Joel Hodgson...The Reluctant Astronaut

Joel Hodgson was born in Stevens Point. He later moved to the Fox River Valley and attended Ashwaubenon High School, but it was in Minnesota's Twin Cities (and not our twin cities, Neenah/Menasha) where he made his mark as a standup comedian. In 1981 his inventive, gadget filled, low key style quickly caught on and he was soon making regular appearances on the David Letterman show, HBO, Showtime and Saturday Night Live. In 1984, he quit the road. He was tired of showbiz life, endless travel,offers for minor roles on dead end television series and appearances national cable specials. He returned to Minneapolis and invented Mystery Science Theater 3000 - You know it...Joel and two robot puppets sit in front of a movie screen in chiaroscuro, watch the best B-films they can find and talk back at the screen while it plays. In 1989, the show was picked up by the Comedy Channel and the rest is history. As before, fame and success brought complications, and Hodgson left the series in 1993. Michael J. Nelson, the show's head writer and a one time UW-River Falls student, was his replacement. Joel continues to do what he loves best - writing scripts, building gadgets, creating puppets,sometimes acting - he had a recurring role in the 1999 series Freaks and Geeks - and being an idea guy. For me, MST3K was at it's best when it referenced Wisconsin - The infamous The Giant Spider Invasion episode pitted the MST3000 crew against Wisconsin's legendary master of bad filmmaking, Bill Rebane. I ask you, how many shows can pull off a "Gobbler" reference on national TV?
At Ashwaubenon High School, Joel was junior class president. He was also named Green Bay's Junior Magician of the Year for three consecutive years.
Joel is featured above in a clip from an early 80's HBO special.