The Great American Dream Machine

The Great American Dream Machine was a short-lived, beautifully bizarre slice of televised rebellion that aired on PBS from 1971 to 1972. Produced out of New York by WNET and hosted by the wild-eyed Marshall Efron, the show was a chaotic variety hour stitched together with a central theme: Fight the Man. And if you’re not up for that, at least fight consumerism, goddammit.

It didn’t last long, but it left a mark. The contributor list reads like a who’s who of counterculture weirdos—Chevy Chase, Albert Brooks, Paul Jacobs, Studs Terkel, and even Andy Rooney before he started yelling at clouds. John Lennon called it one of his favorite shows, and Lorne Michaels later admitted it helped inspire Saturday Night Live.

Buried deep in one of the early episodes? A segment on Ed Roth. I’ve been hunting for it for years—years—and never could find the damn thing. But a few weeks back, someone finally uploaded it to YouTube. And now, here we are.

Go watch it. It’s a trip.