I’ve been reading Simpsons Confidential by John Ortved. Delving behind the scenes of the making of The Simpsons, it’s absolutely fascinating, particularly when it concentrates on the writers who made the show as funny as it was. Two names stand out: John Schwartzwelder and George Meyer, both of whom stamped their personality and humour on the series.
The book mentions that Meyer produced, and Schwartzwelder wrote for, three issues of a self-published comedy magazine called Army Man.
Sam [Simon] got quite a bit of his writing staff from the list of writing credits in Army Man… In a sense, that little magazine was the father of the show.
- Simpsons Confidential
Quite a claim for what was basically a few photocopied pages of jokes and cartoons.
The only rule was that the stuff had to be funny and pretty short.
- George Meyer
After reading about it, I really wanted to get my hands on a copy. Oh! Thank you internet! You can see scans of all three issues here: Army Man.
It’s rough, and funny, and weird and well worth a read.
And it’s sparked the idea to do something similar. Well… similarly photocopied anyway. So Mr Gus Hughes and I have started work on our own little magazine, with words and pictures and all that good stuff. It’s looking fine in our heads, but we understand that this isn’t good enough and that we need to get some of it on paper. Wish us luck!
I love songs in the key of S. Might have to get a Harrington.
Robert Popper and Peter Serafinowicz’s Look Around You was an absolute treat. Made with tremendous attention detail, it looked and sounded like a genuine schools science programme from the 70’s and 80’s, only the facts were slightly less believable and the haircuts slightly more believable. Or is that the other way around? I dunno, I didn’t pay much attention in school. Anyway, it’s all up on youtube. Hoorah for the murky grey area of copyright infringement!
This isn’t the best episode, but I like the mouse song so this is the one you’re getting today.
Mustard is a darned cool little humour magazine, full of funny articles and comic strips and excellent interviews with the likes of Michael Palin, Alan Moore, and Peep Show writers Bain & Armstrong. I got a couple of cartoons* in issue one, and I got quite giddy – it was for sale in Borders and everything. Oh, there’s a big Graham Linehan interview in there too and lots of other funny stuff but for me it’s mostly about my two little cartoons. They really tie the magazine together. Anyway, you can now read that legendary first issue online here. For freesies!
Mustard is something of a labour of love for creator and publisher Alex Musson, so if you like what you see, why not tell a friend, or get in touch with Alex. The more people buy the mag, the sooner he’ll be able to print issue 5.
As an addendum, some Mustard content will be given away with Alan Moore’s interesting-looking new project, Dodgem Logic. The massive hairy magician seems to be trying to recapture the glory days of the fanzine, and good luck to him, I say. And not just cos he might send the snake god Glycon to devour my soul or bite my bum or something.
*one of them was drawn by Michaelangelo. It turned out quite well.
The only good mime is a dead mime apart from this mime performed by Johann Lipowitz and Beth off Neighbours, which makes me giggle and also, for some reason, get a bit misty of eye every time I see it. A happy mist, mind you. It’s just so wilfully, pointlessly daft and joyful. Pop the fog lights on and enjoy.
I don’t watch much in the way of US chat shows since Larry Sanders said “you may now flip”, but I find the sounds and images contained in the above video to be sticky like glue. It’s silly and joyful and so damned catchy, visually and musically. I can’t get it out of my head! So, as a problem shared is a problem halved, here is it for you. Squeal with delight as it lodges in your brain like an incurable comedy parasite.
I used to watch Craig Ferguson’s TV series, The Ferguson Theory, on BBC2 many years ago. I remember nothing about it, other than that he wore leather trousers, and that I enjoyed it (the show, not him wearing leather trousers. Although…). Who woulda guessed the act formerly known as “Bing Hitler” would end up hosting his own talk show on American telly?
I like him, and I’ve watched a fair few of his opening monologues on YouTube. It’s this one that I like the most, in which he challenges the audience’s reactions to the then-current “Britney goes bonkers” stories, and he talks candidly about his own battle with addiction. I’ve watched it a lot, and it never fails to move me.
Comedy should be about attacking the powerful… it shouldn’t be about attacking the vulnerable.
I agree. Why? It’s nobody’s business but the turks! Oh, God dammit!
I met Tim Minchin once, at a party in Edinburgh. He was very nice, especially considering my drunken opening gambit was “I usually hate comedy songs, but…”
Anyway, I usually hate comedy songs, but Minchin’s stuff is funny and clever and thoughtful and musically ambitious and funny, and seems to come from a good place. As ever, there’s more to find on YouTube.
I saw him play If I Didn’t Have You live last year. And I loved it, cos at its heart… it’s true. Lasting love is about choice, not necessity. About knowing that you and this person complement and delight each other in this way, and it’s wonderful and it’s all you want. Other possible connections are always available, but you simply don’t want to know about them.
Isn’t that love? Or at least a big part of it? I think so, and it’s all the sweeter for it.
Hehe, that’s a lot of waffle about what is, after all, just a funny song, innit?
I might have to get one of those teatowels, although I suspect I may be one of the c-bombs in question.
Ths clip is an out-take, of course, from the simply excellent The Thick of It, whch I’ve just discovered is available in its entirety on YouTube.
It really is one of the best British comedy series of the century so far: witty, smart and profane, with suberb performances across the board.
I wonder, if Chris Langham had been able to walk backwards while appearing to walk forwards, whether the general public might have found it easier to forgive him.
He writes the best jokes and delivers them with southern-fried charm.
Actually, that should be “wrote” and “delivered” as he sadly died a few years ago, but man, I think the world is a better place for having had him on it, however briefly.
And if you like these, off to YouTube with you. There’s much more Mitch out there!
I’ve been reading Simpsons Confidential by John Ortved. Delving behind the scenes of the making of The Simpsons, it’s absolutely fascinating, particularly when it concentrates on the writers who made the show as funny as it was. Two names stand out: John Schwartzwelder and George Meyer, both of whom stamped their personality and humour on the series.
Mustard is a darned cool little humour magazine, full of funny articles and comic strips and excellent interviews with the likes of Michael Palin, Alan Moore, and Peep Show writers Bain & Armstrong. I got a couple of cartoons* in issue one, and I got quite giddy – it was for sale in Borders and everything. Oh, there’s a big Graham Linehan interview in there too and lots of other funny stuff but for me it’s mostly about my two little cartoons. They really tie the magazine together. Anyway, you can now 
