The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show (with The Real Jims)

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to four Finger Discount of the podcast where we always recycled to the extreme.
Today we're heading back to revisit. Another classic from season eighty is episode four
f one two, The Itchy and Scratchy and Pucci Show. I am Dando,
no guy today. He unfortunately died on the way back to his home
planet. But luckily I've been joined by a man who has been blessing us
with the Simpsons thoughts for over a decade now on his YouTube channel. He
is the real Gym's How are you doing? What? Good? Sir?
I'm doing very well. Thank you for working out with my schedule. I
feel bad that a guy got that headquarter. He must have caught the one
that I had like a week or two ago. Yeah, how is that
cold holding up? Now? You sound much better, which is good?
Oh yeah, I'm great now. Thanks for a work with me with the
schedule. I know we had to wait a couple of weeks because of my
vacation and then getting sick and then your complications. So yeah, I'm doing
much better now. Like when you do a YouTube channel, I'm sure you
know from podcasting that when your voice just stops working like it's just like how
do I do anything at this point? Like like do you just record something
and just everyone listens to your nasal like you know, and they're like,
so it's pretty rough. Well, I've done a podcast once with a voice
that was like breaking, and then I just was I was editing it,
and I went, No, one wants to listen to this, this is
sounds horrific. I'm just going to cancel the show this week. I'm gonna
have to wait. But I'm sure your fans wouldn't have cared, because man,
your following is just exploited in recent years. Luck you must be so
proudy yourself. I mean I do pretty well, Like I don't know,
like the whole YouTube grind is like, you know, you see your subscriber
count, You're like, well, you can always do better, Like these
other channels have like three hundred thousand, five hundred thousand, but you know,
like like the fact that like one hundred and thirty thousand people would subscribe
to my channel is just ridiculous to me, Like that's a ridiculous number in
my head. So it's just like like it's so like grateful and humble that
like people would even bother to listen to my Simpsons rambling. It's just crazy
to me. Well, I've been listening to you, up to you forever
a decade. I remember discovering the sixty second reviews, going, this isn't
gonna take up too much of my time. I thought it was quite a
genius little thing that you had gone because it even wakes better now because I'm
thinking YouTube shorts and now a thing. Have you turned all listen to YouTube
shorts yet? The sixty second reviews? You know, I totally should,
like people have been saying and they're like, you should totally make shorts now.
Like I was kind of like I was like ahead of the curve with
the sixty second Simpsons, and then YouTube decided it's like, no, you
want to make long videos, like that's how you get views, like to
make like three hour long epics, you know. So then like I started
making longer videos, and yeah, now we live in the world of TikTok
where everybody just wants everything summarized in like a minute or two. So yeah,
I should totally make one of those vertical image like videos and do it
as a short. Um. So, I mean I've been I've been thinking
about that. But the other thing is I have heard some pushback from people
who like YouTube and are subscribe for YouTube, and some people just actively hate
the TikTok, the TikTok or the short format. So I was like,
do I make one and alienate people or would that? Is that something people
would want? So yeah, I'm not sure on that one. Make a
TikTok channel just for your TikTok loves and then YouTube channel the way it's going,
Oh yeah, I gotta get all those gen Z watchers. That's that's
the key here. So I'm gonna get like three million views and make like
five dollars. It's going to be a yeah tiktoks, we love that,
isn't it. You get so many views but you make nothing. You make
fuck old. Yeah, I've heard it's really good for like promoting like the
main channel from what I've heard from other people. So maybe like I can
figure out a way to like make little videos that I used to make,
and then maybe people would watch the big videos. I don't know. I
really got to start thinking about that more because the actual business side of YouTube
is something I ignore completely, Like I am terrible at business. I just
like I'm just want to make these little Simpsons videos and like if they do
well, they do well. So yeah, I really should put some thought
into that because the business side is just like a giant mess right now,
is it? So is it like an income strain for you at the moment
or do they try and get you a couple rock because of using the Simson
images Because it's not clips, it's just images, so surely that's fine,
right. Oh yeah, so it is an income stream. I do put
ads on it. I like tried for so long to not put ads,
like I think maybe like the first six years of the ten years doing it
was like no ads at all because I was like, weirdly, I was
being like kind of a punk rock like hippie kind of person about it.
But then everyone was like, put ads on it. We don't care.
You should be making something for all the work you're doing. So yeah,
it is an extra income screen, extra income stream. Like in terms of
the copyright, I do manage to get away with it just because I'm not
using clips, so like the box can't really get me. Sometimes I do
get manual claims. There's like one video that has gotten claimed at least twice
now, which is like the most ridiculous thing ever, because like what is
there to claim, Like if my video goes down that has just screenshots,
then like everything is copyright infringing. So the whole thing is really weird.
But yeah, I managed to avoid it mostly, but I always put up
like most petty, petty like arguments and whining on my part when it does
happen to me, because it's like, what the hell is that? When
that happens? Do you find the editing side of things the most painstakenly part
of the process. That's what I find. I love doing the podcast,
but the editing is just like, oh oh yeah, the editing is just
brutal. Like the like the writing part is like that goes fine. I
just sit around and I think, you know, but then when the editing
comes along, like I've actually kind of switched to instead of doing these like
little editing streams of like two hours a night, two hours a night,
lately, I've just been doing like like a whole Saturday. I'll just sit
down and just like edit for like ten to twelve hours, and that's just
like the day, you know. Yeah, but it's just absolutely brutal because
you know, like when you watch a video that's like fifteen minutes long,
or in your pace, like a podcast where you listen to it for an
hour and you're like, oh, that's nice, but then you like you
don't think about how like you are sitting there editing the audio for so long,
like listening to this conversation back or in my case, this video,
like dealing with what you've written in all these images, and like it goes
for so long and you're so sick of it after a while, like you
just want it, want it done, But then when people listen to it,
it just kind of comes and goes and you don't even think about it.
It's really weird. But congratulations on the channelists. Just like it seems
in recent years you've really taken off. I think people do enjoy your deep
dives, the Simpsons mysteries and there the showdowns and things like that. Yeah,
it's been really fun, like kind of just figuring out what I like
to research with it. Like the whole thing was just kind of a passion
project because I just I like the Simpsons and I want to talk about it,
and there just aren't as many places to go to have these kind of
arguments about which episode is better, or like these deep dives on characters or
seeing just what's going on with these characters. So it's been kind of fun
just kind of bouncing around topic to topic and just kind of saying what I
am most interested in researching, And like lately I've been like discovering that I
just really enjoy these character like deep dives, doing these Simpsons histories videos and
just being like, oh, like snake Jailbird, what have they done with
the character over the years, Like how consistent have they been with him?
Like what like what kind of things can they do with this archetype over thirty
plus years of the show, Because like that's the weirdest thing about The Simpsons,
Like it's been on for thirty years, and like every character is going
to become this weird pile of just like random stories and tidbits. So like
just looking at characterization and like what makes the character the character has been like
the most fun for me. I've found I've really enjoyed the character stuff from
doing these what's your thoughts on continuity in the Simpsons? Because he talked to
pickle up Matt Salmon, He's just like continuity at the Simpsons, like,
do you get annoyed when they when you see character shifts that don't really make
sense to people who grew up in the naughties watching individuals ears seeing now with
characterization, I tend to be a little more flexible where I feel like people's
personalities are diverse enough, where people can be in different moods, where you
can stretch them in certain ways where in this episode, maybe Lisa cares deeply
about what her friends, like what her classmates think of her, but in
this episode she inexplicably only cares about academics. You know, I feel like
people are four dimensional enough where you know, you can have that push and
pull with the continuity. Now that being said, some of the continuity stuff
is like where I feel like they can do better in certain instances where I
just like, we live in the world of the Internet where people just kind
of know, like I'm thinking of specifically, when they did that Camp Crusty
like sequel episode where they did Camp Crustier, and they wanted to do it
as a sequel to Camp Crusty, but and they didn't even like bother to
get the details of what the Camp crust the episode was actually like and in
those cases, I was like, well, if you're doing the direct reference
and you're like trading on that continuity, then like I feel like you should
put in a little effort, you know. So those kind of things to
be got my nerves because I feel like they're very blase about some stuff.
But on the other hand, I do feel like Simpsons fans give them way
way way too much crap about the little things you know about like the floating
timeline with the nineties and the two thousands, and like, I am totally
four Matt Selman just trying a bunch of weird crap with the show, Like
we're in season thirty four, you guys, let's do weird crap. But
like, but on some of those little details where they can just nail it
or not nail it, like I feel like they could do a little better
there. Yeah, it's funny because sometimes wearing in season seventeen now with the
podcast and you watchedn't you thinking this could have been really awesome if you just
seem to just focus a little bit more on what needed to be focused on.
But it's off. They just we just an episode where Millhouse's parents go
back together yeah, and then like halfway into the episode, it just becomes
another margin Homer, you know, breaking up story. And I'm like,
we got this two weeks ago. Why are you so fixated on having Homer
and Marge splitting up all the time. We're sick of seeing this love.
This would have been a really fun exploration of the Millhouse character of anything.
Oh yeah, those middle seasons, Like that's like the stereotype about them.
It's just like Homer and Marge are about to divorce in like almost every episode.
Like the marriage crises is just like Jesus Christ, just just leave it
alone already, Like and you know, Millhouse is like we've never really gotten
any Like like we got the first episode where we see how it affects the
Millhouse, you know, but like other than that, Like what did Millhouse
really get in terms of character development out of his parents divorcing? Nothing?
We did get Kirk Vanhatten out of it. Yeah, Like we got a
lot of fun divorce dead like deadbeat Kirk. Like I kind of liked all
the cool stuff we got out of Kirk. He's still kind of a deadbeat
dad even though they're back together. But like like, yeah, hearned that
episode into a whole emerge thing when you have like Millhouse right there, just
like begging to have something done with them. Wasn't that the episode where it
gets like all emo and like depressed or something, or or might think of
a different one. It's the one where Hay and Bart try to split them
up and they hired marges bra in Lowens. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah,
not a great ones. I've watched it and I was like, this
episode isn't too bad, and then we reviewed it and I was like,
this is not great. Yeah, all season seventeen is kind of brutal.
Yeah, are you watching season thirty four? Yeah, I've been watching that.
Have you been keeping up with it? Yeah? Well, now that
Disney Plus here in Australia keeps them up today every Wednesday we get them out
of the air. In America, it's so much easier to keep track of
them because for a while there you didn't know what channel it was airing on,
what time it was going to be airing, what day, So I
just like sort of gave up. But now Disney Plus it's easy to sort
of follow along, and I do think the new ones are really starting to
find their footing again. Oh yeah, I agree. Like I did a
whole video about how like season thirty three was such a breath of fresh air.
I've really liked the direction and they've taken the show and like there are
some production things behind the scenes going on in terms of like how the episodes
are being made, and I think I think there is a new breath of
life into the way that they're they're doing these co showrunner things where like Caroline
o'mine is doing some episodes, Tim Long is doing some episodes. You know,
they're kind of passing around where we're getting this nice mix of just people
bringing different perspectives to the show. And I think it's been breathing a lot
of new life into the show where like there's like a self awareness of what
people want out of like a season thirty four of a TV show. Yeah,
and plus I feel like Homer is no longer the joke ass that he
sort of became, like he's got these moments, but they've definitely toned it
down. Oh yeah, Like he's a total teddy bear now, Like he
is, like I'm made a joke at a video that he's arguably too nice
now that like Homer's like become this disney like he's become this disney edgeless dad.
It's just like from like TGIF or like full House or something. Well,
we're here today to talk about his and scratching and Pucci show. You
selected this episode, so give us your thoughts. What do you remember about
this one? Okay, so when I was watching this episode again, like
I remembered watching it at the time, and I remember there was kind of
a general attitude that The Simpsons was kind of becoming in passe or it's just
like the show has been kind of up and down or whatever. But I
remember really enjoying the episode. But then watching it again today, I'm kind
of just in awe that they even made this episode, that they got away
with it and not everybody got immediately fired afterwards. Well, here's the thing.
It's like, because Bill has said to us in the past, Bill
locally that he felt at the time Fox went of him watching the show anymore,
that was just like, just give us some content to put on the
station. We don't really care what the Simpsons they're doing. But then you
read that they actually suggested they add a new character to increase rating, So
they were still clearly paying attention to the show. But the fact that,
like you said, they were able to get away of this and Fox didn't
care. I just thought it was just like it was I took some serious
balls. Really. Yeah, Like half of the episode kind of just feels
like the writers just airing their grievances. Like all those boardroom scenes are totally
like they had a meeting with Fox where they told to add a new character,
They had a meeting with Fox talking about the ratings declining, and these
conversations about the show being as good as ever. Like it's just like at
airing a grievances where they're like flipping off where they're flipping the bird at the
network and they're kind of flipping the bird at their hardcore fans too. Yeah,
And it's just so brazen and amazing that they made this episode of what
nineteen ninety six was it? I think, well, it added ninety seven,
But yeah, it feels like a letter written straight to dot Simpsons,
doesn't it. Oh yeah for sure, Like like I know, like like
you talked to Bill like he was reading those Usenet and all dot TV Dot
Simpsons and like like it's kind of one of the first instances of like letting
the Internet drive you insane from just reading it, like the doomscrolling. You
know, he was like one of the first doom scrollers. I think they'll
was and actually like make an episode about all the doom scrolling that you've done,
and like how terrible people are being. It's so ballsy. What's worry
got the worst episode ever? From from people writing it in the in that
forum, But I actually did some research, so apparently the first time they
ever appeared on alt dot TV dot Simpsons was in nineteen ninety two for the
Funnily Enough the Itchy and Scratchy or Itchi and Scratchy the movie. That's when
that first got said in the forum. Oh wow season four really yeah yeah,
So even back then ninety two, people will complain that it's the worst
episode ever. What are they doing? They're ruining the show, and it's
like us A J D. What are you talking about? Bunny? Yeah.
I love reading those old like like Simpson's archive reviews that they've still like
because, like you know, the show did go through a lot of different
eras, like David Murkin took over the show and season five and six,
and obviously people noticed, you know, and you read some of those season
five reviews and they're like, why is the show all crazy? Why is
Homer vigilante? And Homer goes to college so weird? You know, and
like like the blowback they were getting as far back as then, whereas we
watched those episodes episodes now and are like, oh, those are the golden
years, but like they're just like the real flashback in time. Yeah,
maybe it's just a case of Simpsons fans how good ones have just always wanted
to complain about something. Oh yeah, and like I talk about how they're
flipping the birds at the fans, you know, in some respect in this
episode, but like, you know, they kind of had a point about
some of it where they're like, you guys were like nitpicking them to death
like every single week. So like, you know, I think there is
a little bit of this episode that you can criticize in terms of like like
their attitude with the fandom, you know, but like they do raise a
good point about how much they were just like picked to death like birds,
you know every single week. You mentioned doom scrolling just before do you do
that on your YouTube channel? I mean, most of your comment to positive
anyway, I've very rarely see negative comte in your videos. But do you
ever get a comment we goo heybuddy attle diffen into this video? Yeah,
I mean I dooms. I want to say that I doom scroll necessarily.
I feel like that that attitude has been beaten out of me about ten years
ago, probably like I've just been online long enough where I've just learned those
lessons to just you know, walk away after a while. But like most
YouTubers or most podcasts or like internet creative type people like you do get that
negative comment and you see it and you're like, ah, like you got
one hundred nice comments, and then one, like one person comes along and
they're like, wow, this sucks and you're like, well, like it
doesn't ruin your day or anything, but you're like like, screw you,
Like what's wrong with you? Like, come on, how you use a
four fingered discount? Why are you giving me shit? Yeah exactly, I'm
onto you. I knew it. I knew that. I knew that Avatar
was familiar as same as fitting. Also, this was the episode to overtake
The Flintstones for the amount of a man of episodes produced by an animated series.
This was one hundred and sixty seven. They did one hundred and sixty
six. It's crazy to think that they're on their way to seven fifty.
Sure, they're just gonna get their way to a thousand now, right,
Oh yeah, Like when they got renewed for I think they're renewed for season's
thirty five and thirty six. I think two more. Yeah, and yeah,
I was like tweeting that they have to let them get to a thousand,
Like if you stop at like eight hundred eighty, like, what the
hell is that? Come on? Yeah? This is also this episode Alex
Rocco's last performances as rotging Wis Junior, which I thought was strange because he
didn't pass until twenty fifteen, so you had a good what twenty or so
years, and he used to have him back on They just never got him
back on the show. Same Bill and Josh were fans of he They got
him back twice, but after this performance he just never returned. Yeah,
it's so weird because he is so good in this episode, Like this is
probably my favorite Roger Meyer's Junior episode, Like he has so many good quotable
lines in it. Are there many Itchy and Scratchy episodes after this one or
was this it? Ah, there's a decent amount of him. Like there's
an episode in season thirty, like Bart versus Itchy and Scratchy where they do
the female Ghostbusters thing and like do a female reboot of Itchy and Scratchy and
that episode, but like they kind of transitioned Itchy and Scratchy too, where
it's like almost like Crusty owns Itchy and Scratchy, like he's the head.
Like when they did that season thirty episode, they're like fighting with Krusty like
he's the one announcing it and he seems to be like the creative force behind
it. So it's almost like he bought Roger Meyer's studios or something like like,
yeah, Roger Meyers went totally by the wayside like in those middle seasons,
and I have no idea why, because Alex Rocco is the man.
Like that voice is amazing. Yeah, it's perfect, And like you're saying,
season third, that's still twenty two seasons without having that character, and
you think, hell yeah, Like I'm trying to think, I bet there's
got to be a middle season Itchy and Scratchy episode that I'm forgetting I has
to beat because that was atto a pot of Bill and Josh's formula was that
every season has to have an itchy and scratchy episode. Yeah, they just
kind of fell by the wayside for a little while and then they came back
and just kind of did um they were just doing like who just random parodies
every single episode. So yeah, I think they did just kind of stop
doing like full on itchy and scratchy like like meta commentaries like instead they were
doing stuff like that Web Cartoons episode where like he does Angry Dad instead,
Like they kind of stopped doing these meta episodes for some reason. Yeah,
I'm a big fan of Bill and Josh's formula, whether you sort of they
say, you know, you gonna have at least an episode a Bard episode
itchy and scratchy Sacho Bob just feels like that formula was thrown out the window.
What is your favorite sort of like era of the show, Because for
me, I think it was like six through eight. That was when I
really remember watching the show religiously in terms of my favorite like overall era,
Like I like the like I'm one of those like first eight seasons kind of
guys, you know where I just like the whole of the first eight seasons,
I would say my favorite, like Mini era. I think Bill and
Josh's era was probably my favorite, Like if I had to, if I
had to just choose, just because, like, you know, you see
this episode, the Pucci episode, and like, making a season seven and
eight of any TV show is just ridiculously hard, like because so much stuff
has been done already, and the fact that they were able to come in
there in season seven and make such an amazing season of television that's like well
balanced, a little experimental with like the twenty two short Films episode, and
then come back with season eight, Like it's kind of a minor miracle that
their episodes are as good as they are, because they should be everything that
this episode is criticizing, where it's like gimmicky with Roy and Pucci, but
instead, no, it's just good, solid Simpsons all the way through.
And I remember as the Cubos, she's how will you when this first aid?
Oh, probably I would have been like thirteen or twelve or eleven somewhere
around there. Okay, so I was only like maybe eight when this first
aid. So as a kid, I was like, who is this roy?
Why they why is this guy coming too? It was until older that
I realized I appreciated this episode for what it was. It's amazing you have
this episode you can enjoy as a kid, not understanding what it's going for
when you get Aldio, like, fuck, this is actually classic. But
the question is, though, did you think that Pucci was cool when you
were a little Though I remember being really disappointed that they killed it off just
for home misake. But the Pucci character, though, was just it was
too in your face. I was like, this guy just seems like the
guy that the Jocket school that's bullying everybody. Yeah, Like like this episode
like feels very like relevant to today with like the fan culture, but it
is so aggressively nineties with like the you know, rastify him by twenty percent
or whatever kind of thing, like the sunglasses and everything, like the mascot
era was so big and like, you know the episode because I kind of
felt the same way when I was twelve, where the episode is telling you
that Poucci is lame, but when you're that young, you're like he is
kind of a cool dog in a weird way, Like the episode is telling
you one thing, but you do kind of get suckered into that extreme nineties
attitude back then. Yeah, oh everything was extreme, but this is the
thing the Simpsons at this point. So the whole episode is sort of hot
light in that everyone still loved the Simpsons while Sta Martain necessarily been watching every
week. Were you at that point by season eight? Were you still watching
the show every single week? Or you sort of found something else because south
Park hadn't come around you. I feel like south Park really sort of took
over that controversial animation sort of slot in late at ninety seven. I was
definitely still watching at that point. I kind of fell out around I would
say, like season ten or season eleven, I think, And that was
just because I got busy with like middle school and high school type things when
I was just a little older, you know. You know, like once
you're like a cool high school or you're like I don't have time to watch
like the Simpsons. You know you're here, like no, I'm saying like
so derisively, like you know, I still liked the Simpsons as a high
schooler, but I'm not gonna like turn on the TV on Thursday night or
whenever it was airing then and just like, you know, watch it because
I got you know, I got to go on all these dates and all
these clubs, you know, because I'm a cool high schooler. But it
wasn't a cool show anymore, though, wasn't yeah you know, yeah,
like Southpark came out and that was the new hotness, and The Simpsons is
just like that old crusty show. That's just like having like, you know
that guy from the Monsters on now or whatever, so remember his name?
Yeah, and Squeagy not Squiggy. I remember that Squeaky episode and just really
not liking Squeaky. Oh yeah, Like I didn't even know who it was.
I think my parents had to explain it to me. Four figure discount
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the description of this podcast. Next question, you there eating the paste.
But before we get into the deep dive of the episode, I've got some
trivia questions for he usually do a trivia here, guys. Not here,
By the way, guys, Guy's not dead, he's just not feeling well.
We've got some trivia questions here from mister Jim, So my first one
here. Let's see how much you remember this episode. Oh god, I'm
still bad at trivia. When Roger first walks into Krusty's office, as a
poster on the wall behind him right featuring mister Teeney. What was the event
that it's promoting? The event? I see I saw when I watched it
just now. I saw the mister Teeney poster, but I have no idea
what it said. What he's wearing. He's wearing skates. What do you
think roller Derby? No, it's it's Crustica Paides. Oh day, okay.
Next one is Homer would rather listen to who instead of himself? Who?
Instant I see I'm picturing the scene. This is so embarrassing. Who
is it? It's cheap trick? Oh yeah, cheap trick. Yes,
cheap trick. I'd rather listen. Yeah, yeah, okay, go on
one more, one more CYD game before we get into it. So,
how much does a copy of Tune Beach magazine cost? Tune being metal?
Like I'm supposed to look at this? Oh my god, like I am
really showing how much attention detail I show? I am in a guess two
ninety nine? Who not bad? It's four ninety five, okay, four
ninety five in nineteen ninety seven? Would that have felt like an expensive magazine?
Four and ninety five? Yeah? Like what's five dollars today? But
that's like what like eleven dollars or something? At least tennis you'd think so,
wouldn't you? Yeah? Yeah, at least all right, let's get
into our review of The Itchy and Scratchy and Pucci Show. Original date February
ninth, nineteen ninety seven. Written by David X coh and directed by Stephen
Dean Moore. Guest Alex Rocco and Phil Hartman as part of the auditions.
There was no chalk game, but the cash gag was the parody of Sergeant
Peppers. Are you a Beatles fan? I'm a big Beatles fan myself,
but yeah, I'm big Beatles fan. My dad like every single week would
like listen to like Breakfast with the Beatles, you know, on the weekend.
So I've listened to so much Beatles in my life. Usually that means
that you grew up to not be a fan, though, when your parents
are just forcing it. Daniel Throat like that. Yeah, but I feel
like the Beatles are so Yeah, that's a good point. Actually I should
hate the Beatles, right, but I feel like the Beatles are so good
that they were able to like surpass like the childhood like tired of it.
So yeah, I love Beatles. I feel like anyone who doesn't like the
Beatles are just sending it because they want to be a bit different. Yeah,
Like all your like Beatles haters right now are less so mad because they're
like you're being You're calling them out for just being contrarian at this point,
but like, come on, like the Beatles made so much different music between
Like I want to hold your hand to Like there's stuff they're doing the seventies
that you gotta like something that they made. I was only like six years
too. That makes so much. Oh my, yeah, that's that's ridiculous.
Yeah wow, well, I mean time moves so slow back then,
I didn't. Yeah. So the episode kicks off of Crusty, introducing fans
maybulous episode of itchin Scratchy Why who fools Fall in Lava, in which Scratchy
does a bungee jump into a volcano, gets filled with what we call petrol
you call gas, and gets burnt, but unfortunately nobody's watching. Marge finds
the kid. I thought it was stranger eating cereal in the afternoon. Yeah,
it's such a weird pull out. I like the kind of screw of
the audience thing where you know, where you get the cartoon at the beginning
and they're not actually watching it. But yeah, why did they pick cereal?
Of all things that they could be doing? Like they She even says,
it's like such a nice day outside and they're, like, you know,
eating cereal instead. I guess the joke is meant to be they're doing
something mundane together, and what else would they be doing together? In the
house. Besides, I guess just eating food but eating cereals, Like why
is she eating crusty brand cereal? It's like we find that later on that
Itchy and Scratchy Airs at four twenty five. That's when the ratings crashed.
Yeah, and you can't even use the argument because like, like you probably
did that when you were a little where you just like pour in some cereal
while you're just like watching TV. But if it's like dry cereal and just
watching it, but like just sitting there eating cereal when it's not breakfast or
a meal. Yeah, I kind of like the choice, just because it's
so weird the more I think about it. Yeah, So Roger wires Junior.
He goes to see Krusty and there's a note on the door said cleaning
crew, the liquor is not for you, which is a gag. See
little things like that. I still find something new every time I watched these
old episodes. I've never seen that gag before. Yeah. I watched this
episode twice and both times I tried to see what the thing said and failed
both times. So I'm glad this is another trivia question I would have gotten
wrong. So I like to have. They had the Itchy and Scratchy briefcase
as well, just like you know, this guy runs Itchy and Scratchy in
case you went aware Little Kids Watching at Home has the big logo on his
suitcase. But he's basically just talking up crust He's trying to distract him for
the fact that his show's not doing well. Hey, Crusty, you look
great. You get your teeth bleached. Yeah, it's a new kind of
Parliament treatment. Hey shut up, you're yeah because you're Itchy and Scratchy cartoons.
I'm just taking out my ratings. Look at this breakdown yesterday's shall Yeah,
what happened here? Lightning it to transmitter. See that's what I thought
at first. But hey, shut up. That crater is where you're a
lousy cartoon crash landed. It's ratings pison, but Itchy and scratches critically,
it's claimed acclaimed. He mentions he that but Itchy and Scratchy is critically a
claimed and from the get go, you're like, okay, So Itchy and
Scratchy in this episode is the Simpsons. Oh yeah for sure. And yeah,
I love the lightning hit the transmitter thing, But it's kind of a
weird dynamic where like, now, for some reason, Krusty is calling the
shots on Roger Myers, whereas you see other episodes where like what is it
itchy and Scratchy in Marge, where it seems like, you know, Roger
Myers is the big guy, but now it seems like Krusty is the one
in charge, is like actively yelling at him. I guess because the ratings
have dropped and there and there Roger wires atlet to get the show out to
the people. Did this is kind of an ignorant question, but do like
networks have that much data to that fine point where that they could see that
for these five minutes the races crashed, Like is that actually a real thing
where they'd be able to measure that? Yeah, So they have a thing
called the Nielsen ratings. And then because I actually I'm a wrestling fan,
so I'll watch wrestling and they talk about wrestling rating sometimes and they can say
they go by quarters, so it's like every fifteen minutes, so it's like
in this quarter during this match that ratings tanked, So like, okay,
well let's not put this guy on the show anymore. So they can do
it by quarters. I'm not sure they can necessarily do it by the minute
like they're doing this one here. But yeah, like that's some like YouTube
algorithm stuff where you're seeing like the dips and valleys of it or whatever,
Like that's really what it's. It's very strange to me though, like did
people just turn off the TV show and then just turn it back on again?
Like I don't I'm getting really in the weeds here. Maybe they just
turn it off completely. But it's just so weird that people that they could
measure this too or whatever. The way thing is too is that the Simpsons
were still watching the Scratchy show. It was still on, the ratings still
would have counted. They just went watching it themselves, like they were really
ahead of the curve in terms of like engagement filters. I think back in
nineteen ninety seven, do you ever have a show, a favorite show of
yours where even though when you're a bit younger, where you felt like it
wasn't the popular show anymore, so you just sort of watched it just to
make sure that they kept it on TV. So I've got I've got to
support this thing, oh like out of just like a sense of duty almost
I feel like I was doing I feel like I was doing that when Community
was on the air, because like Communities ratings, Like NBC was such a
trashole back then in terms of their ratings, whereas just like I gotta watch
The Office and Parkson ranking Community, like maybe not the Office, like they
didn't need the ratings, but like just so that NBC knows that people are
watching, you know. So probably it was like that for later Simpson seasons,
like the Team ones, even like season seventeen, I think I dropped
off after the movie when it went like full HD. I think I was
just like, yeah, this show's not for me anymore for a while,
but they're like season sixteen seventeen, it really felt like I was the only
one of my friends to watching The Simpsons. I'm like, I've got to
support this thing. They're going to take it off the air. Yeah,
I feel like they were just kind of cranking out episodes just because like I
don't know, They're syndication deal becomes more and more luke over time as they
put in more episodes, like now it's just you know, you throw all
that stuff up on streaming and watch like the streaming numbers role and like that's
what they seem to care about these days. But yeah, back then,
it's just like you look around, You're like, is anyone actually watching this
show? Yeah, I think it was season seventeen of the symptoms as well.
I think a lot of the quality was because of they were doing double
duties with the movie, and they've said they won't make that mistake again.
Because they didn't hire a new staff to create the movie. It was everyone
who was making the show now also to have to make this movie on top
of what they're already doing. I think the show suffered as a result of
that. Well, that explains a lot about season seventeen. People on my
channel heard me complain about that season and like, I'm glad it's not just
me, Like I feel like season sixteen you can kind of feel a little
bit too in there, like seasons seeing seventeen. Just like when I watched
that, I was like they were like three or four episodes where I could
like where I put them in, like the good Pile and everything else.
Just like, oh yeah, I'm not looking forward to that season. By
the way, listeners, you're not a way I'm actually saying Jim for the
first time. Right now, you guys are gonna seem obviously, but I'm
saying right now, just it's just so weird saying you do like the way
you was like, Oh, I'm just like I'm so used to hearing you
do that, but seeing you do it, it's a whole different dynamic.
Yeah, Dondo, you're really discovering what a hand talker I am right now,
because yeah, on the YouTube, you can't see me like a wave
in my hands around like crazy. But I you know, I have a
very monotonous voice, like I'm sure everybody can tell. I'm kind of just
you know, steady eddy with my voice, but like to get myself to
a moat, I feel like I got to move my hands everywhere. So
you're getting that for the first time. Well you notice I've got my hands
crossed because I'm exactly the same. Why don't keep my hands crossed They're going
everywhere. Oh yeah, Like I totally just like constantly like just whack the
mic constantly. I have to rerecord so much stuff because like little clicks show
up in there. It's terrible. Have you ever had any editing issues where
you've just lost what you've recorded I've done that like two or three times,
and it's just hotbreaking. I haven't yet, but I'm a very paranoid person
about saving in audacity, so not yet the worst part is when you I
always have issues with Premiere Pro. Do you use Premiere Pro to edit your
videos? Uh? No, I just use like a junkie editor, Like
it's a really complicated thing. But no, I don't use Premiere for that.
I love how just like and I mean it's in the most positive way
possible. I hand something like simple, your videos are just like the steel
shots moving around. I'm just like, he's never changed, please never change.
Yeah, it's actually like an animation Like it's actually like an animation suite
where I'm doing the actual like still's editing and moving stuff around, because doing
it in an actual editing suite would just take bloody forever. Like Lydia from
the Simpsons theory did like an homage to my style, and I could tell
that, like it probably took her a while just because doing it in the
editing suite. But yeah, doing it in an animation suite makes it so
much quicker. And then putting it in like the real editing software, well,
Krusty. Here he threatens to replace the Chene Scratchy with a Chinese show
with robots, but he's a lazy lazy man, Soho just tells Roger Wis
to come back or don't come back into it. Chene Scratchy is fixed,
slam the door, and then we get Mal. Now with like I said
in season seventeen of The Simpsons and Sideshow Mel, he seems to be getting
a lot more airtime than he used to get to the point where it's just
annoying. Now he has that line like this and like what feels like every
episode, but still back then though he was just this poor little psyche kip
to Crusty, which I was able to still enjoy. I always forget when
I watched the episode that there is actually a Mel joke when he walks in
the room, because I always expect like him to like slam the door and
then just show like Mel looking nervous and then like a cut to the next
scene, like maybe that's a syndication cut or whatever possible, Like, yeah,
whenever Mal comes in the room, I'm always surprised, Yeah, well
that does happen now because we watched these syndicated episodes so often that these things
were missing. There's one in the in the Rosebud episode for AUSTRALI. I
don't know why they cut it out, but when Homer has the cardboard box
on his head, do you remember that clip? That scene we're he's trying
to entertain Maggie used always get cut out on TV for some reason. So
when I see it on DVD's and things, I'm like, oh, that's
right, Yeah, it's weird. But so they went out the more and
Marge's going to shop for a Brazil So she tells the kids to go just
go wonder a random made me back here. This is where they get the
focus group. Man, kids, would you like to come with me?
I will admit I did not get that joke at all when I was little,
Like not at all, Like I think in the nineties, you just
kind of just went wherever at that point. Yeah, it's like, oh
yeah, it's made the same, it's pleasant. We'll go for a stroll.
Yeah, why not? And you know he says, no one's spying
in them. The mirror sneezes, and he says, don't worry, that
mirror is just old some sneezing, some coughing some talking softly, and then
he gives the thumbs up, which is one of my favorite screenshots ever,
the thumbs up into the mirror. Yeah. Nice. What are you some
of your favorite Simpsons like screenshots for memes and things like that. Oh,
in terms of the Simpson screenshots, Oh, I have so many screenshots It's
really hard to list specifics. There's like this one where I posted on Twitter.
There in that episode an eie I do, there's this moment where they
all look up at the same time and their noses are pointing in the air.
You might have seen the screenshot, but yeah, like the horrifying them
just all looking up and their noses and the weirdest thing I've ever seen.
They like Itchy, they like Scratchy. One kid seems to love the speedo.
Man, what more do they want? Okay? How many of the
kids would like Itchy and Scratchy to deal with real life problems like the ones
you face every day? And who would like to see them do just the
opposite, getting into far out situations involving robots and magic powers. So you
want a realistic, down to Earth show that's completely off the wall and swarming
with magic robots. Also, you should win things by watching your kids don't
know what you want. That's why you still kids, because you stupid.
Just tell me what's wrong? What the freak and shout, Really this is
what kids. Fucker screws must have been locked right. Oh yeah, this
scene is definitely one of those where they got notes from the network saying what
they wanted out of them, and they were totally contradictory. Or this is
a focus script that they actually had for their show. Yes, but milhouse
and I says he should always also win things for watching I would have totally
been down for that winning things for watching the Simpsons? Would you? What's
a bit a piece of Simpsons memorabil you would have loved to have won in
the nineties because someone wanted Simpsons house and they still didn't want it. I
was like, what is wrong with you? Oh well, I totally wanted
to win that who shot mister Burns contest to be animated into a show like
come on, yeah, of course, other actual merchandise than one I'm not
even sure like at that age, I would have just taken like a poucie
doll at that point, like I would just take anything as a twelve year
old. What about disgruntled Goat? Oh yeah, you know, as a
shocker that they haven't even like made those, because I would totally buy a
disgruntled Goat, Like I'm maybe not klu Klux Clam. I don't think i'd
buy him, but all the other ones totally, Like the scruntled girl is
the man. That's the thing with Simpsons merchandise for so long. They're kind
of changing a little bit now, but for so long I felt like you
have all these meta gags that you can be making like this kind of goat
plush and things like that, and you go to Universal Studios and you think,
how are these not here? You could be making so much money from
these things. Yeah. I went there recently actually, and like they have
a lot of cool merch like I did a video about it and everything,
but like a lot of it is kind of generic, and I feel like
there's like this whole like they did a Trios Lahore recently, like all about
the obsessive Simpsons fandom and they should be like mining this for like fun and
resources and gags like because there's clearly a market for it. So this is
where he has the kids rough starts crying. Lisa explains to him, to
Roger Meyers that there's nothing wrong with the show. It's as good as ever,
you know, it's just after so many years, the characters can't have
the same impact they once had. Do you say? This is basically the
message they're trying to say to Fox, Like, look, there's nothing wrong
with this show. Stop trying to give us notes. It's part of our
contract that you can't give notes. The show is fine. It's just people
just you know, it's hard to have the same impact that we once had.
You're gonna get You're not gonna get bartem Mania once a game because that
was Lightney into bottle. Do you give me your what are your favorite things
about bartem Mania? Because you lived through it. I didn't get to live
through that. Oh bart Mania. It was just everywhere like like all like
I was really into like video games, so I was like totally eating up
like all the nes games and all the Super Nintendo games. You know,
Like I totally had the um like eat my shorts like T shirts and everything.
Um, I freaking love bart Mania. Like the other thing was like
bart Man, like he seemed to be everywhere, even though he was only
in like what one episode, yeah, season two. Yeah. Yeah.
When I was little, I thought like bart Man was like the coolest thing
in the world. And I always wondered when I was little, like when
is bart Man gonna come back on the show, because like bart was like
the thing. But then like by seasons three and four and five, like
it's like all about Homer, you know at that point. So it's kind
of weird. I think it just became easy for the radas to ride for
Homer then a ten year old boy. It's why the shows seemed to shift.
Yeah, and it kind of shifted pretty quickly. Like like when you
think of bart Mania, you think the like what season one and maybe half
of season two maybe, like we're talking about nineteen ninety one and ninety two,
right, yeah, because yeah, it would have been Yeah then because
you think how many episodes started with bat or Bart does his Bart does that?
Know? His first maybe three seasons at most, and then it's just
all home. It goes to college, home with the Vigilante, home with
this, home with that. It just becomes the home of show. Yeah,
it makes you wonder why and like seat by season eight, when they're
talking about like they need a poucie fire the show. I wonder if they
were getting like, would there be an instinct to like try to bring Bart
back as like the radical character, you know what I mean, because like
they had Bart right there, Who's I'm not gonna say Bart is the Pucci
of the family, but like if anybody in the family is the Pucci,
it's Bart, you know. So I'm kind of surprised their instinct wasn't too
shift back to Bart a little more. They do kind of acknowledge that in
the episode where he mentioned that don't have a cowman catchphrase. But I guess
maybe even by nine teenty seven, Bart's catch phrases what seemed cool in nineteen
ninety weren't cool anymore. Yeah, that's true because he'd been around for like
seven or eight years, and like, yeah, the radical nineties attitude.
I guess you can't really just bring Bart back as like the cool I feel
like saying cool hip character something may sound like such an old man right now,
but like like being like the guy for the show again, Yeah he
was cool though he was he was like the coolest git on TV. Yeah,
I feel like he was still like the cool character. But like,
I don't know, like you're right though, that everybody who was watching the
Simpsons, not for like the Bart Show anymore, but just for everyone.
Like Bart doesn't even really have anything to do in this episode other than like,
yeah, like comic book guy. So we're now at the Itching Scratchy
studios and he suggests they have a new character get introduced to the shows,
just to the writers. And we get all the Simpsons writers here in this
U. So what was the list of We had a Bill likely Josh Weinstein,
David x Colm was there. David Silverman comes up in a few moments.
We also get Dan McGrath, a Maxtone Graham, don't it carry run?
How? I want to say his name is Ned Goldryer, and Mike
Scully. I couldn't which one was Mike Scully though, Wait, isn't a
isn't George Meyer there too? He's when it gets fired? Of course?
Yes, yeah, that's right. Oh yeah, Mike Scully. Yeah,
because I noticed there's like a couple guys in the room that just like never
says anything. So I wonder if Mike Scully was one of them, or
maybe like the sound booth perhaps, Yeah, I was kind of disappointed that
didn't have those guys voice the characters, because surely they could have just voiced
themselves, right, yeah, we're none of the people actually, because yeah,
I haven't listened to the commentary in a while, but were any of
those random voices any of the people, because they like they have that sound
guy later and he has like a very specific voice, but like that's not
the sound guy. No, it's not okay, because like they're so distinct
and like it doesn't sound like, you know, the cartoon voice actory kind
of voice. And do you think if you're writing the line, do you
know how you want them to deliver it? So surely you could deliver them,
but who knows. I bet they had a conversation about that and they
were like, Okay, guys, this is a very self indulgent episode.
Yeah, and it would be even more self indulgent to just have us voice
the characters. So I bet they've probably had a conversation they're like, Okay,
this is too far. We'll just have the voice actors do it.
So they've they've designed Pucci, they've shed it in the glasses. He's got
that cool factor. Now. I noticed them the Tuba in the background of
that room because obviously David Sulman, big tuba fan, plays the tuba.
Yeah, that was a nice detail. Like, do you think like because
he ever had like the network standing over him while he's designing like that,
Like, I feel like that probably happens all the time cynically, but you'd
think David Silverman would be respected enough where he wouldn't have to deal with us.
I think that was just their way of just sort of over emphasizing,
Hey, get off of our backs, guys. Yeah. Was this also
the first appearance of like the Lindsay nagelesque character. Oh, she's so weird
in this, Like she has like weirdly brown hair, I think, and
like she like weirdly Palid and Peel. It's clearly trust McNeil. It's Lindsay
nageo, but it's just m whether we've actually seen it before, but she
has always represented just the you know, the suits, hasn't she. Yeah,
she's so good in this though. I like when I watched it just
now. I really love the pause she gives after the guy corrects her and
says, oh, you mean Cerberus the dog, and she just like stares
at him for a moment and just like moves on. It's she's so perfectly
performed. I have figured out how to rejuvenate the show. It is so
simple, You egghead writers would have never thought of it. What we need
is a new character, one that today's kids can relate to. Are you
absolutely sure that's wise, sir? I mean, I don't want to sound
pretentious here, but itchy and scratchy comprise a dramaturgical diet. Hey, the
same artists business. What are you gotta mine? Sexy broad gangster ACTI plus
no, No, the animal chain of command goes mouse cat, d O
G dog. Isn't that a tad predictable in your dreams? We're talking the
original dog from Hell? You mean Cerberus? We hit the network one.
A dog with attitude. He's edgy, he's in your face. You've heard
the expression let's get busy. Well, this is a dog who gets biz
consistently and thoroughly. So he's proactive. Oh god, yes, we're talking
about a totally outrageous paradigm. Excuse me, but proactive and paradigm aren't these
just buzzwords that dumb people use to sound important. Not that I'm accusing you
of anything like that, I'm fired, aren't I? Oh yes, the
family you're all out eating breakfast. The Springfield Shop has the the headline funny
Dog to make life worth while. At least it points out how adding a
new character just a desperate attempt to add boost to low ratings, as we
would get Roy. Roy was originally planned to be in Trious of Horror five
during the Time and Punishment, the Time and Punishment segment. Let's don't know
which is the time punishment the one with the toaster. Yeah that's right.
Yeah, yeah, So he was going to be one of the ultimate realities
where they have an extra, an extra son. Okay, I guess that
makes a lot of sense because he is in this episode like an ultimate reality,
and it's so cool how casually they treat him. It's just like,
oh, hey, Roy, Like he's been there the entire time. It's
it's just genius. Like you'd think there would be an instinct to like pucci
by him and be like, oh, this is the cool new character,
but to just be like, oh, he was just always here. It's
such a cool creative choice. I wonder why he would have looked like in
season that would have been season six trees fified what he would have looked like
them, because they clearly based his design off a Pucci here, so you
would have felt like they would have designed Puccie first and then designed Roy after.
I wonder how he would have looked in Triess of Horror. Yeah,
that's a good one, because I bet they would try to do something more
like organic to the Simpsons style, like somewhere in the Bart Lisa kind of
continuity, like I really want to see what that character would look like now,
because there's no way they would do the the Roy design. No,
No. I wonder whether he would have been cool and laid back like that
as well. And it's interesting, but we're out the auditions. Did you
see that the amount of people who were auditioned there, We've got some random
people like Sarah Wiggham was there. I'm obviously trying to clear on line.
On Hearts were in line, Courney and Jimbo were in line, Mishoover,
Ruth Powers, I don't a mole man. And then we get a random
guy with this curly black hair and another guy who kind of looks like the
Springfields shopper reporter Dave Shutton just wearing Pj's it's a really weird character design.
Do you think you're wearing? You got like all these known characters and then
there's two randoms. You're standing there, You're like, what I mean?
The world of the Simpsons is big. Springfield's a huge place. A dogging
dog. Who were you guys smoking when you came up with that? We
were eating word tissery chicken. Can you just read the line please, Ruf
Ruff and Poochie the ragging dog. You're perfect, In fact, you're better
than perfect. Next to you perfecting this crap ruf Rough. I'm Poucie the
rock and Dog. Hi, I'm Troy McClure. You may remember me from
such cartoons as Christmas Ape and Christmas Ape Goes to Summer Camp. You even
better than this guy. Take a hike, you bump. We need to
acknowledge Phil Hoptman. Whenever you get Phil Hoptman as always makes the episode that
much better. The loss of Phil Hoptman truly felt like a part of the
Simpsons soul was taken away, don't you reckon? Oh yeah? I agree?
Like they're totally like, like, what are they gonna do for film
strips? After? Like Phil Hartman's gone like like they're just all became kind
of generic. They didn't even do them as much. He brought so much
the show and even just kind of popping in for like, I mean,
he's funny in this He's not like the highlighted episode, but just him being
in the episode made it just a little tiny bit better. This scene,
yes, but this is where joke Alshammer pays off. He gets the role,
so he's he's doing his level checkings. Is where he mats June Bellamy.
But you're a lady like you imagine how many people would have spoken to
Nancy catt Riley's you can't be the voice of Bart you're a girl. Oh
she she has in this conversation so many times. I think by this point
everyone knows now, but in the nineties, man, it would have been
horrific for us, surely. The weird thing about the scene is like that
they have the voice actor for Itchy and Scratchy, Like, what does she
do most of the time just scream as Scratchy? I think because this was
kind of before the era of Itchy and Scratchy talking all the time. Like
I feel like before this episode it was just mostly you know, like the
Silent Cartoon kind of deal with maybe a few screams here there. So them
introducing that she is the voice actor and they do talk to each other a
lot. Kind of feels like they opened a can of worms with this episode.
More I think about it, I never really actually thought about that.
We've barely ever say anything. It's always just scratchy screaming and that's it.
You're right, yeah, that's weird. But I mean to sort of emphasize
the point they're going for. They need to have her be a voice artist.
But we just spoke with them with Jim Cummings, the voice of Wouldney
the Pooh and al least you know, a claimed Disney voice artists. He
was talking about this one. He's just like so many people just walk up
to him and just say, do the voice. It's like, oh,
do they really? Like, yeah, how do they know it's him?
Though? Because of you at conventions, you guys, people will like,
you know, get a senat go do the voice. And He's like,
I do a thousand voices, give me any more specific, please? But
yeah, if I ever met Nancy Cartwright, there's no way, like I'd
be too shy. First of all, but like to ask her, Oh,
do like Nelson for me or Bart, like you know, like that's
what they do for a living all day. Like if they want to do
the voice to be fun or conversational, fine, but like, yeah,
that's that's that's that's shitty. But when he's speaking to these guys, they're
pros. They know you want to hear the voice, So if you just
organically talking, they will just organically drop it into a conversation for you because
I know you want to hear it, but don't ask to hear it.
Yeah, like that. Like, there's so much about like fandom interaction with
like production. There are so many lessons that can be learned in this one,
either via Homer or during during the comic book Guy seeing Hi question from
Miss Bellamy an episode two, phone nine one each he plays scratchy skeleton like
a xylophone. He strikes to seem rib twice in succession. Yeah, he
produces two clearly different tones. I mean, what are we to believe that
this is some sort of magic xylophone or something. Boy, I really hope
somebody got fired for that. Bondard. Well, I'll feel this one.
Let me ask you a question Why would a man whose shirt says genius at
work spend all of its time watching a children's cartoon show. I would draw
my question. Yeah, excuse me on ast Sampson on the Itchy and Scratchy
CD rom, Is there a way to get out of the dungeon without using
the wizard? Gee? What the hell are you talking about? Do you
think this is the most iconic moment from the episode besides the Pucci don and
his wife back to his home planet. Oh for sure. It's definitely for
me because I get the magic Xylophone YouTube comment constantly. So for me,
this is a seeing I get to experience a lot like throughout throughout the year.
What's funny is that, like when we were kids. When I was
a kid, I always saw Doug the one who says the line as like,
oh you prick, like you smart ass. But now I'm just like
I kind of became him. I kind of became that nerd. Like,
do you think though, that it was good for the fandom that we got
roasted this thoroughly so early and it's run you know, because like you know,
there's like it's been twenty years since this moment, and like the fact
that we got called out so early. I kind of feel like it made
the fandom better in a weird way where we're at least all self aware of
what we're doing. Right, Yeah, I think at least by this point
here of this episode. What it did was it made the hardcore fans realize,
Oh, they are paying attention to us. We're not just ranting into
nothing, into the into nothingness. So like that they are listening to us.
So maybe they complained, you can complained less as a result, or
do you just know them to complain more? Oh, they definitely complain more.
This this is the Internet where it's talking about of course, Like I
swear like you got you gotta read some of those capsules for the Principle and
the Popper the following season, like like that's obviously the most extreme examples,
but like, oh man, they had so much to say about the direction
that the Simpsons were going in after that, Like I'm kind of surprised after
them poking the bear that a giant shit storm didn't happen. They probably did,
Like I'm probably just talking out ignorance, but like the shit storm,
Like, can you imagine if this episode are made today in the era of
Twitter, like how bad it would be for a show that was so beloved
at the time. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, But the thing is,
ten year old May watching Principle in the Paupa, I didn't care.
I enjoyed, I didn't I wasn't bothered by it. But then when I
got older, I was like, oh, yeah, I can see what
people were annoyed at the time. But I think just because I wasn't old
enough to understand how much it was fucking with the timeline of the skinny character,
that didn't bother me, and it's still to this day doesn't really bother
me. I'm just like, yeah, whatever, Yeah, the actual continuity
doesn't bother me that much either, just because it's kind of it's kind of
a cool direction to take the character. Like what bothers me is like,
like it's kind of a it's kind of a gimmicky episode. Like that's the
only thing I don't like about it is kind of soap opera, you know,
which I feel like the Simpsons should be above um. But in terms
of what I did Simpson to Skinner's character, Like, I'm more annoyed that
they just don't care about the episode and they do all these like you know,
screenshots of him like in the womb of like ass where like, yeah,
it's kind of weird now and him and him being like the army hero
that he want that he says he was when he wasn't. Really, I'm
just like, but we've already established he wasn't. I'm really, I'm willing
to go to principle the pulbar, but at least keep that as the continuity
going forward. But anyway, it doesn't matter. It's not right about that
salmon right now. Yeah, but I did I see that Ethan Sloane,
a fan of yours on YouTube be commented on your your your Itchy and Scratchy
time. I think it was that Benjamin the Nerd is the guy who pulls
the plug on the TV during the Home Goes to College episode during the episode
of Itchy and Scratchy in which Scratchy finally gets itchy. Right, but now
they're apparently huge fans were just supposed to huge fans afterwards. Wow, Yeah,
I've legit never thought about Yeah, it was a rock tumbler he wanted
to plug in. Uh well, I hope someone was fired for that.
Plus also, whenever you get database as a character. I just love it.
We need more database representation on the show. He's he's a good character.
We do. Everyone's over now at the Simpsons house for the premiere,
and I'm Barney's there. Did you hear that Barney says, I've never heard
this before. In the background, you hear him say, Poochie's based on
me. Yeah. I love I love that detail. I love that,
like that they're even just having a party to begin with to invite everybody to
watch like a four minute like kids animated cartoon. But it's so nineteen ninety
seven, Oh, isn't it to have people ever to watch? Because you
know, you can't just stream it later on if you're in case you miss
you've go'll be watching it at the time back in the time in the day
where New Simpsons. If you didn't tape it, man, you have to
waite the syndication that could you may never get it to see that episode again.
Yeah, that's true. So did they just all get together and just
watch part of Crusted the Clown together to watch the like and like mo is
like wearing a suit for some reason, and like like every like I know,
like it's their friend. Homer like if if one of my friends were
in an animated cartoon, I would definitely watch, even if it was just
like a little kids show or whatever. And also I like animation. I'm
not gonna knock it, but like the fact that everybody got together as a
big party and like Mo dressed up like warms my heart so much. Yeah.
I always love when he calls a Midge as well, Midge out me,
out of you. Yeah, most of the best. I want that
Jasper's there as well. I feel like Jesspa was just to support Grandpa because
Grandpa's a so you bought a buddy Andrew need him to like set up the
like little girl joke with the Nancy Cartwright reference. Yes, very important.
Also it's a it gets sort of back reference reference later on. I think
it is principle in the Pulpa because Jasper did money come by himself. It's
like, why is Grandpa here in the car? Oh yeah, that's right
there you go like like that is good. See, we complained about their
continuity with Doug, but that is good continuity that Grandpa would want a friend
to this important important event. Yes, so the bagel has landed at as
and this whole thing Millhouse is just like, why don't you give the fireworks
factory? That's a lot das used all the time when something's taken too long.
Yeah, like fireworks factory has become shorthand for like the cool thing like
you hold a future of comedy? Jay at a bar, it's our new
friend, Poochie. What's that name again? I forgot the DAMESCI and I
rock. Don tell you I'm have Joe Camel in a third bunch a rally.
I'm the Kungkou hippie from Banksta City. I'm a rapping surfer unifolap oh,
poor cheese. Why outrageous, dude, he's totally in my face.
Who gonna make any dup? I can Bertie? Where are they gonna get
to the fireworks factory? Okay, somebody tell me what the hell is going
on? Made sholp me out here? Why you're missing the jokes? Catch
on the fifth time? Dude? Mystics not Hey, kids always recycle the
Extreme Buster and I thought it was a great white does this sort of reiter
write? How much of a douche this guy is? That you don't get
to say the fireworks factory? He just drives past it at the end.
Like when I watched this back, is like, is their active sabotage on
the part of the writers, you know what I mean? Because like they
have to know how bad this is, that they're teeing up the fireworks factory
or whatever. Like I feel like there's some kind of sabotage going on,
whether they're like the network's making us do this, Let's make it as shitty
as possible. Yeah, they did not like the character of Pucie. They
wanted you to not lock him as well. But as you were saying that
when you were younger, he kind of locked him. Yeah, Like I
admit it. Like, what's weird about the continuity of the Simpsons now?
Like I mentioned that Barbarasus Itchy and Scratchy episode in season thirty, but there
are characters wearing Pucci shirts in that episode where it's reached the point where Poucci
is a fun nostalgic relic of the nineties. Where I guess in Cannon people
like Pucci now, or at least some people do. Although how does that
work with Homer doing the voice now they think about it like he's almost like
a funny relic on the show. It's really weird. Yeah, what's It's
the point where like in the real world here is that like Super seven just
released some Pucci figures. Yeah have you seen have you seen the Super seven
figures? The ones that looks awesome? Yeah? Like those are those are
like the really nice ones that are like are those the ones that are like
possible too? Yeah? It's super expensive. Yeah, Like I see those
and I was like, man, I wish I had more disposable income and
space as well. Yes, because it's just like yeah, because in Australia
they're one hundred and twenty I think Australian dolls, and I'm like, for
a toy, I don't think my wife would appreciate this, yeah exactly.
But like yeah, like Pucci, like Puccie's worth it though, like he
is, like like I know he's bad in this episode, but like after
twenty years of like nostalgia and what he represents and just the radical nineties in
general, like I can get behind Pucci again if they brought back Pucci into
the real Simpsons, Like I'm on board now. Sure. If you have
Pucci plush at University Studios, I'd totally buy it for sure. Yeah.
Yeah, they definitely because they have itchy and scratchy for sure. I bought
a itchy I think, but yeah, like no Poocie anywhere, come on.
Yeah, So him is sad now because it didn't go too well and
this is it's not his fault and Poochie is just the soulless byproduct of committee
thinking, which you know again the writers just saying fuck you to Fox.
You know, we're not gonna be introducing any new characters, and a lot
the buzzwords like don't have a count a lot. I did love that when
Bill Oakley was just saying, you know, it was a bit like it
was George Meyer says, you know George words. Yeah, I'm fired,
an't I? Yes? Oh yeah, like I had to like when I
was taking business classes in college, we had to read um, I can't
remember which one it was. It was like the Seven Habits of Highly Successful
People, I think, and that book was full of those stupid business buzzwords.
I think one of the habits is literally to be proactive, and this
episode has ruined that forever. Whereas like, I can't take any of this
seriously because you're all full of garbage. Yes, says at least the fans
liked it. And then we cut to Bat in the Comic Book Guy moment,
and this is the birth of worst episode ever, which again one of
the most iconic lines and they guess still gets used to this day. Worst
episode ever, you just worst insert line ever? Yeah, for sure,
Like it definitely became like Comic Book Guy was always like that, but like
this was really the Comic Book Guy worst blank ever era of the show for
him. Yeah, and even like Bart giving it an actual response saying,
no, if anything you owe them, they give you countless thousands of ows
of f entertainment and it's just like no worst episode ever, So I don't
want to hear it it's the worst episode ever. But this was definitely them
just talking directly to Alta TV Dot Simpson. This was like the moment for
them. How do you feel about that speech with Bart? Like every time
I watch it, I am watching him and I was like, he definitely
is correct just in general. But I always wonder how well this scene works
in the context of the episode, because like they definitely made the scene because
they had an axe to grind about, like the comments they were getting on
Alta Simpsons. But in the episode. I kind of feel like Bart should
be like, yeah, that episode did suck a lot, and it was
probably the first episode ever, you know, like like they're definitely using Bart
as their like mouthpiece here, and I like every time I watch it always
feels weird to me that Bart is giving the speech at this moment when the
show sucks, you know, whereas like I feel like the speech would be
more valid if the show we're still good. Like I know, I'm making
a very nitpicky argument that like they're probably would complain about, you know,
like that's what the episode is satirizing. But like in the context of this
story, it's a very weird place to put this argument that they need to
make. It's just I don't know how all it flows in terms of its
placement, to the point where Bot even cheese when Pucci gets killed off,
so it's like, yeah, like clearly it's the worst episode ever. I
mean, I don't know. I'm kind of going back and forth there because
he does need to make that statement of like was Comic book Guy just always
complaining about itchy and scratchy like even before this, like was he part of
I don't know, I'm trying to go out a way to fix the episode
where he's already a whiny bitch before this moment. Sorry, sorry to say
it that way. Maybe it's because his dad's now involved, he feels a
need to have to defend it. Yeah, that's true, because like,
once your dad is involved, you're like, yeah, that's a good point,
because if my dad were doing it and it's still sucked, you're like,
hey, you know, they're still putting in an effort, like like
what do they owe you? Yes, anyway, that's that's one way of
writing out of this hole. But they dugged themselves into anyway. Yeah,
you turned me around on the argument. I think Brockman is he said he's
been waiting patiently for Cracks to appear in in the show's hilarious facade, And
I don't remember. Were there people in the media just I guess the ones
who are criticized in the early episodes of the Simpson saying how crude it was.
I guess they were waiting for this moment for people to sort of not
like the show anymore. Is that who Brockman's representing here? Yeah, I
think there definitely was, like some of this might be a little bit in
the writer's head, because you know, when you're working on the production,
it feels that way, even though maybe like ninety nine percent the country doesn't
care, but you know, those media outlets and like the people reviewing are
always looking for that first like crack in the armor. When I was watching
it, I was like thinking of Pixar, for example, because I remember
when Pixar went on their amazing run of movies, there was kind of the
sense sense where everybody's just waiting for them to make that bad first movie,
where everybody's like, Pixar is over, It's done. And I think with
the Simpsons people definitely, I think people definitely were having that attitude towards the
show. There's an aspect of jealousy. It's like, how can these guys
possibly be putting out these good content for eight years? How dare they?
Yeah? I like, and I think with like media like entertainment tonight,
I think you're just always looking for a story as well, So they were
probably feeling some of that too. Nego was handbling the blame. Sand's shifting
demographic and crusty places. You got to do something, getting egged on the
straight and this is behind it comes in with these suggestions. O love the
where's Pucci? That's always one of my friend Yeah. I think that might
be my favorite reference in the episode where people are like, when blank is
an on screen, everybody should be asking where who? Where is A?
Blank? Is something I see all the time online. Call up this podcast.
Everyone should be saying, where's guy? Yeah? Where is guy?
We shouldn't be talking about it constantly. On this said we're gonna kill Pucci
up? Really? Oh? How terrible? Yes terrible. It's not your
fault, Homer. It's those lousy riders. They make me matter than them.
Yea heat. I love the animation on her thinking what to say,
Like her eye like kind of cocks a little bit, and she's like,
a yeah, can heat. And she's very proud of that. She's like,
yep, I came up with that one. That's a zinger. And
Homer says that he won't let him treat Puccia like dirt anymore, and then
yells at Roy. So now, when the closing sevens of the episode,
Homer goes off script, you know, just say please get off my head.
I don't deserve to live. But he won't do it, and then
June threatens to leave here, then let even do it so it gives his
hotfelt speech and I love always loved how they play it up, like,
oh wait a minute, Home has turned them here, they're going to keep
Home home? Is that going a job? He's going to voice acting Gig
Puccie staying And know when they watched the episode, it turns out to be
very different. Yeah, it's really well done because Roger Meyers Junior or Roger
is Roger Meyers Junior. Right, he is like the most cynical and sarcastic
person ever, Like Alex Rocco is the man with this kind of character,
and like the fact that even he turns in this moment, like it's not
fake or at least like you don't interpret it as fake to you, Well,
I interpret it is that he turned them. But then the executives are
like, I don't give a shit, Wait, get this guy. Yeah,
yeah, the fact that Homer's speech is so good that he turns Roger
Myers Junior. But yeah, like then like you know, they get to
him and they and like they change back later. It's it's such a it's
such a good reveal. Later, No, kids, I know you love
the old Pucci, But the new ones going to be better than ten super
Bowls. I don't want to oversell it. Judge for yourself. Hi,
Hocie, you look like you've got something to say, do you. Yes,
I certainly do. I have to go now, my planet needs me.
Wow, Poocie came from another planet. Yeah, that wasn't supposed to
happen. Those things double crushed me Poochie's dad. I always thought it was
weird that, like they didn't even animate the mouth. It's like they would
have animated the mouth anyway, So why did they not animate the mouth of
the scene. It's just sort of over emphasizes how last last minute it was
going to be our guess, but wouldn't have animated the mouth anyway. Yeah,
that's true. But I do like kind of the like kind of the
storytelling that where you could argue through it and be like, okay, wow,
this really was this late where they were like, no, we had
a meeting, we're doing it this way. We are literally pulling the cell
off of the screen. This bad, you know, and they're just like,
what is a sharpie marker on the next screen? Like I love the
animation of like the cell coming off the screen is so like you could tell
that this was a last second. No, we're doing it this way.
My favorite thing is that whistle of the It is so perfectly actually good,
awesome, So homes that he's devastated. He said, unfortunately he's lost creative
control of the project. I forgot to ask for any money. Just their
way of writing out the continuity going Ford, because sure you would have got
some money for it the kids. And then I'm watching Cheene Scratchy again and
they said we should think out lucky stars that they're still putting on a show
of this caligraphed for so many years, and what house is on? They
turn it off? Yeah, I just sell. This episode was a real
time capsule of whether Simpsons was at in nine twenty seven, Like they were
so ingrained in our lives that even even watching them every day, you still
wanted them there. Oh yeah, like yeah, we did all just become
those people where like we would put it on, but we weren't like actively
like engage with it, or maybe we don't even put it on anymore.
It's just like we want it to exist, but we don't want to be
present for it anymore. I've always described The Simpsons for me is kind of
like a family member to the point where I'm just like I never want them
to end. But there come a point when, like the mid teens,
where I'm like, I just killed the shelf aready, like it's probably just
done. But now I'm just like, you've been going for so long,
just keep it going. Yeah, And like you know, anybody, any
fan of animation these days, knows that the animation industry is kind of a
mess in general, and the fact that The Simpsons has been able to just
be this kind of steady rock where you know, if you want to pop
in watch the Simpsons, like it's just going to be there, or if
you've had your fill of The Simpsons, like you could take a break,
you can not watch for a while if you want to, Like it's there
if you want it. Some people do watch it every single week, and
like God bless them, you know, like people want it, you know,
but like the fact that it's just a round and it's an option is
kind of nice, all right. So that is and scratching and puch.
But now, you know, with speaking here with the real gyms, I've
got a question, who is the real gym? Tell us what made you
want to start this huge child because you originally started doing just video game videos,
right, Yeah, So it's funny you bring that up, because yeah,
I do have some random old video game videos on there. I was
that was from like a time when like a friend of mine was like starting
up a video game website. I was like, Okay, I'll try to
make things for you. But really, like that was kind of the channel
ended up being kind of a creative outlet for myself. I don't know if
you're the same way, but like sometimes on some of those work evenings,
you have a little extra free time or whatever, is you just like write
up something or you just want to venture creativity. So I ended up just
starting to make those sixty seconds Simpsons videos. The Simpsons is something that I
was very into. I was into like the message boards and stuff like that.
I was like chatting with everybody, and I I thought it'd be fun
to just put some of these together for the people on the message boards who
would watch them. And so that ended up being this kind of fun thing
to do. And then one thing led to another where people just wanted started
wanting longer videos. So I started doing like Simpsons Mysteries videos and then the
Histories videos, and they just kind of got longer and longer, which ended
up taking up a little more of my free time. But eventually it just
became like a full time like side thing that I do um as just kind
of a fun passion project, creative outlet. Well, eventually it will become
your job, you would have to assume, because it's the challenge is growing
from strength to strength. But like I remember, the first mystery video of
yours I remember watching, I think was the Mister Burns one, Who shot
Mister Burns? I think that was like the third one. First they did
like this, the Soul one, and then yeah, and then eventually the
who Shot Mister Burns stuff happened. Yeah, that was for me, the
one I just went, hey, he's onto something here because this video is
getting a lot of view He's getting a lot of traction. But this guy,
Yeah, that was a really fun one to actually, to be honest,
I started the Simpsons Mysteries videos as a excuse to eventually do that who
Shot Mister Burns video because I really want to do it. I had the
alternate solution that I wanted to do, and like you know, if you
start the series, you eventually have to do the video. Like I almost
like made myself do this video that I didn't want to do because I thought
everybody would make fun of me, to be quite honest, because you know,
you know what I mean, because everybody's like, well, Maggie did
it? You know, like doing a just for fun alternate answer. You
know, it's very easy to get, like the internet to be like,
hey, take a look at this guy. You know, so what's your
friend's response to what you what you do? Because I still tell my friends
what do you do or whatever, and I'm just like, do a podcast?
Oh ya, what about the Simpsons? Like oh yeah, cool,
Yeah, that's pretty cool. It's gone pretty well. Oh yeah, I'm
sure it is. Well, do your friends like even fully supportive? Do
you sometimes sort of guy? Yeah, I do a YouTube channel about the
Simpsons. Yeah, so that is a complicated question, funnily enough, because
I haven't told all of my friends that I do the YouTube channel. Ironically,
it's kind of funny where I don't really tell them. I've never even
told my parents, to be honest, that I do this channel, and
I've been doing it for so long. Yeah, but like, I didn't
tell my friends either, because you know, they don't care about the Simpsons
anyway. The only reason why some of my friends found out is because when
I started my Twitter, somehow it got sent out to like my contacts list
or whatever, and some of my college friends found me and they're like,
oh, so, what is this, like the real Jim thing? So
then I was busted with all my friends from college. Luckily, some of
my other friends, like from high school and work think like my my like
day job. Luckily they don't know about it. We're not, luckily,
But it's just it's one of these weird things where I don't know how interested
they would be. There's also some like weird internal like self esteem thing where
it's like how weird are they going to find it? Also, when you've
been doing it for ten years and don't tell them, they're going to be
like, you know, like that's really weird that you don't tell them.
So the whole thing is kind of snowballed. I suppose I should probably quote
unquote come out to them eventually that I'm a YouTuber, But yeah, the
whole thing is a little complicated right now. It's funny you say that,
regardless of how successful you're out with doing it, I still, for some
reason feel embarrassed telling someone else that I do a podcast about the Simpsons.
I don't know why. I kind of explained it, but someone goes,
oh, it's what's it about? And I go, it's the Simpsons.
And I feel nervous when I tell them, thinking that they're gonna be like
they'll be laughing at me. But they all seem pretty supportive. But I'm
just like, for some reason, doing a show better at nineties animated series.
I mean, it's the one, yeah, but the nineties ear of
an animated series just seems like it's childish, even though it's not. Yeah,
I think it's like the childishness. I feel like a lot of it
is built up in your own head. Obviously a lot of neuro season and
securities. Like the thing with my parents is there is the kind of childish
aspect of where it's like my parents will be like my son is doing videos
about a cartoon show, you know, to spare time, Like why doesn't
he get a real hobby? Like maybe if they found out that I was
actually making some extra money, you know, maybe they would like be more
on board. I'm sure they would be fine. Like, my parents are
super supportive. It's just you know, every person has their own hang ups
with telling their parents things. You know. Yeah, so yeah, that's
that's like, it's funny that you're bringing this up because I joke that my
New Year's resolution this year is to tell my parents finally that I do this
channel all the time. It turns out they subscribe to the channel already.
Does that know it's you. Yeah, with parents are like, oh,
we already knew. We just didn't like to, like, you know,
the parents know things that you don't know, so I'm gonna be surprised.
It's like when I last August, i quit my full time job to focus
on podcasting. Trying to tell my parents that conversation. I had to build
myself up to that because then one of these people that is very conserved that
it's like, but that doesn't work. You know, Hey, you're gonna
make money, Hey you're gonna pay the mortgage. I'm like, mammm,
it's fine, it's fine, it's fine. But like for some raising,
telling your parents it's always it's always a hard thing. But I wanted to
you're talking about the video game videos earlier on I wanted to touch on that.
So are you a gamer or was that just something that you were just
doing at the time. Yeah, I play games like in my spare time.
Like I played a lot of like Nintendo stuff when I was younger.
It's it's all right because what I was taking a short break earlier, I
was playing a couple of rounds of Splatoon, which is funny. So so
it's funny that it's funny that where that that topic came up. But yeah,
I play a decent amount of games, Like I don't have like the
thing we're doing the channel as well as having a full time job is I
don't have as much time to game these days, but I do like playing
games and stuff. What's your love of Simpsons games? Like what's the nostalgia
for you? Like what do you remember playing the most when it came to
Simpsons games, Because I haven't made that many really good ones. Oh yeah,
there's barely any good Simpsons games. There's maybe like two and a half
maybe, Like I like some of the old nes ones, like I played
through like Bart Versus the World and Spaces. I played some of Bart's Nightmare
on rentals. Um. Probably the games I played the most though, where
when UM Simpson's Road Rage came out, and then when Simpsons Hid and Run
came out, I played a whole bunch of that. UM Hid and Run
is obviously like the gold standard of Simpsons games at this point. I think
it's one of the gold standards of games I still played to this day.
I love that game. Yeah, it is so ridiculously good for a GTA
clone yeuck off. You know, it's so good. That good. Yeah,
it's like it's like watching a golden era episode of Simpsons but you're playing
it. It's so great. Yeah. I think if I recalled, didn't
it a Matt Selman helped write that game, Yeah, he definitely did.
Yeah, and he's sort of been one of these people that wants to have
a remastered version or a sequel. I would be all I'll be totally down
for that. People have been trying and trying for years. Do you think
it would actually work though, Simpsons Hit and Run remaster? Oh yeah,
I think I think a lot of people would turn out for that if they
did it. I can't remember who has the rights, Activision or whoever,
UM, but oh yeah, because there is so much nostalgia for that game,
and like, to be honest, like Xbox GameCube and PS two era
is really hot right now in terms of nostalgia. I feel like, so
if they're ever going to do a remake, they should do it soon in
my opinion. Well, it's because they added the soundtrack to Spotify. Fox
had Disney added the centrac to Spotify? Did they about six months ago?
And everyone went, well, that's an interesting little step towards a positive direction.
So hopefully we can make it happen, because I'd be all about it.
Yeah, yeah, there is a ridiculously good that's a ridiculously good soundtrack.
I played it a lot, so, oh yeah, if they do
it, I'm on board. I use them. You know when you did
the shopping with them in the phone booth and had that music in the background
when you're flicking through the that's my promost phone. Whenever it did this podcast,
that's the music I go too every time because everyone just remembers that music.
It's so great. Okay, I didn't I didn't even catch that.
Wow, that's a that's a that's a deep drop right there. So have
you ever been as passionate about another shows. What you add at the Simpsons,
Oh, in terms of total amount of passion, probably not. I
would say, like considering all the time that I spent looking at Simpsons like
screen caps all the time. Like, there are other shows that I follow
pretty closely, like um, like I followed like some of the reality TV
like industry, like the seasons of Survivor. There's been like forty four seasons
of United States Survivors. So I've been like, I follow that and like
listen to those podcasts and stuff, but not to like the point of like
making content about anything like that. Yeah, because we had one of that
passions as what's your other favorite animated series? Like do you have any others
that he's sort of no hold as high as the Simptons, But what do
you go to see the Simpsons aren't on if you're not just feeling like the
Simpsons, oh, for animated I do like some of the other like animation
domination shows, Like I really enjoy Bob's Burgers. That's a really good show.
Somebody recently like suggested The Great North, So I've been watching that like
for the first time recently, which that's very wholesome In terms of other animated
stuff. I haven't watched as much lately, to be quite honest, Like
I watched on HBO Max a while ago. I watched Final Space, and
I really enjoyed that a lot. Although that show is done back in the
day, I really got it. I really went through a regular show phase
when that was my cartoon network. That show was really good. But literally,
I haven't watched as many animated shows aside from The Simpsons. Maybe I
just look at the Simpsons too long. What kind of shows do you enjoy,
Like, what are your recommendations? Well, we just started a King
of the Hill podcast, and I'd never watched King of the Hill before in
my life, and I'm gonna say I'm surprised it's techn me this long to
watch it because the show is great. You ever watched King of the Hill?
Yeah, I have watched some King of the Hill. Like I think
I fell out of it after the first couple seasons. I remember what was
going on at the time, but I liked King of the Hill, but
it was so like there is something about the dryness at the time, where
like I just kind of bounced off of it after a while. But like,
I feel like it's the kind of thing that I would enjoy because all
the episodes I've watched, I've enjoyed. But it's just so aggressively down to
earth. I have to be in the mood for it. What's the thing?
Because I was such a Simpsons kid growing up in the nineties when this
show came on, I just expected it to be a Simpsons client and when
it was so the opposite of what the Simpsons was, like you said so
dry, I think just a little like ten year old Mee was like,
what what is this is boring? If anything? But now thirty four year
old me, I'm just like, this is just I've become Hank heell.
Now I don't understand the word around me anymore. How does the Texas aspect
of it like work for you, like living in Australia, because like I'm
in Ohio and like Texas is like almost a foreign country to me. So
like a lot of the Texas isms, you know, with the propane and
all that, like down there is really weird to me. So how does
that read to you like over there? Well, we're only two or three
episodes in, so Father hasn't really been focusing on the Texas sort of aspect,
but the second episode was real conservative without teaching sex head in the school,
and they're real conservative about that, So like we're getting we're learning more
about Arland as a town. They're very conservative people. They don't like they
weren't a big fan of the school teaching the sex head. So I can
sort of relate to that because that kind of stuffs universal to an extent.
But I can understand that the Texas aspect. That's why probably wasn't very big
in Australia because you've never Salking at the Hill on TV after like season one
or two. I just don't think Australian's got it because it's so Texas.
Seinfeldt Seinfeld So New York. Yeah, Like it's very very regional in terms,
so like yeah, because I feel like that's like something that is kind
of underrated about some parts of America, where like if you don't know about
New York culture, maybe you just won't get Seinfeld as much. Although I
guess Seinfeld is pretty universal in terms of the kind of plots they do,
but sometimes the setting if you just like don't get the setting in a weird
way, like like the show can come off as kind of weird in a
way. I think. I think what's helped out too with streaming in particular
is that we've been opened to so many New York based shows. Now I
think the American culture is just like the Australian culture almost now. We've been
so just sort of like focused on American culture for so long when it comes
to TV that we almost understand just understand it more now. Yeah, I
guess that would be true. Like I feel like we have just inundated you
guys with all these random American cartoons and sitcoms and stuff that poor Australia you
guys have to deal with our stuff all the time, like in terms of
what we're sending over there, all your stuff and all the chuzze was is
everything we just how do we survived? It's it's crazy. I know,
we should send a bunch of frogs to attack the country at this point.
So with you with your channels before the ego, just say you make a
twenty minute video. Your latest one was how how long the Laura Powers versus
Just Gotta Love Joy? How long was that one? About twenty minutes?
That was like fifteen, But yeah, sometimes they're like twenty minutes for like
a history's video, how long would it take you preparation, recording, editing,
How long does it take you to get one of those together? Okay,
Like in terms of the actual amount of time I'm spent, that's a
good question, because usually when it comes to the editing part, it takes
about an hour to edit, probably about two to three minutes, depending on
how fast I can go, Like some some things go faster because if it's
like just one episode I'm talking about, it's easy to scroll through the files
when I'm doing the editing, where I could do like three minutes three minutes
per hour. So if I'm doing like a ten minute video, that literally
is going to take at least like eight to ten hours to edit just by
itself, which is kind of That's why I say, like sometimes I do
those marathon sessions on Saturdays, you know, because I just don't I just
want to get it done, you know. And then in terms of the
writing, the writing depends on just how like how much suffering I'm doing at
the time, because some topics just don't come together. So that could take
like, you know, like like three to four to five nights of just
maybe a couple hours each so maybe like the scripting might take like another like
eight hours, like bread over like a bunch of days maybe, and then
and then like you know, I gotta do the voice recording and the screen
capping and the research. One of the things I found with these videos is
that the research time really takes a lot of time to do. Like that's
what people appreciate about your videos is you can tell you put so much evidence
to the research. Yeah, like Simpsons histories videos, Like I literally usually
just go to one of the Simpsons wikis and then pull up like the list
of appearances at the very bottom where they just list all the episodes they were
in, and then I just find them in the episodes and like, thank
god for the Disney Plus scroll bar because like with the little preview, because
then it makes it really easy to like just zip zip zips, Oh there's
Nelson, you know. But yeah, like the thing that I worry about,
Like, I don't know if you've noticed this with YouTube, but I
feel like there's a whole industry of YouTube videos that are just summaries of Wikipedia
articles or wikis, you know, like where you can tell they're just telling
you this cool story and they're just reading like the news article or the Wikipedia
article, and I've always felt like that's really kind of like I'm not gonna
use the word lazy, because it's like just junk food, like you just
put on the background and that's fine, But I would hate it if someone
accused me of just going in Nelson Months's wiki page and just summarizing that and
not adding anything to it. So the research can be just brutal because I'm
actually like looking at all these appearances, which can make the videos take longer
to do, but I feel like it's worth it because sometimes you do find
those random little patterns that you would have never noticed before that they went through,
like a weird era of jokes with the character. So yeah, that's
the thing I always worry about. I probably worry too much that maybe people
wouldn't care if I just summarize things. But I feel like the research part
is like part of the appeal of doing these videos. The hard thing,
like you said, like with the research and things like, it's so tiring
and it's so hard to get it all with done, especially when you got
so much going on in your life as well as what you're doing with these
videos. But It's like it's like a drug. It's hard to explain.
Once you put something online. You spent like ten twelve I was working on
these video. You put it online and it gets like one hundred thousand views
in a few days. It's like a drug, isn't it. It's like,
this is why I'm doing it. Yeah, it's really it's really gratifying
that people are interested in them, because you know how it is with like
passions that you have, where like you're like, I really like the Sibsons.
It's a passion. You're doing a podcast about it. But you wonder
in your head, if you start a podcast, if you start a YouTube
video, would anyone really care enough? Like how many people out there are
like me, who would find these things interesting or would want to listen to
like a Matt Selman or Bill Oakley interview. And then when you find out
that there are actually people who are interested and that they're interested in like what
you're bringing to it, like, it's a really gratifying feeling. It does
give you some more self confidence to do other things. To be quite odd,
it's been a very cool experience in that way. Do you feel like
you have a sense of community with your fans, Like you do you see
the same people sort of commenting on your videos? Is there's just so many
comments that it's sort of hot to tell. Oh, yeah, I definitely
recognize people who comment a lot and screen names like usually like just the hint
for people commenting on YouTube videos. But yeah, if you have a like
an eye catching screen name and you like post a lot and you don't change
your avatar, it's like a recognizable like they will notice them. So there
is kind of a sense of community. Like I don't do formal things,
like I don't do a discord, for example, because I just I'm not
a big discord person anyway, and I don't have time to be in a
discord, So I don't do like formal community things. But I definitely like
there are people around that I know and like want a chit chat back and
forth. Do you respond to many people on YouTube or do you feel if
I respond to one then everyone's gonna want a response. I do comment.
I do comments on people's replies, like like some people just blow me away
in terms of the things they write in the replies, like just like essays
you know in a YouTube comment, and like I'll try to make sure to
heart them or reply and say like great job, so I do try to
reply. It's actually something I could work on replying more, because like supposedly,
like the YouTube algorithm and the meta, like YouTubers are supposed to engage
with their community more. To be quite honest, like, sometimes I just
don't comment as much as I wish just because I don't have time, like
I just have to move on to the next project. So it's something I
wish I could do more, to be quite honest, because I'm sure like
some people might like I might just be like closed off to some people,
but it's just more of a just being busy kind of thing. Yeah,
I'm I'm the same, well, just talking about new projects there. So
is it always just gonna be Simpsons or will there ever come a point where
it's like it's going to test the waters of something else. It's going to
be mostly Simpsons for now, Like, it just depends on if people would
be interested in other things. The funny thing about doing the Simpsons channel is
that everyone comes for the Simpsons. So whenever I do a non Simpsons video,
like, it always does horribly in the views, Like I cannot get
them to watch anything like non Simpsons in my life. It's horrible. Like
like I did the Final Space review because I thought that was a really cool
show, Like like nobody came out for that video. And then I used
to do these, and I used to review all the Pixar movies and like
that was really fun to do. I really enjoy doing that. Because I'm
not a film reviewer, it was good practice. I thought to just write
film reviews. But like I'm not saying that I do things for the views,
because they're all just kind of passion projects and I really just want to
do whatever I'm interested in. But like in terms of the channel, like
the real Gyms has been more of a like a strictly like kind of Simpsons
place with the future projects half far ahead. Do you plan It's sort of
something you think of from the day and you just like, I'm gonna go
stop doing this tomorrow, or do you have to plan it wakes ahead?
It's usually just kind of one project at a time where I just whatever I
feel like doing, I just like start working on. I only do like
one project at a time. Usually there are some concepts where I think of
it randomly where and then it might not like develop in. Oh goodness.
Sometimes they just sit on the back burner for like a couple of years,
even like like, for example, one of my most popular videos I've ever
done is about the Simpsons house for example, and just talking about like the
layout and how it changes, and it ended up doing like a million views,
which was ridiculous for me. But that video. I thought of doing
that video like two or three years before, but never actually did it because
I thought the research, like the research of looking at the house and how
it changes, would just been a nightmare. So I put it off for
like two or three years, And I was like, why did I put
this off for so long when everybody wanted this so so some concepts I do
think of and it just sits in the hopper forever because I can't figure out
how to do it. Have you even thought of an idea? It started
working on it and just gone, this just isn't going anyway, and just
acted it. Yeah, very rarely, sometimes I just completely get rid of
a project if it's not coming together. There was a sensus histories where I
started doing the research and just decided I wasn't in the mood for the character
and switched to somebody else I can't remember. No, not least she's gonna
get she needs she needs a video soon because I've done so much Bart coverage
lately, but I can't remember who it was. Like, I think I
switched to Sideshow Mel and became more interested for some reason. But yeah,
there's a couple of other concepts where I just started doing it. I even
got to the record and I was like, this is not coming together,
and I just completely got rid of it before we go. Is there any
chance of a hint at what we could be expecting in the coming weeks?
Do you have any ideas you're working on at the moment. Well, I'm
not sure when this is going to come out, but I am currently trying
really hard to get together a video about Bart's romances and his eating situation.
Yeah, because I just did Bart's girlfriend and Nukee on the Block and for
talking about it, and I realized that Bart's like dating situation is really messed
up and like it's weird, So I kind of just want to talk about
that. Like, I don't know how the products project's gonna come together.
I think I wanted to call it like Bart fumbles the bag, So we'll
see, we'll see if we'll see if that's what it's called or if it
goes in a different direction. But then also I got to get a season
sixteen retrospective going, so you should see season sixteen coming up over the next
month. Like I got to do the whole rewatch and note taking sessions.
I haven't putting off literally watch every episode in full when you do those things,
Oh yeah, I watch every episode in full. I take notes like
try to find like the trends, you know. I also have to do
screencapping, which is why I watched them. But yeah, the like the
watching process takes forever, like I can only watch like maybe four episodes a
night, you know. So yeah, I really got to ramp up season
sixteen so that that's coming up soon. Do you use sprinkiche videos or do
use screencap every time? Oh? I just do manual screen outside. Like
I don't know how many how many screen caps of every episode are there,
because like I want to be like really thorough. It's like it's like every
millisecond, every millisecond. Maybe I should look. I don't know if I
can like download like whole batches of files I wonder maybe I'm not sure.
The thing is with Frank Yak is that they're not very good quality, so
I'm not too sure whether they'd be worth you because screen caps would better.
But anyway, thank you so much, mister real Jims for joining me today.
It's been absolute pledged o. We'll be one to do this for so
long and um, yeah, it's just been great hearing how the process of
talk behind your videos. It's fantastic. Thanks for reaching out to me.
I had a lot of fun talking about the channel and issue and Scratchy and
Pucci show, and yeah, it was awesome. That's really nice to I'm
really glad that you enjoy the videos so much. That is awesome to hear.
What's great about it is I love the fact that you just you,
just like me. You're just a Simpsons fan making Simpsons content for other Simpsons
fans, and that's what it's all about. Yeah. The Simpsons fandom community
is just really amazing, Like it's in such a great place, Like we
just talked about episode about like toxicity and fandom and it's just a wonderful group
of fans. So I'm really blessed to be in the Simpson like fandom.
Well, thank you once again Misterville James and all the best with the rest
of the year. Thanks, I really appreciate it.