Get ready for a hurricane to wisecracks and riffs as the cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000 reunites for the RiffTrax Live event “RiffTrax Live: MST3K Reunion Show” June 28th, 2016!
RiffTrax core performers Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett invite MST3K alumni and pioneers MST3K Creator Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, Mary Jo Pehl, Bridget Nelson, and one of the newest additions to the MST3K family and host of the upcoming revived series, Jonah Ray to the stage for this live Fathom event broadcasting to theaters all over the country.
This past week, RiffTrax held a media teleconference interview with Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbertt, Trace Beaulieu, and Jonah Ray, and we learned more about the upcoming event and what these core performers are preparing themselves for.
On the subject of what we’ll see in this landmark event the discussion opened on the topic of shorts and short educational and public service films. When asked if the allure of these short in the world of riffing and the inclusion of quite a few to this live event, Kevin Murphy offered this explanation:
“I think I love them because they’re just so – they seem at this point in time to have come from another planet and it’s like Lost or How To Live Your Life that is imposed by creatures from another civilization or another time. So, they also end up sounding very silly and very weird and filled with rules on how you should or should not run your life. And they’re so serious that they’re, like, the perfect straight man for us.”
Trace Beaulieu added to Kevin’s explanation with:
“I like that they’re short”.
Be it a short film or a feature length movie, the art of Riffing takes a lot of work and collaboration. On the subject collaborating once again after having spent decades a part on other project, Bill Corbett had this to say:
“It’s going to be rough. I won’t lie to you.”
Trace Beaulieu added:
“I don’t think we ever stepped away – we all carried it with us. We all got that DNA on us from the same womb and we’re now carrying it with us into other projects that are all very similar.”
And Kevin Murphy rounded out the answer by adding:
“It’s true. And it’s funny, when I talked to Trace or Mary Jo or Bridget or Frank or any of the folks involved, there’s a kind of shorthand we have when it comes to actually doing the stuff that we all know. So, I think we haven’t really actually collaborated yet for the show. So, it’s hard to comment. But when we do, I anticipate that it’s going to be kind of easy, because we all know sort of each other beasts and each other’s shorthand.”
Though RiffTrax may currently may be most prolific with their large library of studio recorded riffs, their live shows are increasing in number. With the ever increasing number of Fathom event theater broadcasts becoming more accessible these events are gaining popularity with each release. On the subject of a preference between the live performances or studio recordings, Kevin Murphy had this to say:
“Well, I love them both, but for different reasons. The studio versions that we do are not nearly as terrifying as doing it on stage. And doing the live event like we do, it is live and it’s going out to 600 or 700 theaters in the States alone and 100 or more theaters in Canada, and anything could go wrong and it could go off the rails. And once the film starts, there’s no stopping the train. It’s really a crazy thing. And so, that’s rather terrifying, but at the same time, it’s incredibly energizing and it’s really fun to do what we do on stage. It’s gratification from doing – the interaction with the audience makes it more like a drug than doing it in the studio. And doing it in the studio is like a nice cup of herbal tea; whereas, doing it on stage is like pure black heroin. It’s that much fun.”
Bill Corbett was asked to follow-up on the subject of performing live and added the following:
“Do I have to accept Kevin’s drug metaphor? I love the live shows, even aware as I am that they’re actually live live. The first time we did that, that was weird because nothing is live live these days. But I just love it.”
NEOZAZ was fortunate enough to have been invited to this teleconference, and our very own Lou Caltabiano sat in and took this opportunity to learn more about the new generation of MST3K by asking Jonah Ray how and if his riffing on TV, movies, and commercials has increased now he’s joined the crew. Johan shared this answer:
“Yeah. Any athlete has to train on their off time to stay in shape. So, I find myself watching stuff like Empire now or Vampire Diaries just to kind of keep my mind firing in that way. But, yeah, it’s like it’s kind of you can’t turn if off sometimes. When you spend a day just trying to dissect every single acting choice or edit choice or music cue, you can’t help but bring that homework, or that work home with you when you’re watching TV. So, yeah, it’s a bit hard to turn it off. My wife is consistently irritated and delighted.”
As most fans of both RiffTrax and MST3K are aware, Kickstarter played a large role in the revival of MST3K and the RiffTrax MST3K reunion show. When asked about the phenomenal success for both campaigns, Kevin Murphy has this to say:
“If it taught me anything is that people are they’re willing to bet and are pretty confident that they’ll get their money’s worth back out of whatever it is we do, whether it’s the new Mystery Science Theater or whether it’s RiffTrax. And so, that’s, in a way, it feels like a bit of an obligation, but it’s also, for me, motivation just to make our stuff the funniest it can possibly be.”
This one night only performance takes place June 28th at the birthplace of Mystery Science Theater 3000, Minneapolis, MN. For ticket information place visit: http://RiffTrax.com/MST3KreunionLIVE
Satellite Broadcasts of the live performance will take place at hundreds of Movie Theater across the US also on June 28th. For locations and tickets, please visit: http://RiffTrax.com/MST3Kreunion
An encore presentation broadcast will take place July 12th. For locations and tickets, please visit: http://RiffTrax.com/MST3Kencor
Thank for RiffTrax and the RiffTrax marketing team to allowing us the opportunity to be part of this teleconference interviews. Lou himself summed it up best with:
“I was stoked just for the opportunity to talk to four guys who have made me laugh countless times. MST3K is one of the funniest shows ever to air and I’m so excited for the reboot.“