Relatively few creatives in or out of Hollywood are lucky enough to remain with the same projects for decades on end, but The Simpsons has provided its cast and crew with just that, and with no end in sight. As such, a longtime writer and executive producer like Matt Selman has seen a plethora of ways all-time great sitcom has been celebrated and honored through merchandise, TV specials, questionable mash-up tattoos, and beyond. And he amusingly shared a recent Simpsons highlight that he said was better than watching childbirth. Preach.
Selman was a guest on the “Willie Mae’s Scotch House” episode of the podcast Doughboys, as co-hosted by former Simpsons writers assistant and current Twisted Metal star Mike “Mitch” Mitchell. When fellow co-host Nick Wiger joked that playing the extensive RPG Baldur’s Gate 3 would amount to the greatest day in Selman’s life, Mitch brought up that the animated hit’s co-showrunner does have a wife and children, and that their life events would probably stand out more than playing a video game.
Then, to defend his point that events like getting married and childbirth are not inherently worthy of “Best Day” status, Selman shared this awesome anecdote tied to Season 35’s “Ae Bonny Romance”:
Weddings and baby births are not the best days of your life, people. They’re memorable days in your life. I had a really good day the other day, I’m sorry to share this. I know no one watches modern Simpsons in your audience, but we did an episode where Groundskeeper Willie goes to Scotland — a big Scotland travel show — and a band who I love, Belle & Sebastian, did us the honor of writing an original song in their own amazing style about the silly, fake happenings of that episode. And then we went to see them in concert, and they performed that song, with the clips from the show behind them. That was a really good feeling. Much better than watching a baby come out. [Laughs.]
That is such a unique and enviable experience to have as a creator within any medium. I'd love to work on something that involved one of my favorite bands, and then to see the band later incorporate that experience into their live performances. What a wild high that would be, especially if it wasn't expected.
On the flip side, nearly every family on Earth goes through some form of childbirth, so it kind of pales in comparison in terms of rarity. Like Matt Selman, I am married with two daughters, and I can vouch for the viewpoint that a baby's birth does not automatically equate with "best day ever." I gotta think a concert is a more pleasant, less stressful, and less painful experience, obviously more so for the moms.
I'm obviously being glib, but while still largely agreeing with Selman's sentiments. That said, while I'd side with him in thinking weddings are usually more work than fun, my wedding day did incorporate one of my own favorite bands, so it's a winner. Other people's weddings, though? That's another story.
Earlier in the Doughboys installment, Matt Selman shared that former Simpsons writer and all-time great talk show host Conan O'Brien will be returning to his former Springfield stomping grounds. As he put it:
Conan O'Brien will be guest-appearing on the season premiere of The Simpsons. . . . Yes, he'll be playing himself.
O'Brien has famously cameoed on The Simpsons in the past, while his head-in-a-jar has popped up on Futurama, but only for a single scene or two. Selman did go on to say that his appearance in the Season 36 premiere will be of a larger capacity than what fans have seen previously. Hopefully that also means we'll get a new rendition of "The Monorail Song," which he's performed live before for a past Simpsons event. Here's what was said about the premiere in Fox's Fall Schedule announcement:
- In The Simpsons Season 36 premiere, Bart celebrates the most shocking birthday party of his entire life — one that might just change everyone in Springfield forever.
Season 36 is set to hit the 2024 TV schedule on Sunday, September 29, at 8:00 p.m. ET. While the first 34 seasons of The Simpsons can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription, one will currently need a Hulu subscription to rewatch “Ae Bonny Romance” and the rest of Season 35.
