Call for Papers: Mystery Science Theater and the Culture of Riffing and the mash-up in popular culture

Southwest/Texas Popular Culture and American Culture Association
http://conference2013.swtxpca.org

The Area chair seeks papers/presentations on Mystery Science Theater and the culture of riffing and Mash-up. Due on November 16, 2012.

In the fall of 1988 on a small public access channel, KTMA, in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area of Minnesota, a bizarre show appeared. It featured two hand-made, robot-appearing puppets and a man watching a movie and making comments to the screen. Little did its creator, Joel Hodgson, know that he had created a worldwide popular culture phenomenon known as Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). The show lasted 10 seasons and spawned a theatrical feature film.

Now riffing movies, television, cartoons, and the rise of the mash-up have become very popular modes of expression. Twenty-three years after its cancellation, Mystery Science Theater is more popular than ever. The former cast members, through Rifftrax and Cinematic Titanic, continue to make audiences laugh and garner new fans. Any aspect of the culture of riffing and Mystery Science Theater will be given consideration.

Some topics that could be discussed and some questions that might be answered include:

* Zombies and riffing (a good topic in light of the popularity of zombie studies)
* iRiffs and the rise of personalized riffing by “amateurs”
* Other fan riffing groups and individuals like Master Pancake Theater, Incognito Cinema Warriors, Josh Way, Laughterpiece Theater, etc.
* Pre-MST3K riffing
* The LA Connection and their role in comedic riffing
* Speaking of Animals
* Fractured Flickers
* Freaks and Geeks MST3K connection
* Fan Culture and MST: The Misties (who are they and why)?
* The original Sci-Fi MST Game
* Gender roles, women and MST
* Frank Zappa and MST
* Superhero movies (why are they so ripe for riffing)
* Monty Python and MST
* Comics and MST3K
* Shakespeare and riffing
* The remix of the movie trailer
* The rise of “forgotten movies” that were used on MST
* The rise of B-movie popularity as a result of being on MST
* Christmas movies and MST
* The pre-MST comedy careers of the cast members
* The KTMA years compared to the Comedy Central Years compared to the ScFi Channel years.
* Movies that deserve the MST treatment but never received it.
* Mental Hygiene films and MST
* The legal battle between Best Brains and Mr. Sinus Theatre (the roots and causes of this).
* What were/are the cultural implications of the original invention exchanges in those early episodes of show?
* What are the differences in the styles of Mike Nelson and Joel Hodgson as hosts for the show?
* The theatrical feature film attempt, MST 3000 The Movie (trials and tribulations of getting director Jim Mallon’s big budget version of MST to the screen)
* Jim Mallon’s genius as producer/director/character
* Modern companies such as Laugh Tracks and MST’s influence on them
* The differences of Tom Servo and Crow (difference in style and tone)
* Actor Joe Don Baker and MST — a perfect marriage
* Spy movies and MST
* Monsters and MST
* Attempts at creating continuity within the “host segments” — what worked and what didn’t (the difference in continuity between Comedy Central episodes and ScFi channel shows).
* Cast characters (e.g., Mad Scientists, Evil Mothers, and weird aliens)
* The hardcore statistical analysis found on websites by dedicated fans (e.g., riffs per show and other weird statistical data — reasons for these weird statistical things)
* MST and the Web — how did the Internet help create such a rabid following?
* Popular music and MST
* Mary Jo Pehl, Bridgett Nelson, and the influence of women writers on MST
* MST fan culture and university culture
* The MST influence on the show Freaks and Geeks
* TV’s Frank and MST and Frank Coniff’s role in America’s Funniest Home Videos
* A look at the influence of music on MST (one could hear a reference to an obscure British band like Hawkwind on the same show as one that might mention a household artist like Brittney Spears or Johnny Cash, for example).
* Bill Corbett as a playwright and performer
* MST and Tape Trading Culture (Keep circulating the tapes some of the MST episodes admonished the fans)
* The lost episodes of MST: The Green Slime, Thunderbirds etc., Where are they? What were they like? Will we ever see them?
* Crow, Tom Servo and the bots in Popular Culture: Non-MST appearances (which continue
to this day)
* MST and the First Amendment to the Constitution: Why did the show always thank the authors of the First Amendment? How did the show use it? Did it push boundaries constitutionally?
* KTMA and MST: Just how could a show like this get on cable access television in the first place? How did it become a movement? Were there glimpses of the greater things to come in those earlier episodes or not?
* Torgo and Ortega: Cult Figures and MST — why so popular with fans?
* The worse a movie is, the funnier and better an episode of MST: Why is that?
* Paul Chaplin, unsung writer on MST The MST writers were, and continue to be, masters of Popular Culture in all its forms (film, music, politics, etc.)
* Movie references and MST — cultural and historical implications
* MST terms and the vernacular (e.g., “Movie Sign”, “Poopie”, “Huzzah”) and their adaptation into everyday language)
* What was Josh Weinstein’s role in those early MST episodes and his post MST career as producer?

Please send a title and 100- to 250-word abstract by November 16, 2012. Submit your title, and 100- to 250-word abstract through our website database, which can be accessed at:

Please make plans to attend our 34th Annual Conference, February 13-16, 2013, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel & Conference Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Hyatt Regency Albuquerque, 330 Tijeras NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA 87102
http://conference2013.swtxpca.org