It’s not like the bad movies of the world got much of a reprieve when “Mystery Science Theater 3000” went off the air in 1999. Different configurations of the show’s creators took the act on the road; original host Joel Hodgson performed onstage “riffing” with Cinematic Titanic (along with show alums like Mary Jo Pehl and Trace Beaulieu), while another group brought movie mockery to more modern works with RiffTrax. Beaulieu and Frank Conniff, the original bad-guy duo from the show, even perform their own two-handed live set on occasion. And certainly one doesn’t have to have been an original MST3K performer to make fun of filmic disasters; just log on to Twitter during whichever “Sharknado” is airing for proof.
Even with those opportunities, though, online reaction to news of the original show’s return could fairly be described as “ecstatic”; the Kickstarter campaign to fund new episodes of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” raised almost $6 million. Now, new episodes are available on Netflix, and the new cast is heading out on the road for live performances.
amNewYork caught up with Hodgson to talk about the reboot, the cast and how important it is for the show to be nice while being funny.
Was there a point in the process of relaunching the show where you knew it was going to work out?
Here’s what I remember: I based it all on my experience doing Cinematic Titanic. We did 100 live shows, playing venues similar in size to the ones we’re playing with “MST,” these 1,200-seat rooms. After doing those shows and meeting those people — I think I shook hands with about 30,000 people; my impression is that we performed for more than 100,000 people — I did a naïve calculation that said if that many people got a baby-sitter, went out to dinner and bought a couple of tickets, that same number of people could fund a series. That was kind of my thinking. The rest was all pure conjecture.
Is there a different feeling going out on the road under the “Mystery Science Theater” banner, compared with Cinematic Titanic?
When it’s people up there just doing a reader’s theater version of “Mystery Science Theater,” there’s less of an expectation. It’s like theater of the mind — we’re going to do this, but you’re going to imagine it’s “Mystery Science Theater.” [The expectations are a] little softer, like the difference between a table read and a production. Now, it’s an actual production.
You put together a talented cast for the show’s return. Was getting this level of performers on board difficult?
It was slightly unreal, because I got everybody I wanted. One guy, Bill Hader, we had talked, but he was doing “Documentary Now.” And I think Jack Black was doing a movie. But everyone else I got, and that was slightly unreal. It’s a little bit weird. Jonah [Ray] was interesting because I liked him right away. For a comedian, he has a lot of humility, and I liked that about him. Then we got to write together, and that’s when I started to think seriously that he could be the guy to be the new host. And he was way better than I could have imagined when he got in the role. He’s a much better actor than I ever was.
“Mystery Science Theater” may be making fun of movies, but it never seems mean. How much of that is the people behind it and how much of that is an intentional stylistic choice?
You’re a companion to the people watching the movie. And to make that sustainable, you can’t be an [expletive]. People don’t want to spend time with you if you’re an [expletive]. That’s part of the sustainability aspect of it. If you start with a really cynical jab, right off the bat, there’s nowhere to go. The coloring book version of “Mystery Science Theater” is that we’re sarcastic and snarky, and we’re putting down the movie. But the truth is that it’s really a springboard for a variety show. We’re looking for all different aspects of things to talk about, doing voices and songs, and a million other things.
IF YOU GO: “Mystery Science Theater 3000’s” “Watch Out for Snakes” Tour comes to the PlayStation Theater on July 8 at 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., $39.50-$49.50, 1515 Broadway, playstationtheater.com
