Interview: Mystery Science Theater 3000’s Jonah Ray on Turkey Day Event, Future of the Show

ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to Mystery Science Theater 3000 host Jonah Ray. Ray discussed the annual Turkey Day event (which is being held on November 28, 2024, on Shout! TV and The MST3K Channel), his experiences filming the show, and what the future might hold for Mystery Science Theater 3000.

The synopsis for the Turkey Day event reads, “Tune in to Shout! TV on 11/28 for the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Turkey Day Potluck of the Stars Marathon, hosted by Jonah Ray and featuring guests David Dastmalchian, Mike Flanagan, Bryan Fuller, Mark Hamill, Matthew Lillard, and Kumail Nanjiani, and the Cast and Crew of MST3K.”

Click here for more information on the MST3K Turkey Day event.

Brandon Schreur: I just wanted to say, I know you haven’t made any new seasons recently, but congratulations on the show. It’s one of my favorites, I put it on all the time. I love it.

Jonah Ray: Thank you. Yeah, I did the same thing growing up, it’s always cool that people do that to my episodes, now, which is kind of crazy to do.

Sure. I’ll tell you, it was Christmas 2020 I had COVID the whole time so I couldn’t go to any parties or events or anything. I just watched your episodes the whole day and it turned it from a terrible day into a great day.

Nice, nice. I really wish I could just get everyone out there and do a Clockwork Orange-style version of what you went through with my episodes, and then more people would be into it.

There you go. I’d be for it. To start, I’m kind of curious about your relationship with Mystery Science Theater. Obviously, I know you started around 2016/2017, but the show has been around for so, so long. At what age did you start watching it and get involved?

When I started watching it, Comedy Central wasn’t available where I grew up. I grew up in Hawaii and we just started getting more and more cable channels. I remember MTV finally showed up, then Comedy Central finally showed up. I remember, I loved Comedy Central because they would show old episodes of SNL, all this stuff I’ve always wanted to watch. Then I remember tuning in once and just seeing a black-and-white movie. I went, ‘Oh, they’re playing old movies like every other channel.’ Then I heard the voices, I saw the silhouettes, and I was like, ‘What is going on?’ I thought it was channels on top of each other, maybe.

Then it went straight into a sketch. I remember immediately recognizing Joel Hodgson as a guy from old episodes of SNL, Letterman reruns, and clips. I was like, ‘Oh, it’s that prop comic!’ I immediately became obsessed with it because, at that same time, I was getting into weirdo comedy and was also getting into watching old sci-fi horror movies. I was starting to do puppet stuff for my cousins’ birthday parties. It all kind of collided to become one of my favorite things.

Oh, sure. And I’m sure it must have been so great to get the news that you are going to be on the show and be the new host. Mind-blowing, I’m sure.

Yeah, that’s something I don’t know how much I’ve ever really processed because of how insane it feels. It seems so outside of any kind of reality that I would have ever expected in my life. I’ve had a very hard life in comedy and I’ve gotten to do a lot of stuff that is like things that I liked growing up. I got to do a stand-up show with Kumail Nanjiani on Comedy Central and it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s like the shows that I used to watch.’ Or I got to do this other thing and it’s like, ‘This is like what I like.’ I’ve gotten to do a lot of things that are like the things I liked.

Then, when Joel asked me to host the new version, it was like, ‘This is a one-to-one thing.’ This isn’t like Mystery Science Theater, it is Mystery Science Theater. It’s still pretty mind-blowing where I kind of go, ‘Did I get into Mystery Science Theater for the sole reason that I somehow knew I was going to be in Mystery Science Theater?’ Time is a flat circle, I don’t know.

You know, it all worked out in the end.

Yeah, it’s really mind-blowing and I don’t ever diminish it in my head for a second.

Sure, definitely. What has the response looked like since you’ve been a part of the show? It’s been seven or eight years now, probably. I’m assuming they like you because they brought you back for more seasons.

The people who make it like me, of course. I knew, when I was announced, there was going to be somewhat tricky. Historically, a new host on MST has never really gone over too smoothly. It went from Joel to Mike, of course, and I was ready for that as well. What’s wild is people seem to like it and seem to like me, but the wild thing is that it didn’t feel like it moved the needle much in my everyday life. Now, since it’s been on so long, now I’ll be out at a restaurant or a bar, going to see a band or something like that, and people will come up to me and be like, ‘Oh, when I was in middle school…’ Because now they’re adults and time has passed. They’ll be like, ‘My parents used to show me your episodes all the time, you were my first host.’ It’s weird, the delay that happens, because you realize — I’m not running into children while the show is going on, but now that they’re older, they’ll go, ‘I used to watch it all the time.’ Which makes me feel ancient, but it also makes me feel good.

As it does. I’m sure it being on Netflix helps, though, because it’s so easily accessible.

It’s just there! Yeah, I love that aspect. It’s always there for people to re-watch or explore. People go, ‘I liked it and now I’m showing my kids.’ There’s that generational aspect to it.

Sure, totally. I know we have the Turkey Day event that’s coming up and coming back again this year. That’s always been really popular. You’re involved with hosting this year and I just got a list, I think yesterday, of all the people who are going to be involved. There are a lot of really cool names: Matthew Lillard, Mike Flanagan. It’s really exciting. What are you excited about with this year’s event?

It’s funny because I feel like Mystery Science Theater has always been its own little niche, its own little culture. I think it’s going to be fun for everyone to see these people that they’ve known for a long time [who are] within the culture or they like the show and they want to talk about their favorite episodes.

Another fun aspect, I have a personal connection with all of the people who are doing it. I thought that was a nice little aspect of having it be a Turkey Day thing, which is about friends and family getting together to celebrate. I like that I was able to show that these are just people, even though they’ve done these things, they’re just friends and they’re fans of the show, we can all be nerdy and enjoy the show. I think it’s going to be a really fun thing for people to see.

I always used to love that. Anytime I read an interview with an actor or a band, I would love when they would talk about other actors or other bands. I would be like, ‘I want to see what they like and if we have similar tastes.’ If Mike Flanagan, if his pick for an episode is what I pick, or Matthew Lillard or Kumail Nanjiani. I’m very excited.

No, totally. That’s one of the great things I’ve always loved about the show, too. On the surface, it seems niche and nerdy but the more you talk to people, especially in this business, it seems like everyone is a fan and everyone has experiences watching it while growing up and they love it. It’s cool to see how many people respond to it so strongly.

And sometimes I’m still surprised. I worked with Matthew Lillard a couple of times and it wasn’t until recently when he was like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to say, I really liked you on Mystery Science Theater.’ I was like, ‘You watched it?’ and he goes, ‘I love that show!’ I go, ‘Why didn’t you bring it up? I would have been less nervous meeting you.’

Exactly. I know there was a crowdfunding effort for another season that didn’t quite make it back in 2023. It’s been a year so I’m wondering if there have been conversations about doing more Mystery Science Theater?

You know, there’s always something bubbling. There’s always conversations; there’s always something kind of being worked out. The show has gone away and come back so many times that it would be ever so hard to say that anything is going to be a comeback. MST3K is inevitable. And it always will be.

Sure. I’m crossing my fingers, waiting for the next one.

They’re still making bad movies, so you know.

That kind of leads into what I was going to ask you next. How much does being a part of Mystery Science Theater affect your brain when watching movies? Is it hard to just put one on normally or are you always thinking about commentary in the back of your mind?

Yeah. It’s like it’s become compulsive behavior where it just comes out of me, sometimes. Luckily, I have somewhere to channel it. My friend Doug Benson, he does a movie interruption show once a month at a theater in Los Angeles at the Dynasty Typewriter. So I can kind of hold it in, we can go watch a movie there, and I’ll get it all out of my system. But it is always kind of there.

I find myself, now, seeing all the gaps in movies. I was rewatching The Princess Bride yesterday and I was like, ‘Oh, there’s a boom shadow in this scene.’ My eagle eye is now picking apart my favorite movies. Making a movie is hard. I made a movie that came out this year. There are very hard things you have to do. The fact that it gets made is a miracle, the fact that it’s watchable is beyond anything. It’s not like we’re tearing it apart, but it is kind of hard to go, ‘Meh, he had his pencil in the other hand.’ Dumb stuff like that.

Oh, I’m sure. But it’s probably still kind of fun, I’m sure.

Oh, for sure. You’d have to ask the people around me.

That’s fair. I’m curious, I’m sure you probably get asked what the worst movie you had to watch for the show is all the time. I’m curious if there are any that you actually, genuinely enjoy. I don’t know if you’ve gone back and rewatched any of them you had to do for the show, but are there any that come to mind that it’s like, ‘You know, that wasn’t too bad.’ Because, I’ll be honest, I don’t hate Killer Fish. I kind of liked that movie.

Yeah, Killer Fish is fun, it trots along really nicely, and it’s not like the worst movie by far. I think, I was really blown away by The Mask, which was our Halloween episode. We were watching it, we’d be in the writer’s room watching it and going, ‘This is GOOD. This is a good movie.’ It’s really well-acted, it’s incredibly shot. The 3-D sequences, of course, are really silly, but it’s like a really well-done movie about addiction. I went and watched it afterward and I was like, ‘This is a quality film. This is a very quality film.’

There are still some movies I’m so glad I’ll never have to see again. Like Mac and Me or Munchie, that was another one that I absolutely despised.

I was just rewatching the one Christmas one last night and, hoo. That’s a bad one.

Oh, Christmas Dragon or The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t?

The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t.

That one is interesting, too, because it’s all about land ownership and then it turns into a courtroom drama. 

They randomly start playing with toys for like 20 minutes.

Yeah! And I think one of the more interesting concepts of that one, too, is like Santa has never dealt with children who are actually alive, he only knows them when they’re asleep. He has to deal with that, but then it’s also about the birth of the mall Santa. All from this weirdo Italian movie about Santa losing the deed to the North Pole. Like, dude, own, don’t lease.

It’s a weird one. I’ve always wondered this, but how many times do you have to watch a movie for the show? Like, how many times did you have to watch The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t before you were in there recording?

That’s a common question and it’s something I always thought, too. It’s kind of hard to say because, every day, you have about 10-11 minutes of the movie you have to get through. So, certain parts of the movie you watch a lot of times because you’re trying to figure out where the jokes should be. Other times, there’s not much you can do so you just kind of trot through like, ‘That’s the joke for that part, there’s too much talking to move anything in.’ It’s hard to say because, some parts, you might watch 100 times, other parts you might watch 20 times. Overall, you’re not really sure how much you watched the entire thing. You have to put these blinders on because, if you get too eagle eye view of the job, you get too overwhelmed and go, ‘We’re never going to make it. We’re never going to make it through this movie with how many jokes we have to write.’ We just go, ‘What’s in this five minutes, what’s in this five minutes?’

Sure. And I’m sure that’s actually hard work. I know some people can just go, ‘Oh, you’re just watching movies the whole time,’ but to watch and rewatch something, especially when it’s something bad like this, I’m sure that can take it out of you.

It’s brain-melting. All the writers will always have a ton of jokes or the perfect moment, but there are these other moments where it’s a two-minute-long fight sequence or chase sequence. Nobody has that many jokes, so that’s when the real work happens and it’s like, ‘What are we going to talk about here? We can’t just have a bunch of jokes, we have to have it be a conversation or do we start singing a song?’ It’s just like any kind of comedy writing where it’s like, ‘What’s the premise here? How are we going to tell this moment? What’s the scene? What’s the sketch?’

Sure, that makes sense. But it all turns out in the end, I love all of it. The songs and everything.

Yeah, because of the aspect of the thing — the movie always keeps on going, the train keeps on moving along. If a joke is kind of so-so or a dud, it’s just like, ‘Well, it doesn’t matter, the movie is still going.’ It’s not going to stop and go, ‘That was bad.’

And there’s always another joke coming 30 seconds later. 

Exactly, yeah.

There is something else I’ve always wondered, going back to fan responses. Despite it being in the theme song, do you still get people asking you about how you eat and breathe up there?

Yes. I remember at a certain point where someone was mad at me because they asked how I eat and breathe up there. I was like, ‘You should really just relax.’ And they were like, ‘Okay man, I was just trying to ask a question about the show.’ I was like, ‘Oh no, I thought we were having a fun rapport as two fans of the show.’

I like to think, though, that I have a little hydroponics garden where I have like little tomatoes or stuff like that. Or, what I would have is, from Big Top Pee-wee, where I have a plant that grows hot dogs. That’s probably what I have. That’s how I eat. How I breathe, I don’t know. I think maybe Tom Servo’s dome is an air-oxygen multiplier.

There you go. You have a whole explanation. 

It’s canon! Put it in, it’s canon!

Source: Comingsoon.net