April A-Z Topic: The Simpsons
I blame my brother.
That's nothing new, I blame him for a lot of things, but unlike the fact that the mould in my bathtub won't go away and the gross national debt, this really is his fault.
That's nothing new, I blame him for a lot of things, but unlike the fact that the mould in my bathtub won't go away and the gross national debt, this really is his fault.
So, my brother had many bad habits back when we shared an apartment after high school. He
never picked up his dirty clothes. He'd rather have started a penicillin
company than wash the dishes, and the vacuum cleaner is something to
stop the Christmas tree from falling over in the cupboard as far as
he was concerned. But the habit that had the greatest and most far
reaching influence was his Simpsons fetish.
He watched them continually. Of course
that wasn't difficult, even back then they were on approximately 47
times a day. Then he got the bright idea of taping the episodes so
he could replay them during the rare times when there was no episode
being broadcast. Is it any wonder I can quote Simpsons episodes non
stop for hours on end?
I used to beg him, plead with him to
stop playing those damned tapes. But no, he was too caught up in his
addiction. He needed help! We thought about having an intervention,
but quite frankly I doubt we would have been able to get his
attention away from the TV long enough to voice our concerns.
Still, all these years later and I'm at a
point where there's no going back. I can still quote practically
every episode. I know the most inane facts about the characters.
I think maybe I'm the one who needs help now.
I think maybe I'm the one who needs help now.
Like a waffle with the image of Jesus on it stuck to the ceiling fan---sacralicious!
ReplyDeleteMmmm ... sacralicious...
DeleteI was thinking about this! I was researching a piece about old idioms and sayings, and it occurred to me a decent portion of old saying in the future are BOUND to be Simpson's quotes. Like as soon as you said "luke perry cannon" my head screamed, "MY FACE! MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!!" It's a totally cromulent observation.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. It embiggens us all.
DeleteAww...memories. The Simpsons is a huge part of my childhood/highschool/college... damn, they've been around for a long time!
ReplyDeleteI try to watch the Treehouse of Horror every year. Sadly, I know there are tons of Simpsons episodes I have never seen, but if I catch them on tv I watch. Warm and fuzzy post. I hope your brother paid most of the rent if he was that messy and made you watch tapes over and over :)
I love the Treehouse of Horror episodes, but the early ones were definitely the best. I'm a traditionalist a heart ;D
DeleteI am with you. You're not alone. My internet name is Pickleope, and I too, am a Simpsons addict.
ReplyDeleteThe most amazing thing I saw this weekend was Conan O'Brien, former Simpsons writer (responsible for the Monorail episode), gathering a bunch of the original Simpsons writer to talk about those early days. It was captivating. Here's the link: http://teamcoco.com/video/simpsons-serious-jibber-jabber
Conan O'Brien did the Monorail episode?! My friend and I will still to this day sing "Monorail! Monorail! Mono." You go, Team Coco. That makes me smile to know that :) Thanks
DeleteI didn't realise Conan did the Monorail episode! I love that one!
DeleteD'oh! Me too.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of us out there, I think.
DeleteIt is kinda funny how the Simpsons has gone from WOW! They said that on TV to this is the most wholesome thing on the tv. Cracks me right up.
ReplyDeleteI am loving this A-Z topic thing though I might have to steal the idea for my own blog - different topics of course though.
You're right, it is strange how risque we all thought they were back at the start.
DeleteMy boys can do :Get Smart" word for word!!
ReplyDeleteLOL! I used to watch those episodes. I still can't see a men's business shoe without wondering if it has a phone in it.
DeleteI haven't watched the Simpsons in a while but the are so funny and quotable which is why I liked the show.
ReplyDeleteI still stop and watch when I flick across an episode. It's like I've been trained to do it.
DeleteI don't recall ever having watched a complete show of the Simpsons. (Well, maybe one; something about Australia and frogs.)
ReplyDeleteTo tell the truth, I don't feel I've missed anything significant. I know; complete sacrilege. But that's the best this Bear can do.
Blessings and Bear hugs!
Bears Noting
With all the other animated shows these days, it probably wouldn't have the same impact if you started watching it today. Back then it was cutting edge though.
DeleteI'm so old, I remember when the Simpson's first came on as their own show. (They used to be a short clip on the Tracy Ulmann show.) We watched it every single week for years. Unfortunately, I haven't watched an episode in a long time. I seem to be passing the knowledge of the show down, though. A couple of years ago my oldest mashed up two costumes (a Bart mask and a whoopee cushion) to go as Fart Simpson for Halloween. I do believe Bart would have approved.
ReplyDeleteIt brings a tear to my eye to see the next generation carrying the torch.
DeleteMy son was the first to fall in love with the Simpsons, and I remember thinking now he's spoiled for life. But as you say, how can one not relate to that family. These days, I only watch the show occasionally, though ... not the greatest TV fan. -Belinda.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch that many of the new episodes, but when an old one comes on I just can't help myself.
DeleteHaven't watched in a long time but I remember when it first came out. One of my favorite parts of any episode was in the beginning when Bart's writing on the blackboard. :)
ReplyDeleteMe too! That and when Maggie was scanned. It took me forever to realise that different things popped up on the cash register.
DeleteI have a niece and nephew who are the same way (they turned out ok, he's a doctor and she's a para-medic). Watching something other than the Simpsons was a trial. They would turn to each other and say "Simpsons did it" if they thought the show was unoriginal. That show has been on forever and they don't age, unlike the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteIt is kind of creepy. Bart has been ten for something like 20 years!
DeleteI quote the Simpsons all the time to my wife, which makes me sad because she's 6 years younger than me, so the "good" episodes, aka the 90s, were lost on her. It's hard to convey to her that the ones they churn out now, which are crappy, are not accurate of the episodes from 15-20 years ago.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard, unless they actually experienced it when it first came out, I don't think people will ever understand how groundbreaking it was.
DeleteI haven't watched much of this show, but I have seen a few episodes that I can't get enough of. My favorite has got to be "The Book Job" with Neil Gaiman. I never get tired of watching that one.
ReplyDeleteI think my favourite was the "A Streetcar Named Desire" episode. Loved those songs!
DeleteI haven't watched the Simpsons in a while, but I used to love it. I should check it out again to see how it differs from when I used to watch it--a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't think the newer episodes are as good, but they keep making them so I guess people are still watching.
Deletei rarely watch it---but i do like marge :)
ReplyDeleteLisa was always my favourite :D
DeleteNah...there are a lot of far worse things than the Simpson's to be addicted to. My vote...you're perfectly sane :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks! Do I get a "not insane" stamp on my hand?
DeleteAh, the Simpsons. I never really got into it, but my husband loves it!
ReplyDeleteThere definitely seems to be a swing towards the male of the species.
DeleteI love the Simpsons. It used to be the thing my dad and I watched together when my mum wasn't home to get cranky about the "sassy" cartoon.
ReplyDeleteLOL! I wonder what she would have thought about Family Guy or Futurama if we'd had those back then.
DeleteWe have an entire shelf of Simpson's episodes taped on VHS that my husband won't get rid of, haha.
ReplyDeleteMy fave is the "Lisa The Tree Hugger" episode (probably because I live in the Pacific Northwest).
"Do you pocket mulch?"
I always like the "Streetcar Named Desire" episode myself.
DeleteIt's a Sunday night family tradition at our house!
ReplyDeleteIt was an every day tradition in ours :D
DeleteWe call it educational tv in our house!
ReplyDeleteLOL! I'm sure it is compared to a lot of stuff on these days.
DeletePop Quiz: Was the Simpsons Crazy genetic, then, or simply contagious? ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's something scientists have been trying to work out for years ;D
DeleteMe and my dad (back when was alive an all, actually why I am clarifying that?) Used to quote the Simpsons back and forth to each other all the time. "can't win friends with salad" and "someone's got a case of the suppos-das" were our favorites. Classic.
ReplyDeleteWe still sometimes dance around at work singing "Can't win friends with salad".
DeleteI never let my kids watch the Simpsons when they were little and none of us are fans. But everytime I did watch them they were hilarious.
ReplyDeleteIt's one of those shows that has a quote or episode for every possible situation.
DeleteFun fact: Matt Groening grew up here in Portland, Oregon (where I live) and he named several characters after streets in town. We have streets named Flanders, Quimby, Terwilliger, Lovejoy, etc.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that!
DeleteI remember when they were a part of the Tracey Ullman Show...DId Homer seem smarter then?
ReplyDeleteHomer's intellectual level seemed to change from episode to episode. I suppose it was all for the good of the story.
DeleteI remember the quick skits during the Tracey Ullman show a million or so years ago. I never would have suspected they had such staying power.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing what will take off.
DeleteI remember how irreverent the show was considered when it first came out. Bart's antics seem so tame now and Homer is just the guy next door.
ReplyDeleteLOL! It is funny to think that The Simpsons was controversial. Now, compared to other shows, it's completely tame.
DeleteThe show is still going too. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteKaTy Did at: Life's Ride As I See It
It's certainly got staying power.
DeleteI remember them from the Tracey Ullman show too and because I was the only one who used to watch it, no one had a clue what I was on about whenever I mentioned the Simpsons. What is is about that show, that I never tire of? :)
ReplyDeleteIt has something for everyone, I think.
DeleteI still watch the Simpsons occasionally, they do re-runs over here on a daily basis (as well as newer episodes, but I always miss out on those for some weird reason).
ReplyDeleteWe had it playing here every day at six pm for years, but even that wasn't enough to satisfy my brother. Thus the continuously playing tapes.
DeleteDoh!
ReplyDeletepretty popular here too, hard to think is so old, when I was still at UVM, Matt G was doing the pre-cursor "Life in Hell"
It's incredibly popular here too, no matter how many times they play it.
DeleteI used to watch the Simpsons all the time in high school but once I hit college I stopped. Not sure why, but now, every once in a great while I get the urge to start watching again. That being said, I watch the Animaniacs all the time and the girls and I can quote that.
ReplyDeleteLOL! I used to love Animaniacs, but I haven't seen an episode in years.
DeleteSounds like maybe your brother never conquered his addiction because you were an enabler! ;)
ReplyDeleteOh no, he was the dealer, providing endless quantities of addictive cartoon goodness. I was the innocent victim!
DeleteDarn our brothers! I know way more about comic book characters than I would ever want to because of him!
ReplyDeleteI really haven't watched much of the Simpsons. I'm just not into cartoons. I know that's blasphemy, or so I've been told :)
Brothers! Always making us do things we don't want! I still blame mine for that brief "Red Hot Chilli Peppers" period back in the 90's.
DeleteMy mom tried to ban The Simpsons when I was a kid. That didn't even last a day due to my dad protesting the ban. Got to love it when parents stick together like that :)
ReplyDeleteMy husband is a junkie as well for the Simpsons. He tries very hard to get the kids to join in
ReplyDeleteI had a Bart doll where you pulled the string and he said stuff from the show. That was about as far as my addiction went.
ReplyDelete