Michael J. Nelson | |
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.jpeg) Nelson at the 2011San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | (1964-10-11)October 11, 1964 (age 61) St. Charles, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Notable work | Mystery Science Theater 3000 RiffTrax |
| Spouse | Bridget Jones (m. 1989) |
| Children | 2 |
Michael John Nelson (born October 11, 1964) is an American comedian and writer, most known for his work on thetelevision seriesMystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). Nelson was the head writer of the series for most of the show's original eleven-year run, and spent half of that time as the on-air host, also namedMike Nelson. In addition to writing books, Nelson is currently part of the online movie riffing siteRiffTrax, and was previously part of the straight-to-DVDFilm Crew with fellowMST3K alumni,Bill Corbett andKevin Murphy.
Michael John Nelson was born in theChicago suburb ofSt. Charles, Illinois. His ancestry isDanish, German, andIrish.[1][2] He lived inGeneva, Illinois, until the age of twelve, when his family moved to north-westernWisconsin.[3][4] He studied theatre and music at theUniversity of Wisconsin–River Falls, but he left before graduating and moved to theMinneapolis–Saint Paul area.[3]
Nelson was working as a waiter atT.G.I. Friday's and doing occasional stand-up comedy when he was offered a job onMystery Science Theater 3000, typing the suggestions in the writing room. The writers told him to feel free to make some comments on the movies they were watching, and Nelson impressed them so much with his wit and comedic timing that they made him a staff writer, and, later, head writer. Nelson also appeared frequently in the show's host segments, often playing characters from the movies being mocked such as Torgo from the infamousManos: The Hands of Fate.
When series creator and hostJoel Hodgson decided to leave halfway through the fifth season, he chose Nelson as his replacement, reportedly because he thought Nelson was a natural leader, a gifted comedian, and a gifted muse, and also because Nelson simply looked good standing next to the puppets.[citation needed] Nelson remained as host for another five and a half seasons (surviving the show's switching networks from Comedy Central to the Sci-Fi Channel) until the original run ended in 1999.
Writing
Since the series ended, Nelson has worked steadily as a writer, publishing several books (as of March 2006):Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese,Mike Nelson's Mind Over Matters andMike Nelson's Death Rat!, the last being his first novel. His other works include a series of pop-culture humor books,Happy Kitty Bunny Pony,Goth-Icky, andLove Sick, as well as a monthly column forHome Theater Magazine. He also wrote for the short-lived game showLet's Bowl. He has commentary tracks for DVD releases of several films, includingReefer Madness,The Little Shop of Horrors,House on Haunted Hill,Plan 9 from Outer Space,Carnival of Souls, andNight of the Living Dead. With hisMST3K co-starsKevin Murphy andBill Corbett, he was part of a comedy team called "The Film Crew", which has created comedy segments forNational Public Radio. The first Film Crew DVD,Hollywood After Dark, was released July 10, 2007, and three more followed in the months after.
Legend Films | RiffTrax
In 2006, Nelson was appointed Chief Content Producer forLegend Films. He is responsible for building and leading the company's creative content, providing continuous commentaries, and developing other premium web-based programming. "I'm very excited. Legend Films is such a great fit for me—talented people who consistently put out a great product. Plus, there are Flaming HotCheetos in the lunch roomvending machine. That made it an easy choice to join the team," enthused Nelson.[5]
One of the projects put together by Nelson and Legend Films wasRiffTrax, a website offering the purchase of downloadable audio commentaries once again costarring two formerMST3K cast membersKevin Murphy andBill Corbett. The first commentary made available through the service was forRoad House. In a September 2006 interview, Nelson said he felt that Rifftrax may be the closest thing to a reunion of theMystery Science Theater 3000 team.[6] In 2016, additional MST3K alumni,Joel Hodgson,Trace Beaulieu,Frank Conniff,Mary Jo Pehl, andBridget Jones Nelson all appeared for a live reunion at the State Theatre in Minneapolis with Nelson, Murphy and Corbett. They were also joined by the newest host,Jonah Ray.[7]
Voice work
In 2013, Nelson agreed to do voiceover work forArmikrog.[8] Nelson voices the lead character, Tommynaut.[9]
Podcasts
In 2016, Nelson and David Berge started thepodcastLike Trees Walking. They look at life and faith from a Christian perspective, with a lightly humorous, offbeat approach.
Since 2017, he has created, with Conor Lastowka, the podcast372 Pages We'll Never Get Back, which analyses books of contested quality.[10]
Nelson has described the role ofChristianity in his family as "the very centerpiece of our lives. We're heavily involved in our church, my wife works with youth groups and churches as her profession, and almost every career and life decision I make depends upon it." He studiesChristian apologetics and citesWilliam Lane Craig andC.S. Lewis as influences.[11]
Nelson has suffered from chronic debilitating headaches for most of his adult life; he wrote a short piece about his experience for theNew York Times in 2007.[12]
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