Michael J. Nelson

Last updated

Michael J. Nelson
Mike J. Nelson 2011 (5975430730).jpeg
Nelson at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con
Born (1964-10-11) October 11, 1964 (age 59)
St. Charles, Illinois, U.S.
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • writer
Notable work Mystery Science Theater 3000
RiffTrax
Spouse Bridget Jones (m. 1989)
Children2

Michael John Nelson (born October 11, 1964) is an American comedian and writer, most known for his work on the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). Nelson was the head writer of the series for most of the show's original eleven-year run, and spent half of that time as the on-air host, also named Mike Nelson. In addition to writing books, Nelson is currently part of the online movie riffing site RiffTrax, and was previously part of the straight-to-DVD Film Crew with fellow MST3K alumni, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy.

Contents

Early life

Michael John Nelson was born in the Chicago suburb of St. Charles, Illinois. His ancestry is Danish, German, and Irish. [1] [2] He lived in Geneva, Illinois, until the age of twelve, when his family moved to north-western Wisconsin. [3] [4] He studied theatre and music at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, but he left before graduating and moved to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. [3]

Career

Mystery Science Theater 3000

Nelson was working as a waiter at T.G.I. Friday's and doing occasional stand-up comedy when he was offered a job on Mystery Science Theater 3000 , typing the suggestions in the writing room. The writers told him to feel free to make some comments on the movies they were watching, and Nelson impressed them so much with his wit and comedic timing that they made him a staff writer, and, later, head writer. Nelson also appeared frequently in the show's host segments, often playing characters from the movies being mocked such as Torgo from the infamous Manos: The Hands of Fate .

When series creator and host Joel Hodgson decided to leave halfway through the fifth season, he chose Nelson as his replacement, reportedly because he thought Nelson was a natural leader, a gifted comedian, and a gifted muse, and also because Nelson simply looked good standing next to the puppets.[ citation needed ] Nelson remained as host for another five and a half seasons (surviving the show's switching networks from Comedy Central to the Sci-Fi Channel) until the original run ended in 1999.

Post-MST3K

Writing

Since the series ended, Nelson has worked steadily as a writer, publishing several books (as of March 2006): Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese , Mike Nelson's Mind Over Matters and Mike Nelson's Death Rat! , the last being his first novel. His other works include a series of pop-culture humor books, Happy Kitty Bunny Pony, Goth-Icky, and Love Sick, as well as a monthly column for Home Theater Magazine. He also wrote for the short-lived game show Let's Bowl . He has commentary tracks for DVD releases of several films, including Reefer Madness , The Little Shop of Horrors , House on Haunted Hill , Plan 9 from Outer Space , Carnival of Souls , and Night of the Living Dead . With his MST3K co-stars Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, he was part of a comedy team called "The Film Crew", which has created comedy segments for National Public Radio. The first Film Crew DVD, Hollywood After Dark , was released July 10, 2007, and three more followed in the months after.

Nelson (left) and Mystery Science Theater 3000 co-star Kevin Murphy at a convention panel in Metairie, Louisiana, November 1998. MST3KNelsonMurphy98.jpg
Nelson (left) and Mystery Science Theater 3000 co-star Kevin Murphy at a convention panel in Metairie, Louisiana, November 1998.

Legend Films | RiffTrax

In 2006, Nelson was appointed Chief Content Producer for Legend Films. He is responsible for building and leading the company's creative content, providing continuous commentaries, and developing other premium web-based programming. "I'm very excited. Legend Films is such a great fit for me—talented people who consistently put out a great product. Plus, there are Flaming Hot Cheetos in the lunch room vending machine. That made it an easy choice to join the team," enthused Nelson. [5]

One of the projects put together by Nelson and Legend Films was RiffTrax, a website offering the purchase of downloadable audio commentaries once again costarring two former MST3K cast members Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett. The first commentary made available through the service was for Road House . In a September 2006 interview, Nelson said he felt that Rifftrax may be the closest thing to a reunion of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 team. [6] In 2016, additional MST3K alumni, Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, and Frank Conniff, all appeared for a live reunion at the State Theatre in Minneapolis with Nelson, Murphy and Corbett. They were also joined by the newest host, Jonah Ray. [7]

Voice work

In 2013, Nelson agreed to do voiceover work for Armikrog . [8] Nelson voices the lead character, Tommynaut. [9]

Podcasts

In 2016, Nelson and David Berge started the podcast Like Trees Walking. They look at life and faith from a Christian perspective, with a lightly humorous, offbeat approach.

Since 2017, he has created, with Conor Lastowka, the podcast 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back , which analyses books of contested quality. [10]

Personal life

Nelson has described the role of Christianity in his family as "the very centerpiece of our lives. We're heavily involved in our church, my wife works with youth groups and churches as her profession, and almost every career and life decision I make depends upon it." He studies Christian apologetics and cites William Lane Craig and C.S. Lewis as influences. [11]

Nelson has suffered from chronic debilitating headaches for most of his adult life; he wrote a short piece about his experience for the New York Times in 2007. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Mystery Science Theater 3000</i> American science fiction comedy television series

Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then moved to nationwide broadcast, first on The Comedy Channel/Comedy Central for seven seasons until its cancellation in 1996. Thereafter, it was picked up by The Sci-Fi Channel and aired for three more seasons until another cancellation in August 1999. A 60-episode syndication package titled The Mystery Science Theater Hour was produced in 1993 and broadcast on Comedy Central and syndicated to TV stations in 1995. In 2015, Hodgson led a crowdfunded revival of the series with 14 episodes in its eleventh season, first released on Netflix on April 14, 2017, with another six-episode season following on November 22, 2018. A second successful crowdfunding effort in 2021 produced 13 additional episodes shown on the Gizmoplex, an online platform that Hodgson developed which launched in March 2022. As of 2023, 230 episodes and a feature film have been produced as well as three live tours.

<i>Manos: The Hands of Fate</i> 1966 American film

Manos: The Hands of Fate is a 1966 American independent no-budget supernatural folk horror film written, directed, and produced by Harold P. Warren. It stars Tom Neyman, John Reynolds, Diane Mahree, and Warren. The film follows a family getting lost during their vacation road trip through the Texas desert and becoming stranded at the lodge of a polygynous pagan cult led by the Master who decides their fate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Hodgson</span> American writer, comedian and television actor

Joel Hodgson is an American writer, comedian and television actor. He is best known for creating Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) and starring in it as the character Joel Robinson. In 2007, MST3K was listed as "one of the top 100 television shows of all time" by Time.

<i>Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie</i> 1996 American film

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie is a 1996 American science fiction comedy film and a film adaptation of the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, produced and set between the series' sixth and seventh seasons. It was distributed by Universal Pictures and Gramercy Pictures and produced by Best Brains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Murphy (actor)</span> American actor and writer

Kevin Wagner Murphy is an American actor and writer best known as the voice and puppeteer of Tom Servo on the Peabody Award-winning comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000. Murphy also records audio commentary tracks with Michael J. Nelson and Bill Corbett for Nelson's RiffTrax website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trace Beaulieu</span> American comedian, puppeteer, writer, and actor

Trace Beaulieu is an American comedian, puppeteer, writer, and actor. He is known for his roles on Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) as well as his work with MST3K's successor Cinematic Titanic with the original creators and cast of MST3K.

Mary Jo Pehl is an American writer, actress, and comedian. She is best known for her various roles on the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Bridget Jones Nelson, also credited as simply Bridget Jones or Bridget Nelson, is an American screenwriter and actor for Mystery Science Theater 3000. She worked as a contributing writer for the show before becoming a full-time writer in season 4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Conniff</span> American actor

Frank Conniff Jr. is an American writer, actor, comedian and producer, who is best known for his portrayal of TV's Frank on Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). He is the son of journalist and editor Frank Conniff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Corbett</span> American actor

William DanielCorbett is an American writer and performer for television, film and theatre. He was a writer and performer on the cult television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K), for which he voiced Crow T. Robot during the show's later seasons on the Sci Fi Channel. During that time, he also played the character Observer, along with other minor roles.

Legend Films is a San Diego–based company founded in August 2001. The company specializes in the conversion of feature films, both new release and catalog titles, and commercials from their native 2D format into 3-D film format utilizing proprietary technology and software. The company started business providing restoration and colorization of classic black-and-white films for DVD, HDTV and theatrical release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Film Crew</span> Comedic team

The Film Crew was a comedy team which succeeded Mystery Science Theater 3000 that launched in 2004. The Film Crew comprised former MST3K cast members Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy. The team produced segments for television, radio, and home video. They hosted Legend Films' colorized Three Stooges DVD release, which packaged the four Stooge shorts that have fallen into the public domain: Disorder in the Court (1936), Malice in the Palace (1949), Sing a Song of Six Pants, and Brideless Groom.

<i>Mr. B Natural</i> 1956 short film sponsored by C. G. Conn company directed by Phil Patton

Mr. B Natural is a short sponsored film produced in 1956 by Kling Film Productions for the C.G. Conn Company, directed by Phil Patton. It is also the name of the film's main character, played by Betty Luster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RiffTrax</span> American audio company

RiffTrax is an American company that produces scripted humorous commentary tracks which are synced to feature films, education shorts, and television episodes. With the talents of former Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) cast members and writers, RiffTrax also produces several live shows each year which are broadcast to movie theaters. The style of commentating originated from MST3K, their earlier television series, in which they would similarly mock films aloud while watching them. As of September 2024, RiffTrax has riffed 554 feature films, 488 short films, and 16 TV episodes.

A Word to the Wives is a 1955 sponsored comedy film directed by Norman Lloyd and starring Marsha Hunt and Darren McGavin.

<i>Escape from the Bronx</i> 1983 Italian film

Escape from the Bronx, also known as Bronx Warriors 2 in the United Kingdom and Escape 2000, is a 1983 Italian action film directed by Enzo G. Castellari. It was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000 under its Escape 2000 name. It is a sequel to 1990: The Bronx Warriors.

The Adventures of Edward the Less is a 2001 animated fantasy comedy web series created by the former cast of the popular cult TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000 for SciFi.com, the Sci Fi Channel website. It tells the story of Edward, a Pudge who reluctantly embarks on a quest to destroy a magic token before it falls into the hands of the evil Dark Person.

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J'ai rencontré le Père Noël is a 1984 French musical science fiction fantasy film directed by Christian Gion and co-written with Didier Kaminka. It stars Karen Cheryl, who was a popular singer at that time in France, as both the schoolteacher and as the Fairy. She acts and sings musical numbers in the film, an opportunity for Cheryl to repeatedly sing simple melodies, in line with the plot.

References

  1. ↑ "10 Quick Questions With ... MST3K and Rifftrax's Mike Nelson". Science Channel . Retrieved October 11, 2009.
  2. ↑ Baenen, Jeff (May 26, 2002). "Life After Bad Movies: Mike Nelson Puts Mind Over Matter". Ocala Star-Banner .
  3. 1 2 "Michael J. Nelson biography". Michaeljnelson.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2002. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  4. ↑ Johnson, Brett (August 14, 2009). "Plan 9' on the roasting spit". Ventura County Star.
  5. ↑ Legend Films, Inc. (July 10, 2006). "Michael J. Nelson Named Producer at Legend Films". PR Newswire. Retrieved January 3, 2007.
  6. ↑ The Flux.tv (September 28, 2006). "Mike Nelson of MST3K Fame Stops In". TheFlux.tv. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved January 3, 2007.
  7. ↑ "RiffTrax Live: MST3K Reunion". June 27, 2016.
  8. ↑ Kickstarter (June 20, 2013). "Q & A with Michael J. Nelson" . Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  9. ↑ ScrewAttack (June 19, 2013). "Bryan the intern speaks with Doug TenNapel about his upcoming game, Armikrog". Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Home". 372pages.com.
  11. ↑ Mayerson, Ginger; Sutton, Laurel (2005). "Interview with Lincoln Heights Literary Society". Liheliso.com. Lincoln Heights Literary Society.
  12. ↑ Nelson, Michael J. (June 10, 2007). "A Head Case". The New York Times.
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