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Historical Precedents of Riffing

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Historical Precedents of Riffing This PDF is offered as a writing sample only and is not intended for republication without the consent of the copyright holders. To contact the author of this article: Mark McDermott [email protected] ALSO OF INTERST Marvel Graphic Novels and Related Publications: An Annotated Guide… by Robert G. Weiner (McFarland, 2008) Graphic Novels and Comics in Libraries and Archives: Essays… edited by Robert G. Weiner (McFarland, 2010) Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero: Critical Essays. edited by Robert G. Weiner (McFarland, 2009) LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA In the peanut gallery with Mystery Science Thealer 3000 : essays on film, fandom, technology and the culture of riffing / edited by Robert G. Weiner and Shelley E. Barba ; forewords by Kevin Murphy and Robert Moses Peasley ; afterword by Mary Jo Pehl p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7864-4532-5 1. Mystery Science Theater 3000. 2. Motion pictures–Review. I. Weiner, Robert G., 1966– II. Barba, Shelley E., 1982– PN1992.77.M9716 2011 791.45'72-dc22 2011000212 © 2011 Robert G. Weiner and Shelley E. Barba. All rights reserved On the cover: Joel Hodgson with the robots Crow and Tom Servo from Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Comedy Central/Photofest) Manufactured in The United States of America McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com 23 “Hamlet will return in Thunderball”: Historical Precedents of Riffing by Mark McDermott The ability to superimpose critical or humorous comments on an existing performance seems to be a recent development made possible by modern technology. Certainly the casual observer of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 and its spin-offs would see a similarity to earlier TV entertainments like the old horror movies presented on local TV by acerbic hosts in campy horror settings. But it is possible to dig a bit deeper and find occasional comedic presentations that wouldn’t sound out of place being enacted by Joel or Mike, and the ‘Bots. This chapter will attempt to define the elements of riffing that set it apart from other types of literary or dramatic lampoons. Then, some examples of performance that fall under this definition will be offered for consideration. Through examples from the years before recorded performance, I hope to be able to make it possible to bring up more obscure, but no less enlightening examples. A Riff by any other name Mystery Science Theatre 3000 has named and codified the form of entertainment known as “riffing.” Following are the elements that transform mere rudeness in movie theatres into riffing: 1. A riff is humorous commentary being made about a work not produced by the riffers. There are plenty of movies and plays where an actor breaks that “fourth wall” to address the audience about the play itself, and even gets heckled by audience members or the unseen narrator. But these have been a part of the original script, not imposed from without by a third party without the cooperation of the producers. 2. It is also expected, though not mandatory, that the riffs be performed by characters with their own back-story and ongoing plot. This creates continuity between episodes of a series in which the presentations being riffed on are totally unrelated. Beavis and Butt- Head (1993-1997) built on this premise by focusing equally on the title characters’ dun- derheaded conversations on music videos and on their crude antics away from the TV. 220 23. “Hamlet will return in Thunderball” (McDerMott) 221 3. The riffing is also effective if the characters of the original production remain ignorant of the fact that their performance is being critically hammered. This tends to leave off many presentations based on vaudeville, in which veteran performers are used to dealing with hecklers in the audience. When Fozzie Bear reacts to being razzed by balcony- dwellers Statler and Waldorf, it merely shows that the apparent “riffing” is a part of The Muppet Show’s meta-textual script. While they lay outside the scope of the above definitions, we will examine some of the more influential “Comedy Dubs” or “Gag Dubs.” This is the term used by TVTropes.com (2010) and others to describe films created by dubbing comedic dialog or narration over older movies, or those originally shot in another language. This subset includes favorites like the Jay Ward-produced Fractured Flickers and Woody Allen’s What’s Up, Tiger Lily? Euripedes? Eumenides! or The Greeks Had an App for That! It’s not surprising that the earliest accessible ancestor of riffing can be found during the first literary movement of Western civilization, the Greek theatre. Aristophanes was one of the first to “riff” on the work of an equally famous competitor. Aristophanes was active at a plateau in popular culture similar to our own: A body of literature or drama that was popular with the public, and an audience familiar enough with many contemporary plays to recognize the tropes and cliches of another dramatist’s work when they were being parodied. The theatre of Aristophanes’ time was presented during the festivals of Dionysus (Bac- chus), first at the established City Dionysia, and then expanded to the Lenaia (dedicated to the female worshippers of Dionysus). Though the festivals were religious in nature, they celebrated Dionysus’ status as the god of the man’s darker nature: drunkenness and bawdy behavior (Theodoridis, 2010). Several plays would be presented during the nearly week-long festivals, with first and second prizes awarded by a panel of judges. Performers and writers at the Dionysia had license to offer opinions that might be considered treasonous beyond the safety of the stage. Aristophanes’ Peace (422 bce) was one of his plays known to have won the festival prize, even though it criticized the Peloponnesian War, then in its tenth year. Many of Athens’ prominent citizens were mocked throughout Aristophanes’ plays, including Cleon, Plato and Sophocles. But Aristophanes twice drew his blade on the tragedian Euripides (c. 480 bce – 406 bce). In The Thesmophoriazusae (412 bce) Aristophanes called Euripides to task for the women characters in his plays. After Euripides’ death, The Frogs (405 bce) presented Dionysus himself as being so moved by Euripides’ tragedy Andromeda, he descends to Hades to bring the poet back to Earth. Dionysus finds Euripides arguing with Aeschylus over who was the greater dramatist, for the chance to sit at Hades’ side. Dionysus judges a competition in which each critiques the work of the other. Aeschylus’ critique involves letting Euripides recite the expository openings of his plays before inserting “…and he lost his prick!” After sev- eral other rounds of competition, Dionysus decides to take back Aeschylus instead (2010). Although Aristophanes often quoted scraps of dialog from the writers he was satirizing, in The Thesmophoriazusae (Women at the Festival), he presents a caricature of Euripides him - self enacting scenes from his plays, while being heckled by other characters. The play’s title refers to the Thesmophoria, an Athenian women’s festival in honor of the goddesses Demeter and Persephone. A woman’s council has summoned Euripides to answer before them for 222 eight. HistoryanDPre-history his portrayal of woman characters in his plays. Fearing for his life, Euripides convinces his father-in-law Mnesilochus to disguise himself as a woman and infiltrate the festival to plead his case. Once there, though, Mnesilochus delivers a rant against the other sex himself. The women penetrate Mnesilochus’ disguise, forcing him to seek sanctuary in the festival’s tem- ple. Mnesilochus gets an urgent rescue plea out to Euripides, who arrives as characters from his plays, repeating lines obviously familiar to contemporary Athenians, while the women of the festival offer comments. Here Mnesilochus begins to quote the opening lines of Euripedes’ Helen (412 bce). The role of “Seventh Woman” is so-called as she was the seventh unnamed woman to speak: Mnesilochus:I have contracted quite a squint by looking round for him, and yet Euripides does not come. Who is keeping him? No doubt he is ashamed of his cold Palamedes. What will attract him? Let us see! By which of his pieces does he set most store? Ah! I’ll imitate his Helen, his lastborn. I just happen to have a complete woman’s outfit. seventhWoMan: What are you ruminating over now again? Why are you rolling up your eyes? You’ll have no reason to be proud of your Helen, if you don’t keep quiet until one of the Prytanes arrives. Mnesilochus(as Helen): “These shores are those of the Nile with the beautiful nymphs, these waters take the place of heaven’s rain and fertilize the white earth, that produces the black syrmea.” seventhWoMan: By bright Hecaté, you’re a cunning varlet. Mnesilochus:“Glorious Sparta is my country and Tyndareus is my father.” seventhWoMan: He your father, you rascal! Why, ‘tis Phrynondas. Mnesilochus:“I was given the name of Helen.” seventhWoMan: What! you are again becoming a woman, before we have punished you for having pretended it a first time! Mnesilochus:“A thousand warriors have died on my account on the banks of the Scamander.” seventhWoMan: Why have you not done the same? Mnesilochus:“And here I am upon these shores; Menelaus, my unhappy husband, does not yet come. Ah! how life weighs upon me! Oh! ye cruel crows, who have not devoured my body! But what sweet hope is this that sets my heart a-throb? Oh, Zeus! grant it may not prove a lying one!” euriPiDes(as Menelaus): “To what master does this splendid palace belong? Will he welcome strangers who have been tried on the billows of the sea by storm and shipwreck?” Mnesilochus:“This is the palace of Proteus.” euriPiDes:“Of what Proteus?” seventhWoMan: Oh! the thrice cursed rascal! how he lies! By the goddesses, ‘tis ten years since Proteas died.
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