Frank Conniff: I really enjoy being in a room with other comedy writers and brainstorming and pitching ideas and jokes back and forth. But I also enjoy the solitude of writing on my own. They both use different muscles.
Frank Conniff is known to droves and droves of Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans as “TV’s Frank,” the character he portrayed on the cult-hit series he co-wrote from its second through sixth season. After leaving MST3K in 1995, Conniff went on to write for the popular ABC series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. Conniff found himself in a slew of writing roles in the years to follow, including a stint on the long-running Drew Carey Show and as head writer on the Nickelodeon series Invader Zim, which, since its cancellation, has become a cult-hit in its own right.
Conniff currently writes and hosts Cartoon Dump, a live monthly comedy/music revue performed at the Steve Allen Theatre in Los Angeles which features some of the worst cartoons ever produced as selected by animation historian, Jerry Beck. Conniff has also recently reteamed with fellow MST3K alums Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, Mary Jo Pehl, and J. Elvis Weinstein for Cinematic Titanic, a project which throws MST3K’s premise of riffing on bad movies into a live setting. He took time out from the current Cinematic Titanic tour to talk to Knee-Jerk about his many hats as a writer and performer.Knee-Jerk: You began doing standup in your early twenties. What’s the first comedic piece you remember writing whether it was for your routine or even for a middle school class?
Frank Conniff: In my early years I used to sing a song called "War And Peace Is A Darn Good Book." No one ever disputed its accuracy.
K-J: Your father was a newspaper writer for Journal American in New York when you were growing up. Did that have any effect on your desire to write?
FC: Yes, there were always a lot of books, magazines and newspapers in our home and since my father was a writer, the idea of being a writer did not seem the least bit exotic.
K-J: How did you come to know Jerry Beck? Did Cartoon Dump come together through discussions with him or did you present the idea to him?
FC: I met Jerry Beck when I first moved to Los Angeles in 1995. He has a collection of bad cartoons that he lectures about, and Cartoon Dump was what I came up with when he wanted to do something else with those cartoons.
K-J: What’s your process and sort of turn over time for writing material for the live Cartoon Dump performances?
FC: We usually add one new sketch or song for each performance. It is a constantly evolving show.
K-J: You’ve written songs for MST3K, Cartoon Dump, and, of course, my recent favorite, “Convoluted Man,” for the live Cinematic Titanic performances. When writing songs, do you sort of fall into that role of “songwriter” naturally or is it more something you come to through the necessity of the premise of the joke?
FC: I've always looked at my lyric writing as an outgrowth of my comedy writing, but lately I've been getting a lot of compliments about my songs from established and well-known musicians and songwriters and that has been very gratifying.
K-J: What do you see as the pros and cons to writing comedy for a character compared to writing material for a more conventional stand-up act?
FC: Well, for my stand-up act I write very broad, goofy, silly, anything-for-a-laugh type of stuff, but when you're writing a script for a specific character you have to be true to that character and sometimes the funniest moments are not jokes but things that are true to the character. I love writing broad burlesque types of things, but there is also a great satisfaction to developing stories and characters. I'd say the latter is the more challenging form of writing.
K-J: Can you tell me about the dynamic in the writing room at MST3K, what the process was, did individuals sort of have their niche or specific talents?
FC: People had their own individual niches and interests but I think the great thing about that show is that what came out of that writing room emerged as one voice.
K-J: So, is there a similar feeling/dynamic now when writing material for Cinematic Titanic? Has the process changed at all?
FC: The process has changed because we all live in different parts of the country and we all write alone and then we send our scripts to one person (we all take turn) and then merge all of those scripts into a single script. When we do get together (either in the studio or on the road) we then collaborate the old way. Yes, it is a different process now, but judging by the reactions of our live audiences the result’s very similar to MST3K.
K-J: For a period you were in charge of screening movies for use on MST3K. On those first views would you say you were watching as a writer, taking notes, thinking of potential jokes, looking for opportunities for running gags, or was it more just “is this suitable for the show, is there something to work with here?” What was your criteria for deciding if a movie got to that next level of showing it to the other writers?
FC: The first time I'd screen a movie I'd watch it until I couldn't anymore. In other words, I frequently pulled the tape out of the machine after just a few minutes because I knew it wouldn't work. When it seemed like a film was appropriate for our needs, I'd watch the whole thing, and then when we all watched it, that's when the joke-pitching would start. It's hard to say what the criteria was; as I've said before, picking the right bad movie for MST3K was kind of like the Supreme Court's definition of pornography: you know it when you see it.
K-J: You’ve mentioned before that you’re particularly good at punching up scripts. Is there a specific incident/line that comes to mind as really pulling a scene or bit together?
FC: It's hard to say because comedy writing is a collaborative process and at its best you don't remember who wrote or came up with what.
K-J: Do you feel you have different strengths that come to the forefront when collaborating with other writers compared to when writing material on your own?
FC: I really enjoy being in a room with other comedy writers and brainstorming and pitching ideas and jokes back and forth. But I also enjoy the solitude of writing on my own. They both use different muscles. Working with others is more fun, but writing alone can also be very gratifying in its own way.
Either way, the best material comes when you access the subconscious. That's where all the good stuff is. When working alone, you can achieve an almost spiritual state where ideas just stream up from deep within. But when you're in a room with other artists that you respect and feel comfortable with, this can also produce a flow that results in great stuff you never knew you had inside of you.
K-J: Can you tell me a bit about your process when writing on your own for something like Cartoon Dump—do you have any rituals; do you write at a specific time of day; do you like listening to music while you write?
FC: Generally, I like to write late at night. I sometimes listen to my favorite music—Jazz—when I write, usually instrumental stuff from the likes of Ellington, Coltrane, Bill Evans and Miles Davis. I tend to let ideas bounce around inside my head for a while before I write them down, but other times, I'll come up with something that I just have to immediately put into the computer.
K-J: How would you describe your roles writing for Sabrina, the Teenage Witch compared to the Drew Carey Show compared to being a head writer for Invader ZIM? And I just read that you were involved in the Tom Green Show—what was your role there? What were your day to day duties like on each show?
FC: I spent almost as much time on Sabrina as I did MST3K, so it was a big part of my life for several years. The Drew Carey Show was a traditional sitcom writing experience, sometimes working till 4 in the morning to rewrite a script. Both of those shows had rooms full of great, funny, talented writers, so they were both awesome experiences. The Tom Green Show that I worked on was Tom's attempt at being a late-night talk show host; it was on every night and it was the first time I had ever worked on such a show, so it was a valuable, enjoyable experience that ended all too soon. Invader Zim was a great show but I have to say that its greatness came from its brilliant creator, Jhonen Vasquez, and the amazing staff of artists, animators and designers. My contribution pales compared to them. I'd also like to put in a word for another show I worked on called "O2B," it was a satirical talk-show parody created by my dear friend Lizz Winstead, the creator of the Daily Show. It was on the Oxygen Network for a mere six episodes and I think of all the shows I've worked on since MST3K, it's my favorite.
K-J: You’ve mentioned before that Woody Allen is one of your favorite comedians. Mine too, actually. Do you see any inspiration from his work seeping into your writing, even if subconsciously? And, just because I’m curious, do you have a favorite Woody Allen line or bit?
FC: Woody Allen is and always has been a huge inspiration on me. In the world of comedy, work of his depth and magnitude and sheer hilarity is what we should all aspire to. There are so many great jokes and bits that I am at a loss to name a single one, but I will say that his stand-up albums are available on CD and anyone who is interested in comedy should check them out. They contain some of greatest stand-up comedy material ever written.
K-J: Any chance of Cartoon Dump coming to Chicago? Any new projects coming up we should know about?
FC: I'm working on a few things that I can't talk about right now, and if anyone wants to bring Cartoon Dump to Chicago, we would go there in a second! Even in the dead of winter!
Find dates for Frank’s latest live performances for Cinematic Titanic at cinematictitanic.com and Cartoon Dump at cartoondump.com
