May 23, 2019 8:00 pm

Friday, Adam Savage and Neil deGrasse Tyson Make Stuff

You ever just want to make stuff? On this week’s episode of StarTalk Radio, we re-connect with one of my favorite guests: Adam Savage. Adam joins Neil and comic co-host Chuck Nice in-studio to answer fan-submitted questions on the creative process, making stuff, and a whole lot more.

Adam is a former MythBuster, master builder, editor/contributor at Tested.com, and author of the new book Every Tool’s a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It. His last appearance on StarTalk, the episode Human Augmentation with Adam Savage and Neil deGrasse Tyson, is one of my favorite episodes. They discuss, you guessed it, human augmentation and what that will look like in the future. It was also recorded in front of a fired-up New York Comic Con crowd. Be sure to check it out.

On this episode, we dive into many things. You’ll learn about some of Adam’s experiences being on MythBusters: their time on “Duct Tape” island, if they ever invented things by accident, and why they had to destroy some footage of test results in order to keep the public safe. You’ll hear about Adam’s work with 3D-printed titanium for his new show Savage Builds. And, Adam tells us the most surprising thing he learned from his 13 years on MythBusters.

Then, we explore the creative process. Find out how Adam overcomes the equivalent of writer’s block when he’s working in his garage. You’ll learn why failures should instead be called “iterations” on the path to success. Neil and Adam debate what will be more important in the future: mechanical know how or material science?

Discover what Adam and Neil think are the greatest tools ever invented. You’ll find out about Adam’s love for armor and his quest to build King Arthur’s armor for himself. Lastly, Neil and Adam bond over the movie Excalibur. All that, plus, Adam tells us about the time he made a short film with legendary filmmaker Peter Jackson called A Farewell to Arms.

Please join us tomorrow night for Making Stuff, with Adam Savage at 7pm ET right here on our website, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn. If you’re an All-Access subscriber, you can watch or listen to this episode ad-free at 7pm, too.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
-Ian Mullen