# Is anyone else bothered by the moving lines behind Max Headroom? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 26, 2011, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-bothered-by-the-moving-lines-behind-max-headroom/569025 "2011-01-26T05:52:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-bothered-by-the-moving-lines-behind-max-headroom/569025/1 "2011-01-26T05:52:30Z")
I was reading about stuff from the 80s and came across Max Headroom…so I looked at clips from his show and the moving lines behind him seriously made me feel physically uncomfortable and dizzy. I’m not the sort to be bothered by flashing lights, etc…but they drove me NUTS and I’m still seeing moving lines despite turning it off. How were people in the 80s able to watch this dude?? ---
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-bothered-by-the-moving-lines-behind-max-headroom/569025/2 "2011-01-26T05:56:00Z")
I was more bothered by Max Headroom proper than the lines behind him. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-bothered-by-the-moving-lines-behind-max-headroom/569025/3 "2011-01-26T06:03:18Z")
> [@CatherineZeta](#): > > How were people in the 80s able to watch this dude?? We were pretty high, mostly. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-bothered-by-the-moving-lines-behind-max-headroom/569025/4 "2011-01-26T06:06:54Z")
I recently watched a couple episodes of the hour-long ‘drama’. As a computer nerd going back to the VIC-20 days, and a child of the 80’s, I thought it was very cool and fascinating, a must-see. . .in the 80’s. My opinion has changed quite a lot since then. I understand why the background would bother some folks. There’s a reason why you don’t see that on a Nook or Kindle 😃 I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be ill-at-ease watching Max. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-bothered-by-the-moving-lines-behind-max-headroom/569025/5 "2011-01-26T06:07:05Z")
I feel like if I watched him high that would make it worse. And yes, I agree that the whole concept is just bothersome (and frightening) ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-bothered-by-the-moving-lines-behind-max-headroom/569025/6 "2011-01-26T06:08:02Z")
I was bothered by [this . . .](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWdgAMYjYSs) ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-bothered-by-the-moving-lines-behind-max-headroom/569025/7 "2011-01-26T06:13:35Z")
Ahhh…and the YouTube comments say it was a child spanking that dude!?! What a weird prank. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-bothered-by-the-moving-lines-behind-max-headroom/569025/8 "2011-01-26T06:17:33Z")
The 80s were a strange time. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-bothered-by-the-moving-lines-behind-max-headroom/569025/9 "2011-01-26T07:08:40Z")
I think Max Headroom was intended to be somewhat disorienting. Max himself is detached from reality, being an imperfect recreation of the memories and personality of Edison Carter. Despite all of its deficiencies in production values, _Max Headroom_ remains one of the most subversive shows ever to make it, if only briefly, onto television. “Well, most people would agree that censors are a silly breed. In fact, it surprises me how they ever manage to breed at all.” Stranger ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-bothered-by-the-moving-lines-behind-max-headroom/569025/10 "2011-01-26T07:14:40Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > I was bothered by [this . . .](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWdgAMYjYSs) I knew what that was without clicking. I really, really want to know who was behind it and why. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-bothered-by-the-moving-lines-behind-max-headroom/569025/11 "2011-01-26T07:31:43Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > I was bothered by [this . . .](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWdgAMYjYSs) I’ve seen this many times before. Thanks to the subject of this thread, I just noticed for the first time the corrugated metal they used to simulate the lines behind “Max”. That’s clever and funny at the same time.