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Joel Interviewed by TCM

Looks like when Joel was recently in Atlanta he got together with the Turner Classic Movies people for a nice long interview. Here’s part 1.

Thanks to Ken for the heads up.

17 Replies to “Joel Interviewed by TCM”

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  1. BIG61AL says:

    Nice interview. Joel and I, along with lots of other people, being similar in age, were raised in the TV culture of the 60’s & 70’s. I was introduced to a very wide range of movies and personalities. I think this is why MST3K “clicked” with me. I am saddened that a lot of what I viewed back then simply is not TV anymore.

       12 likes

  2. PALADIN says:

    RE: “I am saddened that a lot of what I viewed back then simply is not TV anymore”

    …Yes…These days most tv has to be mean-spirited snark and all about ‘shock’ value.

       11 likes

  3. generalist says:

    Great interview, looking forward to Pt. 2

    Is Joel considered a late Baby Boomer? He was born in 1960 right?

    Personally, I’m a Gen X’er.. 1976. Though I have never quite felt like it. I was raised by the television for all intents and purposes. From an early age of Gene Gene the Dancing Machine to Andy Griffith reruns. I was the type of adolescent that sought out what came before. I was the kind of kid that read Joel Whitburn Billboard books — for fun.

    There’s defintely a unique type of personality that gets MST3K and that may be unlike any other show before it or since. It was made in a way that had almost no interference, of course, so it was able to be a stream of consciousness. But if you were the type of person that isn’t the least bit interested in history or popular culture and were just happy being entertained by any old thing — it was most definitely not a show that would click with you. Rambling, sorry.

       6 likes

  4. Goshzilla says:

    I’m right on the borderline between Gen X and whatever those no-good punks who were born after me call themselves, but I’ve always been drawn to older stuff, too. Having lost my dad too early to have any real memory of him, my earliest father figures were Adam West’s Batman and Shatner’s Captain Kirk (and Optimus Prime too, I guess). There’s probably a interesting psychology thesis in there somewhere…

    Anyway, that gets me wondering about the regulars here on this site. It’s well known that MST3k has an especially wide-ranging fanbase, crossing demographics and spanning generations, so I wonder what the common denominator is? Besides the obvious – it goes without saying that we’re all exceptionally clever, sexy, and generally awesome. 8-)

       12 likes

  5. Interesting that “Eraserhead,” of all things, influenced MST3K in some way!

       4 likes

  6. Ken McElhaney says:

    Ah, my first “notification” to the Satellite News website informing Sampo ‘n crew about this nice interview with Joel. Normally, I would just demand praise and expect deep, unconditional love for my action (I’m kidding…sorta :-D), but instead I’ll just expect a big check from Turner Classic Movies in helping to boost the number of views from “4” when I first saw this video to over “500”. That may not sound like much, but if you see what many of the other TCM videos get in terms of views, it’s amazing :-)

    Oh yea…”baby boomers” can be born as late as 1964…at least from what I’ve read.

       3 likes

  7. Captn Ross Hagen says:

    #4 Goshzilla: I think if had to guess what the common denominator is,it would be a when we were born, what movies, TV,and music helped to shape our lives. Along with a hatred for all that passes for entertainment now. I’ve had enough Reality, Zombies, Vampires, and music stars who act like nasty porn stars because they have no musical talent / song writing skills.
    Or as Bob Dylan said in a song. Whats good is bad, whats bad is good. You’ll find out when you reach the top, you’re on the bottom.

       6 likes

  8. Captn Ross Hagen says:

    The Dylan song was from Blood on the Tracks. The song was Idiot Wind. I think Bob was a Bible reader and was thinking about Isaiah 5:20.
    The title of the song seems to sum up the entertainment we’re being force fed today.

       4 likes

  9. Ralph C. says:

    Yes, Dylan did read the bible but, like many of his songs, it’s not so much what they were saying as much as what feelings and thoughts they evoked and conjured. That time period, when he created Blood On The Tracks, was very emotional and he searched for a different expression, song-wise. He ended up studying with a painter, Norman Rabaen, I believe, and used some painting techniques for songs like “Tangled Up In Blue” where, like a painting, you can look at parts of it separately from the whole painting.

    I liked the video. Wish it was longer. Joel is cool.

       3 likes

  10. PALADIN says:

    That`s the thing that has always struck me about the (now former) Best Brains crew; they were always so accessible. People that you could just talk with. So many people in the entertainment business seem to have ‘an attitude’, but the people behind MST have always been Good People.

       7 likes

  11. Depressing Aunt says:

    Gee, speaking for myself I don’t hate ALL the popular entertainment that’s out now. My enjoyment of Florence + the Machine or Adele doesn’t diminish just because Miley Cyrus exists. (I was born in 1969.)

    That’s a cool interview! I hope to see part 2!

       4 likes

  12. Depressing Aunt says:

    Oops, I mean I’m looking forward to part 2.

       1 likes

  13. Gorn Captain says:

    MST3K would be such a good fit for TCM. They already run weird movies and disturbing shorts as part of TCM Underground on the weekends.

       10 likes

  14. MikeK says:

    Did anyone else notice Joel’s Kenny-like shorts?

    Anyway, this is the kind of interview that I like to hear from Joel. It’s very interesting and I look forward to part 2.

    As, what they call Generation Y, an ’80s kid, I grew up watching a lot of reruns of 1950s and 1960s shows, like Leave it to Beaver, Lassie, Get Smart, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Batman, The Monkees, and others.

       2 likes

  15. Goshzilla says:

    I would totally watch an all-weird-movies-and-disturbing-shorts channel.

    Didn’t the erstwhile Film Crew record intros or station IDs or something for one of the movie channels? What ever became of that, I wonder?

       1 likes

  16. mst3ktemple says:

    Back in 2005 The Film Crew did movie intros for Starz and Encore. They even hosted some movie marathons(aliens and an ’80’s movie weekend). After a while Mike did them with Chase Masterson. I taped most of the intros and loaned out my tapes so that they could be put onto DVD. You should still be able to find them out there.

       2 likes

  17. darthservo says:

    Did anyone else start to get sea sick from the camera motion in the close up shots. Overall a very good Joel interview.

       0 likes

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