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Mike Nelson Mind over Matters Michael J Nelson 9780060936143 Books

Download As PDF : Mike Nelson Mind over Matters Michael J Nelson 9780060936143 Books

Mike Nelson Mind over Matters Michael J Nelson 9780060936143 Books

Coming from someone who isn't a large fan of MST3K, I have to say this is probably the funniest book I have ever read in my entire life. And I mean that literally. I have never laughed out loud at a book ever until this one. I made the mistake of taking it with me to work and on breaks I would read it and I would get into such laughing fits, it caused all of my coworkers to look at me as if I had gone insane, but after following Mike's bizarre adventures in the book, I'm pretty sure I was nearly there.

From his falling through the ceiling of his elementary school to observing (more like following) his wife Bridget as to why she has so many friends where he barely has any.

If you know anything about Mike, you know these stories probably do hold water, at least a bit due to his rather unlucky nature when it comes to anything. Hopefully Mike will continue writing as he is very good at it and can keep even me entertained.

Also: Kissimmee, FL is a real place there, Mike.


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Mike Nelson Mind over Matters Michael J Nelson 9780060936143 Books Reviews

I can't finish this book. Okay...I can, but I don't want to. You see, if I finished it, then I would not be able to do a first reading of the pieces in it. I would not be able to say "Hey, I feel like getting squeamish with laughter by reading a Mike Nelson piece."

Oh, I sure, I could reread these comic essays, from the co-creator of TV's legendary "Mystery Science Theater 3000." I have tried that, for some of the pieces. Over time, I do forget some of the one-liners, some of the dead-on takes on the surrealistic modern horrors like "customer service" lines and stadium-sized outlet stores. But that unique jolt of sweet agony that comes from laughing until you cry-that I get only with first reads.

To give a sense of what's in the book Mike Nelson is what Dave Barry should be. The pieces are mostly bite-sized (around 3000 words) and they include Nelson's takes on contemporary cultural and social phenomena. SUV drivers with "Pat Riley" hair. The inexplicable proliferation of Radio Shacks. Nude elderly men clipping their toenails in locker rooms.

Nelson's basic outlook is a common one among comic writers "I can't believe the world has come to this." Yet, he seems to make that attitude fresh and unique. He avoids the jadedness of a Rooney or Queenan, while at the same time comes off as much more edgy than when a Seinfeld or Brenner trades mike for pen.

MSTies (fans of MST 3000) should be pleasantly surprised. If you thought Nelson was funny as a wise-cracking movie-goer, this book will prove that the show barely scratched the surface of Nelson's comic talent. And yes, the mind-boggling reference humor is there. Dennis Miller, with his kitchen sink approach, may forever be known as the reference humorist; but Nelson is Kasparov to Miller's Deep Blue. He reels out the references only at the perfect moments, and only the reference that make the reader wonder "How did this ever remind him of that!?"

My only quibble (besides the fact that Nelson has not released as many books as Stephen King) is a couple of the essays come off as first drafts. The essay on Radio Shack, for example, does not seem as funny as it could have been. It was funny, but it made me want to call Nelson and say "Hey Mike, try this one again. I know that you can find a funnier angle on RS than you did."
It may be a bit much to say that it was the best TV show ever, but I feel I'm on more solid ground when I assert that Mystery Science Theater 3000 was the best puppet show ever (sorry, Kukla, Fran and Ollie). During its decade-or-so run, Mike Nelson served as both a writer and as one of the stars of the show. I think it's probably safe to say that most people who want to read Mike Nelson's Mind Over Matters are MST3K fans; the question is, will these people (or those who are unfamiliar with the show) like what they read? I believe so.

In MST3K, Mike and two robots were the audience who watched bad movies and made jokes about them. In Mind Over Matters, the concept is similar, except this time, Mike is alone and what he is watching is the real world. So we get Mike's amusing observations on such topics as men's clothes, performance art, the history of television and gourmet foods. In addition, just as MST3K would have skits that broke up the movie watching, Mike gives us written parodies, such as his Scarlet Letterish "Young Master Chillingshead" or an interview with a pair of shorts. (It is a sign of how much I associate him with his MST3K character of the same name that, instead of referring to him by his last name, as I do with the authors of most books I review, I can only think of him as Mike.)

Of course, not every joke merits a guffaw or even a chuckle, but like in baseball, if you're successful a third of a time, you're a star. With that standard, and with a lot of humor on each of its 278 pages, you're sure to find this book to be quite fun (even if you've never watched MST3K).
Coming from someone who isn't a large fan of MST3K, I have to say this is probably the funniest book I have ever read in my entire life. And I mean that literally. I have never laughed out loud at a book ever until this one. I made the mistake of taking it with me to work and on breaks I would read it and I would get into such laughing fits, it caused all of my coworkers to look at me as if I had gone insane, but after following Mike's bizarre adventures in the book, I'm pretty sure I was nearly there.

From his falling through the ceiling of his elementary school to observing (more like following) his wife Bridget as to why she has so many friends where he barely has any.

If you know anything about Mike, you know these stories probably do hold water, at least a bit due to his rather unlucky nature when it comes to anything. Hopefully Mike will continue writing as he is very good at it and can keep even me entertained.

Also Kissimmee, FL is a real place there, Mike.