MythBusters' Adam Savage - Dodos, Maltese Falcons, and the Art of Obsession

MythBusters co-host Adam Savage gives a fast-paced presentation on personal obsessions. Savage explains how his fascination with dodo bird skeletons eventually led to his designing of an exact bronze-cast replica of the titular statue from the 1941 Humphrey Bogart movie, "The Maltese Falcon."

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Adam Savage speaks at the 2008 Entertainment Gathering in Monterey, California. This program was recorded on December 12, 2008.

EG is the celebration of the American entertainment industry. Since 1984, Richard Saul Wurman has created extraordinary gatherings about learning and understanding. EG is a rich extension of these ideas - a conference that explores the attitude of understanding in music, film, television, radio, technology, advertising, gaming, interactivity and the web - The Entertainment Gathering

Adam Savage has spent his life gathering skills that allow him to take what's in his brain and make it real. He's built everything from ancient Buddhas to futuristic weapons, from spaceships to dancing vegetables, from fine art sculptures to animated chocolate — and just about anything else you can think of.

The son of a filmmaker/painter and psychotherapist, Adam has been making his own toys since he was allowed to hold scissors. Having held positions as a projectionist, animator, graphic designer, carpenter, interior and stage designer, toy designer, welder, and scenic painter, he's worked with every material and process he could get his hands on — metal, paper, glass, plastic, rubber, foam, plaster, pneumatics, hydraulics, animatronics, neon, glassblowing, mold making and injection molding, to name just a few.

Since 1993, Adam has concentrated on the special-effects industry, honing his skills through more than 100 television commercials and a dozen feature films, including Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Galaxy Quest, Terminator 3, A.I. and the Matrix sequels. He's also designed props and sets for Coca-Cola, Hershey's, Lexus and a host of New York and San Francisco theater companies.

Today, in addition to co-hosting Discovery Channel's MythBusters, Adam teaches advanced model making, most recently in the industrial design department at the San Francisco Academy of Art. Somehow he also finds time to devote to his own art — his sculptures have been showcased in over 40 shows in San Francisco, New York and Charleston, W.Va.

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[cwhanna]

hands down the coolest nerd (respectfully) ever.. we who are also  nerds salute you adam for you courage and endless willingness to put yourself totally out there. just too cool

[Taywilton]

imagine if he had minecraft

[oldnoname12]

what i would do to look at his creative projects folder

[ConSmith1807]

I know how Adam feels about his obsessions, though I haven't quite gone to his level of creation. I do a lot of papercraft work and I've been getting into using foam for creating costumes, specificly an Iron Man one. I got papercraft templates modified for foam and began my work...and it's gone crazy from there. Some days my mind is going at 1,000 miles a second building and deconstructing pieces, wiring and lighting it. While I've never sculpted something that crazy, I know the obsession he has

[Lpedraja2002]

I wish I could buy one of those being sold on ebay, they look like the real thing and are even wrapped in the chinese newspaper.

[Lpedraja2002]

Am I the only one who noticed how wrong his Maltese Falcon replica looks? The head is all wrong, the face looks way too sharp, the wings shoulder aren't as high as they should be and overall it doesn't look fat enough. Then again he said he was no sculptor but to allege his' was the most authentic.

[aserta]

Those keys are for launching shuttles not icbm's. Just saying.

[houdin654jeff]

@pabloindustries To be honest, I've spoken English as my native language since I was a kid and I even have some trouble hearing everything Adam says when he goes at full speed.

[pabloindustries]

I have the Translate Audio option ON* and it just translated "Maybe I could make my own dildo" ..wroooong word! xd

(*I'm Mexican and I do know English but I still have some problems at listening people talking kind of fast)