Gift: The Simpsons Sing The Blues (1990)

Believe it or not, today is twenty years to the day that the Simpsons Christmas Special first aired way back in 1989. Though the show remains popular, by Fox standards, it has never again reached the insane level of merchandise saturation it hit in that very first year. Nothing captures the way the Simpsons exploded into popular culture in 1990 more than The Simpsons Sing the Blues, a full length album of different Simpsons family members performing old blues and jazz standards. The Simpsons characters (with the possible exception of Lisa) have no connection whatsoever to blues music—odds are these songs were cheap to license, or else some blues fan on the staff was just dying to record an album. I have no inside knowledge on how this thing came about. It doesn’t matter. Knowing why it was created would only take away the magic. All that matters is that the album sold, going platinum in the US and making it to #3 on the Billboard charts. I got it on tape along with a glut of other Simpsons merchandise back in 1990, and I listened to it at least as much as I would one day listen to The White Album. Maybe even more.
The main selling point was “Do the Bartman,” a rap/rock/new jack swing song ghost written by Michael Jackson, a huge hit on the playground in 3rd grade. Bart Simpson was the coolest kid on the planet back then—the show centered around him, and he was marketed to death. If you were a fan of the Simpsons during that first huge rush of popularity the song is sure to hit you in face with a powerful slap of nostalgia. If not, it must seem a very sad relic indeed.

My favorite song, however, was and still is one of the few other Simpsons-original tracks on the album, “Look at All Those Idiots,” sung by Mr. Burns and Smithers. Unlike the rest of the album, which mostly consisted of the Simpsons voice actors singing real-world songs that I had never heard of, “Look at All Those Idiots” had a real story based around real Simpsons characters, and was, wonder of wonders, funny. Okay, so maybe it’s not side splittingly hilarious now, but if you’re in 3rd grade it’s top notch stuff. Mr. Burns and Smithers were probably the first Simpsons ancillary characters to break out of the pack—they were definitely the first ones I was aware of, and it was great fun listening to Mr. Burns complain about the incompetence of his inferiors to a groovy late 80s dance beat. It’s the one song on the album that shows the clever, intelligent direction the show was headed.

As for the rest of the songs, they were happy to cash in on the show’s status as a fad. Do we really need to hear Homer and Marge singing a duet of “I Love to See You Smile” or Lisa Simpson doing a cover of “God Bless the Child”? Apparently I did, because I listened to the album nonstop from Christmas Day until at least March. And it had some stiff competition: I also got Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em that Christmas. Come to think of it, I listened to that tape all the time, too. Damn, that was a good Christmas. It’s amazing how many things you can be passionately interested in when you’re eight years old, and somehow there’s time for them all.

So like many of childhood’s delights, The Simpsons Sing the Blues is a pretty sorry experience without nostalgia backing it up. It’s hard to explain in words why I had so much fun with it, and listening to it sure isn’t going to get the message across. It’s just one of those weird things that perfectly captures a specific set of memories—there’s something of the Spirit of 1990 alive in The Simpsons Sing the Blues. Or maybe it just captures that in 1990 there were millions of kids just like me who would buy absolutely anything with Bart Simpson’s face pasted on it, even a mediocre blues album. As happy as I was in 1990, I bet Matt Groening and The Simpsons producers were even happier.

"I'd Say The Pressure's Finally Gotten To Dad. But...What Pressure?"

When I was a kid, trick-or-treat night was inseparable from The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror. Our neighborhood had trick-or-treat on Thursdays, and in the early 90s The Simpsons aired on Thursday nights, presumably in a vainglorious attempt to compete with NBC’s must-see-TV. For a few years, trick-or-treat would wrap up just in time to come home, take off any uncomfortable masks (as a “method trick-or-treater” I refused to remove any element of my costume until I was back at the house, no matter how many trees I crashed into from poor vision) turn on The Simpsons, and chow down on bags upon bags of candy.

Last year when I wrote about The Simpsons, I claimed my favorite Treehouse of Horror episode was the 5th one, but in my orgy of Halloween nostalgia I’ve been rethinking things a bit. By the time that episode came out I was in 7th grade, The Simpsons had moved back to Sunday night and even trick-or-treat was starting to lose some of its luster. Those early Halloween episodes were helped by the thrill of watching them with a big group of other kids, eating candy and reminiscing about the night’s adventure.

These shows were my first introduction to a lot of classic horror stories, from the Monkey’s Paw to The Raven to The Night of the Living Dead. "Bart Simpson’s Dracula" was even the first adaptation of Dracula I remember ever watching. The Simpsons was great for introducing a young audience to stories, movies, and other pop culture phenomenon that we wouldn’t have known about if not for the show. I doubt anyone can really say their life was enriched by watching Full House, but with The Simpsons I was often learning more about the world as I watched them mock it.

In re-watching these episodes (particularly Treehouse II, III, and IV) I’m astounded by just how much they remind me of Halloweens past. All the early framing stories, except the delightfully ludicrous, Conan O’Brien penned art gallery sequence, dealt with real American suburban Halloween traditions—trick-or-treat, ghost stories in the tree house, or a kid’s Halloween party. Something that The Simpsons has lost is that sense of realism—we all remember hanging out at a house while some adult forced us through silly Halloween games, and as much as triggering my own memories, these early shows do a great job of depicting being a kid of Halloween in the 1990s for millions of American children. Some of the jokes on these shows have yet to be topped, and I’m glad I got to experience them when they first aired with a group of like minded friends. There have been funny movies and TV shows since, sure, but I’ll never experience anything like sitting around the living room with my elementary school friends and watching the classic “zombie Flanders” bit for the first time.

Bart: Dad, you killed the zombie Flanders!

Homer: He was a zombie?

I don’t think I heard the next two of three minutes of the episode; we were all laughing too hard.

After those initial great Halloween specials the Treehouse of Horror shows began to decline with the rest of the series. I’ll admit that it’s been several years since I’ve watched one. Tonight at 8pm Fox will air the 20th Halloween Special, and I might just give it a shot. They’ve apparently cycled back to doing another zombie episode, and I have to assume that it won’t live up to “Dial Z for Zombie,” but I am interested to see where the show goes with it, twenty years on, and how they do the segments now that they’ve moved into the new four act structure.
Even though it still exists, for me The Simpsons Halloween Special will always belong back with cheap rubber masks and super-sugary gum, with chilly east coast autumns and sneaky ploys to get as much candy as possible from gullible neighbors. Though the new episodes don’t quite cut it for me, whenever I see that old graveyard introduction and hear the “spooky” version of The Simpsons theme I’m immediately taken back to the time when Halloween was fun, and when moments of sitting around laughing at great jokes with great friends were a dime a dozen. Just watching Homer Simpson battle an evil Krusty the Clown doll makes me hungry for a mini Snickers bar.

Ten Great Simpsons Episodes (Part 2)

Here we go: my top five Simpsons episodes. (On a related note, one of my favorite words, 'meh' has finally made it into the dictionary. Check it out.)

5. Treehouse of Horror V
Originally Aired: October 30, 1994

Written by Greg Daniels, Dan McGrath, David X. Cohen, Bob Kushell
“Acchh!! I’m bad at this!”

In truth, any of the first six or seven Treehouses of Horror would probably rank as one of the show’s best episodes. I might even like IV a little better than V. But V has one thing the others don’t: Groundskeeper Willy. I’m sorry, but seeing the well intentioned Scotsman repeatedly axed in the back by a variety of characters is pure brilliance. Sure, a future world ruled by Ned Flanders is funny—ditto the idea of ‘The Shinning’ or the fact the Grandpa Simpson gave Homer time travelling advice on his wedding day. But c’mon. Nothing beats cold hearted, nonsensical murder for comedy gold.

4. And Maggie Makes Three

Originally Aired: January 22, 1995

Written by Jennifer Crittenden

“Hey wait a minute. What are all these presents? It looks like you’re…showering…Marge with gifts. Hm…with little, tiny, baby-sized gifts. Well, I’ll be in the tub.”

This might not be one of the funniest episodes, but it’s hard not to feel some sympathy for Homer. He finally fulfills his dream of getting a minimum wage job at the bowling alley, only to be forced to give it up to support his new surprise, Maggie. Homer’s touching decision to put his family first and “Do it for her” is in such sharp contrast with the selfish jerk the character has evolved into that it almost makes me wish the show had ended right here.

3. Cape Feare
Originally Aired: October 7, 1993

Written by Jon Vitti
“Yeaaaaagggrrrrrr”

That’s the sound of Sideshow Bob stepping on a rake. Like the Treehouse of Horror episodes, there are plenty of good Sideshow Bob episodes to choose from. This one wins because of the great parody of Cape Fear, Homer’s consistent ineptitude at seeing the severity of Bart’s crisis, and Kelsey Grammer’s delightful singing voice. At the time this episode came out I had a friend who was actually frightened by it, and I must say that the idea of a grown man trying to murder a ten year old boy could potentially be pretty freaky. Thankfully, great writing and a street full of rakes transforms the idea into something hilarious.

2. Lisa's Wedding
Originally Aired: March 19, 1995

Written by Greg Daniels

Homer: I just want you to know I’ve always been proud of you. You’re my greatest accomplishment and you did it all yourself. You’ve helped me understand my own wife better and taught me to be a better person. But you’re also my daughter, and I don’t think anybody could have had a better daughter than…

Lisa: Dad you’re babbling.

Homer: See? You’re still helping me.

Growing up with the show, Lisa was always the character I related to the most. I wasn’t a troublemaker like Bart and thought too much to be like Homer; like me at that age, Lisa was thoughtful, good at school, and something of a loner. Many fans I've spoken with share my affinity for Lisa, and I get the feeling many of the shows writers do as well. This episode has great gags: the propensity of future robots (from the year 2010!) to malfunction and the absolutely incompetent take on history at the Springfield Renaissance Faire; it’s also great to see the future fates of some of our favorite Springfield residents, especially Milhouse. All of the jokes aside, however, it's Lisa's commitment to her family that makes this episode memorable.

Throughout the series, Lisa’s intellectualism has sometimes made it difficult for her to relate to her father. Here, Lisa gives up her fiance for Homer's sake, and despite how ridiculous these characters sometimes act, their humanity shines through during the last five minutes of this show. (This is the exact same sort of sensibility Greg Daniels would later bring to The Office.) I've seen this episode a hundred times, and it’s still hard to keep my eyes dry when I watch eight year old Lisa’s face light up with excitement at learning just how much she loves her dad.

1. Marge vs. The Monorail
Originally Aired: January 14, 1993

Written by Conan O'Brien

Marge: Homer, there's a man here who thinks he can help you.

Homer: Batman??

Marge: No, he's a scientist.

Homer: Batman's a scientist.

Marge: It's not Batman!

This was an easy call. There’s not much to say about this one that hasn’t already been said. If you haven't seen it, all I can feel for you is pity. From the moment Homer crashes through his car window until the last person falls to their death off the Escalator to Nowhere, there’s not a second in this episode that isn’t hilarious. Every single line is quotable. Almost sixteen years later, this is still the funniest thing I have ever seen on TV. No joke.

Ten Great Simpsons Episodes

I realized I was focusing on the show's dismal later years in my last post, so I went ahead and put together a list of ten Simpsons episodes that I think are some of the best that have ever aired. Naturally the list is totally subjective, and keep in mind I’m pretty prejudiced against anything that aired after the 7th season.

It was incredibly difficult to narrow it down to ten, and there are probably another 30 episodes just as deserving. I would love to have included “Lisa on Ice”, “Kamp Krusty”, “Bart on the Road”, or “Who Shot Mr. Burns”, just to name a few. Anyway, on to the list.

10. 22 Short Films About Springfield
Originally Aired: April 14, 1996

Written by Richard Appel, David X. Cohen, Jonathan Collier, Jennifer Crittenden, Greg Daniels, Brent Forrester, Rachel Pulido, Steve Tompkins, Josh Weinstein, Bill Oakley, and Matt Groening

“Professor Frink, Professor Frink, he’ll make you laugh, he’ll make you think…”

This episode came out towards the end of the show’s golden age, a time when the expansive cast of ancillary characters was just starting to come into their own. One of the great touches was that many of the sketches came with their own theme song. Yes, I suppose you could go through life without knowing all the words to the “Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel” theme song. But who would want to?

9. Homer Badman
Originally Aired: Novermber 27, 1994

Written by Greg Daniels

Marge: Homer, that’s your solution to everything, to move under the sea. It’s not gonna happen!!

Homer: Not with that attitude!

An incident with a gummy Venus de Milo turns the whole world against Homer. In the mid 90s, round the clock news coverage of every minor scandal was a relatively new thing, but TV’s obsession with the minute details of our lives would only get worse from here. This episode features a great appearance from Groundskeeper Willy and the classic poorly edited video of Homer on “Rock Bottom.” What makes "Homer Badman" stand out is the way it insists on Homer’s inherent goodness: he loves candy and TV with such an innocent, childlike passion that something as serious as sexual harassment is simply beyond his capabilities. I miss that Homer.

8. Lisa's First Word
Originally Aired: December 3, 1992

Written by Jeff Martin

"Can't sleep...clown'll eat me...."

There’s a lot to love here—seeing Bart grow up as a child of the 80s, Krusty’s catastrophic Olympic Sweepstakes, Bart’s terrifying clown bed, and Homer’s first meeting with Flanders. What really sells this episode, though, are the emotions: Bart’s jealousy of newborn Lisa, Lisa’s admiration for her big brother, and the start of Homer’s special relationship with Maggie.

And let’s not forget the way the whole family shares a joyous laugh when they recall shipping Grandpa away to the old folk’s home. Laughing at the sad fate of the elderly will never go out of style.

7. Radioactive Man
Originally Aired: September 24, 1995

Written by John Swartzwelder

“My eyes! The goggles do nothing!”

I loved this episode growing up, but it did not become one of my favorites until I moved to Los Angeles. The portrayal of the film industry is spot on, from Krusty’s complaints to the producer about the quality of the coffee on set to the utter destruction of the Simpson’s house by a careless film crew.

Then of course there’s Bart and Milhouse’s star struck reaction to the arrival of Mickey Rooney, “modern editing techniques” used to “fix” the Radioactive Man movie after the departure of Milhouse, and Rainier Wolfcastle’s dismal failure to deliver Radioactive Man’s signature line. A classic from start to finish.

6. Lemon of Troy
Originally Aired: May 13, 1995

Written by Brent Forrester

“So this is what it feels like…when doves cry.”

I’m a sucker for Milhouse. Perhaps he reminds me a bit too much of myself as a child. I may have even fantasized about using a camouflaged outfit to hide from my enemies. This is a rare episode that focuses almost entirely on the kids, and in a way that is (somewhat) realistic. I remember going on adventures like this as a kid, and while they never quite reached this level of ridiculousness, there’s something oddly real about two groups of kids fighting over a lemon tree.

Numbers 5 through 1 are on the way!

Coranon Silaria Ozoo Mahoke!

A fine mahoke to you all.

I was originally going to write something about politics, hence the image, but in watching my Simpsons DVD for the correct spelling of “mahoke” I was reminded of just how brilliant that show used to be. I’m beating a dead horse here for sure, but for me The Simpsons was such a huge influence that I can’t help but be saddened when I think of what it has become. I remember sitting down as a seven year old child to watch the Christmas special in 1989, the rush of merchandise that came with the show’s rise to popularity in 1990, and watching the show with my dad as a 5^th grader on January 14^th 1993: the original airdate of the “Marge vs. The Monorail” episode and the precise moment when the show attained comic perfection. For the next several years it would only get better.

So what happened? After about the 8^th season, the show started to fly downhill. At first it was difficult to notice—it happened so gradually that I was still rushing to watch the show every Sunday night well into college. But at some point every fan of the show had to admit that the gig was up. The characters and situations had become ridiculous, the stories increasingly nonsensical—the characters even looked a little different. What started as a satirical look at America in the early 90s became by slow degrees a slapdash concoction of random jokes and physical comedy—exactly the kind of nonsense the early show mocked.

I’ll avoid going on a long anti-Simpsons rant (if anyone needs proof of the show’s decline, just compare the second season episode “The Way We Was” with “That 90s Show” from January 2008) but let’s just look at the Republican Party HQ joke from where this post gets its title. The great thing about this joke is not that it portrays Republicans as evil rich guys (and vampires) living in a foreboding castle (though that is great), but that it is also a commentary on the way liberals sometimes perceive and portray Republicans. It was this basic thesis—that all members of society are equally ridiculous, that made the show so wonderful. That snarky attitude is gone now.

What makes me saddest is that the show was only at its height for the 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th seasons (it was getting good during the first three, but the fourth definitely marks the start of the show’s maturity). I’ll be generous and add the 8^th season to that list: that gives us five good seasons. Since the show has been on for 20 seasons now with no end in sight, then at best the good years represent 25% of the show’s run. Will future generations remember the show for its witty social commentary, or for the new “Angry Homer” and his loveable catchphrases like “Help me Jeebus!”?

Let’s hope that the show’s legacy remains the 90s. This is when the show was at its height, and perhaps it is permanently linked to that time period. Homer and Marge will always have met in the 70s; Bart and Lisa will always be members of "The MTV generation." It is probably too much to ask that something remain relevant forever outside of its era of origin. All of the people that made the show great have gone on to bigger things (Greg Daniels, Conan O’Brien and Brad Bird, just to name a few) and us fans have plenty of other comedy shows to obsess over. But there has never been and probably never will be a show, movie, book, or anything that has had as much influence on me as The Simpsons. I owe so much of my attitude, my world view, and most of all my sense of humor to the show; I can honestly say that if not for The Simpsons I would be a different person today, and not a better one.

For those of us who dream of making people laugh for a living, there’s no better benchmark than The Simpsons in the 90s.