Nostalgia

Yesterday was the first time in a long while that there was an MST3K Turkey Day Marathon.  Of course this one was online and what with this crazy modern world of ours included thousands all watching at the same time and tweeting live along with it all, expanding the horizons of the fanbase and creating connections across seas and such. Add the fact that the creator himself hosted with new bumpers culminating in him sitting down for dinner with the bots and you've got something very special, a modern outgrowth of a show I've loved for twenty five years.

I figured that I'd take it all back to the beginning for me with this post.  I'd seen Joel on SNL and some good friends of mine had gone to watch him perform standup on Halloween of '87 and they were determined to bring me along for the same in '88. I was attending the U of M for what was to be the first brief foray into my scattered post-secondary education.  The show was at a two drink minimum comedy club that no one remembers, and I was 18 when 18 was no longer the age of imbibing.  Not only was I nervous about being busted, but I ineptly went about trying to look casual by making my first drink non-alcoholic. When I found out that the stiff ones cost the same as the non, my second ended up being a screwdriver.  That seems like the drink of an experienced drinker, right?

I'm pretty sure that both Trace and Josh were also in the lineup that night.  While Joel was on he went into a balloon animal routine and asked for suggestions from the crowd.  I said snake and then someone else yelled snake and Joel brought that person up for a little nun puppet boxing to put him in his place.  That could have been me.  I cannot imagine that Joel would not have called me out if it were, being so obviously not of age.  I consider it a dodged bullet.

Less than a month later I was watching the first episode of MST3K on snowy UHF down in Cannon Falls.  I sat through as many episodes as I could catch which featured Gamera and the Thunderbirds puppets among others.  Then the show moved on to the Comedy Channel, which the shitty cable company in Madison never carried, so I didn't get to see it again until Sci Fi picked it up late in the game.  Since then I've recorded many episodes and bought many tapes and disks.  I also re-upped in the fanclub, though I had joined way back in the day, being member sixty something.  (I actually called in to the club to try to reclaim my original standing but it seems someone else was in my place.  I have only my memory and faded card to prove how I was robbed.)  For a brief time there was even an intern in the credits with my name.  I just assume that it was a me from another dimension doing what it was our destiny to do.

After the show's demise I was still hanging on, visiting the Timmy Bighands site and following the other outgrowths with The Film Crew, RiffTrax, and Cinematic Titanic.  In previous posts I've mentioned seeing a total of six CT shows over time, and that will be it since they are calling it quits.  I always catch the RT shows when they do their thing.  

And now, hopefully, this T-day thing keeps happening and none of it ever ends.

The Trip

No doubts at all that this was a fully-rounded success story.  We started at a new pinball joint with the latest Star Trek game to kick the tires on, as well as tasty pizza slices and tender beer.  We got evacuated out of the Metreon with credits still lingering in another game.  We got to sit through two horrible movies with the great Cinematic Titanic....

I should fill in some details here.  First, it was bittersweet knowing that this was the last time I'd see them, yet I was so happy to have the chance. Josh was still unable to perform so Gruber stepped in and I've got to say was frickin' hilarious, as always!  This was another give and take because Josh has elevated himself in my eyes from when I first saw him do standup with Joel on Halloween of 1988 to becoming one of my favorite riffers in this group.  So it was sad not to see him, yet Gruber was awesome, and there were some poison sprinkles in there somewhere.

There were definite technical difficulties throughout the first movie The Doll Squad.  The audio for the movie itself was horrible so that it had to be cranked to hear the dialog over the shitty sound effects, and when the sound effects revved up you lost the riffs.  Many people were unhappy about that.  But then along came Astral Factor and almost all of that was gone and instead we had one of the most solid riff experiences I've ever had with this ensemble.  There was one special effect that tended to get too loud and in the way, but this movie was the perfect cap to the whole experience.  The Doll Squad became a chore for me at times, but this next one just blew all of that away.

I stood in line to give my thanks to the crew, have my Amazing Colossal Episode Guide signed, and get the pic with Joel in the previous post.  Oh yeah, FATGUY SEZ EXCLUSIVE REPORT:  JOEL WATCHES EVERY EPISODE OF ADVENTURE TIME AND ENJOYS IT!  I made sure to ask that question while nervously getting my camera ready for the shot.

The rest of the trip consisted of a day of downtime with lots of lazy football watching followed by a day on the mountain before heading back to where we started for more Star Trek and pizza before I got on that ol' flight home.

Now I'm trying not to twiddle my thumbs away waiting to hear whether I got this job I just applied for.  Really, really want this one.....

I'm Back

The trip was fun, the show was awesome, I'll post more later but I need to go file a report with the cops.  Until then, here is me (with lingering Astral Factor) and The Master:  Joel Hodgson-

NO JOKE!!

Boy, the pace has suddenly picked up around here....

First, my trip to Seattle was an awesome escape. I got to see The Bad Plus many times. One of Branford M.'s albums was titled Crazy People Music. I dig the terminology, and I place this band in that category in my mind. Not that only crazy people would listen to it, but that you have to be nuts to be able to create/play it. These folks are beyond my limited skills of comprehension. If you get the chance, go. Unless you dislike fantastic music.

Cinematic Titanic was a total hoot. Didn't get my DVD signed, but did get a smile of acknowledgement from Trace. Good enough. If you get the chance, go. Unless it's too expensive....a billion dollars would be a little much.

They Won't Stay Dead!! put on another great show at Cloud 9, from whence the above photo comes (thanks, Dan). We'll be doing that again sometime in May, this time on a weekend.

Shows, shows, shows. Both Senior Supermonster and They Won't Stay Dead are playing Bombs Away Cafe on April 18th. Sr. SM is hitting Eugene at Luckey's on the 23rd. Both bands again are playing May Day, Sr.SM's 3rd year doing so. I'll have a formal announcement soon on the website.

April is suddenly a big, crazy month!

Alright already!!!

As January slips away, it's time to get really, really serious about this blog.

Meh. Forget that.

I successfully escaped the state of Oregon for the holidays, which was not easy. Portland has had the worst winter in 40 years, and for 3 days folks had been camped out at the airport. Somehow it didn't snow on the day I had scheduled my trip, though the usual hour and a half bus ride became four and a half instead. I barely made my first flight, then even more barely made my connection in Seattle. I got to pass some poor standby fool who they had given my seat to. Happy Holidays, dude.

So I was able to see my family and friends and all, and by the time I came back things had mellowed weather-wise.

Senior Supermonster made a field trip to Eugene to see my heroes, the Meat Puppets earlier this month, and that was such a killer show.....

The zombie band it racking up the shows for the near future, starting with Valentine's Day at Squirrel's Tavern, followed by St. Pat's at Cloud 9. We dig them saints. They are dead, after all.

I'm also looking forward to March, when I get to see my good friends Scout and Navigator as Scout takes the stage in Seattle for 4 nights in a row with The Bad Plus. This will be epic. Navigator and I will also be checking out a live performance of Cinematic Titanic while they are in town as well, which will engender flashbacks to when we went to see Joel H do standup in The Cities way, way back on Halloween 1988.

So lots of things boiling right now. Sr.SM is still getting together to goof off, and perhaps we'll play a show or two someday. We'll see. I've sent out the tendrills.

Bring on the next month!