FEATURE:
“Rock Stars. Is There Anything They DON’T Know?”
IMAGE CREDIT: FOX
The Simpsons at Thirty: The Very Best Music Guests
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ALTHOUGH the actual beginning of The Simpsons…
happened back in 1987 when they debuted on The Tracey Ullman Show on 19th April, the first full-length episode went out on 17th December, 1989 - it was a Christmas episode called Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire and saw the introduction of the family’s dog, Santa’s Little Helper). Nearly seven-hundred episodes have been made in thirty years. It is hard to believe a show that started its life as an interstitial back in 1987 – and looked cruder than it does now – would not only be commissioned as a full series, but it has lasted for so long and captured the hearts of millions. The animated show is part of the lexicon and it is precious to us all. I am not sure whether I saw the debut episode on 17th December, 1989 because, as a six-year-old, I was probably watching something else. I do know that I caught so much of the golden era (from about 1991-1998) as a child and, having consumed most of the episodes, The Simpsons never fails to make me laugh. We all have out favourite moments and episodes (mine is Lisa the Vegetarian from Season Seven); we all can cherish and admire the first episode, Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, because it is so warm, classic and charming. Not only has The Simpsons made us laugh and come together for the past thirty years; music is a huge part of its appeal! I have already written about the show’s musical core and how it mixes original songs with music guests. Creator Matt Groening could not have imagined that these beloved characters he imagined all these years ago would converse and sit alongside legends such as George Harrison (he appeared in the episode, Homer's Barbershop Quartet, which parodied The Beatles during their Let It Be phase), Johnny Cash and James Taylor. Sometimes the guests are integrated into a story, and sometimes they are more on the periphery. From episodes heavy with music guests (Homerpalooza in Season Seven) to those where there is just a single artist playing a bigger role (Lady Gaga in Season Twenty-Three’s Lisa Goes Gaga), The Simpsons has created some truly huge musical highlights. To mark the upcoming thirtieth anniversary of the longest-running American sitcom, I have collected together the best musical guests as The Simpsons prepares to enter…
Episode Name: El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)
Air Date: 5th January, 1997
Season Number: 8
Show Writer: Ken Keeler
Why It’s Awesome: Rather than merely playing himself, the legendary Johnny Cash appears as a talking coyote after Homer hallucinates, having eaten a mega-hot chilli at a local cook-off. It is strange hearing the deep voice of Cash emerge from a coyote but, not only does Cash provide great comedy; he has touching words for Homer who wonders whether Marge is his soulmate. Homer is sort of on a mission to find truth and, when talking with this spirit guide, he wonders whether Marge is actually his soulmate. El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer) is a masterpiece of direction and animation; it is beautifully written and Johnny Cash is a rare example where a well-known musician plays a character rather than themselves – the biggest strength of this episode and appearance.
Spinal Tap
Episode Name: The Otto Show
Air Date: 23rd April, 1992
Season Number: 3
Show Writer: Jeff Martin
Why It’s Awesome: As one of the members of the fictional band Spinal Tap, Harry Shearer not only voices band member Derek Smalls but a host of other characters. In this Season Three episode, Bart decides that he wants to become a Rock star after attending a Spinal Tap concert, so Homer and Marge buy him a guitar. He shows the guitar to Otto the bus driver, who plays it and consequently makes the children late for school. Otto crashes the school bus and is suspended until he can get his license back. Bart then invites him to move in with the Simpson family. Although the cameo from Spinal Tap (Harry Shearer, Michael McKean and Christopher Guest) is brief, they are perfectly transported into The Simpsons’ universe; playing a disastrous gig at an ice rink and crashing their bus. I think the Spinal Tap appearance is one of the most inspired in the history of The Simpsons, as the members bring so much to the plate in such a short space.
Bette Midler
Episode Name: Krusty Gets Kancelled
Air Date: 13th May, 1993
Season Number: 4
Show Writer: John Swartzwelder
Why It’s Awesome: With a script written by the legendary John Swartzwelder – who wrote fifty-nine episodes of the show before his retirement; more than anyone else -, any musician who appeared on Krusty Gets Kancelled would be funny and given a perfect script! In an episode where Krusty the Clown has his show cancelled and struggles to get back on his feet, Bart and Lisa round up a host of big names for a Krusty special. With so many legends on the one show, Krusty is soon back in the public’s good books. Not only does Barry White and The Red Hot Chili Peppers appear; Bette Midler duets Wind Beneath My Wings with Krusty in an emotional moment. Again, she has a brief appearance but is effortlessly funny as Bart and Lisa find her hiking by the roadside. As Midler spikes trash, a driver, Snake/Jailbird, throws a can out of the window and Midler, incensed and determined, runs after the car; she clings onto the side and tosses the can into the car, which then explodes into a mountain (as the car’s passenger curses her name before his and Snake’s demise) – the perfect example of The Simpsons’ absurd-yet-memorable comedy.
Paul and Linda McCartney
IN THIS PHOTO: Paul and Linda McCartney in 1967/PHOTO CREDIT: John Pratt/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Episode Name: Lisa the Vegetarian
Air Date: 15th October, 1995
Season Number: 7
Show Writer: David S. Cohen
Why It’s Awesome: To me, Lisa the Vegetarian is the funniest episode of The Simpsons ever written. It is almost perfect beat for beat; that great mixture of heart, emotion and laugh-out-loud genius. This episode finds Lisa horrified at the thought of eating meat (the scene of Homer unsuccessfully trying to ignore Lisa the breakfast table is the funniest scene ever written!) and, after rebelling against a barbecue hosted by Homer, the two get into a fight and Lisa flees the family home. She sees everyone eating meat and feels she cannot avoid. She then does to the Kwik-E-Mart and eats a hotdog. Apu explains that the hotdog is meat-free and that he is a vegetarian. Letting Lisa into a secret, he brings her up to a roof garden where Paul and Linda McCartney are there chilling. It is wonderful hearing a rare T.V. voice-over from Linda McCartney (who, sadly, was diagnosed with breast cancer the same year Lisa the Vegetarian came out (1995) and died three years later) and she and Paul are wonderful. It is a beautiful little moment right at the end of this episode where we almost hear a new Beatles song – it is a tease as Apu sings an off-kilter and tuneless version of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The McCartneys agreed to be on the show as long as Lisa remainder of the show’s run – a promise The Simpsons has kept! As Homer says to Lisa when they are reunited in a sweet moment: “Rock stars. Is there anything they don’t know?!”.
James Taylor
Episode Name: Deep Space Homer
Air Date: 24th February, 1994
Season Number: 5
Show Writer: David Mirkin
Why It’s Awesome: In their fifth season, The Simpsons produced one of their most ambitious episodes. NASA, bored and miffed by the usual space missions decided to recruit some Average Joes for their next launch. Homer is chosen to go up into space – Barney Gumble was the first choice but, somehow, gets inebriated after drinking non-alcoholic champagne -, and is accompanied by a couple of professional astronauts. Homer smuggles a bag of crisps aboard the shuttle and opens it upon reaching space. Because of the weightlessness in space, the chips disperse and clog the instruments. While eating them, Homer breaks an ant farm and the ants destroy the navigation system; the images of ants floating in space looks huge on camera as they are filmed (Kent Brockman: “And I for one welcome our new insect overlords”); it seems bleak for the mission and all looks doomed. To help calm the spirits of the astronauts, James Taylor is drafted in to play some calming tunes. Instead of playing You’ve Got a Friend, he launches into a rendition of Fire and Rain, modifying it for the purposes of a space launch. His lyrics get very bleak and doom-laden and, thinking on his feet, he changes them to be a little less drastic. When it looks like things are getting even worse aboard the shuttle, Taylor drops his acoustic guitar and scarpers. Taylor is fantastically memorable and Deep Space Homer sports a wonderful blend of music and comedy in one of The Simpsons’ best-ever episodes.
Aerosmith
IN THIS PHOTO: Joe Perry and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith in Los Angeles in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: Norman Seeff
Episode Name: Flaming Moe’s
Air Date: 21st November, 1991
Season Number: 3
Show Writer: Robert Cohen
Why It’s Awesome: Homer creates a new elixir, a Flaming Homer, after he spends an evening watching slides from Marge’s sisters, Patty and Selma. There is no beer in the fridge, so he puts together random ingredients he finds at home. It lacks a certain kick but soon gets a kick after an errant bit of ash from a cigarette lights up the drink. Having this accidental wonder-drink of his hands, he mentions it to bartender Moe, whose business is struggling. Moe knows that this drink will make him massive money, so he steals it from Homer and Moe’s Tavern is soon this must-visit joint frequented by celebrities and the coolest people around. Among those who drop by are Aerosmith. They sing their hit, Walk This Way, and invite Moe to sing with them. Moe’s success is ruined when a maddened Homer stands on the roof of the bar and reveals the secret ingredient of the new Flaming Moe drink: cough syrup. Now that everyone knows all the components – a businessman made Moe a deal to buy the drink and, when Moe refused, the businessman sent the drink to a lab where they identified all the ingredients bar the cough syrup – we get the Flaming Moe sold all around Springfield. Moe is then ruined and has to go back to his former life as a humble bartender. Homer makes peace and asks whether Aerosmith will be back; “I doubt it” is Moe’s response.
Ramones
IN THIS PHOTO: The Ramones in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Episode Name: Rosebud
Air Date: 21st October, 1993
Season Number: 5
Show Writer: John Swartzwelder
Why It’s Awesome: Rosebud is another John Swartzwelder-penned classic where the ruthless billionaire C. Montgomery Burns loses his childhood teddy bear, Bobo. It was lost when Burns was a child and, through the course of events, finds its way into a bag of ice Bart buys at the Kwik-E-Mart. Burns offers a huge reward for Bobo’s return and, as Maggie bonds with the bear, Burns and Waylon Smithers arrive at The Simpsons’ home, hoping to entice Homer with riches if Burns can have the bear back – Homer wants a million dollars and three Hawaiian islands (“Good ones, not the leper ones”). In the end, Burns is reunited with the bear. The Ramones come into the episode right near the start. They are asked to perform at Mr. Burns’ birthday and sing a Punk-fueled version of Happy Birthday that ends with the words “Go to hell, you old bastard!”. Burns asks Smithers to have The Rolling Stones killed, but Smithers is disrupted before he can correct Burns. Homer is asked to perform stand-up at the birthday event and insults his boss during his ill-advised routine, so security guards race in and attack Homer, giving him a bumped head – leading to Marge asking Bart to buy some ice where Bobo is found. The Ramones are in the episode briefly, but their fired-up and funny re-imagining of Happy Birthday is perfect and fits into the rest of the episode seamlessly.
Elvis Costello/Lenny Kravitz/Mick Jagger/Tom Petty/Keith Richards/Brian Setzer
IN THIS PHOTO: Lenny Kravitz/PHOTO CREDIT: Mathieu Bitton
Episode Name: How I Spent My Strummer Vacation
Air Date: 10th November, 2002
Season Number: 14
Show Writer: Mike Scully
Why It’s Awesome: This is a rare case of one of the later episodes of The Simpsons providing some musical guest gold. Whilst most of the best musical appearances happened between seasons three and six, this Season Fourteen bonanza finds a perfect excuse for some of music’s biggest names to enter The Simpsons. Homer is feeling overworked and underappreciated and is given a gift by the family: a chance to fulfill his dreams and be a Rock star at a summer camp run by musicians such as Mick Jagger and Tom Petty. It is hard cramming in a load of ARTISTS into an episode and making things feel natural and plot-driven. There was a less successful attempt on Homerpalooza; a Season Seven episode where Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill (among others) appeared at the Hullabalooza music festival – long story short: Homer finds out he can absorb cannonballs to the gut without much pain and tours the country with Rock stars. How I Spent My Strummer Vacation has a better plot and allows other characters from The Simpsons’ universe – like Chief Wiggum and Otto – to interact with these star musicians; the artists have more lines and show better acting chops compared to the guests on Homerpalooza. It is hard to pick a standout scene/line featuring How I Spent My Strummer Vacation’s guests, but one of the best moments happens when Elvis Costello is handing out instruments and Homer et al want guitars. Costello says not everyone can have guitars, but he suggests they have bass guitars instead. Met with groans, Homer steps into the hut and grabs guitars. He bats away Costello’s glasses, who delivers the immortal reaction: “My image!”.
Lady Gaga
PHOTO CREDIT: HAUS LABORATORIES
Episode Name: Lisa Goes Gaga
Air Date: 20th May, 2012
Season Number: 23
Show Writer: Tim Long
Why It’s Awesome: It is not uncommon to see major Pop stars appear on The Simpsons (Britney Spears did on The Mansion Family in Season Eleven), but few are given as much airtime as Lady Gaga, someone who was near the peak of her popularity when she appeared on a Simpsons episode that aired in 2012. In Lisa Goes Gaga, Lady Gaga makes a visit to Springfield, where the residents are in a state of depression. Lisa Simpson is arguably the most depressed person in the city, prompting Gaga to go out of her way to teach Lisa the meaning of happiness. What could have been a throwaway and corny episode is lifted by Lady Gaga’s cameo. She not only brings her vocal power, but her performance has sweetness, humour and some great lines. It is no surprise Lady Gaga shone as an actor in the episode as she was nominated for an Oscar this year for her role in A Star Is Born (alongside Bradley Cooper).
U2
IN THIS PHOTO: U2 shot in Dublin in 1998/PHOTO CREDIT: Colm Henry
Episode Name: Trash of the Titans
Air Date: 26th May, 1998
Season Number: 9
Show Writer: Tim Long
Why It’s Awesome: In another big band role, U2 are given a lot of airtime but manage to contribute some nuggets. In Trash of the Titans, Homer is elected as Sanitation Commissioner. He beats out the current Commissioner, Ray Patterson (voiced by Steve Martin). Homer is frustrated by the local garbage collection and wants to improve the service. As Commissioner, he makes a lot of crazy promises and struggles to improve things. In an effort to get rid of trash quicker, he hires a firm to dump it all in a landfill, which causes big issues; Homer is disposed from his role. U2 appear in a musical number (The Candy Man is reworked as The Garbage Man) with their arses hanging out in Moe’s Tavern; Homer interrupts their PopMart Tour, leading to security beating him up. Even though Homer crashes their gig, Bono steps up and backs Homer’s plea for understanding and environmental consciousness, leading his bandmates to roll their eyes and sneak off for a pint. It is a self-deprecating and classic appearance from a band that has a big reputation but are not afraid to take the piss out of themselves. Not only does Trash of the Titans pack in the funnies; it also has an important environmental message which sounds more urgent now than it did back in 1998. As Bono said when calming a booing crowd after Homer spoils the gig: “Hold on, people! The man's talking about waste management. That affects the whole damn planet!”.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Episode Name: Krusty Gets Kancelled
Air Date: 13th May, 1993
Season Number: 4
Show Writer: John Swartzwelder
Why It’s Awesome: It may seem like a cheat to include two artists/groups from the same episode in this list. Unlike How I Spent My Strummer Vacation, Krusty Gets Cancelled allows its guests more time to step into the spotlight. Although Barry White and Luke Perry are great in the episode, I really like the turns from Bette Midler and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Two years after they released the masterful Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Red Hot Chili Peppers appeared in this 1993 episode. Like Bette Midler in the same episode, Red Hot Chili Peppers are game and up for a laugh. They are asked to perform on the Krusty comeback show and are asked to tone down the lyrics of their song – especially the line, “What I've got, you've got to get it put it in you”. Some artists can struggle to adapt to animation and voice over acting, but the Red Hot Chili Peppers are natural and provided one of the best musical cameos in The Simpsons’ history – and I am sure we will see many other wonderful musician appearances as the show looks forward to its thirtieth birthday next month.