Power Up

hi folks and welcome to another Simpsons Sunday poast. Well, did you watch Podcast News? What did you think? Did you notice that Yeardley Smith had guest starred as herself, as the woman behind the podcast Small Town Dicks? I had known this for a couple of weeks or so but, I wasn’t going to say anything because I didn’t wanna give it away. Besides, she has always been the voice of Lisa and that’s how it will always be, along with everything else she has done, including the podcast. Here is the link to the latest season and it is not for the faint of heart. Actually, dicks is kinda generous when describing these people. I prefer that these people be called monsters but, the podcast is what it is so, I’m fine with that. https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/small-town-dicks-podcast/id1271261548

On the birthday front, veteran actor and director producer Danny DeVito turned another year older on Tuesday and of course, guested as Homer’s half brother Herb Powell on Season 2’s Oh Brother, Where Are Thow? and Season 3’s Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? Oh yeah, don’t forget about that brief cameo in the episode The Changing Of The Guardian.
Also, guitarist Kirk Hammett of metallica is another year closer to the grave, as of Wednesday. The band are currently writing the next album and it may be out sooner than we think. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another 4 years for it and that could be true.

This week I couldn’t think of anything to post about (at first) and I didn’t simply want to talk about this weeks episode, because of the plot being as complicated as it is. Besides, I already mentioned Yeardley Smith guest starring as herself and you have a link to the podcast Small Town Dicks so, what is there to post?

Actually, here is another link which talks about all the funniest names for businesses on The Simpsons, within Springfield and elsewhere in the Simpsons universe. https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-business-names-simpsons/

Okay, I have something I think is worth mentioning, if you are a Simpsons fan and an AC/DC fan. I have loved the band since I had heard Back In Black in 1980 and now they have just released their 17th album entitled Power Up, which is actually a good one and, it is also a great album title too. We also needed it to remind us of the days before the pandemic and as a sign of hope, that we will emerge out of this in time. Thankfully, with all the good news about the various vaccines is a sign that the end is drawing near. However, it will be a while before we get back to normal.

Anyway, The Simpsons has used AC/DC’s music and one episode which had some great Angus and Malcolm guitar at the end was Simpsons Bible Stories, where we hear Highway To Hell. I had actually mentioned that in the post I had done this past Easter! I’m sure there are other instances where we here Angus and the boys on The Simpsons but, I can’t think of them off hand.

I took a listen to Power Up and I especially like the first 3 tracks, especially the first single “Shot In The Dark”, which is certainly classic. You wanna know more about the album? Check out this podcast and I have mentioned it before so, give it a listen and if you aren’t a fan and you know someone who is, turn them on to it and this blog. Anyway, here is the link. https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ongoing-history-of-new-music/id1201968027?i=1000498830487

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this weeks post and be sure to tune in tonight, for the latest Simpsons episode, in which Bart becomes a voiceover actor and Comic Book Guy gets his ass humiliated at Comic-Con. Meanwhile, Lisa is being set up for a fall. It is entitled “Three Dreams Denied” and the original title was “The Voice Actors Apprentice” and I wonder if it will be a whole new spin, on the Angry Dad thing. Only this time, it will be Bart in the hot seat. What prank will he pull? Will he behave it first? I guess we’ll find out tonight.

Welcome

Hi folks and welcome to another Simpsons Sunday post. On the birthday front, there are 3 birthdays to talk about, for two supporting cast members and a guest star: Joe Mantegna, Danny DeVito and Maggie Roswell. Joe Mantegna of course, voices the mob boss in the Springfield mafia Fat Toney and or Fit Fat Toney. Fat Toney first appeared in the Season 3 episode Bart The Murderer and last appeared in his current form, in the Season 31 episode The Fat Blue Line. Joe turned another year older on Wednesday.
Maggie Roswell turned another year older on Thursday and for her part, she voices a few recurring characters on The Simpsons. They include: Luann Van Houten, Mary Bailey, Helen Lovejoy, Elizabeth Hoover, Shary Bobbins and Maude Flanders to name a few. Of course, the last two I mentioned are deceased characters. Although Maude has reappeared in flashbacks and as her own ghost. I actually liked Maude because Maggie was able to make her sound the most normal and sweet out of all the characters she voices on The Simpsons. I guess that is why she was chosen to be one of the supporting cast members, along with Pamela Hayden.
Also, veteran actor and director producer Danny DeVito celebrates a birthday today and of course, guested as Homer’s half brother Herb Powell on Season 2’s Oh Brother, Where Are Thow? and Season 3’s Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? Also, a brief cameo in the episode The Changing Of The Guardian.

This week, we have someone to welcome to the fold. This means, if you have watched the latest episode Marge the Lumberjill, you may have noticed that brief cameo’s from: Martin Prince, along with the twins Sherri and Terri Mackleberry. The voice for those Reoccurring characters is provided by new supporting cast member Grey Griffin, or Grey DeLisle. She was born Erin Grey Van Oosbree on August 24th 1973, which makes her the same age as me, but I’m older by 2 months and change. She not only is a voice actress, providing the voice for Daphne Blake in the Scooby-Doo franchise, among other voice rolls. She also is a country musician and has put out a number of albums, since 2000. I haven’t heard any of her work but I’m willing to check it out, when the moment strikes me.

Of course, on The Simpsons she is taking over for Russi Taylor, who died in July and so far, there isn’t much of a difference between the two voices. I have yet to hear an interview with Grey Griffin, so I know what she sounds like in her speaking voice, as apposed to her singing voice. I am happy that they found someone to voice the three characters, as they are important recurring characters, in Springfield elementary school scenes and this also means that there is an excellent possibility, that we will be getting more episodes of The Simpsons, after Season 32 ends.

To end off this post, I will simply say “welcome”, as I replied on the Wikisimpsons Facebook page on Monday.

In other news, Disney+ is here and of course, The Simpsons are one of the many TV shows and movies available on it, along with older movies from before I was even born. There will be something missing, as an episode will not be available for viewing on the app. The Michael Jackson Episode of ‘The Simpsons’ Is Missing from Disney+ and it’s not a shock, As Stark Raving Dad was pulled from all streaming services, as well as quite possibly future releases of the third season. I’m lucky I still have it but, that is only because I purchased it as a payed digital download on iTunes in June 2014. Will that change? It’s hard to say but, I did check out Season 3, as you can purchase it on the iTunes Store on an iPhone and the episode is gone. Hopefully, this situation reverses and people who hadn’t watched the episode, will get a chance to watch it, if they haven’t already.

Bart Gets a Z, 10 Years Later

Hello and welcome to another Simpsons Sunday post. To my fellow Canadians, happy thanksgiving and to my American friends, happy Columbus Day tomorrow.

Well, what did you think of the latest Season 31 episode entitled Go Big or Go Homer? I thought it was great and even the character Mike Wegman, who is voiced by guest star Michael Rapaport was simply excellent. If I may, he reminded me of how Danny DeVito voiced Homer’s older Half brother Herb Powell, but younger and more immature. Also, he didn’t take kindly to Bart and while Homer and Mike were in trouble, only then did he admit to Homer, that Bart was gorgeous and Wood later clean up. Also, he idolized Homer to the point of not believing him, when he told Mike that he had caused all of the accidents at the nuclear plant, which Frank Grimes also had mentioned had gone up, since Homer was hired. Of course, Mike’s devotion to Homer nearly got them both killed by Fat Tony, over a food truck. You wanna know about the episode and why the food truck? Just watch the episode and you’ll find out and hear Bart actually crying like a child, when insulted by Mike Wegman. Also, Frank Grimes did not appear in this episode, even as a ghost, but Mr. Burns appeared in Homer’s head, wishing Lenny a happy birthday.

On the birthday front, Sammy Hagar turns 72 years old today. He guest starred in the Season 26 episode Covercraft, as himself. He is currently in a band called The Circle and at this time, does not wish to rejoin Van Halen. Speaking of Van Halen, original singer David Lee Roth has said the band is done and that there may be health issues with one of the Van Halen brothers, which may be why things have stalled since 2015. David Lee Roth is doing a stint in Las Vegas, much like other bands have done. It didn’t shock me, as he has not only done the rock but also covered pop standards, as well as other non-rock genres. As for Sam, I hadn’t read anything about his guest starring on The Simpsons, except that he was a guest star, on either Wikipedia or even Simpsons fan sites.

Unfortunately, we have a death to talk about which I had found out about just after I published last Sunday’s post. Ginger Baker who was the former drummer for the bands: cream, Blind faith and Ginger Baker’s Air Force (among other bands) passed away at the age of 80. No, he didn’t guest star on The Simpsons but one of the songs played during the episode Friends and Family is I Feel Free, from the album Fresh Cream, during when Homer is At home alone and during the ending. https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/cream_drummer_ginger_baker_dead_at_80.html

One of the more recent bands Ginger Baker played in, was the band Masters Of Reality, on their 1993 album Sunrise on the Sufferbus and he was in great form. They can be linked with such bands as: Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss, which was Queens singer Josh Homme’s earlier band. I remember that I liked it, as well as their previous album in 1989, which was getting radio play on a radio station in Toronto, which I used to listen to. I wonder if they had some sort of impact on the band The Four Horsemen? They were that band in 1991, who had a couple of big songs on rock radio, before and during the time that grunge was blowing up huge. Anyone remember the songs “Nobody Said It Was Easy”, or “Rockin Is Ma Business?” They both appeared on the debut album entitled “Nobody Said It Was Easy” and was a lot of fun to listen to. Also, it was produced by Rick Rubin, who had worked and went on to work with many other bands and even people like Donovan and Johnny Cash.

As for The Simpsons, this week I’m going to talk about another episode from Season 21 and it’s the one where Bart managed to get Mrs. Krabappel fired. Remember Bart Gets a Z? This is a great episode featuring Edna Krabappel and the one-time teacher Zachary Vaughn, voiced by Hank Azaria, but I will get to him later. Anyway, here is a summary of the plot.

Bart and his classmates get their cellphones confiscated by Mrs Krabappel for using them in class. At a meeting in Bart’s house, the students realise that Homer is always fun to be around when he’s drunk so they decide to get Mrs Krabappel drunk. Each student steals some alcohol from their parents and puts it in Mrs Krabappel’s coffee. After Mrs Krabappel gets drunk she makes a scene which results in her getting fired. Bart and Milhouse buy a book called “The Answer”. Following the instructions of the book, Bart and Mrs Krabappel build a Muffin store called Edna’s Edibles. That’s when Bart confesses that he was the one who put alcohol in Mrs Krabappel’s coffee. Mrs Krabappel is angry with Bart and leaves and tears the book with the batter mixer.
Meanwhile, at Springfield Elementary, that new teacher I will get into later on… um… Zachary Vaughn??? teaches Bart’s class and gives everyone their cellphones back, everyone loves him, except Bart. He still misses Mrs Krabappel. Bart was going to put alcohol in Zachary’s drink as well but backs out at the last second and decides to tell Principal Skinner instead. While he is confessing he and Skinner hear someone yelling in the hallway. It was Zachary, shouting drunkenly that he hates children. Skinner initially thinks Bart spiked his drink, and states that he thought Bart told him that he didn’t spike it, to which Bart confirms again that he didn’t, to which Zachary confirms Bart’s statement, as he has a tendency to spike his drink. Willie takes him away (muttering that it always happens to the good ones as he does so), although not before Zachary attempts to defame the faculty by claiming that they just want to control the students. And Mrs Krabappel gets her job back, although she does give her revenge to the students for causing her to get fired in the first place by giving them extremely stale muffins.

Okay, I like this episode as it is a great comment on what if??? Edna was fired as a result of her being drunk on the job? It also shows how much (deep down) Bart actually cares about her, despite his tangles with her, in their adversarial teacher/ student relationship. Of course, when he confesses, things are alright again, in that she is angry with Bart and she gets her revenge on him, with those stale muffins. Also, Edna’s first lines in the episode, besides singing along with the song Just Another Day by Paul McCartney are the following. “Okay, Edna, remember: if you can teach one kid one thing, then today will be a success.” This exact voice clip of Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel was used in the Season 29 episode Left Behind, as Ned Flanders was to become Bart’s new teacher. Remember? I had actually mentioned it back when I had mentioned the episode in May 2018. “Don’t forget that Edna was Ned’s last wife and it was because of Bart’s being spanked by her and her getting suspended because of it, that they met. Also, after Marcia Wallace died, Harry Shearer (who voices Ned Flanders) had mentioned in an interview I heard on the radio that Marcia was a very good friend of his. I believe it and I think that she would have wanted Bart to have a good teacher, whom he trusted but could also have comical plots and storylines with, as his teacher. It is also a reminder of the earlier seasons when Mrs. Krabappel was Bart’s teacher and well, they had their differences but, Bart only did what he did for his universal contempt of Authority figures in general. He didn’t dislike her as a person out right but like all young people, he wanted to make her job difficult because he could. At least, that is how I see it.

As for Zachary Vaughn, he is voiced by Hank Azaria is a young teacher, out of Tufts University, which is where Hank had been. Zachary is also obsessed with social media and makes the kids use their phones to learn, instead of actual learning by memory and note taking. When I heard Hank do the voice it made me think if Hank was a teacher, would he sound like that? I say this because he was using a varient of his natural voice but sounding like an educator, working with kids younger than 13. Even at one point in the episode, Homer starts balling and Zachary encourages him to “let it out” and well… Homer has a good cry.

As for how things went back to normal, with Edna getting her job back, I think Hank did a great job, voicing Zachary drunk and you have to wonder, what do some teachers do outside the job? Surely, not every teacher is an angel and doesn’t have a drink or two, before the next day of working with young impressionable people, being educated by people who delight in humiliating some, for their own amusement.

Anyway, it is a great episode and the point is brought home, that even though Bart delights in all sorts of pranks on authority figures, he doesn’t outright dislike them, as we have seen a number of times with Both Mrs. Krabappel and Principal Skinner. Altho, with Chalmers, I think there is actually more respect between the two, as Bart has never actually pointed his pranks at him, in particular. I will explain in next weeks post, about another episode from Season 23.

“Only These Words

Hi folks and welcome to another Simpsons Sunday. Well, I’m not going to go on too much about the big news this week about the death of Stan Lee but, I certainly love his guest starring appearance in the Season 25 episode Married To The Blob, where he virtually assisted Comic Book Guy in meeting his future Japanese wife Kumiko. I’m glad I had the chance to know who he was and hear his voice, during the episodes he guest starred in.

On the music front, the album Chris Cornell was released by… well… Chris Cornell’s estate. I am so glad I now have songs I could never purchase on iTunes individually before, because they were marked with the “album only” in place of a price to tap on, for purchase. For example: the songs Seasons and Sunshower were only available on movie soundtracks and now, we can get them, without having to buy the entire album. Oh, for us Simpsons fans, the deluxe version has the Audioslave song Cochise, which was played during the episode Midnight Towboy. There is also a duet with Yusuf Islam (formally known as Cat Stevens) and his classic song Wild World, recorded live in 2016. Oh, there is also a live version of the Prince song Nothing Compares To You, made famous in 1990 by Sinead O’Connor in 1990 and was again covered by Chris, as two studio versions, one by himself and the other by him and his daughter Toni. She also appears with her dad, doing a live cover of the Bob Marley classic Redemption Song. Oh, there is also a new song called When Bad Does Good, which is not a bad song from him but so far, only fans probably know about it. One more thing, check out his cover of the U2 and Metallica song of the same name, together on disk 4 of the deluxe version. apparently, he googled the lyrics to the U2 song but he found the Metallica lyrics instead so, if you go on Youtube and search for his cover of the song, that is what you will get there too, but not the same version.

On the birthday front, there are 4 birthdays to talk about, for two supporting cast members and two guest stars: Joe Mantegna (turning a year older on November 13th, Danny DeVito (turning a year older yesterday), Kirk Hammet (turning a year older today) and Maggie Roswell (turning a year older on November 14th). I talked about all 4 of them in last November’s posts, when their birthdays came up, if you wish to learn more about them and their rolls on The Simpsons, as guest stars or supporting cast.

This weeks post is short and sweet and to the point. I simply am going to compile a list of my favourite words characters have said over the years. Some are just one word and others are phrases or catchphrases. Also, the post is named after a song on the Chris Cornell album Higher Truth called Only These Words, which also appears on the deluxe version of the Chris Cornell album. This is only a short list of some of them. If I had a complete list it would go on forever.

“D’oh”,

“You chu chu choose me?”

“Don’t have a cow, man”,

“I didn’t do it”,

“My cats breath smells like cat food”,

“Mmm…”

“Woohoo,”

“I’m somewhere where I’ve never been before”,

“Daddy.”

Well, I told you there was nothin’ to this weeks post. Next week will be the last post for 2018 because of Christmas shopping taking up a lot of our time, in general.

A Summer Simpsons Episode, 26 Years Later

Hi folks and welcome to another Simpsons Sunday post. Unfortunately, we have another death to talk about this week. Robin Leach, the entertainment reporter with his TV show Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous, passed away on Friday. I like that show because it exposed us to how the rich really live, in his own way. I can’t really recall anything that stood out for me, except the way he would speak, when reporting on his subjects and his Calmer tone of voice during interviews. I wonder if he was approached to do a guest Roll on The Simpsons. If he did the show would have to be called Lifestyles Of The Rich And Infamous or not so famous anymore. I think he would’ve done a great interview with Troy McClure, had Phil Hartman lived to do his Live action film about him. I couldn’t see him interviewing Krusty because of his treatment of people off the air, as opposed to while doing his children’s TV show. I also wonder if there is a short film out there, much like there is one with Oprah Winfrey interviewing The Simpsons family, which I posted here a few months ago. Anyway, RIP Robin Leach and thanks for everything.

On the birthday front, Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford turned another year older yesterday and he guest starred on the Season 25 episode Steal This Episode. He and the rest of the current members of Priest are on tour supporting their album Fire Power and they are still sounding as good as they have ever been, from what I hear.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the unfortunately overlooked album by 2wo, which was a collaboration between Rob Halford, Trent Reznor and John Lowery, now known as John 5. The album is called Voyeurs and the only song to get any significant radio play was I Am A Pig, which is also the lead track off the album. I didn’t mind it that much, altho it didn’t feature Rob’s usual singing style and had him singing in an American sounding dialect on most songs. For example: previously mentioned I Am A Pig and the third song Water’s Leaking are two of the most obvious songs to showcase his singing dialect on this album. Yes, it was rather weird but, consider that Rob also came out 20 years ago too and wanted to try something different musically. He did get some radio play on alternative radio stations, as well as his usual rock stations but, it didn’t cary over to record sails. Despite this, it is regarded as an important album by a small group of fans and I am one of them. But, I’m certainly glad that Rob went back to singing like he normally does and sounding like he does on Judas Priest again. Also, reuniting with the band was also a good move to show younger fans what all the fuss was about, with Rob riding around on a Harley Davidson on stage, as well as all those classic Priest songs in his voice.

This weeks post is about the final Season 3 episode Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? which aired 26 years ago tomorrow. Basically, Mr. Burns finds that Homer is now infertile, due to all the nuclear waste he’s been around while working at the plant. So, he gives Homer $2000.00 in a contrived awards show, just for him, so he wouldn’t consider suing the plant.

Meanwhile, Homer’s half brother Herb is broke and homeless after his business was taken from him, after Homer designed the monstrosity of a car called “The Homer” which cost $82000.00 and made Herb disown Homer as his brother. Herb hitches a ride on a train to Springfield and Homer has already attempted to spend some of the money on a vibrating chair for himself and Marge and the kids had their own idea’s, as to how the moeny should be spent.

Herb arrives at the Simpsons house and after mistakingly finding the Flanders’ house he leaves and knocks on the Simpsons house door. The kids are obviously happy to see their Unky Herb and so is Marge. Homer is not quite so happy and neither is Herb, to see him. However, he proposes an idea to create a machine which translates baby gibberish into natural speech, with Maggie as the guinea pig. Herb needs $2000.00 in order to do this and the family decide to allow this, much to Homer’s chagrin. The machine is created and herb demonstrates the finished product to the family. Everyone is impressed but home or still thinks it’s a stupid idea. However, when Herb shows it off, many people in imporrtant positions ask for one and Herb proclames “I’m rich again.”

Because of his success he can now give the family all the things they wanted. Lisa gets a collection of books, Bart gets to join the NRA when he is old enough, Marge gets a new washing machine. Homer gets Herb’s forgiveness and the vibrating chair, as well as an acknowledgement from him that he is his brother.

As I said last week, this episode was written to fix the relationship between Homer and Herb and it was a well done episode. My favourite part is when Homer tries out the chair and he goes into dreamland, while sitting in it. Of course, this episode also has boxer Joe Frazier as a guest star, which was… interesting and of course, Danny DeVito repriced his role as Herbert Powell, Homer Simpson’s half brother. I am so glad the two brothers managed to mend their relationship and well, it is just a great episode over all.

simpsons, From Infancy to Record Breaking Longevity

Hi folks and welcome to another Simpsons Sunday. First of all, I hope that Toronto will eventually move on from Monday’s horrific van attack, by a real piece of work. I’m not going to mention his name because, there is no need. If you wish to find out more, just google it and most of what happened is there to read about and probably see, with links to Youtube and social media coverage. I live in Toronto but not in the area in which this occurred and hopefully, this doesn’t happen often. In fact, I live a bus ride away from where the Simpson family were in the episode The Bard Wants What It Wants. I wonder if the bus station that was mentioned resembles the current terminal at Bay and Dundas? Or, is it Union Station? The latter is where you could get all sorts of ground transportation, taking you within and outside Toronto and I’ve used most of the train and bus options to get to where I wanted to go at the time.

On a happier note, did you watch the latest episode? It is entitled Lisa Gets The Blues and it is set mainly, In New Orleans. Remember? New Orleans was the target of a song in the episode A Streetcar Named Marge? Well, thankfully the city wasn’t sung about in unflattering turms and it did help get Lisa back into her jazz. Also, it was nice to have Bleeding Gums Murphy’s nephew in the episode and if that didn’t inspire her to get back into music, I don’t know what could. Shame on you, Mr. Largo!

I also like that Bart used voodoo dolls on the bullies, after what they did to him. Good for you Bart!

One more thing I should mention is that in the opening, I initially didn’t recognize whichTracey Ullman short it was, that was show’n. I later found out that it was the short The Aquarium.!

This week’s post is an expantion of a post from the other blog, all about the first two seasons of The Simpsons. I will also talk about how they have gone from what they have been, to what will now be a record breaking episode.

Obviously, in 1989 the show was in its infancy and characters were being created, to go alongside all the characters who appeared in the Tracey Ullman Shorts. There were also changes to some of the Simpson family, during this period of the show’s history: in that Bart became more rounded and was not just this bratty 10-year-old. He showed that he does care for his Dad, when he finds out that he only has $13 to spend on Christmas gifts for the family from his earnings as a mall Santa. He gently encourages Homer that they should go home, before they are persuaded to go to the dog track and they get their dog, as we know. Lisa shows her true intelligence and her true feelings on the world, before becoming a vegetarian or converting to another religion. Let us not forget her first meeting with Bleeding Gums Murphy and the characters Nelson Muntz and Herman. You know? Herman? The guy who lost one of his arms and sounds like George H. W. Bush?

In the case of Homer, the voice still had the Walter Matthau sound to it and even Grandpa sounded a bit different too, compared to later seasons. Even characters like: Mr. Burns, Barney and Milhouse sounded a bit different during those years, from 1989 to 1991. Season 1 also saw the introduction to characters like: Nelson Muntz, Apu, Otto Man and Moe, whom Bart would make prank calls to throughout the series.

In Season 2, other characters began to be introduced like: Jeffrey Albertson (aka comic book Guy) and his voice actually got better as the series progressed. At first he spoke with a lisp but the main trade of his, which was his sarcasm was always evident. Even Wralph Wiggum was a bit different in that he wasn’t blurting out his random lines like “my cats breath smells like cat food” yet. He actually sounded more Normal then and wasn’t given a family to live with yet. Let’s not forget about the 2 main characters voiced by Phil Hartman: Troy McClure and that ambulance chasing shyster lawyer Lionel Hutz. Hutz was introduced in the episode Bart Gets Hit By A Car and we heard Troy in the episode Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment. In that same episode, Phil voiced a rather shady cable guy, whom Ned Flanders angrily told to leave his property and homer excepted, as he would install free cable.

Also in Season 2, Homer began to work with a voice which was similar to the one we know today. This is because Dan Castellaneta found the Walter Matthau sound limiting and couldn’t hold the voice through the long recording sessions. He wanted something with more power and the change was complete in Season 3 and the rest is history. Altho, he has reverted back to the original voice a few times, in a Treehouse Of Horror short, with the original Simpsons Tracey Ullman era family meeting the current Simpsons family. Also, during the episode How I Wet Your Mother we hear him with Bart for a minute or so. Another rather quick example is during the episode Like Father, Like Clown when Milhouse says “I want to go home”, Marge tells Homer he should take him home and Homer says “gladly” in the original voice. I don’t know if it was intentional but it was there, even for a quick couple of seconds.

Okay, let’s not forget Krusty The Clown himself, as well as Sideshow Bob. They are equally important to the early seasons too and I will explain why. Krusty was already a character when the Tracey Ullman Shorts aired but Sideshow Bob wasn’t yet, at least in a speaking roll. In Season 1, we first heard Kelsey Grammer voice Bob in the episode Krusty Gets Busted and it also established his hatred for Bart, for foiling his plan to completely take over Krusty’s show, while he was in jail. As the series progresses Sideshow Bob became more rounded too, with his own family and by Season 19, all the main components of his family were established, with mostly fellow actors from Frasier voicing family members. If you want to know more, there are many places on the internet where you can trace the evolution of his family, including the Simpsons fan sites.

As for Krusty, we find that he has to ware a pacemaker because of an on air heart attack which we saw during Krusty Gets Busted. We also discover that he is also illiterate. Later on, Krusty’s Father is introduced during Season 3 and he fakes his own death in Season 7.

As for my favourite episodes from those first two seasons, I have some that I will watch again and again such as: Bart The General, Moaning Lisa, Krusty Gets Busted, Bart Gets An F, Lisa’s Substitute, Oh Brother Where Are Thou, Principal Charming, Bart Gets Hit By A Car, among others. So, the first two seasons are a bit ordinary in that the plots and characters are much more conventional and not as silly and surreal as Seasons 3 to 8. However, they are just as important in the timeline of the show, as any other season since then and should never be overlooked.

Switching to tonight, this weeks episode (Forgive And Regret) will surpass Gunsmoke as the longest running primetime scripted show with 635 episodes, not counting radio episodes. Tonight will be the 636th episode of The Simpsons and of course, with the rest of this season and Season 30, The Simpsons will hold this record for a long time… maybe forever. Along the way, we have seen the family go on adventures to other countries and with members having jobs, which they are either unqualified or do too well for Springfield standards. An example of the latter is Marge becoming a police officer and noticing tha evidence has been tampered with. So, let’s enjoy our favourite yellow family and it’s rather clownish cast of characters tonight and for the rest of season29 and 30.

Mr. Plow: 25 Years Later

Hi folks and welcome to another Simpsons Sunday post. We unfortunately have another death in rock to mention and that is guitarist Malcolm Young of AC/DC, aged 64. Yes, his brother Angus rocked but Malcolm had the rhythm and great guitar riffs such as: Highway To Hell and Back In Black and, many other classic songs the brothers wrote for AC/DC, with both Bon Scott and Brian Johnson on lead vocals. Speaking of Highway To Hell, that song was used at the end of the season 10 episode Simpsons Bible Stories in which the family fall asleep in church and wake up alone in church. apocalypse has come and the Simpsons disended to hel, while the Flanders family ascend to heaven. There is more to it but if you have watched the episode, you know what happens visually. RIP Malcolm and thanks for the riffs.This weeks post is about the classic season 4 episode Mr. Plow, which aired exactly 25 years ago tonight. I actually first watched it about 11 years late but I’m glad I did and now have it in my iTunes collection. Anyway, let’s talk about the episode. Shall we?

A blizzard hits Springfield, so Marge calls Homer at Moe’s Tavern and tells him to come home right away. Homer drives through the snowstorm and manages to wreck both of the family cars when he rear-ends Marge’s car in the driveway. Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie are in the front door waiting for him and are shocked at what happened. Homer then lies to an insurance claims adjuster, about his whereabouts before the accident in order to cover the fact that he was coming home from a bar.

The insurance company pays the claim, and Homer goes to a car show to get a new car. A salesman talks Homer into getting a snowplough because he can afford the higher payments by doing plowing jobs on the side. Homer buys the snowplough after the salesman scares Homer into buying it by making a whipping noise with his mouth, after Homer points out that he wishes to discuss it with Marge. Homer then starts his snowplough business, thanks to a late night TV commercial it becomes an instant success. Here is the commercial in which The Simpson family participated, along with Grandpa Simpson.

(Marge) “Our driveway’s snowed in.” (Bart and Lisa) “Old Man Winter!” (Grandpa Simpson as old man winter) “That’s right. I fill your driveways with ice and snow. What are you going to do about it? Nothin’. That’s what. (Homer as Mr. Plow) “Stop!” (Bart, Lisa and Marge) “Mr. Plow!” (Homer) “Get out, you lousy season.” (Grandpa Simpson) “All right. I’m going. My head hurts. I have to lie down for a while.”

(Bart and Lisa) “Yea!” (Homer Simpson as Mr. Plow) Hello, I’m Mr. Plow. Are you tired of having your hands cut off by snow blowers and the inevitable heart attacks that come with shoveling snow?” (Bart and Lisa) “Uh-huh.” – (Mr. Plow) “Then call Klondike 5-3226. Call now and receive a free T-shirt. He could still surprise ya.”

(Lisa) “But I’m a real tightwad. Can I afford this remarkable system?” (Mr. Plow) “Absolutely. My prices are so low; you’ll think I’ve suffered brain damage.” (Bart Simpson) “You are fully bonded and licensed by the city, aren’t you, Mr. Plow?” (Mr. Plow) “Shut up, boy.”

So, remember–call Mr. Plow, that’s my name. That name again is Mr. Plow.”

In recognition of the achievement, Mayor Quimby gives Homer a key to the city. Mr. Plow, for making it possible for people to get where they’re going without resorting to public transportation or carpooling I give you the key to the city.”

Barney, who has been working at a succession of dead-end jobs, asks Homer how he can be a success, so Homer tells him to go out and be the best Barney he can be. The next day Barney has bought a bigger plow, and goes into business for himself as “The Plow King”. With Linda Ronstadt’s help, Barney creates his own ad (denouncing Mr. Plow as an alcoholic loser) and steals all of Homer’s customers. Mayor Quimby then takes back the key to the city from Homer and gives it to Barney. To get revenge, Homer tricks Barney into going on a fake plow job at the top of a mountain called Widow’s Peak.While Barney is gone up the mountain, Homer begins to plow driveways again. However, the news later reports there have been an avalanche on Widow’s Peak. Homer, feeling guilty, sets out to rescue Barney, and in the end they agree to become partners. Their claim that not even God could stop them brings about a response from God “oh no? and the melting of the snow.Later on the news Kent Brockman says the following:

“Could this record-breaking heat wave be the result of the dreaded greenhouse effect? Well, if70 degree days in the middle of winter are the price of car pollution you’ll forgive me if I keep my old Pontiac.”

With no more business, and no way to make the payments, Homer’s plow is repossessed at the end of the episode, but that doesn’t stop Marge from enjoying Homer wearing his Mr. Plow jacket to bed and Homer singing her a rendition of his Mr. Plow song, with a forecast of gettin’ it on.

For me, this episode is one of my favourites because it discusses a topic which I have always had an interest in, which is Weather. Although, I enjoy the weather because of Weather Radio and not just because of weather itself. I follow it more than most people because of my interest in it and as I said, because of the WX Radio networks in both Canada and the US.

Obviously, with the death of Adam West this past June, his dialogue in this episode he had when meeting the Simpson family, was played on the radio and tweeted and posted on social media outlets by people, including myself, Al Jean and others. This is certainly a classic episode and thankfully we can now enjoy it digitally as a part of the season 4 collection, as well as being on another iTunes collection.. sadly, Linda Ronstadt can no longer sing anymore because she has Parkinson’s disease but thankfully, we can enjoy her singing on this episode two. There have been similar episodes but this is one of the best weather related episodes I have come to love.

On the birthday front, there are 4 birthdays to talk about, for two supporting cast members and two guest stars: Joe Mantegna, Danny DeVito, Kirk Hammet and Maggie Roswell. Joe and Maggie voice reoccurring characters on The Simpsons and have their own careers outside the series.

Joe Mantegna of course, voices the mob boss in the Springfield mafia Fat Toney and or Fit Fat Toney. Fat Toney first appeared in the Season 3 episode Bart The Murderer and last appeared in the Season 22 episode Donnie Fatso, where he was killed off and replaced by his cousin Fit Toney, now known as Fit Fat Toney. Some people have said that Fat Toney may have inspired the character Tony Soprano from the TV show The Sopranos, portrayed by James Gandolfini. I think maybe that’s true in a sense but it could also be a coincidence because The two characters sound so much alike, if you pay attension to the voices. All though, Tony soprano’s voice was a bit deeper because James Gandolfini’s voice is a bit lower then Joe Mantegna’s voice. Otherwise, they sound almost alike.

Joe turned 70 on November 13th and besides The Simpsons he has a starring roll as FBI Special Agent David Rossi on the CBS show criminal minds. I used to watch it as much as I could and my favourite episode was from Season 4. It is about a serial killer portrayed by Alex O’Loughlin as Vincent, who would kill people with a knife. This includes his 24-year-old friend, which promps him to ask for help in stopping his homicidal tendencies via video tape. For the record, the episode is called the big wheel. The exception to his killing spree was a blind boy named Stanley he became close with, after murdering the boy’s Mother. She is not the first victim in the episode, though, someone else who is a realtor is. She is at work and she mistakingly refers to him as Robert.

For more about Joe Mantegna check out his website. http://joemantegna.com/ and you can also follow him on Twitter @JoeMantegna. I think there is a lot to learn about him, through both his Twitter page and other internet sources. Keep up all the great work on The Simpsons and with other TV shows and movies you are involved in and thanks for all the years of continued entertainment.

Maggie Roswell turned another year older November 14th and for her part, she voices a few recurring characters on The Simpsons. They include: Luann Van Houten, Mary Bailey, Helen Lovejoy, Elizabeth Hoover, Shary Bobbins and Maude Flanders to name a few. Of course, the last two I mentioned are deceased characters. Although Maude has reappeared in flashbacks and as her own ghost. I actually liked Maude because Maggie was able to make her sound the most normal and sweet out of all the characters she voices on The Simpsons. I guess that’s why she was chosen to be one of the supporting cast members, along with Pamela Hayden.

Let us not forget that she is also able to voice such a character as Helen Lovejoy, who is actually one of my least favorite characters of all on the show. This is because of her rather annoying way of saying the following phrase, which is her catch phrase “won’t someone please think of the children. “If you hear it once you’ll understand why I cannot stand that character. However, I don’t hold it against anybody for her existence. Like it or not, she’s important to the show and its cast of characters, as they all are to each other in Springfield.

Back to Maude flanders for a moment… I think if she was still alive she would have probably become one of the most loved characters, along with her husband at the time, Ned. I like her because she called him Nedy when other characters called him Ned. Once again, I don’t hold it against any of the Simpsons staff for killing off Maude when they did. Really, the only one who could have voiced Maude and given her her signature sound is Maggie, along with all her characters she voices.

Something else about Maude I have read and found to be untrue is that she never showed any emotion such as anger. Well, maybe she never got angry but she did show worry about Ned when he was missing in the episode In Marge We Trust. A list on the internet of the Top 15 most annoying characters, made her a part of the list along with Helen Lovejoy. The former, I can understand but the latter, no. This list also included Lisa Simpson and I disagree with that too. Unfortunately the link to the list is no longer up but I can assure you that what I just told you is true. Also, if you take out the fact that Maude was Ned Flanders’s wife she would be just a nice lady next door but that wouldn’t have been as funny. She would have just been this nice lady who Marge would get along with and Homer would longingly lust after, even in front of Marge. Maybe she would have babysat Bart Lisa and Maggie. I’m just saying it could have been a possibility too but the character has turned out fine the way she has been.

Check out Maggie’s website http://www.maggieroswell.com/. I took a brief look and I had no idea what she did outside The Simpsons and outside of her other work as an actress, before finding it on her Twitter page @MaggieRoswell. She is also a great singer and of course, she has show’n this talent off on The Simpsons especially during the first few seasons. Remember Shary Bobbins? You know? it was the episode where Homer and the kids were being especially lazy and Marge lost her hair? Okay, if that doesn’t ring a bell, it was the episode in which she shows up as the new nanny and encourages Bart and Lisa that household chores can be fun. She also changes the other citizens of Springfield to be less fat lazy and stupid, thanks to her gental nature. Albeit, but briefly.. It would be nice if she wasn’t killed at the end too and her and Groundskeeper Willie kissed and made up!

Thanks for all the work you do, inside and outside The Simpsons and keep singing. That is also one of my favourite things to do too, as most of my Twitter followers and Facebook friends know. I also like voices and imitating different Voice timbers and dialects. I wish there was a way that I could tweet out my voice on Twitter using the iPhone or any iOS device! Maybe there is but I haven’t found it yet. I’d be tweeting out my impressions of varius Simpsons characters to many people, for fun and so I could show off my own voice talents.

Also, veteran actor and director producer Danny DeVito celebrated his 72nd birthday on Friday and of course, guested as Homer’s half brother Herb Powell on Season 2’s Oh Brother, Where Are Thow? and Season 3’s Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? Also, a brief cameo in the episode The Changing Of The Guardian

When I looked him up on Wikipedia I learned how old he is and I’m shocked. He sounds about 10 or 20 years younger than his age to me. Actually, he reminds me of a weather guy on The Weather Channel in the US. I don’t know why but he does.

Also, guitarist Kirk Hammett of metallica celebrated a birthday yesterday. The entire current lineup of Metallica guest starred in the premiere of season 18: The Mook, The Chef, The Wife And Her Homer! It really was not surprising that the band did this because they are funny and sarcastic and they don’t mind poking fun at themselves once in a while. They are touring and playing well, considering the music they play and that the guys are in their ’50s.

As usual to end each Simpsons Sunday post, I recommend checking out Chris Ladesma’s blog. He is the Music Editor for The Simpsons and has been since day 1.

Finally, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett turned another year older yesterday. The entire current lineup of Metallica guest starred in the premiere of season 18: The Mook, The Chef, The Wife And Her Homer! It really was not surprising that the band did this because they are funny and sarcastic and they don’t mind poking fun at themselves once in a while. They are touring and playing well, considering the music they play and that the guys are in their ’50s.Well, that’s about it for this weeks Post. In the mean time, I recommend checking out my other blog, which has older posts relating to The Simpsons, along with a lot more interesting stuff about my favourite bands and other things. http://blindgordieblog.wordpress.com

Also, check out Chris Ladesma’s blog. He is the Music Editor for The Simpsons and has been since day 1.

http://simpsonsmusic500.wordpress.com/author/simpsonsmusic500/

Also, check out Yeardley Smith’s blog at http://gobbingoff.tumblr.com

Don’t forget about Marchez Vous, which is her women’s shoe designer company, which she started earlier in the decade. You can check out their website at

http://www.marchesvous.com

Additionally, for more news on The Simpsons, you can go to http://news.simpsonswiki.com/

You can also comment here or you can email me at blindgordie@gmail.com and I will reply as soon as I can to all messages I receive. If you follow me on Twitter or are my friend on Facebook you can comment directly to me that way too.

You can follow Simpsons Executive Producer Al Jean on Twitter and his Twitter handle is @AlJean.

He has ran the show since Season 13 and has ran it during Seasons 3 and 4.

Anyway,  I’ll talk to you again next Sunday.