Talk of the Town

Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation

Fri. Dec. 10, 7:30 - 9:00 PM

With: Chris Turner, author and journalist

On a previous Talk of the Town web page, it was noted that an April 2003 Google search of George Orwell produced almost 200,000 hits. It seemed pretty good for someone who had been dead for some time. Well, Google The Simpsons and you will find more than 3 million references. This is not to say that a cartoon television program is more significant than George Orwell, but it is surely an indication that its influence on contemporary culture is widespread and substantial.

The subtitle to Chris Turner’s book Planet Simpson gives you an idea of how he views its importance: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation. In an interview about the book he said:

“I think of The Simpsons as the most vivid wide-angle lens that Western pop culture has yet devised through which to view the society that created it, and so I do my best in the book to use that lens to talk about the most interesting developments in that society in the last 15 years or so.....this wasn't just a really great TV show but a body of work as good as anything produced in any medium in the last century."

In Planet Simpson Turner writes: “ In the fall of 1992 alone, damn near every new episode of The Simpsons that had aired became an instant classic.” He goes on to describe some of the targets of the unique brand of satire: cigarette advertising, the philosophy of Ayn Rand, America’s car dependency and the merchandising machine of the modern entertainment industry. Mixed in with the satire was a genuinely thoughtful meditation on the nature of God. Turner writes:

“In subsequent weeks and years, The Simpsons brewed a mix of killer one-off gags, laser-guided social satire, robust character development and pure comedic joy into a potion so intoxicating that it became by far the most important cultural institution of its time: the equal of any single body of work to emerge from our pop-cultural stew in the last century in any medium. It was the Beatles and the Stones. It was Elvis and Chuck Berry. It was that big, that unprecedented and that important. And it also grew so monumental -- so fixed on the cultural map -- that it now seems impossible to imagine contemporary pop culture without it.”

Turner argues that it defined a generation by becoming the symbol of rebellion for many young people, who also made it a part of their “language”. Around the world lengthy conversations take place with participants using Simpsonian metaphors and swapping quotes back and forth that may come from an episode a decade old.

Join us at Talk of the Town for an examination of one of wonders of popular culture, The Simpsons, with Chris Turner.

The discussion will take place at UBC Robson Square. Attendance is free of charge, but please pre-register at info.talkofthetown@ubc.ca or phone 604-822-5675.

Biography

Chris Turner became an intern at Shift magazine while still a journalism student, a professional relationship that lasted six years until the magazine’s premature demise in early 2003. Chris Turner earned four National Magazine Awards in three years for his articles in Shift magazine. His Shift essay "Why Technology is Failing Us" won the President's Medal for best Canadian magazine story of 2001 (the highest honour in Canadian magazine writing). His reporting on pop culture and/or technology has also appeared in Time, The Globe and Mail, National Post Business, Report on Business, The Independent (UK), This Magazine, Adbusters, Utne Reader, Outpost, and XBN. Planet Simpson is his first book.

Links & Readings

Links

Planet Simpson

This is Chris Turner’s home site for his Planet Simpson book.

The Simpsons Archive

The Simpsons Archive is the clearinghouse for Simpsons guides, news and information with links to many other sites.

The Simpsons Top 100

This site has rated various sites devoted to The Simpsons and chosen their favourite 100.

Matt Groening Profile

This profile of the creator of The Simpsons, Matt Groening, appeared in the on-line edition of Salon, in 2001.

Matt Groening Interview

This interview from 1999 with Matt Groening contains a nugget about hidden jokes on The Simpsons that can only be seen via slow-motion replay.

Readings

The Simpsons And Society: An Analysis Of Our Favorite Family And Its Influence In Contemporary Society Idea of Progress: History and Society, Steven Keslowitz, Hats Off Books, 2003

The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer, Wlliam Irwin (ed.), Open Court Publishing, 2001

The Gospel According to The Simpsons: The Spiritual Life of the World's Most Animated Family, Mark I. Pinsky, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001