1.
Are you nuts?
Very possibly. Actually, what I am is a professional editor
and former journalist who
had a baby and found
herself with way too much time on her hands between bouts of playing “The
Itsy Bitsy Spider.” Hence the Annotated MST. Consider it my contribution to
Internet scholarship.
2.
How come you didn’t include every joke in the episodes?
There is nothing more grindingly unfunny than attempting to
explain a joke. “Annotated” means I only explain those things that need
explaining. I’m particularly interested in cultural references, although I have also noted references to other MST
episodes where they occur.
3.
Where did you get all your information?
On the Internet, of course. Where possible, I tried to go
with reliable and authoritative sources: the Encyclopedia Britannica, the
Internet Movie Database, and so forth. Where this was not possible, I
attempted to corroborate the explanation with two independent sources. Where
that was not possible, I winged it. This isn’t brain surgery.
I also occasionally consulted print sources, two of which I
should credit here: The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal
Episode Guide by the MST3K writers themselves, and The
Straight Dope by Cecil Adams, an endlessly useful compendium of trivia
and obscure facts. If you have not read his books, go buy some immediately
and give him some well-deserved royalties.
Although I have kept track of all my sources for my own
reference, I decided not to post the links on the site, for the simple
reason that their sheer number would make site maintenance hellish if not
downright impossible. However, if your curiosity overwhelms you on a
particular reference, send me an email and I’ll send you the citation.
4.
Hey! My favorite episode isn’t in here! What gives?
Patience, my pet. I’m only one person. I’ll get to it
eventually. However, I do take requests, so if there’s a particular episode
you’re dying to see annotated, drop me a line and I’ll move it up on my
priority list.
5.
I know for a fact your explanation of this joke is wrong. What are you
going to do about it?
I am not infallible, and it’s inevitable that I will make
mistakes in these guides. If you find an error, send me an email with the
correct explanation. Please include your source for the information. If I
can confirm it, I’ll make the change and credit you on the site.
