Pirate TV
Encyclopedia
Pirate TV was a show on MTV
that premiered January 26, 1990. Set on a boat that beamed illegal television signals, Pirate TV consisted of skits and parodies of commercials and television programs, including Rastapiece Theater, a takeoff of Masterpiece Theatre
with a dreadlocked, patois-speaking host, and "Reejok" (jockstrap
s with inflatable pouches, à la Reebok
's "Pump" sneaker, popular at the time). It was co-created by Dave Kolin and Steve Kerper.
Originally airing as 13 one hour episodes, they were later edited down to a half hour. Many of the concepts of the show, and indeed Rastapiece Theater itself, later transferred to Kerper and Kolin's HBO series Hardcore TV (1992-1993)
The crew of the boat were played by Richard Goteri ("Tony"), Boyd Hale (himself), James Rosenthal (himself), Gena Rositano (herself), Spruce Henry (himself) and Gregory Wolfe & James Wolfe as the Mr. Wolfe Brothers.
Some episodes had a special guests such as Sgt. Slaughter, Maury Povich and Clarence Clemons.
Most notably was Tim Blake Nelson as "Scab O'Hooley". He would race his pet rats to answer the great questions that plagued the world, so you could "...Quit yer blatherin' and get on with yer miserable lives. This is Scab O'Hooley sayin, I'm not laughin atcha...I'm not laughin!"
"Pirate TV" is also the name given to a special channel on Dish Network
. The channel is accessible only to viewers using illegally modified receivers, and consists solely of a tape loop confirming that the connection is illegal, followed by an offering of amnesty to illegal viewers if they call a special toll-free number and subscribe to the service legally.
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
that premiered January 26, 1990. Set on a boat that beamed illegal television signals, Pirate TV consisted of skits and parodies of commercials and television programs, including Rastapiece Theater, a takeoff of Masterpiece Theatre
Masterpiece Theatre
Masterpiece is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service on January 10, 1971, making it America's longest-running weekly prime time drama series. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions...
with a dreadlocked, patois-speaking host, and "Reejok" (jockstrap
Jockstrap
A jockstrap is an undergarment designed for supporting the male genitalia during sports or other vigorous physical activity...
s with inflatable pouches, à la Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
's "Pump" sneaker, popular at the time). It was co-created by Dave Kolin and Steve Kerper.
Originally airing as 13 one hour episodes, they were later edited down to a half hour. Many of the concepts of the show, and indeed Rastapiece Theater itself, later transferred to Kerper and Kolin's HBO series Hardcore TV (1992-1993)
The crew of the boat were played by Richard Goteri ("Tony"), Boyd Hale (himself), James Rosenthal (himself), Gena Rositano (herself), Spruce Henry (himself) and Gregory Wolfe & James Wolfe as the Mr. Wolfe Brothers.
Some episodes had a special guests such as Sgt. Slaughter, Maury Povich and Clarence Clemons.
Most notably was Tim Blake Nelson as "Scab O'Hooley". He would race his pet rats to answer the great questions that plagued the world, so you could "...Quit yer blatherin' and get on with yer miserable lives. This is Scab O'Hooley sayin, I'm not laughin atcha...I'm not laughin!"
"Pirate TV" is also the name given to a special channel on Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
. The channel is accessible only to viewers using illegally modified receivers, and consists solely of a tape loop confirming that the connection is illegal, followed by an offering of amnesty to illegal viewers if they call a special toll-free number and subscribe to the service legally.