself deals with common misperceptions, so what we’ve done here is provide physical ways that we can play with people’s perceptions — that’s where the props come in. It’s not a demonstration, it’s experimentation, or as close as we can get to it, so that by its very nature it’s not predictable as to the outcome."

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 -- Joy Press

Photo: Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage. Credit: Discovery Channel

Apologetic 'Mythbusters' talk about cannonball accident

The "Mythbusters" guys are coming to say sorry -- in person.

One day after a cannonball experiment went awry in a Bay Area suburb, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman of Discovery Channel's popular science show said Wednesday they were headed to meet with families affected by the incident.

No injuries were reported, but the 30-pound cannonball flew 700 yards off course from a police firing range, bounced off a roof and ripped through another home in Dublin before settling in a nearby van. While Savage and his team are still investigating the incident, he said the cannon involved in the experiment was aimed too high.

"We feel really lucky and fortunate that, after a nearly perfect safety record over eight years, that this mishap didn't lead to anybody being injured," Savage said in a phone interview. "We're gathering all the information we can ... Our main concern is making sure this never happens again."

Savage and Hyneman were not present; the experiment was being conducted by their colleagues Tory Belleci, Kari Byron and Grant Imahara. Shooting was stopped once the crew learned what had happened.

The production company will cover the victims for property damages as well as any hotel charges, Savage said.

"Mythbusters" test whether common assumptions and urban legends can withstand scientific scrutiny. The series has drawn wide praise for following scientific method and introducing many young people to the concepts involved in research and experimentation.

Savage said that despite the mishap, the cannon episode will still air, mostly likely in the spring.

The accident is "by far the most serious event that has occurred" on the show, Hyneman added. But he and his partner are taking it seriously. "It's one of the reasons we have such a good safety record overall," he said.

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-Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman of "Mythbusters." Credit: Discovery Channel.

 

 

'MythBusters' cannon experiment ends in epic fail

Failure was definitely an option for the "MythBusters" team Tuesday: A ballistics experiment for the Discovery Channel show went awry and launched a cannonball into a nearby neighborhood, damaging a house and a car.

"MythBusters" -- the show that tests whether legends and common assumptions hold up under scientific scrutiny -- was using a cannon at a police firing range in Dublin, 35 miles east of San Francisco. A stray shot somehow bounced off a safety berm and careened into a residential area, where it hit the parked car and tore through the home. No injuries were reported, according to Discovery.

Contrary to a report on TMZ, the experiment did not involve "MythBusters" frontmen Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, but rather their colleagues Tory Belleci, Kari Byron and Grant Imahara, who were present for the filming.

Discovery said an explosives safety expert for the Alameda County Sheriff's Department was on hand at the time of the incident and that "all proper safety protocol was observed." The network is also apparently settling up with property owners for the damage.

Maybe part of the compensation could be one of those souvenir "MythBusters" T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan: "Failure is always an option."

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-- Scott Collins
Twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT

Photo: From left, Grant Imahara, Jamie Hyneman, Kari Byron, Adam Savage and Tory Belleci of "MythBusters." Credit: Discovery Channel

 

See Adam Savage of 'Mythbusters' age 1,000 years

For his new Discovery special at 9 p.m. Sunday, Adam Savage of "Mythbusters" fame had to age a bit.

Actually, nearly 1,000 years.

In "Curiosity: Can You Live Forever?" the irrepressible Savage runs through some of the latest developments in longevity science, including brain upgrades, self-regenerating limbs and organ transplants. The special takes a sci-fi twist: It's set in the year 2967 as a cyborg-ized Savage looks back on his extremely long life and explains how he became the world's first 1,000-year-old man.

"All of it is backed up by experiments," Savage said of the science the special describes. "None of it is totally conceptual."

Fans may be a little shocked when they see the impressive makeup job by FX whiz Danny Wagner, which turns Savage into a very, very old -- if still spry -- man.

"I had actually supplied Danny before he did the sculpt with a bunch of pictures of my dad throughout his life all the way up until his death at 75, so that he could see how my face might change over the years," Savage said. The model was so creepy, Savage said, that his kids insisted he move it from the family's house into his shop.

"Mythbusters" fans will see plenty of their heroes Sunday night. Just before "Curiosity," Savage and his longtime work partner Jamie Hyneman will co-host "iGenius: How Steve Jobs Changed the World," which examines the impact of the late Apple co-founder.

Relying on new interviews with early Apple employees as well as celebrities such as Tom Brokaw and Stevie Wonder, Hyneman says the special will pay attention to Jobs' downsides as well. 

"By most accounts, he was a problematic guy to work with," Hyneman said. "Very temperamental and single-minded. It’s sort of telling that that’s what it takes to stick to your guns and have your vision realized."

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-- Scott Collins

twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT

Photo: Adam Savage becomes the world's first 1,000 year-old man in Discovery's "Can You Live Forever?" special.

Credit: Discovery

 

'Mythbuster' Grant Imahara talks about bringing 'Killer Robots' to the Science Channel

 

Those wacky robots -- they love to fight. Seriously, just put them in a ring surrounded by bulletproof glass and watch them beat the gears out of each other.

That's what the Science Channel intends to do on Memorial Day with a one-hour special called "Killer Robots: RoboGames 2011." Hosted by Grant Imahara, best known in mainstream circles for his role on "Mythbusters," the show will pack in the "amazing adrenaline rush" of machine-on-machine combat, cage-match "cat-and-mouse" strategy and advanced technology that allows 'bots to annihilate their opponents like never before.

The show originates in the Silicon Valley, where 'bot builders have been gathering for a decade for three days' worth of exhibitions, contests and, of course, grappling. This is the first time the International RoboGames competition has been televised.

"This is the crème of the crop -- the most devastating matches," Imahara said. "In addition to the raw power, the violence of metal getting torn apart, we'll show the intellectual challenges involved in engineering a fighting robot."

Watch the 'Mythbusters' duo trade places using masks so realistic they're scary

Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters" returns with original episodes next week, and if the new video released Tuesday is any indication, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman have some excellent new tricks in store. 

In "Mission Impossible Mask," the pair test whether it's possible to disguise oneself so thoroughly that everyone is fooled -- even a person's dog. The notion here is for the longtime partners (and frequent comic foils) to see if they can trade places long enough to dupe those around them.

In the first clip, Adam and Jamie try out super-lifelike masks created by a special-effects whiz. In the second, Adam takes acting lessons to get pointers on portraying the ever-excitable and loquacious Jamie.

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-- Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Adam Savage, left, and Jamie Hyneman of "Mythbusters." Credit: Discovery Channel.

 

Obama episode of 'MythBusters' draws 2.2 million viewers

President Obama may be having some trouble with his Democratic colleagues, but his ratings mojo seems to be working just fine.

A heavily promoted "President's Challenge" episode of Discovery's "MythBusters" science series Wednesday — in which Obama asked hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman to retest the supposed "death ray" of the Greek mathematician Archimedes — drew 2.2 million total viewers, according to the Nielsen Co. It was the No. 1 cable program of the night among men ages 18 to 34 and men 25 to 54.

Proving its ratings mettle among young men, "MythBusters" outperformed among men ages 18 to 34 against a number of broadcast programs, including the ABC hit "Modern Family" and NBC's crime drama "Law & Order: SVU."

— Scott Collins (Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: President Obama with Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage of "MythBusters." Photo credit: Discovery Networks.

 

'Mythbusters' team says it's testing Archimedes the right way for President Obama

It's not the same old Archimedes myth. Or at least, it won't be tested in the same way.

Complaints erupted after we reported that "Mythbusters" would take on the Archimedes legend -- in which the ancient Greek mathematician supposedly destroyed a Roman fleet with mirrors and the sun's rays -- at the behest of President Obama. Commenters contended that the popular Discovery Channel science show was repeating itself.

But Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman said the episode -- set to air Dec. 8 -- isn't a retread.

"Yes, we have actually tackled it twice before," Savage explained in a phone interview Tuesday. "But we've never actually tackled it in the exact way that Archimedes was said to have actually done it, with 500 soldiers with polished shields. We've always done some kind of analog of soldiers."

Those two earlier, scaled-down testings resulted in the myth being busted, or disproven. When the White House suggested doing an experiment that could actually get a group of kids involved, the program decided to revive the Archimedes legend one more time, using 500 schoolchildren as surrogates for the soldiers.

"We know that you can set something on fire with the sun, that's not the question here," Hyneman said. "The difficulty is getting individuals holding mirrors to do it." The problem is that the distances and number of people involved offer too many variables to get the fire ignited with the sun's rays. 

"Mythbusters" has revisited other experiments too, including ones involving "chicken guns" and bulletproof materials. "It's almost like peer review," Savage said. "At least two or three times per season we'll go back and revisit something we've already done. ... We're totally willing to jump right back into a story if we don't feel we've tested thoroughly enough."

Then again, there are still plenty of untested myths to try. Such as the tale of another weapon supposedly developed by Archimedes: a giant mechanical claw that plucked Roman ships out of the sea.

"I think it won't be too long before we're testing that one," Savage said. 

-- Scott Collins
twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT

Photo: Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman will retest the ancient legend of Archimedes destroying Roman ships with polished shields and the sun's rays. Credit: Discovery Channel

 

President Obama challenges 'Mythbusters' crew to test Archimedes legend

The crew of Discovery Channel's popular science program, "Mythbusters," frequently gets ideas from fans. But they are about to take on a challenge from a particularly famous viewer: President Obama.

On the episode set to air Dec. 8, the president will appear in a walk-on and challenge Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman to test the legend of Archimedes. Supposedly, the ancient Greek mathematician destroyed an invading Roman fleet by using only mirrors that reflected the sun's rays. Savage and Hyneman will devise an experiment to test the legend and report back the results.

President Obama will announce his "Mythbusters" participation during a White House event Monday celebrating math and science competition winners from schools around the country. Savage and Hyneman will be in attendance.

-- Scott Collins (twitter: @scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage. Credit: Discovery Channel

Kari Byron of 'Mythbusters' fame aims to give middle schoolers 'Head Rush'

Kari Byron is on a mission — to get tweens interested in science.

On Monday, Byron — best-known as one of the "build team" members on Discovery's popular "Mythbusters" series — premieres her after-school show "Head Rush" on Science Channel. The commercial-free, hourlong shows are aimed particularly at middle-school girls, whose interest Byron says too often drifts away from scientific subjects starting around that age.

"It's a tough age," Byron said in a phone interview Friday afternoon. "When you think scientist at that age, you think nerdy white guy in a lab coat ... . We're trying to create new role models." 

About 40% of each episode will consist of Byron doing experiments and exploring scientific quandaries (on Monday's show: How much do clouds weigh?) or hosting special guests (including her "Mythbusters" compadres, Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci). The programs' remainder will be comprised of edited portions of previous "Mythbusters" segments.

Byron hopes the program will become like "Mr. Wizard" or "Bill Nye the Science Guy" for a new generation. 

"The hope is kids come home from school and instead of playing a video game, they'll watch us," she said. 

Meanwhile, Byron, who had her first baby last year with husband Paul Urich, will keep up her busy production schedule on "Mythbusters," currently in its eighth season. That meant shooting "Head Rush" on Saturdays and the stray down time.

"I've given up vacations," she said.

— Scott Collins (Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Kari Byron. Photo credit: Science Channel.

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COMIC-CON 2010: 'Mythbusters'' Adam Savage Is Headed to Guillermo del Toro's 'Man Cave'

Adam Savage has had a typically crazy Comic-Con.

The zany co-host of Discovery Channel's science show "Mythbusters" logged some quality time on the convention floor, roaming incognito dressed as a "Star Wars" storm trooper. Then, outside his hotel, he unexpectedly ran into a personal hero, Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, who's currently the toast of Comic-Con since it became known that he's likely to do a 3D remake of Disney's "Haunted Mansion."

"Come visit my man cave!" Savage reported del Toro as saying.

Del Toro will be lucky if Savage and his team don't blow that cave up. Explosions just tend to happen on "Mythbusters," which puts urban myths and common assumptions to the test.

Savage and cohost Jamie Hyneman, along with the "build team" trio of Tory Belleci, Kari Byron (at her first Comic-Con) and Grant Imahara, brought along clips of upcoming episodes, including an amusing bit in which the ever-showman-like Savage tries to survive 120-mph tornado-like winds -- while clad in Batman armor. 

Other things to look for: Savage and Hyneman test the myth of a classic sports car that is supposedly more aerodynamic in reverse than going forward. And the build team has a "Fear Factor"-like episode in which each is forced to confront his or her own worst phobia.

Savage told the raucous crowd of 2,000 that he wasn't worried at all about running out of myths to test, despite the fact that "Mythbusters" has run for over seven years.

"The list of stupid (expletive) that people believe is just this long," he said, holding his arms apart.

-Scott Collins (Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT)