Today, while standing in line at the USPS, I turned to look behind me and saw that there was a man, presumably in his early sixties, wearing a “NAVY” cap and a MST3K t-shirt. Now, I live in Tidewater Virginia; it is very common to see a man of retiree age in a “NAVY” cap, but not in a MST3K t-shirt. I had to ask him if he was indeed a fan. When he said yes, I was compelled to give him a fist bump and the warning to “Watch out for snakes!” We had a delightful (non-invention) exchange about the show. His name was Bob, and he told me that he and his navy buddies used to “keep circulating the tapes” in the service. (Their wives would tape it for them.)
Having mentioned that he was also a fan of Rifftrax and Cinematic Titanic, Bob knew about MST3K Seasons 11-12 on Netflix but didn’t know about Season 13! It was fun getting to break MSTie news with him about Emily. I also pointed him to The Mads Are Back as another great live event source.
Bob, if you’re out there, it was lovely meeting and sharing fandom with you! I salute both your service and your OG fanship.
As for all you other MSTies, keep wearing that merch while you’re out and about. The right ones will know…and appreciate.
