Thank you, Mike, for this interview opportunity – we’re all fans and really appreciate the time you’re taking for this.  Forrest has already given you the first half of the questions, so these are the second half from the rest of the gang...

Q (Don):  One thing I find amazing about MST is how well it holds up despite its reliance on Pop Cultural references that can easily be so topical that the humor could be completely lost over the years. (For example, any Johnny Carson monologue.)  Was there an effort made in the writing for the show to try to steer clear of references to far-too-topical subjects and instead reference Pop Cultural icons that have stood the test of time?

A:  Yes, that was a conscious choice and one that probably sparked the most arguments in the writing room.  Luckily, we had the model of Saturday Night Live reruns on and knew how painful it could be to watch references age badly. (Despite how it sounds, I don’t mean that as a slam against SNL – that was designed to be topical, disposable comedy.  Our show was meant to rerun so we had to make sure it aged.)

Q (Josh):  Also, riffs in the show referencing previous MST episodes declined during the Sci-Fi Channel years.  Was this a conscious decision, and, if so, why?

A:  Yes, we knew that people wouldn’t necessarily be able to see the old shows, so it didn’t make any sense.  Also, we knew in advance that the shows wouldn’t air in order, so it could end up being confusing.  But then again, maybe I’m making it all up and we just forgot to do references like that.

Q (Don):  Back in June 2001, I attended a MST round chair reunion at Columbia University that was just short of perfection because it had most of the major BBI cast, but you unfortunately couldn’t attend.  The attendance at the event was good and the audience response to it was so strong that another such event would surely be just as well received.  Are there any plans in the works for another MST cast reunion?

A:  Not that I know of, but then I wasn’t aware there was one in New York... Hmm. (I kid.)

Q (Don):  At this same reunion, when asked, Joel named I Accuse My Parents as his favorite movie that he did on the show.  So directing this same question to you, which movie from the show is your personal favorite (if you have one)?

A:  They were all very painful to write, so it’s tough for me to answer that.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved the job, but you watched these movies so slowly, so repetitively that you ended up getting quite angry at the films.  Writers would often shoot out of their chairs and hold their middle fingers up against the TV.  Really, it happened at least once a writing session. (Though really, it was about 85 per cent fun and laughter and 15 per cent pain.)  That being said, I remember having a lot of fun writing Riding with Death.  “You’re as elusive as Robert Denby,” is one of my favorite lines in any movie.

Q (Josh):  Are there any odd or amusing experiences you’ve had with fans of the show over the years that you’d be willing to share?

A:  Well, this reflects badly on me, but here goes: One night I was doing a book signing at a comic book store once, kind of working the crowd, joking with people waiting in line, the mood was buoyant and I was feeling real pleased with myself for making this a great event for the fans.  A kid comes up to me wearing a pair of dark sunglasses.  Of course I say, “Boy, you got to watch out for that bright moon, huh? It’s a killer.”  He says, “Yeah, real funny. I have a congenital eye disease. I have to wear these.”  The mood dies.  People hate me.  I sign in silence. (Maybe it wasn’t that bad, but it felt like that.)

Q (Josh):  If you had the opportunity to design an action figure of any character featured in any MST3K movie, who (or what) would it be and why?

A:  Dropo from Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.  Then I could burn him in acid and pull his arms off.

Q (Josh):  This is obviously a hypothetical question, but if somehow MST3K was picked up for a full season of new episodes and you had an opportunity to return again as host, would you want to do it?

A:  It was just a heck of a lot of fun, so yes, I would. (It would be for $3 million dollars, right?)

Q (Don):  Now that you are out of television and in a new career as an author; on the one hand, such a switch would seem to be an ideal change for some people, with more creative freedom as well as more control over the end results.  But I also think of the opposite view, as seen in the career of the late, great Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), who also switched from TV (and radio) to being an author, but hated the pressures of writing due to the solo “locked-in-a-room” nature of the work and really missed working in a collaborative environment.  So finally getting around to the question I want to ask:  How have you adjusted to the switch of being an author working alone as opposed to working within a group, and has it been a difficult change?

A: Well, I completely empathize with Mr. Adams – it is very difficult to do solitary work.  It is simply not fun to sit in a room by oneself trying to write things that will make other people laugh.  It has its own rewards, but they are much different than collaborative writing.  That is why I aim for a balance between the two.  For the record, I have never laughed once while writing my books (which I think speaks well of my sanity.)

Q (Don & Shawn):  Your first two books (Movie MegaCheese, Mind Over Matters) were comprised of a number of short essays, while your third book, Death Rat!, is an actual novel.  How much more challenging was it to write compared to your earlier works?  Or, in other words, which was more difficult: coming up with enough essays for a complete book, or writing a full-length novel?

A:  They are both difficult, and to be honest, I didn’t find writing the novel any more challenging than the essays.  But I do have to say that it’s much easier to tell people I just came out with a novel than it is to say, “I write humorous essays.”  If there’s a duller sentence in all of English, I’d be hard pressed to say what it is.  Perhaps, “Every now and then I enjoy a nice baked good.”

Q (Shawn):  We all loved the short-lived Timmy Big Hands website.  Are there any plans for the essays and critiques from that site to be collected in book form for the fans?

A:  Unfortunately, no. We thought about it, but found that publishers were reluctant to publish stuff that had already been available free of charge.

Q (Josh):  One last question, you encounter Joe Don Baker in a dark alley one night; he recognizes you from the show and tells you to “go ahead on” – what do you do?

A:  I’d make him a patty melt.  Then I’d throw it at him and run.

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