Calling All MSTies … Joel Hodgson has Landed

That’s right fans of “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” Joel Hodgson himself will be making a personal appearance at the Greenwich Odeum on September 18 and 19. There will be two nights of events, which will include screenings, Q and A s and a meet-and-greet.

Joel Hodgson is one of the creators and stars of “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” a comedic television show that ran from 1988 until 1999. The early seasons featured Hodgson as a janitor who was launched into space by evil scientists and forced to watch bad movies accompanied only by robot friends he built himself. “MST3K” developed an ever-growing cult fan base and introduced the concept of enjoying and making fun of bad movies to generations of film fans to come.

The weekend’s events include a “Mystery Science Theater 3000” Mini-Marathon on Friday, September 18. “Mystery Science Theater 3000” creator, Joel Hodgson, will host two “MST3K” episodes along with a questions and answers session. The episodes were selected by Joel and represent the best of the TV Series that ran on first Comedy Central and eventually SciFi Network (series ran from 1988 – 1999). The Friday Night “Mini-Marathon Double Feature” Event starts at 8pm and runs until approximately 11:30. And on Saturday, September 19, the Greenwich Odeum presents a VIP meet and greet proceeded by “Riffing Myself” and “Joel’s Favorite Shorts.” With “Riffing Myself,” Joel will dive deep into the history of B-movies, tell the legendary origin story behind “MST3K” and its humble beginnings at local Minneapolis-St. Paul station KTMA TV 23, and Joel’s projects since “MST3K” and what the future holds for Joel and the bots. Get to know the man who provided you with countless laughs on the Satellite of Love alongside Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot. Followed by the added bonus of “Joel’s Favorite Shorts, ” Joel’s handpicked favorite “MST3K” short films.

I was given the opportunity to ask Joel a few questions in preparation for his visit to our state and I chose two questions relative to his appearance and one left fielder.

Josh Gravel (Motif): “Mystery Science Theater 3000″ was a cult hit early on, but did you ever picture the show having a continuously growing cult following?

Joel Hodgson: People often ask if I’m surprised people liked the show “MST3K.” And I contend that you don’t go ahead and make a TV show unless you think a wide audience will like it. However, yes, it’s been 25 years since I created the thing, and it is more famous now than ever. Weird.

JG: Have you ever been to our fair state of RI? And is there anything besides the event that you plan to do while here?

JH: Never been to Rhode Island and I’m very curious about it. Usually, it takes so much of my energy to put these things on I don’t have much left over to do any sight seeing. However, if I’m careful I can land a few meals at some famous eateries. So yeah, I’m a bit of a foodie when I travel.

JG: Someone online posited an interesting question, “Who had a greater influence on movie watching, Roger Ebert or ‘MST3K?’”

JH: Oh, now that is interesting. I think Roger Ebert is clearly in a class by himself. If anything, I’m really proud that “MST3K” exposed a broader audience to the concept of the ironic viewing. I believe it’s critical in today’s media-soaked world that you can take pleasure in watching something that hasn’t been pre-sold to you before you consume it. If it’s done right, movie riffing should be a bit like exploring a haunted house on the dark side of town with some funny friends.

I asked Kevin Muoio, event organizer, about his fandom and getting this event booked. He responded, “As a fan of ‘Mystery Science Theater’ from way back, I was aware from Joel’s Twitter feed that he was taking the ‘MST3K’ show on the road in places like Chicago, LA, Minneapolis, Austin, and Philadelphia and I wanted to bring that action to New England. At the Greenwich Odeum, our performance committee selects our calendar and this is one show that I personally wanted to get on the calendar.”

When asked what he was most excited about in this upcoming weekend he told me, “Without a doubt the Saturday night event, which is really HUGE. It starts off with a VIP-only event (tickets will sell out for this) where people get to meet and greet Joel, take photos, autographs and meet other MSTies. Additionally, all VIP attendees on Saturday will receive exclusive swag (not available for sale, made specifically for the VIP event). After the VIP event, the Saturday night festivities are a combination of the live performance “Riffing Myself“ and classic MST3K goodness “Joel’s Favorite Shorts.” Joel’s one man show “Riffing Myself” will tell the history of “MST3K,” along with his own personal stories, photos and videos. Think Joel Hodgson running a PowerPoint except it will be incredibly amazing. The night also includes a handful of Mystery Science Theater Short Features aka ‘Joel’s Favorite Shorts.’ These were hand-picked by Joel.”

I for one can’t wait to check this out, I wonder if they’ll be selling any hamdingers at the concession stand?

The Mystery Science Theater 3000 weekend will be September 18 and 19 at the Greenwich Odeum located at 59 Main St., East Greenwich, RI 02818. Ticket information can be found at http://theodeum.org.