MST3K-OZ #6 4 March 98 Welcome to the sixth issue of the Antipodean MSTie Newsletter! A Multiverse report! Web pages! A survey! And the usual clap-trap! Where will it all end? As always, anyone who wants to stop getting this drivel, let me know. If you know someone else who might want to see this, please get them to e-mail me to add them to the list. I won't add anyone who doesn't request it directly. Feel free to print this, show it to your friends, blow your nose on it - whatever works for you. Remember, I think this will work best (if it's going to work at all) if this is a co-operative effort. If you've got something you want to share with us all, even if it's only a paragraph long, send it to me and I'll include it! I'm not fussy! As long as it's got something vaguely to do with MST3K and is somehow relevant to us, I'm happy to see it! As an editor I plan to have a pretty relaxed style . -------------------------------------- FREEDOM OF THE PRESS I'm curious what you guys think ... I've been toying with the idea of making the newsletter sort of like a proper fanzine thingy ... i.e., printed on paper. My thoughts were somewhat reinforced by meeting some people at Multiverse who were not online at all and somewhat disappointed at the lack of non-electronic sources of information on MST3K. I haven't really come to any firm conclusion one way or another, so, I just want to conduct a little poll ... please indicate your personal preferences: 1) Would you prefer to see MST3K-OZ stay as it is, or become a paper version? The advantages of a paper version are "permanence", which matters more to some people than others; and an ability to reach those still living in the dark ages . The disadvantage is that more effort on my part would be required (and people would need to divulge mailing addresses and the like). A panel on fanzine publications at Multiverse made the point that paper zines have "accountability" whereas e-mail stuff is "anonymous". I'd just like to point out that it should be obvious that personally I have no interest in being "anonymous", but I guess I see their point. The advantages of the electronic version (i.e., the way that it is now) is that it's darned easy for me to write and mail it in this format. Almost no work at all (and the more you guys send me to publish, the easier it is ). 2) If it goes to paper, would you be prepared to pay a nominal subscription rate (just enough to cover stamps and envelopes, basically)? I would hope that this is an obvious point. I'm enthusiastic, but not stupid ... well not completely any way. 3) If it goes to paper, would you expect to see more content? Artwork? (Is there anyone prepared to contribute same? I can't draw for peanuts.) I don't mind providing more content, but it would need to come from somewhere . 4) While we're kind of on the subject, would you like to see an "official" MST3K club in Australia? By "official", I mean something that would involve lists of membership and stuff. Presumably an annual membership fee would be involved (which of course would include the subscription fees of point 2). I have no idea at all about how such things would work, I have no idea whether Best Brains would endorse it (or even if they *need* to endorse it, although if they don't it won't be very "official", will it?), and if people really want a fan club I would need local assistance, and I don't at this time have any idea of where that might come from. This is all just speculation, remember. -------------------------------------- JOIN US! New to this issue's mailing list is Alison Campbell ... Wave hello to her, everyone! -------------------------------------- WE'RE ON THE WEB! Quintas has been working hard and has actually set up a Web site for us! Cor blimey. Visit http://www.fortunecity.com/lavendar/pimlico/131/oz.html and tell her what you think! This is a site in development, so mind the girders and don't step in the paint! Suggestions for improvements always welcome! Neither Quintas nor I were able to come up with a snappy, relevant and wildly humorous title for this web site, so if you have any great suggestions, please forward them to her (syntax@picknowl.com.au). ------------------------------------- MULTIVERSE 3 REPORT Well, I had a pretty good time at Multiverse. The guests were all quite good (although it's a pity that Robert Llewellyn could only make it for the Saturday) and the activities that were running were mostly pretty interesting. The organisation of the con seemed reasonably up-to-scratch ... nice work and congratulations to all involved! My MST3K panel was only lightly attended, but given that I was in competition with the auction and an unscheduled showing of a new Babylon 5 video, I'm surprised that anyone at all turned up. Unfortunately, my MST3K "sample" tape was NTSC, and the VCR that was available was PAL-only ... despite the assurances (given by the venue owners) that it was multi-system .... Fortunately, my butt was saved when it turned out that one of the audience members, quite by chance, had a tape with them that included a small segment of an MST3K episode ... so we were able to demonstrate that and it worked quite well. (Also, various episodes of MST3K were playing on the "in-house" video system that afternoon, so no-one had an excuse to be completely clueless.) I used the opportunity, of course, to promote this newsletter ... so hopefully some new readers will result .... ------------------------------------- NEW ARRIVALS Unconfirmed rumour that I heard at Multiverse ... apparently "MST3K: The Movie" has been sighted as a sell-through video at Target (in Australia, that is ... it's been available as a sell-through video in the US for some time now). If true, and you don't already own a copy, go for it! Tom Marwede, bless him, has gifted me with several episodes of Season 8 to copy ... yum! Reports are that the Rhino releases of "Manos" and "Gunslinger" are on the shelves in the US, ready for purchase! Get those credit cards warmed up! Probably the cheapest place to buy them from is the Info Club, actually; US$16.00 each (plus shipping). They're also available in a "3-pack" along with the "MST3K Poopie" tape. ------------------------------------- FEBRUARY MELBOURNE GATHERING REPORT Yay! People turned up! Grapes, pizzas and Tim-Tams were eaten! Conviviality was shared! (Unless that's not legal, in which case, it wasn't. I think.) Paul, Tom, Rod, Alison, Dean & I had a pleasant afternoon watching the "MST3K Summer Blockbuster Review" (a short special that riffed "Fifth Element", "Contact", "Batman & Robin", "Men In Black" and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park"); "The Brain That Wouldn't Die", "Riding With Death" and "I Accuse My Parents". (I particularly enjoyed "Riding With Death", not only because I hadn't seen it before, but it's a darned funny episode). Tentative next gathering date: 21 March. Mark your calendars! ------------------------------------- REVIEW "I Accuse My Parents" One of those MST3K episodes that doesn't seem to fit into any particular genre ... I guess "confused teenager angst flick" probably describes it best. Made approximately three billion years ago, this little number is still as contemporary and fresh as it ever was. The story: our hero, Jimmy, wins an essay-writing contest at his school, by describing how simply wonderful his parents are and how they've made him the man he is today. Alas, it's all a shameful lie; his dad doesn't give a damn and his mum's a lush. Indeed, as the movie progresses, we find that Jimmy can do nothing *but* lie; he invents a simply wonderful life and tremendous achievements at the drop of a martini. And yet, it takes a fulfilling career as a shoe salesman before he discovers the particular subset of lies required to pick up women. This is despite the fact that mysterious and unexplained loose women seem to live at his house, waiting for his parents to throw another party so that they can dance the night away. (This happens approximately seven times a week, apparently.) Unfortunately, the woman he chooses to lie to is the moll of the local gangster, whose crime empire revolves around picking up packages late at night from old men who live in basements with lots of clocks. Does this gangster beat the crap out of Jimmy? You bet, and well-deserved it is too, but only after he first pays him a lot more money than a shoe salesman has any reason to expect to earn. How does Jimmy explain his new wealth? Why, he lies! Anyway, after being beaten up, Jimmy finds his previous shoe-selling life strangely unfulfilling, and flees to another town where he learns to cook hamburgers in church. Finally wracked by an implausible sense of guilt, he returns to his home town, shoots the gangster, gets the girl, is publicly applauded by the local law officials and gets to point the finger at his parents and say "it's all their fault!" All this, and it has musical numbers, too! I think there's a message in that for all of us. "I Accuse My Parents" is accompanied by a short, "Truck Farmers - the Director's Cut Extended Special Edition", which is notable for not displaying a single visual of a truck. It does demonstrate clearly how the economic might of the U.S. in the 1950's was built on the back of migrant workers from Mexico working to crush carrots for a nickel a day. Viva Democracy! The only weak point of this episode is that the host segments are not particularly amazing; there's a lovely dance number with Gypsy singing one of the movie's timeless hits (more memorable even than the Macarena); an extensive pyschological discussion of Jimmy's compulsive fibbing; and Joel serves hamburgers to the 'Bots at gunpoint. And oh yes, Frank bakes Dr. F a cake, but it contains more than he bargains for .... Rating: Four stars (out of five). Honest! "Joel, you magnificent bastard! I read your menu!" ------------------------------------- That's it for this time around. Please let me know about anything you liked (or didn't like)! Keep those cards and letters coming! Time to push the button .... Bruce MSTie #72759 Any of these e-mail addresses will get to me, all are checked regularly: bprobst@vitgbsd3.telstra.com.au <-- work bprobst@ibm.net <-- home generic internet 100372.1643@compuserve.com <-- CompuServe (duh)