Here’s a brief review of “The Comic Galaxy of Mystery Science Theater 3000: Twelve Classic Episodes and the Movies They Lampoon” by Chris Morgan.I need to start this by apologizing that I have waited this long to get to this. The book has been out about a month; I finished it about three weeks ago, and life has intervened since then.
In any case, I would like to recommend this book to anyone who enjoys MST3K, including casual fans. I would also recommend it to loved ones of MST3K fans, who don’t embrace the show and wonder why the person they love is so devoted to it. This book will help explain.
It’s hard for me to express how much I enjoyed reading this book, and how much that surprised me. I have no concrete reason to be surprised, of course, since I don’t think I’ve read Morgan’s writing before. It’s more that I approach all attempts to write about MST3K with a certain amount of (often well-justified) trepidation. Most attempts to explain what the show “means” leave me cold, and I feel like they miss the point.
I was feeling that trepidation when I started reading this, and in only a few paragraphs, that feeling evaporated. To fully explain this sensation, I need to recall a comment made at a “Museum of TV” panel back in – memory is failing but I’m going to say ’95. Somebody asked what they thought of the movie “Ed Wood.” They all gushed a bit and Trace said something I’ll always remember: “We felt like it was written specifically for us.”
Similarly, the more I read of Morgan’s book, the more I got the feeling that Morgan was speaking specifically to ME.
Morgan has adopted just the right tone, light and offbeat one minute and earnest the next. His observations about the show are often original and spot-on. Reading this, I was in that extremely pleasant situation of actually looking forward to what Morgan’s book would say next.
In his book, Morgan has selected 12 “experiments,” one from each season, plus the movie. In each chapter he examines the movie itself and discusses what was going on at BBI while that show was being shot, and also places that episode into the context of the season it was in. I’m not sure I would have selected the same 12 episodes if I was doing it, but these work.
My scant negative observation: Somebody used to sell a T-shirt that read: “MST3K: I get it (mostly)” and that quote is apt here. Very occasionally, Morgan expresses bafflement over a riff (or a series of riffs) and it’s fairly clear the point of the joke has just gone over his head. But that’s rare, and mostly Morgan impressed me with the depth of his understanding of the writing team’s creative process.
So if you are looking for a light quick read about the best TV show ever, this one’s got my thumbs-up.
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I’m definitely going to put this on my wish list, but right now, $29.95 for a paperback leaves me a bit surprised. Not that authors don’t deserve the pay — it’s just my old age speaking. I still think good jeans should cost $10 and a paperback book should be 99 cents (and while I’m in my crochety mode, hey, you damn kids, get off my lawn). But hey, it’s just a book; I should really just relax.
For a quick glance, the twelve classic eps covered are:
Gamera
The Crawling Eye
Catalina Caper
Pod People
Manos: The Hands of Fate
Mitchell
Kitten with a Whip
Laserblast
Space Mutiny
Hobgoblins
Soultaker
Danger: Diabolik
and that includes many of my personal faves (but what, no Werewolf???).
Thanks for the review — we’ve got book sign!!
This does sound relevant to my interests. In retrospect, it’s the sort of thing i would have dreamt up not expecting anyone to actually produce it.
Sampo, you might go ahead and post this review over on Amazon. It looks like he doesn’t have any yet!
MSTie, i know what you mean about $, but i have to assume it’s for a smaller audience than will get you economy of scale. And i’ll probably go for the e-book–i’m finally trying to keep my books from burying me.
You can also get it as a Barnes and Noble Nook Book for $13.99. You can get a free app from Barnes & Noble to read it on your laptop or other tablet.
Thanks, bad wolf and Joel Lillo. For books to own I prefer a hard copy. I’m not a total Luddite — whee, look at me, using the internets — I love my iPad and get library books on it all the time.
For perspective, hubby and I can easily spend more than $30 on an evening out for pizza & beer, so there’s that. Yes, the more I think about it the more I want to buy this. Thanks again, Sampo!
“So if you are looking for a light quick read about the best TV show ever, this one’s got my thumbs-up.”
There’s a book about Space Ghost Coast to Coast?
ha…
“Get off my land, dang smoochers!”
Well, you sold me. If memory serves, I was not alone in dismissing this book when its existence was first reported here, based solely on the blurb provided by (presumably) the publisher. But if the Sampo approves that’s more than good enough for me.
And you should absolutely submit your review to Amazon. Y’know, you should maybe think about getting into writing professionally. ;-)
By the way, are any of the other treatises I see on Amazon (“In The Peanut Gallery” and “Reading MST3K: Scholarly Approaches”) worth reading? I’m guessing no based entirely on the shudderingly stupid titles, but I’d appreciate an informed opinion.
Does anyone have an exact list of episodes? The list given doesn’t include the movie and has two from season ten.
So, no factual misinformation you could find, Sampo?
Thanks, Sampo. I haven’t been following along as well as I should (as you mentioned, life ‘n stuff) so I really appreciate your review and overview.
MSTie: thanks for the list of eps. Interesting that Kitten with a Whip made the cut as even Mike points out in his intro that it’s not exactly a fan favourite. That said, Sampo’s Theorem DEFINITELY applies here, and I am simply looking forward to reading what looks like a really cool book.
Thanks, Sampo!
My beloved Kitten With A Whip makes the cut for the book! Nice.
Joe Bob Briggs wrote a book that has a chapter on Kitten With A Whip, as well.
Kitten With A Whip is one of John Waters favorite movies. He used to show it to friends on Christmas!
#9: MSTie has the episodes right, he/she just didn’t list the movie. Click “Look Inside” on the Amazon page and scroll down to the table of contents.
Adding it to my Wish List too. Won’t take much more to get free shipping on it, at least.
FWIW this is written by someone who is involved in the MST3K Review podcast Gizmonic Institutes Radio.
If you hadn’t heard of it before, it’s a podcast where two guys are shot into space and forced to watch MST3K.
Recursive, eh?
I read the “Look Inside” section at Amazon and the author cites “Logan’s Run” as inspiration for the robot companions. I think that should be “Silent Running,” as Joel has referenced this movie and not the former on many occasions as an influence on the concept. Not sure if this counts as factual misinformation, but it does appear to be a slight error.
Looks like an entertaining read.
Looks like mentioning the book here has driven it out of stock at Amazon.
Wow you get to read about 11 classic episodes… and Kitten with a Whip.
This is when “temporarily out of stock” is a good thing; i.e., it’s popular!
I’m cheap, I wanted to get this at my local library but they don’t have it and although they can order it from any library system in the state no one in Ohio has it.
I’d not heard of this until now, so thanks, Sampo! I just ordered it for my Kindle.
Greetings all,
This is Chris Morgan, author of the book. I just want to say thanks to Sampo for the kind words, and also just let people know that the reason the book is a bit pricy is that the publisher does mostly academic type books with niche audiences and what have you, and that means doing things pricier, evidently. I’d love to write a book that could be sold at a cheaper rate, and if enough people buy this book, maybe I will get the chance. Although I am in talks with this same publisher for a new book.
Also if I did indeed write Logan’s Run instead of Silent Running, I apologize for my idiocy. This is a shameful chapter in human history. (I am being hyperbolic to be self-deprecating, not to be condescending. I don’t want to run the risk of being misconstrued on the internet.
Actually, this is not the case. You are probably thinking of my friend Seth Macy, whom I do a podcast with about 90s pop culture. If I may be so bold, and if anybody is interested, you can find that here: http://supertotallyawesome.com/existentialparachutepants/
You will have to wade through my daily blog posts to do it that way, but the RSS feed is navigable, and we are on iTunes. And we talk about MST3K for our 50th episode.
“Also if I did indeed write Logan’s Run instead of Silent Running”
You did indeed, unless someone made an error in transcription when they created the Amazon preview pages.
Thanks for posting, Chris. I hope you didn’t take my comments as negative criticism. Believe me, I understand the price of books, having worked in the textbook department of a university bookstore! What, a niche pamphlet about Keynesian economics as they relate to NAFTA for $100?? And so forth.
There’s an interesting theory that the price of a new book and that of a good dinner at a moderately-priced restaurant keep pace with each other. I’d much rather have this book than a dinner out and will be buying it soon!
I think I did catch one or two little things, but I can’t remember them now, so they must not have been a big deal.
@ #8: In the Peanut Gallery is mostly a clunker. Richard Sloane’s recounting the making of Hobgoblins was interesting, as was the interview with Joel and Trace. The rest of it was a yawn. At best, the essays were as dry as the Mojave. At worst, they were full of the sort of smug pomposity you can only get from tenured academics (you may have noticed that the two pieces I responded favorably to were not from said academics). The worst of the lot wasn’t even an MST3K essay properly speaking. Rather, it was a spittle-encrusted anti-space program rant that only happened to mention a couple of episodes as support. So definitely check it out from the library first.
Hey, it’s ok, it’s human nature to make mistakes. I tend to ask about these sorts of things because most people when they try to write about the history of a tv series, or movie or cartoon series, there’s mistakes galore, due to shabby research. But if you only made one or two errors, that’s pretty good.
At least you acknowledge them, unlike some other historians. *cough*JeffLenberg*cough*
Sampo; First of all I like to say great job on the new mst3k set that I got last
week. It’s cool to see you have a part in this show we all love so much, and this web
site has played a huge part in keeping us all up to speed with the show and all the people
and what they’re all doing now.
I was wondering even though you maintain this site,would you ever consider a book?
I’d love to see the episode guide from here in book form, I have the one they did years
ago but I’d like to see the set up you have here in book form. I think it would be cool
to put with my DVD collection and if the book was the same shape as a DVD case that would display
well with all the movies.
Wow I had no idea Kitten With a Whip had a reputation for being a disliked episode, I always liked that one!
I would normally be skeptical of something like this but if Sampo approves I trust that it is worth checking out, hopefully it is available for Kindle.
Almost every episode has a reputation for being a disliked episode. And for being a liked episode. ;-)
In some ways, it’s as if the writers in the other two cited books are mocking academia but don’t actually KNOW that that’s what they’re doing. IMHO.
Kitten with a Whip isn’t a bad episode, It’s just not a spectacular one. It seems odd to me that they would pick that one and not something like Red Zone Cuba.
Now if only someone would finally put together Episode Guide: Volume 2. Even a compilation of the Sci-Fi Channel writeups would be welcome but it would be nicer if someone paid some of the cast to write a new book including Season 7 and the Movie.
Not that I’m not a huge fan of the Mike era, but c’mon…the CREATOR and ORIGINAL HOST of the show doesn’t merit a place on the book cover? Pass.
Now there’s a good reason not to buy a book said no one.