Turns out they did (mostly), and some of their recollections may surprise you.
And all three had some thoughts about how — and even IF — fans should approach watching the KTMA episodes. I thought they were pretty interesting to read.
Read the entire interview here, and then offer your thoughts.
Also, I’m hoping to do a part 2, with more questions about the second half of the KTMA era, later in the year (and I may have a question or two for Kevin as well). If you have a question about that era, post them here and I will include the best ones in the second installment.
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Fasinating interview! I completely agree with everything they said. When these episodes originally aired on KTMA, the sense of it being spontaneous came through to us Minnesota viewers quite clearly. Watching something grow in front of you on a weekly basis was part of the appeal. There were goof-ups and awkward moments of silence (both in and out of the theater) but instead of getting the sense we were watching a television show, it really was like being there and hanging out with a couple of friends; friends who had their good days and their bad days. That’s why I’m one of those few thousand people who fall into a fifth reason for watching the KTMA episodes: to remember good times gone by. :)
I was surprised by the story about Servo’s first name. I distinctly remember vending machines in the mid 198Os with the “Thom Servo” label on them. Of course, I assumed that’s where Tom got his name and seemed like a cute joke. When I read Josh’s recollection, I am now scratching my head?? Not that Josh is wrong but I am left wondering if in fact there were snack vending machines as I described? If anyone else can confirm these machines please give a shout out? Thanks.
This is a great interview. Thanks for securing it Sampo.
Thank you, that was an interesting and enjoyable interview. There are KTMA episodes floating around on the internet and I find them very sweet. You really can see how the whole show started coming together.
Cool interview.
Nice to see we most likely finally got an answer to why Servo was gone in the theater segments of K05 – Gamera.
I actually have two questions, if you guys could possibly post them in:
1. This is for all three guys, in general: “Beeper” is mentioned in K01 – Invaders from the Deep, but us fans don’t know if he was still the same robot from the pilot episode or not. Jim (since he has a copy of the episode) doesn’t have to post another clip from that episode on the Mst3k website, but is it possible he could take a screen shot from a host segment containing the robot (if he does appear in any)? It would be really appreciated for us fans. Thanks.
2. This one is for Josh: I noticed in K02 – Revenge of the Mysterions from Mars, Servo has a bit of a laid-back, hipster voice which seems to only last for that episode (the next episode apparently has Servo’s Pee-Wee Herman-type voice). Do you remember if you also didn’t like that type of voice, so you decided to switch to the Pee-Wee Herman voice? If you can’t remember, I guess Joel or Trace could answer, if they can also remember.
Cool interview overall. Hope you guys can answer these questions. Thanks :)
Agreed with everyone here – really enjoyable interview for the hardcore fans to read. Given the level of detail in the interview, it prompted two additional questions for me that I would love to ask the guys.
First, in one of the “Invaders from the Deep” clips that Jim posted to mst3k.com (the “well-lit crater” riff), it sounds like Josh is doing Crow’s voice. So I wonder how that came about. I’m guessing they were still in the very early experimental stages of who did what.
And second, in “Gamera vs. Barugon,” the back-to-back phone messages about “rude junior high students” and “give me more, more, more” have always sounded to me like they were actually Josh. Or is that just my imagination?
Thanks for the interview, Sampo!
Great interview and interesting insights. I completely understand their comments and concerns about these primorial episodes being viewed now with the inevitable comparison to later, polished efforts.
With that said, I am one of those history-minded fans that thoroughly enjoy watching the development process of the show. That’s why I think seeing those first three epsides would be amazing at seeing how the concept was molded and modeled into what we all came to know and love.
Also, I love the questions listed by Alex and Dirk Squarejaw above. Those are some of my main thoughts too.
1. I need to see and hear Beeper in Invaders From the Deep. Did he change physically and did he have a speaking voice?
2. Why did Josh do Crow’s voice in Revenge of the Mysterons and did Trace have any part in that episode.
3. How was the answering machine idea introduced (presumably during Star Force: Fugitive Alien 2)? Was it during a host segment or did the number just pop up on the screen while they were in the theater?
4. We’ve always heard that Kevin did Cambot’s “voice” in one episode. He screamed through a styrofoam cup and that he sounded kind of like a Dalek. What episode was it and what was the reason for having Cambot talk?
5. I still need to know if they filmed more of the Green Slime for the pilot. Why else would we have a short clip showing the movie title and one riff of Joel saying “that’s no asteroid. It’s a battle station.”
Beautiful. The final comments are exactly what I would have expected them to say and I agree one hundred percent. Heck, I lived in The Cities at the time and watched the show several times. I got a kick out of the concept, which was obviously entirely unique, but it certainly didn’t feel like must see TV. Later, when a friend reintroduced me I was thrilled to see what they’d done with this ingenious thing they’d created and I’ve been a serious fan ever since.
The only reason I ever watch the KTMA episodes is to be able to follow along with the discussion group here. I’ll have it on while I’m folding laundry or something. To me it’s like a film student having to watch a 9 hour, silent german expressionist film for a class (remember that letter?). They don’t really want to do it but it helps them learn what came before and what the medium is capable of…good and bad.
As Josh basically said, if you want to see what the show was SUPPOSED to be – start with season one. If you want to see it in an embryonic, not fully realized condition, watch the KTMA episodes.
Obsuludely fussinading. I can almost sense Joel’s “Really, don’t watch this stuff, it looks terrible in hindsight” embarrassment. But I remember Elvira had done something similar once upon a time and thought “Why doesn’t she just do this all the time?” It wasn’t an alien concept even then, but it’s true that there’s no way anyone could have predicted it would turn into the art form it is now.
I do always certainly understand when people don’t want you to watch/view your old writing/shows/art… I think the comparison made in the first ACEP to Stephen King releasing a book about a zombie dog he wrote in middle school summed it all up right there. I myself can only sit through a KTMA episode only once, and that’s even if I’m using it as background noise.
Of course, there’s the irony that TK Dye is still probably wishing he can see MY old middle school comics which I banished from the Internets…I pretty much say all the same things about their quality, and more.
I have only watched 4 episodes from the KTMA season on DVD’s I bought. You could say it was ‘primative” compared to later seasons. It was always a low budget show but that year was almost a no budget show. They hadn’t hit their stride in how to riff movies like they mastered later on. It was still fun seeing how a good show got it’s start.
Good interview. That’s what I thought, that they just didn’t care (but in a good way, that the format was loose, not that they didn’t care if it was good or not). I’d like to hear more from Trace if you do a part 2, and I too would like to hear about Cambot’s speaking appearance, especially if you get Kevin.
Oh, one thing I forgot- they all gave good advice for KTMA viewing but I liked Josh’s best. Just my personal preference, nothing against Joel or Trace.
@ MST3KTemple, Cambot speaking occurs in the episode that doesn’t feature Joel.
My question isn’t really KTMA-related… well it kind of is:
In K13-SST Death Flight, Faye Burkholder did a voice that was supposed to be Gypsy doing Marilyn Monroe (actually it’s Servo throwing his voice). Faye is also the recording artist in 303-Pod People. Whatever became of Faye Burkholder? She’s one of those people from the early years of MST3K that sort of disappeared into obscurity.
Okay, another one:
In a few of these KTMA episodes, Crow’s and Servo’s necks extend. This didn’t really happen once the show moved to Comedy Central. Why was this attribute taken away? Too lessen complications with the puppeteering?
Does Kevin still have the “I hate Tom Servo’s New Voice” banner?
Several films such as the Gamera films, and Fugitive Alien were redone in Season 3. Are there any other movies from the KTMA era that you would like to have redone (I would have liked a redo of Phase IV and SST Death Flight)? Did you ever attempt to obtain the rights to thos other films, but found out you couldn’t. Hangar 18 is public domain I think.
@#14, Kevin does in fact still have the banner. He showed it at Dragon*Con, at the Servo Vs. Servo panel.
Great interview! Answered a lot of my questions I had about the KTMA era, looking forward to a second part.
Only real question I have that MST3Ktemple hasn’t already asked, is, which KTMA movie would you guys want to redo at Cinematic Titanic if given the chance?
Wow. I have never been more disappointed with these guys in my life. I’m unhappy that they would discourage the viewing of the KTMAs. It’s a kind of arrogance that they don’t want their rougher material looked at. It’s the same thing that kept Season One off the air for so long.
Not an attidue I appreciate from any artist. Do the work. Do the best you can. Don’t hide from it later, but embrace the good and groan at the bad. It’s all a part of the whole, guys.
And you can tell them from me, the show was entertaining enough to attract their original, local, rabid fans and it’s still entertaining now, regardless of the “riffs-per-minute”, the quality of the set or the tightness of the scripting.
Excellent interview. I was particularly interested in him mentioning that so many people were getting into movie riffing these days. Can you ask him if he watches any of the iRiffs and if he has any favorite groups?
Thank you, Trace, Joel, and Josh for that fascinating interview. I am asking this question on behalf of Tom Noel, who runs the MST3K temple. Is the tan jumpsuit as seen in K02 to K21 the same blue jumpsuit as seen in K01 and the pilot, only dyed tan? Some of the patches look differently coloured.
Great stuff.
Really, I bet they were actually thrilled to hear fresh questions for the first time in years. To actually jog their memory and make them truly try to recollect a bit of MST3k history for a few minutes has to be rare nowadays.
Certainly, on the subject of MST3k, that isn’t something they experience often any longer.
I wish they, themselves, would sit down and view the KTMA run. I bet it would bring back a lot of memories and make them truly see their own journey.
@ Philip, they don’t discourage it. Joel merely said he doesn’t RECOMMEND it.
Thanks for that neat interview. The questions were good and I found all their answers interesting. It was cool to read their recollections of the work they did a long time ago. I’ve seen quite a few of the KTMA and they are right, the shows were rough-edged, not the finely-honed masterwork that came later. We all have to start somewhere and, being someone who is interested in the histories and impetuses of those artists/creators in television, movies and music that I like, I enjoy seeing the early stages of the show. I am not bothered by their suggestions/recommendations/warnings about watching the KTMA episodes. If they were discouraging the viewing of them, that’s fine, that’s their prerogative. Then it can be each person’s prerogative to disagree and disobey them. It’s all groovy.
I would love to see the CT crew tackle “SST Death Flight” which has all of those fun 1970s actors and actresses in it. There is one riff that Josh makes that is just as good as any that has ever been said in the history of the show. I’ll try to remember to point it out when that review comes up (keep on the edge of your seats, cats!). That’s one of the fun things watching the KTMA episodes: Finding those precious gems of humor, the diamonds in the rough.
Wait a minute. Kevin didn’t voice Cambot in K17 Time of the Apes (the episode without Joel). Did he? I thought Kevin was in the credits because he operated Gypsy in the one host segment that had all three bots. I haven’t watched this in a while, but that’s my recollection.
Well, honestly, I’ve never seen K17, but Joe’s old write-up says that Cambot tricks Crow into thinking Joel is back on the satellite (I think). I just assumed that was when we heard Cambot speak.
Actually, speaking of K17, it would be interesting to hear Josh’s, Kevin’s, and Trace’s thoughts on doing an MST3K episode, without Joel. I wonder if they felt any kind of “freedom” doing so.
@25 Brandon, Cambot tricks Crow by showing him a clip of Joel, that is actually part of the intro to Invaders From the Deep. Cambot doesn’t actually talk in that segment, although I can see where that is a pretty reasonable assumption.
@20 Jack McRobbie, thanks for bringing up about the KTMA jumpsuit. That is something I would love to learn. That and what the heck the patch on Joel’s right sleeve is. Here’s a write up about the patches from my website for those of you that don’t know what we’re talking about.
http://www.mst3ktemple.com/patches.html
The entertainment value I get out of the KTMAs is the “innocence”. The thought these people are doing this small, insignificant thing and have no idea what the future has in store or that this will become their lives, even after 20+ years.
Sampo, great interview. I wish some of the Brains would join us on the Episode Guide discussions.
My question for Josh would be: Was Servo’s fetish for mango juice a reference to the British show ‘Red Dwarf’ or something else altogether?
For Joel: Is he aware that the words ‘crow’ (crowbar), ‘servo’ (servo-mits), and ‘gypsy’ (gypsy doctor) are all spoken on side two of Firesign Theatre’s 1971 album ‘I Think We’re All Bozos on This Bus’ during a section that mentions a ‘ghost ship’ and ‘robots rules of order’ (roughly, minutes 7 through 14)? Is this coincidence or perhaps an unconscious influence on the naming of his robot friends?
And a question for all of them: Assuming Shout Factory could work out the rights issues, would they approve any of the KTMA’s being released to DVD (even as full-length “bonus features” on more official network episodes)? Who owns the rights to these anyway? KTMA (or it’s heirs)? Mallon? Do the master tapes even still exist?
Whoa, hey Frey, ease off a bit (@ 18).
It is not “a kind of arrogance that they don’t want their rougher material looked at.”
It is human nature to want to be judged by your best work, and not your early, “formative,” years.
It’s like going up to Laurence Olivier and saying, “hey I caught you in the Breckinridge Elementary school production of Les Misérables. Boy I sure hope this King Lear thing you are doing now is better.”
Fans can be rabid at times and I am sure that Joel, Josh, and Trace are a little tired of the comments that the KTMA episodes are not quite up to snuff. They just want fans to understand that this was the beginning and not summit of their talents.
Besides, an artist is not always the best judge of his work. Ask and actor or writer what they think their best work was, then ask one of their admirers. It is almost always different. To the fans, “Manos” The Hands of Fate is considered one of MST3K’s best shows. Yet if you talk to the cast, they don’t understand its appeal. It does not click with them like it does with us.
These guys were given a remarkable opportunity to develop the show over a period of time before it went national. As several people have lamented, the days of the independent UHF stations are gone. This type of thing will never happen again. These early shows were, at times, beneath “Public Access” television. They remind me of the times we kids would get together and read “Mad Magazine” into a tape recorder. We liked the playback and of course our parents “loved” it, but I would not use it as an audition reel for a radio gig.
That is how Joel views the KTMA years. They were important, but hey, “Look what he can do now!”
@Brandon: @ Philip, they don’t discourage it. Joel merely said he doesn’t RECOMMEND it.
No, Joel seems to be quite heavily discouraging it. He says only to watch them if you “must see” the “warts and all” beginning and he is “troubled” that people want them on DVD. He compares those of us who like the shows to his dad enjoying stinky cheese. He only doesn’t protest people watching them because of their “edifying” effect. It doesn’t seem to occur to him that they are entertaining. (Which they are.) This is not a man who is open to these shows’ release and viewing. This is a man stuck with the realization that he can’t stop people watching them, so he better put some kind of a brave face on it. Re-read his final comment.
The funny thing is he also says he “would dread watching one of these old ‘war horses’ from beginning to end”, which means he hasn’t. He may not realise how good they are. It reminds me of the Beatles when EMI planned to release a collection of old, unreleased recordings and they put a stop to it because they were sure they would be awful and dreadful to listen to. Then they actually listened to them and we got the “Anthology” series, full of less-than-stellar work to be sure (sometimes technically poor – “That’ll be the Day”, sometimes just poor – “If You’ve Got Trouble”) but they weren’t afraid to put it out there.
@ Richard the Lion-Footed :
It is not “a kind of arrogance that they don’t want their rougher material looked at.”
Well, maybe “arrogance” isn’t the word I want. (I typed that fast.) It reminds me of certain shows that refuse to put out their unaired pilots. We as consumers are smart enough to know that a pilot (even a “pilot season” like Season K) doesn’t represent the show in total. But we want to see it and *should* see it. I’m still annoyed that the Blackadder box set doesn’t include the pilot, for instance.
It is human nature to want to be judged by your best work, and not your early, “formative,” years.
Whose to say what an artists “best” work is? Isaac Asimov never understood why people kept telling him for years and years that “Nightfall” (his first published story) was his best work. But even if it’s *not* their best work, doesn’t mean it’s their worst or not worth appreciating it for what it is. That angle reminds me of Tori Amos preventing the re-release of Y Kant Tori Read or Alanis Moriessette pretending she didn’t release two albums before “Jagged Little Pill”. (Another music-based analogy I made once before is that ignoring the KTMAs is like doing a career restrospective of Journey, but ignoring everything before Steve Perry joined. You can do it, but you’re not really looking at the whole picture.)
We all know there are poor episodes of MST3K from the cable era. And I think most of us will admit that the best of the KTMAs aren’t as bad as the worst of the cable shows. (Whatever eps you may think those are.) But Joel has cut a wide swath with his deragatory comments, somehow implying that if I happen to like the KTMAs (as I’ve said before, “Cosmic Princess” is my favorite MST3K episode, period), there’s something wrong with us. We like stinky cheese.
So, no, perhaps not “arrogance”. But a bad attitude, nonetheless. It’s one thing to want to make sure people have the proper perspective, it’s another to actively put down the desire to watch them.
@ Richard the Lion-Footed :
Quick followup. Just re-read your post and noticed that by the time I had finished composing that epic response of mine, I had forgotten that you mentioned yourself the fact that artists are not always the best judges of their own work. Didn’t want you to think I was ignoring your point!
But re-reading that did make one more thing stick out. The notion that these episodes are the equivalent of amateurish home movies or somesuch. The guys in charge, Joel and Jim, were relatively seasoned proffesionals. Joel had already been a (admittedly minor) celebrity and Jim had made a (admittedly Z-grade) feature film! The quality they got out of their “zero” budget is amazing and the KTMA season would be worth watching and remembering even if no cable series had followed. We probably *wouldn’t* watch and remember it because without the cable series, no one would have bothered to spread them around, but they still would have deserved it.
Mystery Science Theater 3000. Serious Business.
Great interview. I’m looking forward to seeing CT in Washington DC in Oct.
@Philip R. Frey/Richard the Lion-Footed:
Your conversation is an interesting thread. Let me offer a different perspective:
When I hear the question “should we watch the KTMA episodes”, my first reaction is “Well, I already have.”
I’d imagine that’s the reaction of most of us “rabid” fans. So in general I think we’re not the audience for that particular question. What does that leave as the audience? Well, that’s a spectrum all the way from people who still aren’t sure whether they like the show through to pretty serious MSTies.
Given that perspective, I put Joel’s response into the “expectations management” bucket, for two reasons. First, he does a pretty good job of explaining why he doesn’t recommend it, which indicates to me that he wants you to think about it rather than just doing as he recommends. Second, the fact that he recommends that we don’t watch them smacks a little of reverse psychology to me (partly because of the first point.)
Philip, your comment on artists not always understanding why fans like their (especially in this discussion, formative) work cuts to the quick of the matter, I think — and it cuts both ways. Who’s to say what an artist’s “best” work is? Everyone is: “best” is by definition subjective. We all have our preferences — if nothing else, the Weekend Discussion threads here have proven that. So do the artists themselves, and actively seeking their opinions and then complaining when their opinions don’t match yours seems a little illogical.
In short, you have every right to watch the KTMA episodes if you so wish, and if you ask him to recommend them, Joel has every right to recommend that you don’t watch them. The line is crossed when one attempts to impose ones own values upon another, for example, if Joel, rather than recommending watching only for specific reasons as he did, instead flat-out says “NO!” or actively acts to have them removed from availability — or if a fan judges him personally for expressing his opinion. I said “In short” at the beginning of this, right? Sorry about that. Here’s my opinion in short:
It’s just a show. You should really just relax.
I too would love to hear about and even hear Cambot speak from (I suppose) episode one.
@Steve K.: The line is crossed when one attempts to impose ones own values upon another, for example, if Joel, rather than recommending watching only for specific reasons as he did, instead flat-out says “NO!” or actively acts to have them removed from availability — or if a fan judges him personally for expressing his opinion.
My whole point is that Joel seems more than willing to cross that line if he could. He seems *deeply* upset (“troubled” is the word he uses) that people want these things released. And, as I pointed out earlier, Best Brains already *did* strive to keep a whole seasons worth of shows out of the public eye, so this situation is not without precedent. My fear is that his negative attitude will mean he will lobby against any KTMA release, should the possibility arise.
It’s just a show. You should really just relax.
And another remark he made in the interview shows how we differ. He’s pleased he wrote that line. At times like this, I can’t stand that he did. It’s a pat response to any conversation (call it “argument” if you must) where people express srtong opinions. Why don’t we just start every “discussion thread” with that and then no one will talk about *anything*, we’ll all just be relaxing so much. (The point here is that I *am* relaxed. I’m not foaming at the mouth and screaming at the computer or anything. Joel has simply disappointed me immensely, as any artist who desires to keep things (finished, released, made to be seen things) from me.)
So here’s a question from me:
“Given the fact that many fans actually enjoy the KTMA episodes, not as historical artifacts, but as entertainment in and of themselves, would you try and prevent their release on DVD?”
Some comments here really fall into the realm of “fan entitlement.” I would bet that both Cinematic Titanic and Rifftrax would be far happier to have this website post discussions about their recent releases than some twenty-plus year old ephemera. And i don’t blame them a bit.
I agree with SteveK on this issue of Joel’s opinion about releasing the KTMA eps. Any rabid MSTie has already seen them, so who’s he talking to when he advises people not to watch them, assuming he means for the first time?
I refuse to judge Joel on matters like this. The whole show is his baby, and I don’t need a vote on what’s done with it.
As another rabid MSTie friend of mine says, “It’s just a show. I should really get some snacks.”
@bad wolf:
You reminded me of something that happened the first time I met Joel at a signing. While he was signing my episode guide, I told him how much I enjoy MST, and that I still get a kick out of his old standup stuff, like “Mystery Date”. He said, in a pretty dismissive tone, “That was a *long* time ago.”
I resolved after that to only discuss their current work with any of the Brains I might have the chance to talk to. It makes sense that a creative person would rather discuss their current work.
Actually, I *love* the idea the guys don’t encourage folks to watch these episodes — because the one time I tried, it felt like work.
As they all say or imply, you don’t watch these to have fun — and to me, MST3K is all about fun. Why should I watch something that isn’t fun? (Hey, I fell into that trap with “Battlestar Galactica”. I want those four years of my life back again).
So — I’ll pass on trying anymore KTMA episodes and go back to my “normal” rotation (and really, IMHO and all, but even season one isn’t the “fun” the rest of the seasons are).
The only KTMA episode I’ve seen in entirety is K13- SST Death Flight. Many seemed to say that was the best one out of the KTMAs (although many argued Phase IV).
K13 was interesting to watch. There aren’t too many good jokes. The only three that really spring to mind is when the people on the plane start panicking and try to get to the cockpit, and Joel says, “Come on form a congoline!” Another one the captain (played by Robert Reed) mentions Navy Seals, and Servo and Joel start going, “ARF! ARF!”, and Crow remarks, “Not those kind of seals!” (Since Joel and Servo/Josh go “ARF! ARF!” perfectly in unison, I’m going to bet this riff was thought up ahead of time).
Lastly, Crow’s, “You’re in the part of the plane that falls off”, as the people are first seated.
SST Death Flight itself is pretty watchable, and you can see foreshadowings of “Airplane!” in the film (hell, the film’s got Peter Graves in it). It was very easy to become so engrossed in the film, that at times I had forgotten J&TB were even there. Most of the comments they make are just, “Hey it’s that person” sort of comment (and they do it A LOT since there’s a lot of stars in this film).
I guess the point I’m trying to make is the KTMA episodes probably are not worth being released as part of a set. As a bonus feature maybe, but not as a main episode feature. Those who have never seen a KTMA episode, will be disappointed at the quality. They are not rewatchable by any stretch of the imagination. They are only for the curious ones who want to see the early parts of the history. That’s what Joel, Trace, and Josh are trying to get across. If you want to see the show in its embryonic form, sure go ahead. But don’t expect too many big laughs.
I’m not trying to sound like another “rabid mistie” on KTMA, but something I’ll never really understand is why if all the crew of Brains don’t care too much for their first season (no, not season 1 of course ;)), they even bother just putting up the segments online and on home video releases (EX: The history of Mst3k and The Mst3k scrapbook), and why they even bother having their own copies of the episodes (…unless Jim is the only one who actually HAS copies of them?) and just toss them in the garbage.
Again, I’ll never understand why, but as the into says: “It’s just a show, I should really just relax”.
Actually, I guess now that I think of it, since both were mainly just histories of the show, that’s most likely why.
Though I’m still not sure why Jim decided to post some clips on the site. Maybe to show what it was like back in the old days?
I’m now personally cool with it if the KTMAs never get released or not (I really am), but I imagine eventually the crew will decide to check out those old tapes and might actually have a good laugh at some episodes and might change their minds. Who knows. As time flies by, we’ll see what happens in the future.
I’d be pretty surprised if the crew didn’t like EVERY KTMA episode, that’d be pretty shocking.
Maybe that’s another question I have for them: Are you guys just not too keen about ceartain episodes, or pretty much all of them in general?
To me some of the KTMA episodes are difficult to watch, but others are genuinely enjoyable.
I watch k16-City On Fire, K19-The Last Chase & K20-Hangar 18 about as often as I watch season 1 episodes and enjoy them just as much.
But it doesn’t disappoint me at all that Joel and the others would rather not see them released. Fan copies of almost all of them have been discovered and distributed, so whatever. If you want to see them you can get them, or just watch them on Youtube.
I’ve had the KTMA episodes, well the ones that are available, for years, and I’ve always dreaded watching them. I finally started to as I want to watch every episode from the first to the last in order, and I must say, beyond the first couple of Gamera movies, I’m actually really starting to enjoy them. Certainly they aren’t as good as the later seasons, but I have found myself laughing at some riffs and it’s kind of cool to be able to have “new” episodes to watch after all these years. I haven’t watched Season 1 yet either, except for a couple, so I have lots of “new to me” episodes coming. But yeah, that first KTMA episode where Joel basically just sat there and didn’t say anything, I was like, “oh man, how many more episodes are there?”
Oh, and I meant to say Thank You to Sampo, Joel, Trace & Josh for doing the interview about the KTMA episodes! It’s a valuable piece of MST3K history.
The only question I can think of is:
“If MST3K hadn’t been picked up by the Comedy Central would they have done a KTMA season 2?”