Maurice Chavez is a character who is the host of Vice City Public Radio in both Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and its prequel Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. In this radio he has his own show called Pressing Issues. He is voiced by Philip Anthony-Rodriguez.
Maurice Chavez is either Caribbean or of Caribbean descent. He is bilingual and from time to time he speaks snippets of Spanish. His tone of voice and mannerisms imply that he is always tense, angry or irritated. Moreover, he comes to have situations of anger management issues over the course of the radio. When not getting angry, he likes to make offensive or sarcastic remarks towards others.
Background[]
Prior to becoming a radio host, Chavez worked as "Sal the Wheat-Free Clown", entertaining at birthday parties, bar mitzvas and juvenile correctional facilities (where he was set on fire by the inmates). His act was once nominated as "Best Up-and-Coming Dietary-Restricted Comic Act" in Vice City, but he lost to Mary the Meat-Free Mime. He also had aspirations of becoming an actor, but despite appearing at 17 auditions his only role came as a fluffer in a sex education video. His salary was meagre, at less than $2,000, and at one point Chavez suffered from anxiety and considered having a sex-change. Chavez was discovered by Michelle Montanius and the two had a brief relationship. Michelle fell pregnant in 1984, and asked Chavez to either marry her or pay for her to have an abortion. Chavez refused to pay for an abortion, though it is unknown whether Michelle kept the child. Chavez married and divorced an un-named woman, and his un-named ex-girlfriend is now married to his best friend. One of Chavez's guests, Jeremy Robard, claims Chavez lives with his mother, though Chavez describes himself as "between apartments".
Broadcasting career[]
Chavez began presenting Pressing Issues, a topical debate show on Vice City Public Radio at some either either during or prior to 1981. By 1986, the show is the only show on VCPR, and Chavez has won several broadcasting awards, including "Best Personality". However, station hosts Michelle Montanius and Jonathan Freeloader treat Chavez with contempt, describing him as a "useless, talentless asshole", though Chavez is mostly oblivious to this. According to Alex Shrub, one of the guest on Pressing Issues, Chavez also writes a newspaper column, though Shrub implies that it is of poor quality and claims he uses it to line his bird cage.
Chavez appears to have anger issues, as he frequently snaps at his guests and after exposing "motivational speaker" Jeremy Robard as a desperate fraud, he breaks Robard's nose with a paperweight.
In Grand Theft Auto V, Chavez is one of the honoured celebrities on the Vinewood Walk of Fame.
Trivia[]
- It is hinted that he might be a parody of American radio host Ray Suarez, especially on his show Talk of the Nation, which was hosted on public radio.
- His mannerisms, way of speaking, and actions may represent him as Vice City's "98–01" era Lazlow, as he appears to be more grounded to earth and sarcastic as opposed to most of his guests on his show, showing constant disapproval and irritation of their downright lunatic and psychotic habits.