Could Maggie really teach at Florida State? |
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This is a new column, and the description says I will be giving you my recommendations as to what you should be putting on your Netflix queue (or a competitor's queue. Or trying to catch on HBO. Or whatever suits your fancy). And while I will be doing that, as part of my first column's job, I need to introduce myself, justify my creds a bit, and let you get to know me.
I am many things: educator, pop culture freak, voter, rhubarb enthusiast, writer, nervous fidgeter, driver, wine drinker, girlfriend, friend, daughter, aunt and sister, but (you'll find out soon enough anyway) I am also a Simpsons fan. And I take all of my roles very seriously.
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE came out on my birthday, July 27. And it was better than 10 Super Bowls and lovely and magical and all of those things I dreamed it would be. My best friend Karma flew to Milwaukee from California to be with me as we celebrated the mother of all birthdays. We saw it on the Ultra Screen. Just typing those words and remembering the feeling sends gleeful shivers throughout my extremities.
My love of The Simpsons began not unlike anyone else's, I guess. I remember seeing the shorts on The Tracy Ullman Show. I didn't think it would be fantastic, but I was intrigued by the concept, and watched that first season (when I wasn't out partying in awesome Minneapolis and being my groovy 18 or 19 year-old self). I thought Marge was the bomb, as we said in those days, and loved the way she fed the evil Mr. Burns the three-eyed fish. The Simpsons and I were pals -- not super tight -- until I was 21 and got my heart broken. I began spending time with my friend Patrick, who was also a sad mess. I would record the episodes on my parents' VCR and bring them to his place. Patrick and I watched all of the episodes from that winter and spring, but especially "The Otto Show" and "Lisa on Ice" repeatedly. I fell in love with Snake around that time. The way he said, "If only they'd had peewee hockey when I was a lad . . ." tugged my heart hard. Eventually, with the help of Snake, I healed and soon was able to move on romantically. I even moved to another state and didn't need the awesome companionship of the Simpson family anymore, but I didn't desert them, not after they'd been there for me. All through the nineties, we had each other. I had no idea that my love of getting to know all the minor characters, learning episode titles and quoting lines with my friends was So 
The Simpsons have always been a Mary Bailey family. |
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Entirely Geeky. I had no idea that behind my back people referred to me as "Denise, you know, that (insert changing hair colors here) girl who's into The Simpsons."
In graduate school, 1999, I met my match: Karma, the woman who shortly after our first meeting became my best friend. She was a guest speaker in my pedagogy course. My first words to her were, "You're a Leo, aren't you?" Karma and I taught writing at Florida State. In fact, she and I both taught "Writing About The Simpsons" classes at Florida State. One of my courses was called "The Simpsons: Satire, Theory and Pop Culture." I'll probably never have the chance to put "access to FOX" under "required materials" on a course syllabus again. Although perhaps that's a good thing.
We were pop-u-lar. Our courses reached their caps in mere minutes. Of course, some of the students were disappointed that it wasn't gravy and that they actually had to write, but for the most part, the students and I were pleased with each other and the class. We analyzed the big issues: For example, who is a better father, Homer or Ned? Another week, we dissected many episodes and concluded that The Simpsons is a spiritual show: prayer and faith are taken very seriously (organized religion, not so much). The students learned about satire and postmodernism. I received gifts, including Simpsons Clue. One student said the class wrecked sitcoms for her because she realized how inane they really were. (Not me, though; I still love sitcoms, btw, the more inane the better). I loved those days, but then I finished grad school (earning my MA in literature), moved to Milwaukee, my marriage ended, and eventually I re-entered the dating scene. Yikes. Meanwhile, Karma earned her PhD at UC-Davis.
Most of my life, I've wondered why geeks ask me out. The trend continues; turns out that having taught a Simpsons course is geek Spanish fly. I thought back to my first year at college, when someone asked me to play D&D. I didn't know what it was, but there was something unsettling about this boy that made me nervous, so I quickly said, "No, thank you." He persisted, stating, "Usually we don't allow girls in our group, but for you, (dramatic pause) we'd make an exception." It has been fourteen years since that uncomfortable incident, but it only recently hit me that I, too, could be a geek! I asked some unashamed geeks I know to help me seek the truth, and was asked many exploratory questions about all things geeky.
The basic gist: I liked Next Generation fine but wasn't crazy about it, I didn't watch Buffy, had no interest in Star Wars, and, hey, certainly I have a fantastic sense of style. But nine out of ten geeks agree: The Simpsons mania and the fact that I adore Weird Al are enough . . . I could be considered a geek. But I prefer to consider myself a "geek magnet," so I'm sticking to that. GM for short. I can get away with this because my boyfriend reads comic books and decorates his office with Marvel action figures. He gets all the jokes on Robot Chicken. No matter how geeky I get, I will never compare to him. And I am grateful.
Not so long ago, my mom called to tell me that they'd made a joke about FSU on The Simpsons. She was convinced they'd heard about me; she believes Simon's comment was a nod in my general direction. Ah, if only. Heck, I'm just pleased that my parents occasionally catch the accidental rerun.
And on Tuesday, August 7, just 11 days after my birthday and four days after Karma's, as if THE SIMPSONS MOVIE weren't enough, THE COMPLETE TENTH SEASON of The Simpsons comes out on DVD. Pick it up, enjoy, and listen for oodles of celebrity guests, such as Lisa Kudrow; Mark Hamill; Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger (when they were a couple); Dolly Parton; Cyndi Lauper; Elton John; and Michael McKean (just to name a few).
The tenth season is special for many other reasons; such features include: Homer and Ned's Vegas wives, Homer's beloved Mr. Pinchy, the mystery of Homer's middle name uncovered, Hank Williams Jr. singing the Canyonero theme (it "smells like a steak and seats 35"), a brief cameo by Poochie, and who could forget when Homer and friends can't get into the Superbowl because their tickets are "printed on some sort of cracker"?
I have not yet gotten my grubby hands on the DVDs, so I can give no opinions on the extras, but it's always a good idea to listen to the commentary. (Oh, woops, is that geeky?). You get perspective on the choices that go into every episode and the crew are all just funny people.
But perhaps most important is that rewatching the tenth season offers fans and casual viewers another chance to offer a very sad goodbye to Phil Hartman, as he makes his final Simpsons appearance in Episode 5F22, "Bart The Mother," as the voice of Troy McClure. His death still stings, and the absence of Hartman can be felt in the seasons that follow.
-Denise Du Vernay
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| Take Your Queue From Du |
Every other Sunday
Semi-wholesome Midwestern girl and certified Geek Magnet offers her suggestions - often new, sometimes classic - for DVDs that are definitely queue-worthy.
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| Denise DuVernay |
9 out of 10 librarians think Denise is a hoot. The 10th one couldn't corroborate because she was dead.
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