MST3K Podcasts

In my throes of passionate fandom this year, I’ve been doing more than just watching lots of MST3K: I’ve been listening about it. I’ve been streaming not one, not two, but three podcasts all about MST3K! So, I wanted to give them some love and talk about them a little.

 

The first is It’s Just a Show. Hosted by Adam Clarke and Chris Piuma (who took over for Beth Martin after episode 57), It’s Just a Show dives deep into the movies featured on MST3K, going into their making, history, connections to other experiments, and anything else that the movie or episode makes them think of. This has lead to everything from the history of Tales From the Crypt based on a riff from Wizards of the Lost Kingdom, to the legacy of filmmaker Al Adamson, director of Carnival Magic, not to mention just how many actors have been in movies with Donald Pleasence. Features include the Shallow 13, where they unearth interesting tidbits, such as how Corey Allen, director of Avalanche, once met the Manson Family! This is the podcast for those who wand an informative and critical appraisal of the show and to learn more about the many strange movies featured on it.

Up next is SoL-Mates. Hosts, couples, and longtime friends Joe and Dr. Devori Kimbro and MiMi and Jeff Smith come together to passionately discuss MST3K, ostensibly using the show to discuss how to foster long term relationships, but really just letting their long term friendships and love for the show lead to jokes, some background on the movies, and their own personal thoughts on the episode. Features include Coulda-Woulda-Shoulda, where the hosts theorize on how to improve the movie based on it’s faults (such as, what if Quentin Tarantino had directed The Time Travelers?), the Rowsdower Cockatil hour, where they come up with a drink based on the featured movie (for instance, Horror at Party Beach leads to the “Toxic Sex on the Beach”), and finally, what the movie taught them about fostering a deeper relationship (from I Accuse My Parents: “Don’t marry a liar!.) Listening to the podcast is the next best thing to watching the SOL crew riff a movie: hanging out with fellow MSTies. They’re raucous and very raunchy and a ton of fun!

Finally, we come to what might be the longest running MST-themed podcast, Gizmonic Institute Radio. Returning in May of 2021 from a three-year hiatus, the podcast has been running for almost a decade and is actually story focused, telling the tale of mad scientist Dr. Odd, who just can’t stand it when people talk during movies. So, in the name of mad science, he kidnaps and forces two random people to watch MST3K until they lose their minds (why does that sound familiar?) However, the people he kidnaps, Jeff Brown and Seth Macy, turn out to be huge MSTies and make the best of watching and reviewing every episode of their favorite show. Seth is later swapped out with cast member Renea Brown by Dr. Odd in a test subject swap with another mad scientist. So far, Jeff, Seth, and Renea have endured exploding nuclear reactors that are there just to look cool, evil plans based on cabbage patch dolls, and clam-flavored drinks, all while reviewing episodes of MST3K. The characters and skits are fun, and very much in the spirit of the show.

 

There you have it! Three very different takes on MST3K in three very unique, informative, and fun podcasts. Take a listen! Because if you’re like me, you’re already all but rotting your eyes by watching the show over and over, so why not rot your ears as well?