Richard Metzger
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Richard Metzger (born October 25, 1965 in Wheeling, West Virginia) was the host of the TV show '"Disinformation" which aired for two seasons (2000 and 2001) on Channel 4 in the UK as part of their late night "4Later" programming block. Called a "punk rock '60 Minutes' and 'wilder than 'Jackass' by the Los Angeles Times and Wired magazine repectively, the sixteen 30-minute episodes produced for C4 (and several segments never aired in the UK) were then cut down to four one-hour "specials" intended for the Sci-Fi Channel in America, but never aired due to the controversial nature of what was portrayed onscreen. According to interviews Metzger was told just twelve days prior to the first specials' air-date that he would have to cut 50% of the material from the show in order to pass the USA Network's corporate lawyers' scrutiny. Those four shows have subsequently been released on a DVD with a second bonus disc presenting highlights of The DisinfoCon, a 12 event featuring shock rocker Marilyn Manson, underground filmmaker Kenneth Anger, painter Joe Coleman, Douglas Rushkoff, Mark Pesce, Grant Morrison, Robert Anton Wilson and others.
Metzger created the Disinformation website in 1996 and infamously was able to regain control of the intellectual property rights and a $1.2 million dollar investment by the site's original backer, cable giant TCI (now AT&T Broadband) when TCI CEO John Malone demanded funds be cut off when news of Metzger's "anarchist bullsh*t" reached him. In 1997 he co-founded The Disinformation Company, which hooked up with Avenue A/Razorfish and the site was part of the RSUB Network until 2001.
For several years prior to the Channel 4 series, Metzger hosted a talkshow, "The Infinity Factory," broadcast on Manhattan Public Access anddistributed inline through Pseudo.com that was similar in tone and appeal to Art Bell or George Noory's paranormal "Coast to Coast A.M." radio show, on which Metzger has also been a guest. Many of the interview subjects on this show would go on to be features in the Channel 4 series.
He is the author of two books, "Disinformation: The Interviews" (2002) which feature unedited interviews with several of the characters and thinkers who were guests on the series such as Douglas Rushkoff, Joe Coleman, Paul Laffoley, Grant Morrison, Duncan Laurie, Peter Russell, Kembra Pfahler, Genesis P-Orridge and Howard Bloom and "Book of Lies: The Disinformation Guide To Magick & The Occult" (2004) an anthology of occult essays.
According to a footnote in "Disinformation: The Interviews," Metzger is the uncredited male-voice interviewing Japanese pop singer Maki Nomiya of Pizzicato 5 on their song "This Year's Girl #2" (Matador Records EP CD: "5 x 5"). Metzger has also directed and produced several music videos in the 1980s for such New York "underground" luminaries as Bongwater (their animated "Power of Pussy"), Warhol pal John Sex and others.
He is married to Tara McGinley, a fashion stylist and costume designer. The couple currently lives in New Jersey.
