Customer Reviews

Mike Nelson's Mind over Matters

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Well, they did it. They finally did it. The Great Gods of the Publishing World have released another book with a picture of Mike Nelson's head on the cover, and, I must say, it's holding up fairly well. It's a little worn since the last time we saw it, and the little pieces of popcorn that used to surround it have now been replaced (possibly eaten) by remarkably formal thought-bubbles that sprout out of it. The energetic, insane grinning of MOVIE MEGACHEESE has now faded to a slightly baffled midwestern look of mild tolerance (though, upon reflection, if the phrase "My Shorts Can Talk" was popping out of my head, I'd be wearing a similar expression). The head of Mike Nelson has also rejected the more modern flavor of so-called "color" photography and is now sporting a classic "black and white" look. Same haircut though.

As for the words that are printed on the pages that lie beneath the Head of Mike Nelson, well, they're pretty funny too (especially the order that he puts some of them in). The essays collected here are a fairly random group of observations on everyday life. They're vaguely ordered into a loose grouping of nine categories, but he rarely feels the need to be bound by them. The book is a free-flowing river of comedy that runs in many different directions, sometimes at the same time.

Nelson really has a gift for coming up with hilarious turns of phrase. He has a wonderful way of describing even the most mundane of everyday tasks in a wickedly amusing manner. Make no mistake; this is no simple Seinfeldian "Did you ever notice...?" type of humor, but rather stretching the commonplace until it you see it through Mike's skewed and offbeat point-of-view. Who would have thought that a simple visit to the neighborhood Radio Shack could be fraught with such unrelenting horror (well, apart from anyone who has ever visited their neighborhood Radio Shack)? After reading this, it's frighteningly easy to imagine Mike Nelson taking several months off to "research" this book, where the "research" consists of arranging an interview with his shorts, reading Schopenhauer, and voyaging through the dark side of his wife's skin care collection.

In short, this is funny stuff. While a slight handful of the essays aren't quite as funny as they should be, there is more than enough funny material to make this a highly recommended read. If Nelson hits a subject that isn't particularly amusing, you only have to wait for another page or two for him to burst out in an entirely different direction. Fans of his first book, or his MST3k work should be very happy with this. And if you're someone who has never experienced this brand of bizarre entertainment before, MIND OVER MATTERS is definitely a great place to start.

Michael J. Nelson returns with another book of humorous essays in "Mike Nelson's Mind Over Matters," his sophomore follow-up to the well-received "Mike Nelson's Movie Mega-Cheese".

Nelson cut his teeth ripping apart films in the cult hit Mystery Science Theater 3000, where he served as co-producer, head writer and star. With such a pedigree, it was hardly surprising to see him stretch his wings as a full-fledged (and funny) film critic in "Movie Mega-Cheese", his first book. "Cheese" was an immensely funny read that -- despite overwhelmingly good reviews from book and film critics alike -- was largely disregarded outside of Nelson's Mystery Science Theater 3000 cult following.

In his follow-up "Mind Over Matters", Nelson strays from the comfortable arena of humorous movie criticism he mined in "Mega-Cheese", opting instead for the more adventurous medium of observational biography (a la David Sedaris or David Rakoff). Unlike "Mega-Cheese", "Mind Over Matters" doesn't limit itself to the discussion of bad films. Readers will find a collection of essays with topics ranging from consumerism to family matters. Not just for film geeks anymore, Nelson's comedic style should be immediately accessible to any fan of the comedic essay form.

As an overall read, "Matters" is a mixed but promising book. At his best, Michael J. Nelson is a caustically funny writer with a deadly sharp wit. On many occasions I found myself laughing until tears streamed down my face, so much did I enjoy a particularly hilarious turn of phrase or tongue-in-cheek description. Nelson has a flair for the art of the diminutive and unequivocal put-down, and can get you laughing through the lengths he will cross to convince you of the worthlessness of an event or thing. Radio Shack employees, small-town theater, morally obtuse relatives and customer service representatives bear the brunt of some of his most hilarious verbal assaults.

Unfortunately, many of the essays sandwiched in the middle of "Matters" give one the impression of padding. While still amusing, subject matter in these median sections tend to be almost too inconsequential to really matter, and leave you wondering, "Well, so?". By the time Nelson starts riffing on an advertisement he saw in the back of a furniture magazine, one begins to wonder who, besides himself and perhaps three others, will get the joke.

But these are small concerns. "Mind Over Matters" had me laughing to the point of tears on many, many occasions, which is more than I can say for any book I read last year. Though admittedly a hot-and-cold read, "Matters" will make you laugh so hard during the hot bits, you'll forgive Nelson for the cold ones. If nothing else, "Matters" showcases the considerable writing talents of a shamefully neglected comedian; if you're the sort of person to purchase the latest offering from David Sedaris, Jon Stewart, Steve Martin, Dave Eggers and the like, then you'd be committing a crime not to add this title to the bookshelf.

Who is Mike Nelson? What makes this man tick? What evil lurks behind the guise of goofiness he often adopts? Mike Nelson's Mind Over Matters takes us into the mind of the man I now consider to be the funniest man on the planet. After a decade of work on Mystery Science Theater 3000, Nelson has evolved into a remarkably witty, entertaining author. His first book, Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese, featured his odd yet hilarious takes on modern, mainstream films, yet this topic did not take him very far afield from his work on MST3K. Now, in Mind Over Matters, Nelson has decided to take on modern life directly, penning a series of vignettes about every-day events, popular culture, and his own childhood and family life. This book is, in my opinion, even funnier and much more impressive than its predecessor. It also gives us some insight into the man most of us MTS3K fanatics tend to view as an actual friend we just haven't met yet.

The book is organized into nine sections. In Part One, Coping With It All, Nelson describes seemingly mundane events and activities that somehow become incidents of high strangeness: shopping trips, hotel stays, trips to a health club brimming with old wrinkled men who seem to enjoy showcasing their frightening nakedness in a locker room setting. In Part Two, But Is It Art? he address topics such as movie-going and watching television; the real gem here is a fairly lengthy recounting of his own experiences in musical theatre. Part Three, This Modern World, returns to the subject of modern life and such issues as computer security, annoying morning radio shows, and weird news reports. He steps outside for a breath of fresh air in Part Four, The Great Outdoors, the pinnacle of which is his well-stated condemnation of leaf blowers. Part Five, Remembrances of Stings Past, finds Mike recounting stories and imparting lessons about how things were "in his day." Here we get some good information of Nelson's own life experiences, including his early, usually quite unsuccessful, attempts at attracting the ladies. In Part Six, Busy Bodies, he pauses to reflect on the human body and its obvious flaws; going beyond an investigation into the nature of skin moisturizers and words of wisdom on the topic of bad hair days, he gives us an awfully witty rundown on the past, current, and future state of men's fashion. After a short stop on Food and Stuff in Part Seven, Nelson wraps things up in Part Eight, Me, Myself, and I, and Part Nine, The Whole Famn Damily (not a misspelling on my part), with some very funny anecdotes about his own childhood and his current adult life as a married man with two young children. By the time you finish reading the book, you really do feel as if Mike has let you into his private world and allowed you the freedom to look around for a little while.

While there may be one or two essays that don't seem to hit the bull's-eye, his comical aim is, by and large, dead-on and eagle-eyed. I found the book consistently funny and incredibly accessible from start to finish. Nelson asks the types of questions we all ask at times, seeing that life is really just a crazy sort of game that doesn't always make a lot of sense but which never fails to amaze and entertain. There is something of a Seinfeld-like feel to this material, but the writing is vintage Mike Nelson. Some may find sections bordering a little too far on the absurd, but I say that life is absurd to begin with. I find it a little strange that some MST3K fans didn't seem to successfully connect with this book; in my mind, this is the exact same Mike Nelson we knew on the Satellite of Love rambling on about nothing in particular, asking some of life's unanswered questions, and subtly offering an uncommon insight into human nature and popular culture just below the surface of laugh-out-loud comedy. Mike is as funny as ever, but unlike Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese, this book and its collected essays have a real substance to them. Now, rather than be entertained for the sake of being entertained, we can actually learn something about life while being entertained.

Mike Nelson, the sorely-missed former host and head writer for the uproariously funny television program, MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000, returns to the literary field once more with his follow-up to 2000's MIKE NELSON'S MOVIE MEGACHEESE. Like that book, MIND OVER MATTERS is a collection of sometimes bizarrely stream-of-consciousness essays, but does not confine itself to the discussion of film. Instead, MATTERS is broken up into a handful of (sort of) related topics, from work to family.

Many find Mike Nelson's writing to be an acquired taste, as the humor in his essays often depends on sticking with him through a series of interlinked digressions that may, or may not, have any sort of real point. As a result, casual readers might be put off by Nelson's skewed approach to the essayist's craft, particularly if they aren't ready for it. However, fans of Nelson's writing, and his MST3K work, will be thrilled with this latest release, and will doubtless have to wipe tears and stop to catch their breath more than once.

Bottom line: if you like MST3K, you will love this book. Mike Nelson has never been funnier. His essay topics range from the hell that is shopping at Radioshack to a hilarious account of his ill-fated theater career. I would recommend this to any MST fan and everyone, in general. My wife has only watched the show a few times and she absolutely loved this book.

Kudos, Mr. Nelson.

Michael J. ('Mike') Nelson first soared to international super-stardom in the galactic mega-hit TV show 'Mystery Science Theater 3000,' in which men and bots made fun of bad movies. Striking out on his own, Mike then rocked the world with 'Movie Megacheese,' a collection of essays in which he ... made fun of bad movies. And now, Mike boldly draws us out of our comfort zones with 'Mind Over Matters,' in which he makes fun of (and this is important) things that *aren't movies*!

And he does it really well.

I was a little nervous at first. Movies, after all, exist to be criticized. It makes sense for them to be reviewed. But why would someone sit down and write a short article about meat? Or deconstruct a trip to Radio Shack or an afternoon moving a buddy's couch? Because they're funny, that's why.

I found myself laughing aloud almost from the very beginning. I had to hide my head under a pillow when I read the line about 'eating women and chasing grapes,' so as not to wake my sleeping bride. Mike's analysis of the Fonz, from TV's 'Happy Days,' was hilarious -- but also an insightful puncturing of an inherently implausible TV premise ('I never believed the Fonz could beat up a wood duck, let alone the much larger thugs he often bested or frightened away with lackluster feints.'). The description of a college English professor in 'Did He Say "Meep"?' was unforgettable, and 'Yes, I Have Never Been Mellow' was a moving ode to the Seventies.

With this book, Mike Nelson moves beyond the 'any MSTie will love this' category and into the larger (and I hope more remunerative) one of 'any humor fan will love this, period.' Way to go, Mike. We knew you could do it.

I cant praise this book enough.

While other authors write about parenting, or airplanes, Mike Nelson has a style all his own. Authors like Dave Barry will go on and on about how tough and silly it is to raise children while Mike Nelson will wonder why his wife needs so many types of moisturizers.

The topics in this book range from the very common, (Getting help at hardware superstores) to the very uncommon (why the humming bird shouldn't be considered an animal). Mike Nelson has pet peeves, like everyone else, but his are ones that you wouldn't necesarily think about.

Some people seem to have had problems reading this book, but I cant see why. If you have lived for 80 years, or for five, you will relate to this book.

This book is a fresh spin on observational comedy, a genre that has been made completely stale by commedians like Jerry Seinfeld or Dave Barry. I hope for more of the same from Mike Nelson in the future.

Michael J. Nelson is best known as the host and head writer of "Mystery Science Theater 3000." While I take a back seat to no one in my affection for MST3K, I hope that browsers unfimiliar with the show will give Mr. Nelson a chance as this is as funny as anything that I have read in years. He writes exceptionally well and has a comedic sensibility reminiscent of Woody Allen or Robert Benchley with a soupcon of classic MAD magazine and Stan Freberg thrown in. This is very highly recommended. Even on rereading various essays my laughter remains undeminished. Great to throw in a bag and take on a trip.

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."

I laughed out loud at this book. I rarely do such a thing so take it as a compliment, Mike! Mike's writing style reminds me of Dave Barry, who reminds me of Robert Benchley! If you like wry observations of things you never would have observed before, like toasters, buy this book!