From: Extract from the Internet.

 

Simpsons Comics Editor Speaks - Simpsons Comics #100 Special
- With Editor Paul Terry.


Some people have all the luck. Imagine a daily job which involves no actual work apart from reading comics, eating donuts and chatting with your friends. Sounds like heaven right? So, unless you work at Springfield Nuclear Power Station, you're going to be way jealous of this guy...



So who are you, how old are you and what's your job title?

Hey! Je m'appelle Paul Terry ("PT" to most, "P-make-the-Tea" to some). I'm 26 and three quarters, and it says Simpsons Comics' Editor next to my name.



How and when did The Simpsons enter your life?

Well, I became pretty obsessed with "Do the Bartman" when that came out - even if I spent days on end singing completely the wrong lyrics. If you're reading this, thinking, "There wasn't any point in that song where I was confused as to what Bart was rapping about" ­ I say, "Liar, liar, pants on fire!" I also say, "Well done."



What do you think is the funniest moment in The Simpsons? And why?

Pretty much everything in Homer Badman. I think my fave moment is when the badly-edited footage of Homer freeze-frames:
Godfrey Jones: "Mr. Simpson, your silence only incriminates you further. No, Mr. Simpson, don't take your anger out on me! Mr. Simpson! NOOOOOOO!!!"
Voiceover (quickly): "Dramatisation: may not have happened."
Poking fun at TV editing and the power of the media? Well, yeah, but over everything it's just a fantastically written sequence that's hilarious. Me and my mate Paul are always quoting it.



Ever met any of the cast? Got any good anecdotes?

Sadly not, but Mark "Yes ­ Luke Skywalker!" Hamill's son, Nathan, regularly sends me discs with comic strips on them. That's pretty cool, huh? And I've been out to Santa Monica and met the team who create the comic stories, which was fantastic.



Why is it that the show has been so phenomenally successful? What do you think is its secret?

I'd rather take a stab at the meaning of life than try to explain The Simpsons' secret. That really is difficult. It's been said many times before, but I do think it's all to do with the fact that the characters and situations riff on life. We recognise ourselves, and people we know, in the things the show and the strips cover, however strange or "close to the mark". I think The Simpsons (however "out there" it can get) does the "life is stranger than fiction" mirror perfectly and shows us what makes us all tick. The younger fans enjoy gags on one level, and then the grown-ups pick up on the coded humour, innuendo and satire, too ­ it's the perfect show for all the family! (Leans over to Fox's lawyers: "How was that? Was that OK?")



Which celebrity cameos do you particularly remember?

I love the Spinal Tap one (I'm a huge Tap fan), and the Red Hot Chili Peppers one was great, too, mainly for Moe's suggestion that they tone down their lyrics to, "What I'd like is, I'd like to hug and kiss you." Fave cameos ever though are David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson's Mulder and Scully appearance. Mulder's posing-in-his-pants identity badge... genius.



What do you think about the mooted Simpsons movie? Can it successfully translate to the big screen?

Absolutely. Some of the 22 minutes-long episodes are like little epics, so I can't see why they couldn't make a feature length version. South Park pulled it off. I would love to see a Simpsons movie, but it's not something which I think the world needs to be desperate to see, simply because we get 22 new Simpsons episodes every year anyway. And then there are all those fantastic comic stories, too! Anyway, don't we need a feature-length Futurama movie in our lives first?



If they ever make a live action film of The Simpsons, who should play whom?

Yuck. For the love of Homer's attention span, don't ever do it, please. It would suck. A "re-imagined" live-action Simpsons?! Bleeeurgghhh. Next question!



What's your favourite Bart-writing-on-the-blackboard sentence? What would you write?

"Fish do not like coffee" and, "I will not speculate on how hot teacher used to be" were good ones. I would write: "I must stop head banging, playing air guitar, air drums, and generally bouncing around at my desk whilst listening to music as I work."



What other TV programmes ­- animation or otherwise -­ get your seal of approval?

Futurama -­ God bless it. Not on now: Fawlty Towers (my fave comedy,­ in a Paul Ross way,­ "of all-time"), Noisy Mothers (RIP), The X-Files, Seinfeld, and Spaced, to name but a few. On now: Alias and Lost pretty much rule at the moment, and Little Britain is brilliant, too.



Be honest -­ have you ever owned a "wacky" item of clothing (e.g. underpants, ties, caps) with a Simpsons character on it?

I sit here, answering these questions in my Homer cotton pants, and Homer cotton (and partly polyester) socks. And yes, I am at work. And no, those are not the only items of clothing I'm currently wearing.



Have you always been a Simpsons fan or is this just a gig to pay the bills? How did you get the job?

Always been a fan, of course. Boring answer to the second part ­- saw an advert, sent in a CV, had a couple of interviews, and got offered the job. Woo-hoo!



What happens to The Simpsons when they stop moving? What does the comic form bring to The Simpsons?

Well, that's the bit that amazes me. The comics flow just like I imagine fully-coloured storyboards for the show do before they become animated. I guess they bring more flights of fancy to the characters too ­- there have been some pretty insane stories that might be considered too crazy for the show. The comic also makes The Simpsons portable -­ you can take a lightweight ole comic anywhere. It's great that we get "fan forum" stuff in the magazine, too ­- the readers are bonkers. Very talented writers and artists, but still loopy.



What's the best/funniest thing that's happened (to you) in 100 issues?

One of the best things was going to Vancouver to see the Simpsons: Hit & Run video game being made -­ we did a report on it in the comic, too. Funniest thing? Well, there have been some pretty hilarious office moments ­- one that springs to mind (of many) was a mask gag that almost got pulled off. The readers' letters are always hilarious -­ some of the things they come out with are outrageous. I remember one fan wrote in and said, "My Mum wants to meet you ­ she really likes the way you write." AHHHHHHH!!!!



What's a typical day in the office like? What's your to-do list like?

1. Grab a couple of bagels from the shop (Mmmm! Cinnamon and raisin).
2. Make a round of teas & coffees for the editorial posse.
3. Load up iTunes: get the rock going.
4. Check email inbox.
5. Load up iChat.
6. iChat folks.
7. Email folks.
8. Panic that it's already 2pm.
9. Cram in a bit of work before we get slung out of the building.

That's kind of it. In amongst that all-important social stuff, I also plan way ahead future issues, sort out which comic strips to feature where and when (which involves a lot of comic book reading -­ an obvious chore of the job), write text for the other areas of the magazine, get the Junk Mail stuff together with our all-conquering editorial assistant, Ned (how good a name is that?!). The fans seem desperate to know who it is who answers the letters in Junk Mail when it's pretty obvious that it's... sorry, what was that? Oh, OK, I'll get on with the next question!



Who writes all the jokes/does all the pics?

Apart from the gags and pictures that make up the comic strips, the readers provide loads of gags and artwork throughout the rest of the magazine. We get thousands upon thousands of entries ­- Simpsons Comics' fans really are the knees of the bees.



What does the birthday cake taste like?

Mmmmm... Surplus icing! It's really tasty: lots of sponge, icing, etc. Best bit? The #100 cover art that's on the top of the cake!! It was so impressive, I didn't actually want to cut through it! I did suggest we remove it and keep it ­- but my director just looked at me with a, "We are eating the cake -­ all of the cake" look in his eye.



Any good/gossipy stories from the birthday bash?

Erm... no! I don't know what you mean... Any conversations you have heard regarding grass skirts are complete rubbish! There was some obligatory donut-throwing at one point, though.



Finally, can you sum up your job for us in one, high-concept, movie-poster-of-your-life sentence.

"In a world where rounds of tea and biscuits rule, one man will rise up from his comic-smothered desk and attempt to unite Simpsons fans by the power of the printed word..."