Matt Groening talks about the creation of The Simpson family, his passion for drawing and naming his son Homer
Matt Groening talks about the creation of The Simpson family, his passion for drawing and naming his son Homer
You've come a long way since the days as a delivery boy for The Los Angeles Reader. Do you ever stop and think, how did a guy who used to spend his school days doodling become so unbelievably successful?
Um...It's been staggering to me on a daily basis. Just being able to pay my rent is an unexpected treat. All the perks and all the wild surprises that come from working on a successful TV show are quite gratifying.
You must find it strange to get paid for doing something that you used to get punished for.
Well, I must say... being rewarded for what I used to be discouraged from doing is probably the best revenge of all. On the other hand, if I hadn't lucked out, maybe I'd be in an insane asylum. But even if I were in a straightjacket, I think I'd still be doodling with a crayon in my mouth.
From what I've read, you seem like the type who would be just as comfortable without all the fame and fortune. Is living as the other half lives all that you thought it would be?
I remember back in the old days when I was living in a cockroach-infested apartment in Hollywood and searching under the chair cushions for enough money to be able to buy a hamburger for dinner. My friend and I would wonder what it would be like to be successful. So the question we would pose to each other was, if or when we make our big mark in the world, are we going to live the way millionaires do on The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous or are we going to live pretty much the way we do now, except with a lot more comic books, magazines and records lying around.
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And the answer is?
The answer is pretty much "B." I now have lots of comic books, magazines, and records lying around.
Homer, Marge, Maggie and Lisa Simpson are each named after your own family members. How similar are those characters to their real-life counterparts?
Well, nobody in my family is quite as ugly or as stupid as The Simpsons are. The main similarities are in some of the sibling rivalries that I had as a kid with my sisters. We fought quite a bit and always found ingenious ways to torture each other.
How much of Bart is there inside of you?
I would say there's a smidgen of Bart in me. Bart's more of a combination of me and all my friends growing up, and the worst aspect of all of us growing up, at that.
I understand your father has been a great influence on you. How much of an impact has he had on the way you view life?
That's a hard one to answer, actually. (Pausing, then laughing.) At the moment, that's something I'm exploring in therapy! I'm learning more and more each day that he influenced me more than I ever realized. He's a very hard-working and very funny man. He taught me a very useful lesson early on, which was, "Don't save your great ideas for the future; you'll always come up with more." So, now, the second I come up with an idea, I try to use it with the confidence that later on down the line I'll be able to come up with another idea.
Your father must be very proud of you. How does he feel about your work?
As the years have gone by, he's gotten much more complimentary. He was not very encouraging at the beginning. Basically, he was pretty discouraging. He suggested that I get a real job, because he didn't think I would ever make a living by drawing. But these days, he's happy with the success of the show.
Your father and son are both named Homer. Is it true that if you had to do The Simpsons over again, you would have given Homer Simpson a different first name?
No, I like the name Homer Simpson. However, I wouldn't have called my son Homer.
But you did. Why?
He was born just before The Simpsons went on the air as a series. But now, he's just getting ready to enter school, and I'm afraid he's going to have to listen to all the funny names that kids that age come up with. So I would not name my son Homer if I had to do it all over again.
Of all the characters on The Simpsons, which is your favorite?
I'm quite partial to Lisa Simpson.
Why?
Every other character in The Simpsons universe is pretty much trapped in Springfield with their own lives and roles. But Lisa has potential. You get the feeling that she's going to use her talents to escape from her parents and get out of there and perhaps find happiness in some other city.
The big question is, will we ever see Bart Simpson grow up?
Everybody who works on the show has the gut feeling that as Bart gets older, his life is only going to get more unpleasant. It's kind of cute to have a 10-year-old brat. But with a teenage Bart, what do you have?... Beavis and Butthead. If he does grow up, he'll probably be stealing cars, drinking, and committing petty larceny. Bart is a kid who is programmed for failure.
Are you surprised that secondary characters like Ned Flanders, Moe, Apu, Krusty the Clown and others have become as popular as the Simpsons themselves?
One of the most fun things about the show is that people come to love the secondary characters. Only a few of the ones in the Simpsons appear on the screen, yet the fans have really come to enjoy them. It's always fun to see what the secondary characters will come up with next. My favorites vary from season to season. For a while, I really loved Krusty the Clown, but now I'm more partial to Police Chief Wiggum. (Laughing.) It seems he's always looking for another doughnut.
Since the show airs during prime time when children are watching, do you ever worry that maybe you've gone too far with the subject matter?
The reason why the show is so outlandish is that, traditionally, animation was seen as strictly for children. What we tried to with The Simpsons was redefine family entertainment. Most TV executives live in fear of confusing the audience by talking over their heads. What we figured out with The Simpsons is that you can throw enough jokes out there so that there's something for everyone. It doesn't matter if you don't get the joke the first time; you may get it a few years later in re-runs, when you're older and have read a few more books.
How did it feel to see Bart as a float in the New York City Thanksgiving Day Parade?
Out of all the particular occurrences associated with the success of this TV show, that was probably the weirdest. From the time I was about 11 years old, I grew up doodling, basically in the style The Simpsons are drawn in today. And when I went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, I went without understanding the logistics of a parade in New York. I couldn't get close to the parade route, so I wound up sitting in some bleachers with a bunch of strangers. From there, I watched as the Bart balloon came around the corner, and I was quite taken aback by the size of this thing. I mean, there was one of my doodles inflated to 60 feet long! I was just standing there with my mouth open in awe. Then, everybody in the bleachers turned around, looked at me and said, "Way to go, Matt!"
Besides The Simpsons, you're also the creator of the very popular syndicated comic strip, Life in Hell. Do you really believe that life is hell?
I used to think so. I've got to tell you that the title, Life in Hell, came as a result of my arrival in Los Angeles in 1977. I had just graduated from college, and all I had was a rickety, old 1963 Dodge Dart with a coat hanger for a radio antenna. I drove it to L.A., where it was hot and smoggy, and what followed was a series of bad jobs. So I thought... life is hell. I'll never forget it.
The strip features some pretty bizarre-looking characters. Why did you chose to draw rabbits rather than people?
When I was in grade school, I used to try to draw superheroes, but I realized I could never draw anyone who looked like a regular superhero, so I gave up and went the other direction instead. I said, "Well if I can't draw realistically, I'll just draw goofy rabbits." I'll give you some advice: If you're trying to impress girls, don't draw funny animals.
I take it then, you didn't have the greatest sex life as an adolescent?
No, girls were not impressed. However, these days, I've actually talked to some women I went to high school with. (Laughing) Now, they claim they liked my rabbits, but where were they back then!
Do you get a lot of fan mail?
Yeah, a vast majority of which are letters and drawings from kids. One of the best perks of the job is seeing the drawings that kids send me of not only the characters that I've created, but also their own characters. I love children's art. It's really fun.
Your wife, Deborah, has played a very important part in your career as your business manager. Does business ever interfere with pleasure?
Um... Yes!
Is there one question that you've never been asked in an interview that you wish somebody would ask?
(Pausing) What is the secret goal in my work?
Ok, what is the secret goal in your work?
Entertainment and subversion.
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