Hi all and welcome to another Simpsons On Sundays post. Well, another season of The Simpsons is in the books and what a finale. Before I go into it, I want to bring to your attention our guest star, Lizzo singing a 1998 song by an industrial metal band from Germany, who sing in German. Those who are into metal probably can guess who I’m talking about, but here is the video. https://youtu.be/s8Y51T696V0
Yes, she is singing a classic track from Rammstein called Du hast, which was released in both German and English for us in north America. However, you can only find the English version of any song by them on Youtube and by doing a specific search. Here is the song anyway, as it was originally released in German. https://youtu.be/W3q8Od5qJio
Before I forget, I believe that Rammstein were among the bands mentioned on nohomers years ago, as potential guest stars, along with Slipknot and Disturbed are among bands and artists on fan’s wish lists, including myself of people I want to set foot in Springffield. Or, in the case of Slipknot, how about The Simpsons go to Des Moines Iowa? Then again, the show would probably play it safe and be afraid to use a masked band as guest stars. I’d be happy with all 3 previously mentioned bands and more, as they would bring chaos to the series and add an edge, which has been lost. Fuck hackers and all that and bring me my hard rock and metal back to The Simpsons.
As for the latest episode, time certainly did stand still like it did during The Simpsons Movie when Homer encountered the Boob Lady, otherwise known as Inuit shaman. You know? The lady who saves Homer from being eaten by a polar bear when he leaves The Simpsons home in Alaska after the family decide to split? This episode uses a doll as the vehicle for Homer’s epiphany and this time, he goes to Hell and almost gets his ass burned for eternity. However, something saves him from himself, his anger and rage towards Marge and from dying in a car crash.
Before I get to this week’s post, I should acknowledge the blog turning 7 years old on the 18th. I had forgotten to mention it last week, as I had been focusing on Dangers On A Train all week, last week and that’s about all for that. What will I do in the blog for the next 12 months? Stay the course and keep doing what I’m doing.
One more thing, on the death front we have a major figure passing away this week and that is Tina Turner. I’m not as much of a fan, but I have mad respect for her. She had gone through a lot and she was in her 40s when she became a success on her own. I had recently foundd out that she had died of natural causes. Hmm!!! Anyway, I’m going to let this YouTube video do the talking about her and her life. https://www.youtube.com/live/06iC2zBYEDM?feature=share
This week it has been 10 years, one month and 17 days since the death of comedian Jonathan Winters and yes, I know that he has never done a guest voice on The Simpsons. However, he could have and he did have a connection to the series, through working with Nancy Cartwright, years before the meeting between Matt Groening and James L. Brooks. After all, Nancy and Jonathan are both from the state of Ohio and they both worked at the same radio station at one time, which was WING and Nancy talks about her time at the station in her book My Life As A 10-Year-Old Boy. Years later, she worked with him as part of an improvisation troupe at Kenyon college, which is in Gambier Ohio and where he had also studied.
I had first heard his comedy in 1986 and immediately, I thought about a teacher at my school, whose name is Bruce Thilking, who was from Western New York and born the year that Jonathan Winters would turn 22. Jonathan was born on November 11, 1925 so, you can do the math. Right? Anyway, when I heard him speak and his meter of speech, it brought my teacher to mind as they sound the same, with the same vocal pitch and vocal timbre. I could get into any mental illness, but I won’t. Here is the routine I had heard and listen to how he talks before going into the main part. https://youtu.be/U6yUoRl-UxE
Ever since then, I had learned more about him and the characters he had in his head, which came at us in his comedy routines. They had sprung from people he knew. Of course, I can’t forget about his influence on Robin Williams and the fact that the two worked together on Mork & Mindy, with Robin as Mork and Pam Dawber as Mindy. Sadly, Robin and Jonathan had passed away a year and change from each other, with the elder passing first, aged 87 in April 2013 of natural causes and Robin Williams would commit suicide by hanging, in August 2014, aged 63. They were both brilliant at their craft and were excellent voice actors in their own rights.
About the characters… we have: cranky granny Maude Frickert and country bumpkin farmer Elwood P. Suggins as his most famous of them. We heard the bumpkin in the above bit about going deer hunting, among other anonymous characters given names for the routine. Yes, he was given the name Tom, but there’s no fooling me or anyone who is a devotee of Jonathan Winters that it was Elwood P. Suggins himself. Jonathan even does a voice like a homosexual, complete with a lisp and one bit he did with this character was on Moby Dick, that famous white whale. There are a bunch of voices he had in his arsenal, for every kind of person you could think of who could be used for laughs. Imagine how it feels to have to return things, especially if you are shy and the other person on the other side of the counter is the exact opposite and a dick to boot. Yes, he had done a bit on that too and I can relate, as I hate confrontation and I hate having to return things. I’m not sure which is worse, having to take something back or getting teeth pulled. Here is the bit in question and notice how uncomfortable our friend is when he has to return a toaster and the man in the store is a real prick. https://youtu.be/8Y–pKt_eN4
My personal favourite of his characters has to be Maude and because elderly lady voices are fun to both hear and do, for those of us with the talent of changing our voices, in order to be somebody else other than ourselves. Anyone who has gone to school with me, knows how much we all loved trying to do the voices of the staff members and especially those of our own gender, despite our voices not having changed as yet. It took until I was 15, for my voice to finally go down and it wasn’t an easy fall either, like most teenage boys. I could go into the whole puberty thing, but that’s not for this blog.
Speaking of Maude, here is a classic bit about the oldest airline stewardess in the world, which Jon had done probably in a large venue, compared to the above bit we heard about deer hunting. While listening to it, imagine if someone like Maude had to tangle with Bart, Milhouse or even Nelson at Springfield Elementary School, or even someone as week as Skinner. No, she isn’t confrontational here, but there are other bits where she is either sweet, or someone who can hold her own, with beer. https://youtu.be/T29Io3qokXY
As for albums, I would recommend his 1967 album Wings It!, which has a bit where he asks the audience to come up with situations for him to do an improvised bit around. For example: imagine your mother calling you during a love affair, getting a teacher to change your grade, a used car salesman selling a lemon to a customer, an air raid during a baseball game and many others. This is the same album where a shy guy returns a toaster and a failed deer hunting expedition happens.
Another album I also recommend is Stuff ‘N Nonsense, which consists of the audience asking Jon to do all manner of situations and he obviously obliges. For example: could you imagine a gorilla being drafted into the Marines by mistake? How about a man getting a new heart, but it’s the heart of a fox terrier. We even have our sweet old Maude as a school teacher, getting married… again and riding a motorcycle, along with possibly one or two more situations. Jonathan even describes how he makes the sounds he does with his mouth and he did one noise which sounds like someone cracking open a can of either beer, or a soft drink.
Another album which is highly recommended is The Wonderful World Of Jonathan Winters, because it is a quick one, in that most of the voices he does are in short bursts and I think it was his first album, after being discharged from the zoo. I can only find it on Youtube so, spare having to look on Apple Music and I have no idea about Spotify. However, I can tell you that it is around if you look for it.
Another album which I can only find on Youtube Music is an interview he did with Kelly Carlin a few years before he had passed and shortly, after her father George had shuffled off this mortal coil. He sounds different, but is still as sharp as ever.
Could we have heard him on The Simpsons? Maybe, if he had been asked to do a guest voice like Bob Newhart had done and it would be interesting, to hear what he would do, or be asked to do. Like I said earlier, it would be interesting if they had brought Maude to school as Bart’s substitute teacher, in order to try and tame him. Then again, she would be equally as brutal with Lisa, but in a different way. Then again, Jon could have done a similarly friendly character, like Mr. Bergstrom, but with some weird quirk, or two, or more. Maybe he could have done a guest spot on a Treehouse Of Horror, as either Kang or Kodos’s fathers. Anything would be possible. You want to know more about the man? Sure thing! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Winters
If you want to hear more of his comedy besides what I have given you here, you can either click this link, https://music.apple.com/ca/author/jonathan-winters/id2828212
or this one. https://music.youtube.com/channel/UClKNJJzv0u0hv2DQcOZvEOw?feature=share
I hope you enjoy what he does, as I do and believe me, you’ll be surprised with what he sounds like as an older man compared to when he was in his 20s, 30s and 40s.
Simpsons on Sundays 