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Planet Simpson: How a cartoon masterpiece documented an era and defined a generation by Chris Turner
amberhayward's review against another edition
5.0
The thing about me is that I love The Simpsons. I'm not one of those people who refer to episodes by their alpha-numerical title or could identify the essentially reclusive writers in a line up or anything, but I know more than the average person and my adoration for this show is incredibly pure and forgiving.
This book sites one of my personal favorite episodes (4F23, "The Principal and the Pauper") and the point at which the show declined from its "Golden Age" to its "Long Plateau". It is an episode that I refer to, at the chagrin of my husband, pretty often. Sometimes I will just shout, "OK, ARMIN TAMZARIAN" if someone is impersonating someone or if I just feel like it, I guess. It's such an absurd episode and so self-referential and like a hilarious in-joke to me (the premise is that perennial mama's boy and middle school principal Seymour Skinner is actually NOT who he says he is, but rather was a no-good rebel named Armin Tamzarian who assumed the identity of one Seymour Skinner when he was thought to be killed in Vietnam). That is how unflinching my love for the show is.
My sister and I can quote, at length, bits and riffs from the show that normal people probably do not even recall. We identify episodes not by their nerd-title or actual title or even by what happened in them but instead by our favorite lines. So episode 3F09 is not referred to as such (its production code) or "Two Bad Neighbors" (its actual title) or "the one where George Bush moves in next door and he & Homer don't like each other" but instead by us screaming the lyrics to the song Homer composed at the neighborhood rummage sale: "Hey big spender/Dig this blender/rainbow suspenders ... Now, let's give it up for Table Five!" etc etc.
THE POINT IS: I am pretty biased. Reading 400+ pages about why This Thing That I Love is so awesome is pretty much my (and everyone else's, I would think) favorite thing. Even though I don't agree with every point the author makes (just most of them) I just loved this book.
This book sites one of my personal favorite episodes (4F23, "The Principal and the Pauper") and the point at which the show declined from its "Golden Age" to its "Long Plateau". It is an episode that I refer to, at the chagrin of my husband, pretty often. Sometimes I will just shout, "OK, ARMIN TAMZARIAN" if someone is impersonating someone or if I just feel like it, I guess. It's such an absurd episode and so self-referential and like a hilarious in-joke to me (the premise is that perennial mama's boy and middle school principal Seymour Skinner is actually NOT who he says he is, but rather was a no-good rebel named Armin Tamzarian who assumed the identity of one Seymour Skinner when he was thought to be killed in Vietnam). That is how unflinching my love for the show is.
My sister and I can quote, at length, bits and riffs from the show that normal people probably do not even recall. We identify episodes not by their nerd-title or actual title or even by what happened in them but instead by our favorite lines. So episode 3F09 is not referred to as such (its production code) or "Two Bad Neighbors" (its actual title) or "the one where George Bush moves in next door and he & Homer don't like each other" but instead by us screaming the lyrics to the song Homer composed at the neighborhood rummage sale: "Hey big spender/Dig this blender/rainbow suspenders ... Now, let's give it up for Table Five!" etc etc.
THE POINT IS: I am pretty biased. Reading 400+ pages about why This Thing That I Love is so awesome is pretty much my (and everyone else's, I would think) favorite thing. Even though I don't agree with every point the author makes (just most of them) I just loved this book.
erin_oriordan_is_reading_again's review against another edition
4.0
I got a tremendous amount of pleasure from listening to this audiobook - but then, I've been a fan of the Simpson clan since the days of the Tracey Ullman shorts. Turner's writing is humorous and insightful. He does show a bit of bias, however, and I hope you won't think it too, as the French say, Lisa-esque of me to point out that Turner:
- Uses the word "mankind" when, clearly, he means "humankind"
- Uses the word "coed" when, clearly, he means "student" - an anachronism which, by the way, makes a person sound as if he or she is as old as Mr. Burns
- Assumes the reader finds Lisa shrill/strident/obnoxious while at the same time admitting she is the closest thing to the voice of the (almost exclusively male) writers
- Throws out the suggestion that Marge Simpson is "anti-feminist" because she's a homemaker, when in reality feminism is all about empowering women to have choices and to be homemakers if they choose to do so.
I could do without the casual sexism and anti-feminist assumptions. However, Turner's analysis of the major characters and themes of the long-running cartoon series seem accurate and useful.
- Uses the word "mankind" when, clearly, he means "humankind"
- Uses the word "coed" when, clearly, he means "student" - an anachronism which, by the way, makes a person sound as if he or she is as old as Mr. Burns
- Assumes the reader finds Lisa shrill/strident/obnoxious while at the same time admitting she is the closest thing to the voice of the (almost exclusively male) writers
- Throws out the suggestion that Marge Simpson is "anti-feminist" because she's a homemaker, when in reality feminism is all about empowering women to have choices and to be homemakers if they choose to do so.
I could do without the casual sexism and anti-feminist assumptions. However, Turner's analysis of the major characters and themes of the long-running cartoon series seem accurate and useful.
nd2712's review against another edition
4.0
Very academic - it reminded me of university and writing my dissertation. And whilst it's clearly showing its age (it's last update was in the late 2000s), it's still a fascinating exploration of The Simpsons as a cultural behemoth.
gemlikegemstone's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely brilliantly thought-out "serious" book on The Simpsons. It happens to be written by a guy from my generation (X), so I found myself relating closer than a younger or older person might. I only wish this book were available as an ebook (in the US; it is available as an ebook in the EU) so I could refer back to it more easily and keep my notes.
lyoncoll's review against another edition
4.0
In depth review/critique of the Simpsons, but also of pop culture over the past 40+ years.
kmk182's review against another edition
3.0
Like reading the bible, not really a book to sit down for hours at a time, but good. Took me a year to read the whole thing because I would tire of it.
robertguenette's review against another edition
3.0
If you're not a fan of the Simpsons, you're going to have a hard time getting through this. Chris Turner writes clearly and cleverly for the Simpsons fan, drawing allusions to famous (and less famous) episodes while still managing to slip subtle jokes and references into the text. He does have a tendency to ramble and venture off-topic, only managing to relate it to his argument somewhat weakly. Regardless of that it is still a great read for any Simpsons fan who also has an interest in North American culture. If you're not much of a fan though, or you simply want to read anecdotes about The Simpson family and their creators, this probably isn't going to be an enjoyable read for you.