Jay Maynard
| Jay Maynard | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1959/1960[1] |
| Residence | Fairmont, Minnesota |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Tron Guy |
Jay Maynard is a computer programmer and system administrator and the volunteer project maintainer for Hercules, a free emulator of IBM mainframe hardware. He is known for his self-made electroluminescent Tron Guy costume.
Internet fame
Maynard became a subject of Internet discussion forums when his costume, inspired by the film Tron, spread across the net from postings on Slashdot[2] and Fark. He parlayed his notoriety into a series of appearances on the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2004.
In 2006, Maynard appeared in a music video entitled "We Are the Web", for the website of the same name. The video advocates the concept of network neutrality.[3] In it, Maynard appears alongside several other internet celebrities, including Leslie Hall and Randy Constan. He was also parodied in the South Park episode "Canada on Strike". His likeness appeared alongside those of such other Internet celebrities as Gary Brolsma, Star Wars Kid, Chris Crocker and Tay Zonday.
In 2009, Maynard was a special guest on the television series Tosh.0 for the "Web Redemption" segment, where Internet celebrities openly make fun of themselves by answering questions from Daniel Tosh and re-enact their original acts.
In 2010, Maynard was banned from seeing the film Tron: Legacy in his iconic Tron suit in his local movie theater because of the illuminating lights on his suit.[4]
On June 8, 2011, Maynard appeared on America's Got Talent. He received a "no" vote from each of the three judges and did not make it past the audition round. Howie Mandel had him start his speech over several times; the audience did not allow him to finish it.
In 2011, Maynard appeared in a commercial for Duck Brand duct tape. The ad recreates the light-cycle race from Tron using stop-motion animation, followed by Maynard's appearance in the Tron Guy outfit.[5]
References
- ^ Raftery, Brian (June 23, 2008). "So, Tron Guy, Gem Sweater Lady, and the Firefox Walk Into a Bar ...". Wired Magazine.
- ^ "Another Fan-Made TRON Costume". Slashdot. April 18, 2004. Retrieved July 12, 2006.
- ^ "Fighting for Net Neutrality". wearetheweb.org. Retrieved August 21, 2006.
- ^ "TRON Guy's Costume – Banned from Movie Theater". TMZ.com. December 12, 2010.
- ^ Watercutter, Angela (August 22, 2011). "Video: Genius Idea for Tron-Themed Duck Tape Ad". Wired. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
External links
- Jay Maynard (ham radio website)
- Jay Maynard (personal website)
- Jay Maynard (Tron Wiki)
- Jay Maynard (livejournal)
- Jay Maynard at the Internet Movie Database
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Read in another language
This page is available in 1 language
