My new favorite Cartoon: Basic Instructions

So, so good. Since most of the great comedy - Daily Show, Onion, Simpsons - are being written by males of my age group (30-40 yrs old), I can find many things that fit my humor wheelhouse. Basic Instructions by Scott Meyer is such a house. One example, to munch on, and then go to the blog for the whole series. {click to enlarge)

Herb Alpert Appreciation

I didn't know it at the time, but I was positively influenced by the music of Herb Alpert at an impressionable age. One of my favorite films growing up was the deeply psychedelic and incoherent James Bond quasi-spoof Casino Royale (1967). I taped Bond movies off CBS/ABC back in the day and I had no idea that Casino Royale wasn't supposed to be canonical. And it blew my mind. The last quarter of the movie - from the escape from Dr. Noah to the end credits - is one of my favorite movie experiences of all time.

And Herb Albert's music is, pardon the pun, instrumental my experience. His other songs are fun too (see below). I bought the CR soundtrack - yet the best songs aren't on there! I had to make them myself by distilling my DVD into mp3s.

Anyway, when searching online I found this for other fans: Herb Alpert instrumental collection in full length music wavs.

And, here's Homer Simpson's version of Herb's Spanish Flea. Hee Hee.


Backpost finished on 2009-11-26. Pic is the cover of the soundtrack.

Late Season Simpsons

I had heard that the Simpsons - the best show ever produced for TV - has 'jumped the shark.' I admit that I'm guilty of the urge to declare the show jumpsharky, but mainly because I was unable to keep watching it regularly. As such, schadenfreude forced me to desire that the show upsuck, to validate my inability to keep watching.

But this is unfair of me. A show that has given me so much... the least I could do is try to judge its twisted corporate sellout hack soul fairly. Ahem. So, through the miracle of Youtube, I'm going to see how much of the last two seasons I can glimpse and thus make a better scalded judgment.

1. Couch gag roundup [Link dead].

Styx: These were pretty good; i especially like the couch monsters

2. Test Episode 1 [link dead]

Styx: Ugh. Very few jokes, most of them telegraphed (i.e. i could write them, especially the asinine grandpa jokes). I had to pause it after 3 minutes because Homer was irritating me too much and then stop it completely after 5 (the chicken joke... who didn't see it coming??).

3. Test Episode 2 [link dead]

Styx: OK, this was intolerable while seeing what the Simpsons looked like 20 years ago. But then the Marge running sequence (the quads line, the Raising Arizona music) was pure gold. Then the dentist scene... oh baby. And while the "Fox" jokes have been largely telegraphed, I'd say that they are still great when they stick to parody.

4. Test Episode 3. [link dead]

Styx: OK, now this is disappointing. Because it's a parody and they were pretty bad at it. Its dumb Homer, too. And it gets worse as it goes on. Ugh.

Now, I realize that the people uploading and splicing the clips may be responsible for taking out good stuff and highlighting crap, but I dunno!

5. Test Episode 4. [Link dead]

Styx: a '24' parody. I've seen only a third of one show (which I thought sucked), but I know enough of the show through natural Zeitgeist portals, that I could get the 'inside' jokes; and it seems to be pretty good within the parody framework. Still some telegraphed jokes. Yet you can have Groundskeeper Willie saying the phrase "weiner soakin's" all day long for my tastes.

6. Test Episode 5 [Dead link]. This is from the 18th season acc. to the Wiki.

Styx: OK, in the first few seconds, a crappy Iraq joke. Dumb Homer to the rescue! The heavy French humor is OK, but you can tell they don't know who they're writing for anymore by the fact that we need to focus on Wiggim's siren. Anyway, since its a parody it works pretty well. (good lines: "rat helmet" "ooh, a penny" "Suzette!")

7. Test Episode 6. [Dead link] This appears to be from season 17 (sez wiki)

Styx: It starts off with a poke at itself ('classic grandpa' - a good joke because I was getting a bit horrified). Then, soon after, another poke at the past. Hmmm. Then a bunch of Irish nun jokes (which sounds better than they are). Actually, these Irish jokes are getting a wee bit too horrible. If they were Jewish jokes, I'd be miffed. Although the Saint joke is good ("I forgive thee, now die!"). The Simon Says line is good too. Homer appears to be crazy so far... does it last? Ooh, a good laugh... Well, it's gotten better - especially in snarking about how 'cool' priests work. And some good pokes at the inanity of Protestants and Catholics considering themselves different... And the fact that the mobsters are in the Catholic church and THEY DIDN'T FOCUS ON THEM! Just a quick throwaway gag, like in the good old days.

And I like the name of the Lovejoy's sect (acc. to the Wiki): The Western Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism.

All said and done, crazy Homer may only be present when its a Bart and/or Marge focused episode. But, as we've talked about, that was like that a decade ago as well (maybe not as bad).

8a. Test Episode 7 [Dead link] Acc. to Wiki this is in season 18.

Styx: Bad premonition in that the obligatory guest star is Meg Ryan. [Homer Shudder] A decent Bush joke slipped in. Oh, and it looks like a Bart episode, which should mean crazy Homer. Hmm, nope. It's a maudlin "My Father is a Bad Father" Episode. Why?!? Who needs that?!?

But there is a nice insight about how psychiatry is akin to romance (and/or prostitution). But they play it to death.

The small Krusty interlude makes me realize what a missed opportunity the movie was (again). What they should have done was spend the time concentrating a plot on some of the best minor characters: Ralph Wiggum, Krusty the Klown and Willie. And if necessary only on Ralph. A Ralph-o-centric movie would have been great!

8b. This is part 1 of the previous episode. [Dead link]

Styx: Hmmm, nice Edward Gorey satire - actually, I'm glad they did this because Gorey was a real sicko. Actually, this whole clip is good! Which gives evidence to the idea that the idiots who chop up the episodes and put 'em on youtube are not capable of knowing what's good and what's not.

It's actually a good paradox: the type of personality that records a TV show, transfers the show to a computer and uploads a few minutes onto YouTube is probably not the type of personality that can appreciate what is good in a Simpsons.

9. This is the Family Guy in Iraq (it was linked, kinda). [Dead in 2009]

Styx: I am laughing more during the first scene than in the 6 previous simpson clips. Dammit! They seemed to have made Brian more pathetic (why?) but they also don't seem to care about reality. And I don't get half of the references. But, ooh, good fakeout on the cutaway. Har. Aaaand, thank you for the Stripes music.

I'm not happy about this experiment.

Top pic from here (a good essay BTW). Backpost finished on 2009-11-25. Most of the text was there, but for some reason I didn't finish it up.

The Oniono-Simpson Nexus

Further proof about my claim, made here, about the current humor landscape, this Onion story shows that it is a child of the Simpsons:

Carter Blasts Bush's Foreign Policy

In an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, former President Jimmy Carter referred to the Bush administration's foreign policy as the "worst in history." What do you think?

Ty Burton, Printmaker

"International relations? I have said this before about Carter, and I will say it again: nerd."

Backpost finished 2009-11-29.

Police Squad is Finally on DVD

Oh Happy Day!

I have been waiting a long time (since 1999, when I first bought a DVD) - but the best TV series ever is finally going to be available for purchase and coveting. And I can stand by the "best ever" - there were only 6 episodes and the quality of each was near 100%. Even the next best TV shows, "The Simpsons" and "The West Wing," can't match that (Simpsons because there's been 17 years of them and The West Wing tanked after the 4th Season).

Italy Beats France

Not that I've been following the World Cup (because, I'm not yet that guy) as a masculine man of the male persuasion, I am indeed interested in whomever becomes the World's Finest in anything (whether it is soccer or the largest bee-beard). And who could predict a win in the battle between the two nations with the highest Surrender-to-Major War ratio?

Well, as the headline explains, it was a tie and then Italy wins World Cup on penalties. Metaphors, sweet metaphors.

And, to quote Scorpio, when asking Homer who he likes less, France or Italy, answers "heh heh, nobody ever picks Italy"

Jerry Orbach, Star of 'Law & Order,' Dies

Jerry Orbach, Star of 'Law & Order,' Dies - he was really the only thing I liked about the newer episodes.

As I've said before, my wife got me into watching the shows which were good but in my mind not great. A good show is one that is intelligence-respecting, well-written, and entertaining. A great show is a must watch. Examples of Good shows, for me, are "Seinfeld," "The Shield," and "Cheers."

Great shows are "The West Wing," "the Sopranos," "Arrested Development," and the heliege "Simpsons."

But "Law and Order" was decent and I liked Orbach very much - it was nice seeing a plausible Jewish cop on TV.

Backpost finished 2/15/05

Map of Springfield

As has been forwarded to me by an avid Slashdot reader, the detailed map of Springfield, USA (United Simpsons of America): map of Springfield

P.S. I don't see "Springfield Heights" on the map (place of Apu's alma mater, Springfield Heights Institute of Technology)

I Hate Moving

Well, duh. I mean, who doesn't hate moving? It's like saying "I hate getting punched in the face." The enormous hassle, the expense of time and money, the guarantee to lose and break valuable things, the chance we will accidentally pack the baby in bubble-wrap, the uprooting of all, uh, roots. Hate it hate it hate it.

However, I have a particular antipathy to moving because of my peculiar abnormal (weird) psychology. While in general I hold no truck in astrology, my protests are dimmed by the fact that I am a pure example of my starry destiny. I am a Leo (and in one remarkable blind-date oodles of years ago, I found out that I was born in the month of Leo and at the time of day when Leo was rising; making me a super megaton King Kahuna Leo). Leos are stereotypically redheaded hot-tempered megalomaniacs who eat a lot a time then sleep a lot afterwards. Uncanny, no?

The key aspect of lion behavior that the stars ordained for me, whether I wanted them to or not (and don't think I truly buy into this but in memory of Reagan, I'll go with it), is the creation of a lair. I love lairs. I love the way the word sounds. Lair lair lair. It's a noun, verb, adjective, interjection (e.g. "Lair!!!") and it's built into my biology due to deep seeded Latvian genetics, moonbeams, or God's little joke.

Lair Dynamics

A good lair is tuned physically, electronically, book-ally, and musically to my needs. When I create a good lair, I can stay there for days without leaving. One reason why I got the reputation as a masmid when I was in yeshiva was because my lair in the beit-midrash was more comforting than my meager pallet in the Kowalsky's basement.

When I move domiciles, and lairs, it will take at least one month to recreate everything I need to function again. Until that time, I am a lairless leonine zombie.

All this is to say that when we move, and my internet is cut, my books, files, and pens are boxed away, my clothes covered with infant nervous indigestion, you'll know why it's hard to reach me.

P.S. my brother thinks I'm more like a bear than a lion; but that may be because of the Simpson's snippet about "Gentle Ben" the talk-show bear.

Awright! The Zebu!

For you Simpsonites out there who also care about halakha, here's a halakhic analysis of the Zebu! (to quote Lisa: "hump and dewlap... hump and dewlap"

Purim Torah Alert

The Simpsons Talmud - By Noah Gradofsky

Good Gift Ideas

For me:
Raiders.
Simpsons.

...not that I'm suggesting anything.