Krusty Doll: The Kinks? The Stones? Sounds like my last physical!
Bart: Ha, references.
– The Simpsons
Someone recently asked, “What’s with all the Simpsons stuff?” Well, we love DIY and we love The Simpsons. Like Shakespeare or Dickens, if you have something on your mind, The Simpsons probably has timeless and relevant words of comfort and guidance. It’s also a fun framing theme.
Why “D’oh!”?
It’s so perfect. I picked it up when I first started watching the show because it’s the shortest way to express a certain type of self-inflicted exasperation without swearing. And when we bought this house, we suddenly had a lot more of that type of exasperation.
Where do you get all the quotes?
My mom originally thought we must have photographic memories for the spoken word, which was very flattering but untrue. If anyone could remember all quotes from the show, it would be my brother (a/k/a Angry Dad), who can kick my butt all around the room in a Simpsons trivia contest. To which I say, everyone’s gotta be good at something!
Sometimes, we do remember part of a quote, or we at least remember that there was an episode that touched on a particular issue, and we start there. Other times, we just search for a relevant quote. If I’m just watching the show, I usually have pen and paper handy in case something is said that might be useful blog-wise.
What are some good Simpsons-themed sites?
Two of the best all-round Simpsons sites: The Simpsons Archive and Simpson Crazy, both created and maintained by fans. Synopses, commentary, quotes, news — they are terrific! There is also a Simpsons Wiki, and an official site with clips and full episodes. And a trivia quiz, so I should go check that out before my next rematch with Angry Dad. IMDb has a ton of stuff on the show, with all the standard IMDb features and info. There is also just tons of ad hoc stuff out there — people’s top ten favorite episodes, continuity errors, scholarly commentary (really!), etc. — just awaiting a search.
A great source for quotes is the Simpsons area on wikiquote. Beyond blog use, I find that Simpsons’ quotes really jazz up a PowerPoint, and come a close second to the utility of the Underpants Gnomes in any corporate context.
When did you start watching the show?
When it was on Tracey Ullman back in the ’80s. But before that, I was a Life in Hell fan, so Mr. Groening and me, we go back a long way. I do love me some affectionate satire.
Who’s your favorite character?
For me, it’s Lou, hands-down! But for main characters, I’d have to say it’s a toss-up between Homer and Lisa. The Kev votes for Ralph.
Favorite episode?
Couldn’t possibly pick, but we both love Homer3 from Treehouse of Horror VI.
The Kev is British — how did he get into it?
They play it there, too. They play it just about everywhere. It’s dubbed into lots of languages, including Swedish and Punjabi.
Mmmm, Punjabi.
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