I was watching the show this weekend and remembering a time about four years ago when my 18 month-old son developed a penicillin-resistant staph infection which put him in the hospital for over a week. It’s a potentially deadly infection and it was a unbelievably frightening and depressing time.
I stayed with him in the hospital during that time and at night when he fell asleep, I would turn on a mini-dvd player I had with me and watch MST3K episodes until I couldn’t keep my eyes open — it was the only thing that kept me from complete implosion while he was sick. I had always wanted to thank the cast for getting me through that time (and many other harsh moments) and I wondered if there were other people who had similar situations where the show helped them to heal from a tragedy or maybe just give them a 90-minute reprieve from some of life’s more nightmarish moments.
MST3K has cheered me up on any number of occasions, but the one that comes to mind is a while back when (it’s a long story) I found myself rather suddenly unemployed. I eventually landed on my feet, but MST3K definitely helped me keep a positive attitude.
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Way back in 1991 just before Thanksgiving I had gone to get my teeth cleaned at the dentist. Well during the Thanksgiving Day weekend I developed a severe pain in my gums. Later on I found out that it was a piece of tartar that had broken off during the cleaning and was jabbing me in the gums.Very painful! I had a really hard time falling asleep for any length of time so I camped out on the sofa looking for something to watch. I somehow stumbled upon these silloettes on the screen making fun of old movies and just kept watching in between short intervals of sleep. That was my first MST Turkey Day Marathon and it got me through a painful time and I and my wife have been fans ever since…
I don’t know if I myself would really count it since I kinda of watched alot on a weekly basis before, but in Decemeber of 2005 I found out I had stage 3 Testicular Cancer (I’m better now, been cancer free since spring 2006)and put was on sick leave from work. Which lead to alot of time being spent watching Anime ,Kaiju films, and MST3K on DVD/VHS while going through the radition treatments, chemotherpy, and different hospital stays. When I had outpatient Chemotherpy , I always found it amusing that you’d have all these older people watching daytime tv (soaps, news, etc.) in thier little cubicles like rooms and then there’s me ( early 20s) watching Joel/Mike and the bots, Godzilla: Final Wars, or Trigun.
I am like many here who can NOT fall asleep without J&TB or M&TB… It has helped me through the tough times, like the deaths of my father, grandparents, 2nd mom. I am using it to help me through my Master’s degree. Their quips and gadding about are a comforting and necessary part of my life. Thank you, Mystery Science Theater 3000!!
Umm…I shan’t give you the mediocre details (as they pale when compared to some of the stories above), but 2001 was a particularly trying and difficult time for me. A memory I have from that era has two distinct elements- the final segment from “Eeegah” with Frank fighting to get his blood back, and the sort of sad feelings of my life at that time. Together they from a bittersweet memory. :-)
I’m not even going to contribute to this because I have thankfully been through nothing as tragic as some of the stories I have read here. I’m so glad however that you have all found solace in MST3K as I have so many times in my life.
I just quickly wanted to say to @Runciter & @Ford Prefect that I was a teenager when MST3K was actually on the air (was in high school 92-96) and I felt EXACTLY the same way then as you described (I’m sure a lot of us on here were in your boat actually!). Once you get out of high school, you are going to meet so many more people like you who will share your interests and appreciate your uniqueness. It can feel like the longest 4 years of your life, but you will get through it!
Back in 1998 I was laid up for two months after breaking my lower left leg in three places and breaking my left ankle during a military hockey tournament. Joel, Mike and The ‘Bots played a big role in helping me get through those days, especially the early days following surgery, and when I was being weaned off the painkillers.
Like many others, MST3K has helped me laugh and recover after serious emergency surgery as well as getting me through many of life’s little trying times. I’ve been a devoted fan for over twenty years, so like theygone mentioned earlier in the thread (#11), digital copies of the show were part of my deployment kit on my recent tour to Afghanistan. It was a great source of comfort and relaxation, and one that I still rely on now, especially as I fight my way through an ugly divorce (my wife of 10 years decided to get a new boyfriend while I was overseas).
Good times. In fact, I think I shall go watch an episode now.
By the way, I’m glad that I’m not the only one to turn to the show for comfort and solace.
Been a fan since 91 and when my brother passed away in 94 I kind of shut down and I would lose myself in taped Turkey Day episodes. I followed the series until around 99 and then lost track of it but around 2002 I rediscovered it again on DVD. That same year one of my employees and I bonded while going through painful divorces and shortly thereafter we discovered our mutual love for MST3K.
We worked for a major network and were able to watch or listen to TV while we worked so we watched hundreds of episodes at work together. WEREWOLF, SPACE MUTINY and GIRL IN THE GOLD BOOTS were in constant rotation. It was a great and creatively fulfilling time and I got to spend it with my best friend and MST3K.
Sadly, he passed away suddenly in 2007 and I’ve never fully recovered from the shock of finding his body or the loss of his friendship. To this day when I watch any episode we watched together I still remember exactly where and what he laughed at and the conversations that came out of comments made by Joel, Mike and the bots. It’s one of the few things that keeps me connected to him and lifts my spirits when I miss him the most or I’m just down and out for whatever reason.
MST3K completely changed my life. I met my husband on ratmm (the Mst3k Usenet group) in 1995. We married in 1996, tried for many years to have children, and we finally had our sweet boy in 2009. Our son loves “Cwo”. :-D
Mst3k has been the soundtrack of our lives.
In October of 2010, my father passed away very suddenly and the shock ended up shaking me up for the better part of a year. The one bright spot was the two day period of seeing Rifftrax Live (House on Haunted Hill) and Cinematic Titanic Live (Rattlers) the week after the funeral. The MST3K Gang helped me more than they could imagine by giving me a much needed laugh in a time of personal trials. They’ll always have my gratitude.
I hope The Brains get to read this thread. Truly touching.
I had pneumonia back in 2000. For two weeks, I was stuck at home in bed. At the time, I only had whatever episodes I’d taped off Sci-Fi over the last couple of years. I remember a really bad day where I collapsed on my bed and couldn’t move but couldn’t sleep either. Between Hamlet and Boggy Creek, I was perfectly happy to lie there and watch TV through a reflection in the mirror (I collapsed at an odd angle). And when I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer, the voices alone were a comfort too.
Long time reader, first time commenter…MST3K was there for me during a particularly hard time in my life. My father had been on dialysis for the better part of 10 years. His body was ready to quit after a while and we knew it wouldn’t be long. Towards the end, he needed 24/7 care and attention. About 5 years ago, my wife and I moved in with my parents to help tend to my father and subsequently my mother. At first, MST3K helped me through the late nights, staying up on the night shift to watch them, waiting for my wife to get home from work so I might get some sleep before the day shift began all over again.
Eventually, I began to rely on MST3K to take me away to a different, better and more fun place. I could just imagine getting away on the Satellite of Love to forget all my problems.
Finally, as my father’s condition worsened, his body was fighting the dialysis. His arms were so weak, I had to hold his hand just to make his arm stay down so they could conduct the procedure. MST3K was there, on my computer, five hours a day for three days a week. And when I kept a watch on him overnights in the hotel room…MST3K was there with me too.
It’ll be five years since he past this year. I always thank MST3K for being there to help me through with some humor and escapism.
Forced into a divorce I did not want. Had to sit and watch my family be dismantled, and could not stop it. Very lonely. Deep Hurting. Would watch MST3K as an escape. On the SOL, Joel was lonely too, but “made friends” to combat the loneliness and used humor to get through the bad times – even Sandstorm and Rock Climbing! Thanks, guys.
I already referenced this experience in a topic, but the angle there was how the Best Brains crew treated me…
For my own experience, I`ll make an addendum…
Back in 1993 my mother was undergoing one failing treatment for cancer after another…She was sick and weak, and the family took turns watching over her at home. One of my ‘shifts’ was Saturday mornings. I asked her if it would be okay if I watched something on tv, and she said she did not care…I turned on MST.
We watched ‘Rocketship X-M’ ..and she was hooked ! …She LOVED IT!
After that, it became our weekly ‘thing’ to watch MST together. We watched and laughed and laughed…
Until the day she had trouble breathing, was taken to the hospital…and did not return.
Afterwards I was struck by just how much the show had done for her…and for me…giving us something to connect over and enjoy TOGETHER during the last months of her life.
….I`ll add to that the memory I have of watching my mom actually LAUGH. I know that sounds trite, but those were increasingly depressing times, and sitting there on saturdays with my Mom, watching the show and having her laughing beside me….watching MST was the last time that she laughed in her life. THE LAST TIME.
The show gave us that. For the longest time, as her situation grew worse, I had been afraid of where it was going to end. I was afraid whenever I looked at her, even though I had to keep a ‘positive’ attitude and try to be cheerful on the outside. I felt so damn helpless and …afraid.
MST gave me the chance to –just for a little while–let go of the fear that was there every time I looked at my Mom. Without the show, I don`t know if I could have put aside the depressing truth of her condition in order to just enjoy time with her.
I`m sorry if posting this has been a repetitive ‘downer’ for the board, but I have a lot on my mind right now….
My wife has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She`s just had a mastectomy, and they want her to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments. I have to be positive and upbeat, and appear confident and strong, but I am not. I feel helpless.
..and I am afraid.
I have mild socialphobia and anxiety issues, so spend a lot of time on my own. Weekend nights can be especially difficult, so around autumn 2008 I hit on the idea of watching a MST3K episode once a week, late on Sunday nights. This filled in some otherwise awkward empty time and gave me something to look forward to during the week, none more so than when I was made redundant from my job in September 2009. I always watch episodes on YouTube, as I enjoy reading the comments of other MSTies. As a sidenote, being English and living in the UK, MST3K has given me the chance to see films never shown in the UK but I had read about for years: ‘Horror of Party Beach’ and ‘The Incredibly Strange Creatures…’ for example. Thanks to the MST3K crew for making life a little less lonely.
I’ve got nothing specific to share, but I’ve really enjoyed reading all these entries. Touching, funny, just all around great, thanks one and all for sharing, this has got to be the best Internet group in existence. Hugs!
I will say this, MST is a huge part of my life, I love the show dearly, always will, it’s been there for me always (since ’94), and if I ever felt like I didn’t have any friends (or if the friends I had were unavailable) I knew that Joel, Mike, and the Bots would be there on the screen, riffing away, making me smile.
MSTie for life, until the day I die.
MST3k tends to lend itself to stress and convalescence, I guess. It takes up a lot of time, with 90-minute episodes, more with the home tapes and all the extra commercials. Plus, the material tends to be simple and inoffensive subject matter, esp. the 50s Sci-Fi. Add to that the solid midwestern values of the SOL family and the friendly homey feel of being trapped together on the satellite, and it’s perfect medicine for hours which might otherwise be spent in anxiety or worse pursuits which rot the mind and hasten the reaper. Plus it’s often brilliant, so we can also learn much from the SOL crew, so many eps to choose from, and don’t have to be in exact order to enjoy them.
When I was living with my mom just after college, she lost her house unexpectedly. While we tried to find another, for a month we had to live in my uncle’s RV. It was a little wierd, but I didn’t care because I had Gamera v Guiron to keep me company. Most recently, during our first pregnancy, my wife wanted to be left alone, so for year I locked myself in a room with MST. A welcome respite any time of day. I go to the Bible first for solace, but for a mental health day or at least afternoon, MST is a must.
My mother was diagnosed with cancer a couple of days after Thanksgiving this year and unfortunately it progressed very quickly. I flew up on Dec. 12th (the day before my Birthday) to see her and tell her how much I loved her and appreciated everything she had ever done for me and my family. She wanted all of her grandkids to come up for an early Christmas. I called my wife and asked her to come and to bring some of my specific Mst3k and Riftrax stuff when she and the girls came up. Mom passed on Dec. 17th two days after having an early Christmas with all her Children and Grandchildren. Everybody was understanably depressed and quite frankly worn out physically and emotionly. When we got home after her service and during the evenings that followed we watched MST3K and Rifftrax to keep our spirits up and put us back in the mood to celebrate Christmas this year. It was the hardest time of my life (and is still very difficult) but with the help of my friends Joel, Mike, Bill, Kevin, Trace and tv’s Frank I was able to make it through. I’m coping the best I can but I know if I’m having a bad day I can always put in a dvd to lift my spirits.
This is my first post on this board, although I’ve been lurking for a while. This question just resonated with me. In February 2000, I was living in a one-bedroom apartment, the result of an unwanted and unexpected divorce the previous summer. A friend, a CPA, had just called to inform that I owed several hundred dollars in state and federal taxes that year–money I didn’t have. I turned on MST3K, which happened to be the “Final Justice” episode, just at the moment when the villain puts a gun to the heroine’s head and warns Joe Don Baker, “I’ll blow her brains OUT!” Crow’s reply–“All over THE boat!”–made me laugh till I cried. That, plus a good friend taking me to a Mexican restaurant for marguritas at lunch, got me through a very bad day. I’m happily remarried now, and my 8-year-old loves MST3K.
Love all these stories. I’m still fighting back tears from some of these stories
My fandom story is probably a lot like many others. I’ve been a MST fan for years. My first episode was Gamera, but I lost interest when Joel left (I know, I know). I re-discovered it when my friend rented the movie in 2000 or so. Episodes were still be shown on Sci-fi at that time and I have most of these still on tape. Around this time I also bought my first DVD player. Just so I could buy the DVD sets!
Well, getting to the sad part. I was a fan, but I wasn’t like I am now. My mother died in October 2007, then my uncle died in November 2007, then my dad in January 2008. I was depressed, suicidal. I took an overdose of Paxil in 2008, woke up in the hospital after a concerned friend found me in time and they pumped my stomach. At the time I cried and fought, because I wanted to die.
After a hospital stay I went home. My friend, trying to cheer me up knew I was a Mstie and bought me 2 of the DVD sets, one was the volume 7 with the Herc movies. I watched them over and over.
Even now, four years later I still have my bad days. But I always watch at least one episode every day. Always. Although now I’ve added Rifftrax and The Film Crew to my daily ritual too. I’m so glad I didn’t die that night.
Can’t wait to meet the guys in March, I just want to tell them how much they have helped me and thank them for doing what they do.
I actually came to MST3K through a difficult time someone else was having; a few years ago, a close friend was going through a break-up and I teamed up with two other friends to rent some of his favourite movies for a bit of pop culture therapy. One friend recommended we rent MST3K’s Red Zone Cuba. I knew of MST3K back then and had seen most of the Giant Spider Invasion, but while I assumed it was something I would enjoy, it simply hadn’t been available to me during its original run.
Red Zone Cuba went over *big* with our friend and earned some repeat viewings before we returned it; this led to me seeking out more MST3K, sharing it within our circle of friends, then we discovered Rifftrax just as it was becoming big news. Red Zone Cuba seemed like an odd whim when we rented it, but it really did liven up the room and drive away the pain of the break-up for a time!
Being in Canada, the show was never aired, so I wasn’t familiar with the show.
But in December of 1996, I had just broken up with my boyfriend. He was my first true love and I had spent all year with him, for better and for worse.
It was a terribly bitter breakup. We fought all the time, and in the end he dumped me for someone else one week before Christmas. I was devastated. I was beyond miserable. I was crushed. I was numb.
I tried socializing with friends, but being social just made it worse. I would just curl up at home and cry, in a deep deep depression.
One day, in January I was mindlessly flipping through the channels and I stumbled across The Movie (This Island Earth) and caught myself actually enjoying it. I laughed! It was GREAT! It helped lift me out of my gloom, even if it was just for a bit. I watched it over and over. I never got tired of it, each time laughing at the same jokes. I was hooked! It broke me of my depression and showed me there WAS something to live for!
Later, I found out there was an entire series!!
I will always love the episodes, but to me.. the movie saved my life and will always have a special place in my heart.
when i am feeling sad, i always think of MST3K and i feel better after.
I’ve battled depression most of my adult life; I did not get properly diagnosed and medicated until after I went through college, but rest assured it was there well before, and it was a big struggle to make it through some days. A sense of humor is how I’ve always persevered through things, and MST3K became a big part of that. On the days when I struggled with anxiety attacks (which became more frequent until I graduated), episodes of the show got me through. When my new career spectacularly imploded a couple of years ago thanks to a pathologically insane boss, MST3K. I lost my current job last year; I now sit here working on trying to start my own business. Guess what’s playing in the background as I work?
To the teen MST3K fans I’ve seen posting, I was 14 when I became a MSTie. I feel your pain. However, like hellokittee said, it will get better. Everyone gets to go through a socially awkward period in their life; at least you can comfort yourself with the knowledge that during yours, you had good taste and will be able to look back with far less embarrassment than some people. ;-)
I’m moved by some of these hardships I’ve been reading.
To follow up with my problems seems quaint by comparison. Late 20’s male suffering from treatment resistant chronic depression & anhedonia since I was 16. When I rediscovered MST3K as an adult, I found that there was something that reliably made me laugh. This is significant, because I rarely laugh these days, especially at most so-called “comedy”.
And I would like to thank the unsung heroes that have made MST3K episodes so easy to find & watch on the internet. I wouldn’t have rediscovered my attachment to the show if it weren’t for all the people who uploaded entire episodes onto Youtube, Google Video & other platforms. I believe the “pass the tapes” mentality of the fans deserves some positive recognition. Your spirit is much more encouraging than most shows’ back episodes, where the attitude is “frak you, buy it on Itunes.”
And, to “pay it forward” so to speak, I ended up getting a depressed internet friend hooked on MST3K episodes. I even use Monster A Go Go’s famous line “There is no monster” as an absurdist metaphor for life’s false promises. If you’re feeling depressed, betrayed or let down, remembering “There is no monster” is a good way to remind oneself of the absurdity of it all. :)
In May 2003, I was watching the MSTied “Tormented” when my wife went into labor. My son was born the next day. He is now old enough that we watch episodes all the time, and go every other month to the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville to watch episodes on the big screen.
“Tormented” is now my cure for all stress, sadness, depression and curves life throws in general. It helps me through the tough times because it was there during the greatest times.
12 yrs ago, i lost my career about a week before my wife at the time threw me out. When i found out she was cheating, i pretty much lost what will i had left. Sitting in an empty apartment with an old tv, no cable and a vcr and feeling sorry for myself. My wonderful daughter remembered how much i loved the show and bought me a 3-pak, i think it was Beg of the End, Crawling Hand and?? I watched those shows a hundred times each for the next year, and each time it made me laugh and realize how much i had to be thankful for with my great kids. Whether the pain is physical or psychological, nothing beats laughter!
Can’t remember who posted the memory of remembering how much their friend laughed during specific episodes, but I can totally relate. Cave Dwellers is always a difficult one for me, even though it’s still funny, but reminds me of people who just, well, aren’t here anymore. Passage of time, man.
When my kid became a type one diabetic at six,it was the show that he watched in the hospital 24/7,the doctors and staff used to come watch with him.
I couldn’t believe how much they helped me as well.
Thanks for sharing, everyone!
MST3K helped me through the grind of grad school as well as the lonely first couple of years of my postdoc. So i’ll always be grateful for that.
Damn computer has been keeping me away. Glad I caught this. MST has been a companion through good times and bad. Hang in everyone. Especially you kids. Life get’s better after High School
My mom passed away a year ago this January. MST3K has seen me thru a very rough year. There were times I thought I’d never laugh again. This Christmas was the 1st without her. Then came the tom servo “night before christmas” I was only the floor laughing for 5 minutes wiping tears of laughter. Thanks for all the work best brains did for us.
I had a similar experience with sudden joblessness and graduate school – but MST3k had been such a regular thing for me (and remains so), I never realised how much it helped keep my spirits up in dark times.
Just want to add that I am awestruck by the variety of ages represented in this group. It’s wonderful to see. I tend to think of MST3k as being for folks “my” age (mid-30s), and I love that I’m wrong. It’s one of those few shows that is almost “frozen” in time in such a way that it remains relevant and appeals to many ages, which is why we all watch it over and over again, I’m sure.
Cheers
MST3K has been helping me cope since I was 12 (I’m 30 now). For 2 1/2 months of my stay in Iraq I was tasked to be a ground air traffic controller (I have no background in this) and I was stuck in a little 7ft x 7ft cube 15 ft off the ground by myself. I started watching the show in order starting with season one, which I highly recomend to anyone who has trouble watching season one because it helps to get into the mood of season one, or any season I found in this process. Now I work at a mind numbing wearhouse job (I’m litterly begging the Army to send me to Afganistan) and on really bad days at work I listin to MST3k on my ipod and it helps quite a bit, esp when its episodes that I’ve seen so much that I can see the movie in my head just by listining to the audio.
Long time lurker (from the actual paper days!) first time commenter…
MST3k probably did help save my life. In 1997 or so, I was in a very dark place. My father died in the summer of 1996, I was in college and miserable and had untreated, undiagnosed depression. I decided to quit, give in to the urge, and just put myself out of my misery. I actually wrote out a suicide note on my computer, and while I was sitting there, preparing to print it, a line from “Laserblast” went through my head:
The whole absurdity of the situation hit me, and I smiled. Then I giggled. Then I started laughing like a madman (which I suppose, at the time, I technically was), until I started to cry from laughing so much.
Needless to say, I deleted that note, and went on with my life. It’s been 15 years, and I am now properly medicated, married, and pretty happy. MST3k has been there through all of it, the ups and downs and all arounds, and like several other people in this thread have mentioned, I would love for one day to be able to tell the Brains my story, and thank them.
(And to let them know that I didn’t steal no bike, neither!)
My wife cannot stay awake when “The Prince of Space” is on. I love the show and this episode of MST3K and my wife will usually sit and laugh along with me. However, for some reason, she can never get much further that the riff “Grownups of the Corn”. One time I even skipped ahead to the last half hour of the movie, so she could see the end, but she passed out in less than 5 minutes. So for the past few years whenever she has a difficult time sleeping I put in that episode and it’s sweet dreams for her. Of course then I usually can’t sleep because I’m laughing too hard and have to watch the whole episode myself.(:P)
Ok. So I read the topic and posted my little story above and then proceeded to read every one of the above posts. All I can say is you are all amazing people. I always knew you had to be someone special to be a fan of MST. “Special thanks to ALL MISTIES WORLDWIDE” for sharing these stories and thoughts.
Being a storyboard artist in my previous company, Drawing a series of sequences for an animated seriecannula be quite tiring and exhausting, especially when you had no one or media to accompany your mind with. So, being alone most of the time, I just usually switched to watching a couple of mst3k episodes online while story boarding, not just to prevent myself from going insane but also to put some creative juice into most of my work. Due to that, some of the scenes turned out to be funnier than usual, and the studio was kinda pleased with the results! So I think it is fair to say that I owe them a couple of thanks to the guys behind the hit quirky series for giving me such a pleasurable experience!
There seems to be quite a number of other suicidal depressives posting. A wry appreciation of the absurd is a significant part of what helped me through an 18 year period where I wanted to die every waking moment. The whole MST3K format appeals to me in a similar way.
For everybody out there with weapons grade depression: Keep Taking Your Meds! For people like us St. John’s Wort just isn’t enough.
My brother died after a tough battle with cancer in 1994. I didn’t laugh for a long time because I felt guilty. When I finally was able to get my hands on some tapes, I started laughing again. And now, quotes run through my head alot. All the time. For anyone else who has had a loss, especially a child, I recommend Mary Jo’s new book. There is a sweet essay abot loss and guilt. Not morbid or full of self pity, just a great essay in conversation form.