Q (Forrest):  First, I want to thank you, Josh, because it really means a lot to us fans that you're willing to share your MST3K memories with us.  We’ll start with this: What was more fun to do, make up lines on the spot as you did in KTMA episodes, or writing the jokes ahead of time?

A:  It was definitely more fun to improvise – primarily because it meant watching a really crappy movie once instead of six or seven times.  Less work = more fun.  However, just like all improv, it’s more fun to be the one doing it than it is to watch.

Q (Forrest):  What was your favorite episode to do?  Which was the most painful to do?

A:  Sorry, my memories just aren’t that specific. (It’s been 14 years and several hundred episodes of other shows I’ve worked on since).  I remember we resorted to heavy use of alcohol in writing Untamed Youth, starring the ever-undulating Mamie Van Doren.  I guess that was my favorite painful one.

Q (Forrest):  What do you think of the newer episodes (any of them after Season One)?  Which are your favorites, if any?

A:  I saw the show only in bits and pieces, and my cable system to this day doesn’t carry the Sci-Fi Channel.  What I saw was funny, I just never watched a whole episode, I kind of knew what was going to happen. Certainly the show improved after my departure, perhaps even because of it.  Most good shows do improve over time, at least for the first few seasons ’til it’s shark-jumpin’ time.

Q (Forrest):  If MST3K were to ever be put back on the air, would you consider writing for it again?

A:  Even if it was put back on the air, I have a feeling my invitation might get lost in the mail.

Q (Forrest):  What was the most rewarding part of playing Tom Servo?

A:  I’d have to say it would be all the time I spent with my face that near Hodgson’s ass.

Q (Forrest):  When you first met Joel Hodgson, and he told you about his idea for Mystery Science Theater 3000, what was your reaction?

A:  I’d known Joel for a couple of years before MST came up.  When he asked me to do it, I’m sure my reaction was something like “Yeah sure, I’d love to... now what are we doing again?  Oh, robots mocking movies, of course!”

Q (Forrest):  What was your favorite television show to work on?

A:  The most pleasant show to work on was called My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star (13 episodes for the WB).  A fantastic group of people involved.  The most creatively satisfying was Freaks and Geeks.

Q (Forrest):  How long did it take for fans’ response to MST3K in the KTMA years?

A:  As soon as we put up a phone number onscreen, the answering machine was filled by the next morning with the praise of pioneering Misties.

Q (Forrest):  Are there any odd or amusing experiences that you’ve had with fans of the MST3K or any other show you’ve worked on that you are willing to share?

A:  I was made an honorary member of a Star Trek Fan Club once.  I still have the certificate, and being an “honorary” fan has relieved me of the duty of watching the show like an “actual” fan would.  Seeing as how I’m pretty much just an answer to an MST trivia question, my contact with fans has been minimal.  The panel at Columbia U. in 2001 was the only fan event I had ever been to.  I met a lot of very nice and enthusiastic people and got to impress my wife and friends by signing a lot of autographs.

Q (Forrest):  What is the funniest thing you’ve ever seen?

A:  Well, it was the question about whose Tom Servo would win in a fight, but since that’s been replaced, it’s hard to say.

(Forrest’s note on this last question: “Originally, I asked Josh Weinstein if his Servo and Kevin Murphy’s Servo were to get into a fight, which one would win?  But I deleted it because it was awkward.”)

On To Part 2 of the Interview with Josh “J. Elvis” Weinstein

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