How I Spent My Strummer Vacation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Simpsons episode | |
| "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" | |
 |
|
|---|---|
| Episode no. | 293 |
| Prod. code | DABF22 |
| Orig. Airdate | November 10, 2002 |
| Writer(s) | Mike Scully |
| Director | Mike B. Anderson |
| Couch gag | The family (literally!) jumps a shark. |
| Guest star(s) | Elvis Costello, Mick Jagger, Lenny Kravitz, Tom Petty, Keith Richards, and Brian Setzer as themselves |
| SNPP capsule | |
| Season 14 November 3, 2002 – May 18, 2003 |
|
|
|
| List of all Simpsons episodes... | |
"How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" is the second episode of The Simpsons' fourteenth season. The episode first aired on November 10, 2002.
In early 2003, this episode was voted the 22nd best Simpsons episode ever by Entertainment Weekly.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
On a visit to Moe's, Homer has no money to pay for his beer and Moe won't give him any freebies. As a result, he goes around town doing alternate things to get drunk (such as breathing thin air on top of a mountain, licking toads and giving blood). Moe feels guilty about earlier and gives Homer a free beer, but Homer is already heavily intoxicated. Moe, Lenny and Carl put Homer in a taxi cab to Homer's home. He is secretly being videotaped, and what he says on tape are some unpleasant things about Marge and the kids, as well as his dream of being a rock star. His family is not impressed with him, but soon realise that they do somewhat burden him. To make up for this, the family takes Homer to a Rock N' Roll Fantasy Camp, run by the Rolling Stones. At the camp, Homer and a bunch of other Springfield citizens learn about rock music, with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Elvis Costello, Lenny Kravitz, Tom Petty, and Brian Setzer. Homer likes the camp very much and goes wild. He learns different "rock 'n' roll" techniques, like Mick's walk, and how to showboat with the guitar (something that does not please Mick Jagger very much, considering it flies into his office and messes up his paperwork). Finally, the wannabe-rockstars have a mock rock concert, with Homer as the lead guitarist and singer. Homer, really into the rock fantasy, even jumps into the crowd, except that the crowd only contains the 6 musicians, who nearly get flattened by Homer's mass.
However, it does not last long as the camp was actually a one-week only camp. Homer's dream is shattered and does not want to leave. That is, until Mick Jagger offers Homer a chance to perform at a benefit gig, the "Concert for Planet Hollywood". Homer, excited to no end, gets passes for his friends so they can see him at the concert. But, Homer is shocked when he is asked to do the duties of a roadie. When he goes on stage to test the microphone, seeing his family and friends out there rooting for him, he sings a rock song and steals the show. This angers the rock stars, who attempt to run Homer off the stage with a big mobile fire-breathing devil's head. The devil's head goes out of control and plows into the audience.
Later, the performers, feeling sorry about their actions, offer Homer an opportunity to perform at another benefit concert (for the victims of the recently messed-up gig), but he declines and prefers to perform at home instead. However, he starts moving around in the big devil's head, and takes Bart and Lisa to school in it, much to the fascination of the kids there.
[edit] Trivia
- Strangely, Homer's time singing with the Be-Sharps is unmentioned here (though that was barbershop, not rock-and-roll), although he won a Grammy, enjoyed brief stardom, and met George Harrison.
- The songs include "Rip This Joint", "Start Me Up", "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)", and "She's So Cold", all by the Rolling Stones, "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz and "Pump It Up" by Elvis Costello.
- When Homer is driving Bart and Lisa to school in the end of the show, Tom Petty's song The Last DJ can be heard playing.
[edit] Cultural references
- The cab videotaping Homer is a parody of Taxicab Confessions.
- The opening gag is a reference to TV shows "jumping the shark".
[edit] Quotes
- Taxi Driver: (on TV show "Taxicab Conversations") Where to, pal?
Homer: (drunk) Talky thing, ain't ya?
Lisa: (watching show) Another proud moment for the Simpson family. - Homer: Oh, I can't believe they cancelled Monkey Trauma Center for this!
- (After accidentally throwing his guitar into Mick Jagger's office)
Homer: (Distantly) Sorry, Mick!
(Mick sticks his head out of the window and shakes his fist)
Mick Jagger: SIMP-SOOOOOOOON! - Homer: Uh, Mr. Seltzer?
Brian Setzer: It's Setzer.
Homer: No, I think it's Seltzer. - Elvis Costello: If everyone's going to pick guitar, I'm not gonna have enough to go 'round. But there's lots of other fun instruments, like bass!
- Homer: (singing) I'm so hot for me. I'm so hot for me.
- Homer: Then you get a job where they don't let you play guitar or take pictures of naked women.
- (After a "get to your limo obstacle course", Keith dives into the limo and sees his students making out with the fake groupies)
Keith Richards: They're bloody cardboard!
Homer: We know. - Mick Jagger: It's only Rock N' Roll Camp.
Homer: (crying) But I like it. (from the Rolling Stones' song) - (When Homer finds out how he got home from Moe's Tavern)
Marge: I couldn't even wake you up for work this morning. I had to tell Mr. Burns you had violent diarrhea.
Homer: Oh, couldn't you come up with a less embarrassing lie?
Marge: But you did have violent diarrhea. (addressing everyone at the dinner table) Nobody open the hallway closet until I say it's okay.
(Bart and Lisa shudder in disgust) - Lenny Kravitz: The clothes you wear on stage should be a defiant statement of individuality.
Homer: Like this, Mr. Kravitz? (he's wearing the same outfit as Lenny)
Lenny Kravitz: God, no.
Apu: May we talk about, uh, accentuating the... masculine area?
Lenny Kravitz: Did you hear that people? Apu asked about crotch stuffing. Now, I don't do it. Kenny Loggins does.
Kenny Loggins: (impersonated) I trusted you! (He runs away crying.) - Lenny Kravitz: (Referring to the motorized devil head.) Couldn't we have used a more fuel efficient Satan?
Mick Jagger: Lenny, don't you have a crotch to stuff?
(Lenny looks dejected.)
