- November 9, 2024
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In the '90s, Mystery Science Theater 3000 turned talking in a movie theater into an art form. Comedians Joel Hodgson, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett and Mike J. Nelson took many a bro's favorite pastime — making fun of terrible movies — and ran with it, developing a cult following along the way. After the show's 1999 cancellation, the silhouettes of hosts Hodgson, or later, Nelson, seated in a theater between their two robot counterparts became something of an icon among fans, and the show's cult following continued to grow.
Luckily for us, Nelson, Murphy and Corbett kept the concept alive with RiffTrax, in which they're able to tear apart modern, big-budget movies, such as "Twilight" and "Titanic," to which they never could've afforded the rights before. By selling only a pre-recorded vocal track to queue up with your own copy of the movie, the crew is able to avoid costly rights acquisitions.
Thursday, Oct. 24, Nelson and company will host a live-broadcast riff of the iconic "Night of the Living Dead," with RiffTrax Live! which will air in more than 600 theaters throughout the country, including the Hollywood 20 in Sarasota at 8 p.m.
We caught up with former MST3K host, Mike J. Nelson to discuss his Midwestern sense of humor; his (not so secret) love for the movie "Road House;" and his role as the keeper of all things cheesy movies — or not.
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So, you've been riffing movies professionally for more than 20 years. Do you have a hard time turning that off at home?
It's actually kind of a relief to watch something and just shut up for once. It's probably a relief, not just for me, but for everyone around me. But, when I'm watching something good, I can manage to be quiet and enjoy it.
Are you exiled from the room during any of your wife's shows?
Well, the other day, she was watching an older movie, and it just had this ridiculous 20-minute musical sequence, and I was banished from the room, because I just couldn't help myself. Sometimes it's best to just keep the peace.
Do you find yourself riffing when nobody is around? That could make a nice motivational poster: "Riff like nobody's watching."
(laughs) I do tend to do that, and it's not always just movies. I think my brain is kind of geared that way. Now, it's nice to have Twitter and things like that as an outlet for those thoughts.
Who is your dream riffing companion?
I'm lucky to have been able to work with the people on Mystery Science Theater, and I think I've covered a lot of my comedic heroes, but it would be fun to work with some of the great British comedians. It would also be fun to work with some of the big-time celebrities, you know? Like, do you think Jennifer Aniston would be good? Or George Clooney? They seem like clever people, and I think that would also just be a fun challenge.
What makes an ideal candidate for a movie?
It's hard to say. There are so many varied things, and some of them are more boring and tactical, like if there is enough time between lines to make a joke. But, more generally, I think it's important that the movie takes itself seriously enough. On the other hand, it's much harder when it's a movie that's meant to be funny but isn't. We've managed to make a few of those work, but it's much harder. I think it needs to be earnest, and not tongue-in-cheek.
Are there any movies you consider sacrilege that you won't touch?
Only the subject matter itself. You know, obviously not "Schindler's List," but no director is out of bounds. Our spirit is to make the experience more fun, not to trash the movie, so most everyone is fine with it. It wouldn't be enjoyable to watch someone just be hateful and trash a movie for an hour-and-a-half.
You've definitely established your specific brand of humor over the years. Where does that come from?
It's definitely that Midwestern sense of humor. Growing up in flyover territory, you develop a very specific sense of humor. There are a lot of funny people in the Midwest. You're out of the spotlight, and you can sort of be that younger child making the sarcastic comment. I read a lot of humor as a kid, and that definitely influenced my turns of phrase. I love to overwork a joke and craft it. I'm not subtle; I guess I'm more baroque, if that makes sense. I'm definitely influenced by that absurd humor from the '20s and '30s.
How would you describe the Midwestern sense of humor?
It's very self-deprecating. I'm actually back in the Midwest now. I lived in California for a number of years, and people there don't understand what you're doing when you do that. It's how you lead, if you're from the Midwest. That also tends to be a stand-up comedian's stance, too, as a way to disarm the audience. You say what's on everyone's minds before they have a chance to, and then you move forward.
I know you have a loyal cult following, but are you the type of celebrity who gets recognized on the street very often?
I really don't, actually. I don't think my face was on screen enough, and people probably didn't see me in normal surroundings enough. I did used to get recognized in video stores a lot. I'd have a batch of absurd movies, and you could tell they were wondering what kind of moron would be renting that kind of garbage. Then they'd put two and two together and say, "Oh, yeah, you're that guy!'"
So, when you go to the movies, nobody ever recognizes the back of your head?
Maybe if I took two robots to sit in the seats next to me. Maybe I should make a cardboard cutout of their silhouettes to bring with me and wear like a hat. But, yeah, when we do a live show, it's obviously a self-selecting audience, so everyone knows who I am. The show, either Mystery Science Theater of RiffTrax, means a lot to them. It's so quirky, so I think it means more to them than the average person. They always want to share something cool or personal about the shows, and it's really neat to know how it's influenced people.
What advantages and disadvantages do you find when comparing RiffTrax to Mystery Science Theater?
I think for some people, there's a lack of strong characters, especially kids, because they tended to identify with the robots. But, with RiffTrax, we get to use a wider variety of movies, and we don't have to carry around that sense of fiction; it's just pure, uncut riffs.
What about RiffTrax Live?
The live venue is great, because you get to hear the laughter build and the way the audience reacts to certain jokes. It's different to see, because we record in isolation, and we know people enjoy it, but we don't get to see that immediate reaction. It's pretty well scripted, but it's happening as it's happening, so there's always some surprises. It keeps us on our feet and makes for a really fun performance.
What can people expect at the live screening of "Night of the Living Dead?"
Hopefully lots of laughter. I see a lot of people meet and do this as an event, since we only do this a few times per year. So, I see the same kind of phenomenon I was talking about before, where people come together over this.
You've written a few books. What's something else people would be surprised to learn about you?
I'm a huge classical music nerd. I'll tweet about it sometimes, because I just cant help it. It's kind of like a secret handshake, and I have a few people who will get it and tweet me back.
What are your thoughts on the next generation of B-movies, like the Sci-Fi originals? Are you a Sharknado fan?
You know, at first, I thought they were going to be really cheeky, but the more I thought about it, they're no more so than the B-movies of the past, with their cheesy titles and everything. We've screened Sharknado, and some of our writers have said it might actually work pretty well for us, so that's a possibility.
Tell me about your taste in movies. What are your favorites?
I'm a big fan of "Casablanca," "It's a Wonderful Life," "Master and Commander" and the "Tin Man" series. I don't veer too far. I'm not a foreign aficionado or anything; I just like the straightforward classics.
What's your guilty pleasure movie?
"Road House." It's a great movie. I'm always trying to figure out the difference between a flat-out bad movie and one that's enjoyable. There's some kind of magic sauce. It's hard to put your finger on it. I think if it's competent enough '¦ well, no, even as I say that, I realize it's not true, because 'Birdemic' really makes me laugh, and it's completely incompetent.
I've heard that Weird Al constantly gets approached by people who think they have the next hit spoof-song idea. Do you get similar requests?
I get constant requests. People always approach me thinking I have this encyclopedic knowledge of bad movies, and sometimes I just draw a blank, and I think they're disappointed. Like, '˜Come on! You're the keeper of bad movies!' In all honesty, after I've worked on a movie, I kind of put it out of my memory. I'm always thinking about what's next, so I don't always retain a lot.
That's probably good for your mental health, though.
Yeah, it's like the old Sherlock Holmes line about having to move some furniture out of the room to bring more in. That's kind of how my brain works.
