Biography

Michael J. Nelson grew up in lovely Geneva, Illinois, but his parents moved to rural Wisconsin when he was twelve because they wanted to make a more desolate life for him. In high school, Nelson excelled at music and theater largely because he was the only person in either program. His one-man performance of Brigadoon was hailed by local old people as one of the "most upsetting things, ever!"

He continued his education at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls—"Moo U" or "Silo Tech" as it is more popularly known—where he again studied theater and music, virtually guaranteeing that he would not be qualified to hold down a paying job. Realizing that he would actually need to attend classes to receive his degree, Nelson bailed out of college and went immediately into the exciting field of cleaning up after people with one of the top janitorial firms in the Minneapolis area. When new management eliminated his position (immediately reinstating it and filling it with someone else before he had even punched out), Nelson took a job with a St. Paul collection agency, a deeply ironic move given his financial state, and one that prompted his father to remark, "Well, physician heal thyself, I suppose."

When the comedy circuit exploded in the mid-80s, Nelson was quick to jump on that bandwagon. For years, he worked at colleges and clubs throughout the Midwest, having tremendous success at places with names like "J.R. Muffybuns" and "W.P. Hooliganberry's." Some friends from the stand -up circuit asked him to "do some typing" for their show, Mystery Science Theater 3000. Nelson accepted, staying on for ten years, talking to plastic puppets on a daily basis.

These days, Nelson authors his books, pens screenplays, lectures, does the odd TV pilot or radio show and rides many miles on his incredibly geeky recumbent bike. It is this bike, more so than any of the jokes, scripts or gags that he has so far written that causes people to point and laugh hysterically.

Nelson lives in Minneapolis with his wife, writer and comedian Bridget Jones, his two children, and one hyperactive badger hound.