The "Max Headroom
pirating incident" is the fascinating story of the successful hijacking
of two television signals in the Chicago, Illinois area on Sunday, November
22, 1987. This feat was
accomplished by a mysterious person wearing a Max
Headroom mask who somehow over-rode the station signals and then proceeded to perform an illegal broadcast on
live television.
Television broadcasts at two different stations (WTTW and WGN) were
interrupted by the hijacker on the same day, only hours apart. The
first incident occurred during the sports segment of the WGN 9:00 p.m. news
broadcast; the second incident took place around 11:15 p.m. during a late evening showing by
WTTW of
an episode of the Doctor
Who television show.
The hijacker’s motives for
the act of piracy remain unclear, but it is possible that he may have held
some sort of private grudge against the two Chicago stations that were
affected by his broadcasts: he made a direct reference to WGN
sportscaster
Chuck Swirsky, as well as to hijacked station WGN
(known as the “World’s Greatest
Newspaper") by referring to the latter as the “greatest world's
newspaper nerds.”
Later commentary on this
event would refer to the hijacker as "a sophisticated video pirate with
an unsophisticated sense of humor who managed to override the signals of
Chicago's [television] broadcast." And criticism was even
leveled at the pirate for not using his "air time" to say something
more profound!
But as one observer has
noted, there may actually be a "hidden message" there for those who
look a little deeper, pointing out the fact that the plot of the actual Max
Headroom television show "had been set in a post-apocalyptic future
where evil television corporations controlled the world and freedom fighters
spread their messages by 'zipping' their pirate signal into live television
feeds." In light of that
observation, it must be noted that the hijacker delivered a decent recreation
of the real Max Headroom character
(check out video at right) and that he actually produced a pretty convincing display of his
mannerisms, his suit
and the iconic, undulating-line backdrop by standing in front of what appears
to be a swaying sheet of corrugated roofing metal! (See
video below).
The independent genius
responsible for hijacking the signal has never been caught or identified.
May
he live long and prosper . . .
Transcript of the Pirate
Video:
The
audio in the pirate video is highly distorted, making it hard to decipher
accurately what the person is saying.
Below is my own interpretation of the hijacker’s words; other
listeners may hear something different.
Pirate
broadcast begins with:
"That
does it, he's a freakin' nerd"
"Yeah,
I think I'm better than Chuck Swirsky."
"Freakin'
liberal"
"Oh,
Jesus."
(Distorted
speech. Hijacker shows audience a Pepsi cola can. Note: The Max Headroom
character was a product icon for the Coca Cola company at the time).
"Yeah
. . . catch the wave."
(Hijacker
throws can away; distorted words and moaning)
"Your
love is fading."
(Hijacker
laughs, then begins to hum the theme song to the 1959 Clutch Cargo show)
"I
stole CBS," or "I still see the X" (or possibly) "I stole some DX." (DX is a broadcast signal).
(Hijacker
continues to hum Clutch Cargo theme)
"Oh,
my piles."
(Hijacker
laughs and moans)
"Oh,
I just laid a giant masterpiece for all the greatest world's newspaper
nerds."
(Hijacker
laughs and moans; is seen putting an old glove or baseball mitt on his hand)
"My
brother is wearing the other one, it's dirty."
(Pulls
glove off and tosses it away. More
distorted words. Pirate video
then switches to scene of hijacker with his pants down, being spanked with a
flyswatter by a disguised female).
"They're
coming to get me!"
"Come
get me, bitch."
(Hijacker
screams)
"Oh,
do it!"
(Hijacker
screams)
Pirate
broadcast ends and the Doctor Who
show resumes with the words, "As far as I can tell, a massive electric
shock, he died instantly!"
Click on the image at right to watch an
original 1987 CBS News report about the Max Headroom pirating incident.
(Requires Windows
media player).
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Click on this link to download
the original footage of the hijack to your computer. 
Click on this link to hear
the original theme song to the Clutch Cargo animated television
show. 
Click on the image at right to watch a
short sample video of the Clutch Cargo show.
(Requires Windows
media player).
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References
Max
Headroom Hijacks Chicago's Airwaves,
from the Reel Pop blog.
Remember,
Remember the 22nd of November,
January 9th, 2007 Damn Interesting
article by Alan Bellows.
See also: The
1977
Vrillon of the Ashtar Galactic Command Incident and Numbers
Stations: Dark Side of the Dial
