⇒ Read Springfield Confidential Jokes Secrets and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons Mike Reiss Mathew Klickstein Judd Apatow Books

Springfield Confidential Jokes Secrets and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons Mike Reiss Mathew Klickstein Judd Apatow Books

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Springfield Confidential Jokes Secrets and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons Mike Reiss Mathew Klickstein Judd Apatow Books

I love reading. I love laughing. It's rare when I get the chance to do both at the same time. And I don't mean an under-my-breath-snicker sort of laugh, I mean a true, thank-goodness-I-wasn't-drinking-something kind of laugh. Luckily for me, I had that experience several times while reading SPRINGFIELD CONFIDENTIAL, this awesome book by Mike Reiss with Mathew Klickstein.

I haven't watched The Simpsons religiously in decades, and haven't even really watched it casually in a very long time, but I was amazed at how many episodes and characters I remembered. What I loved most about the book were the bits I didn't remember because, well, I couldn't have remembered them because I never experienced them. I'm referring specifically to Reiss's anecdotes from working on The Simpsons and his other creative works, like The Critic. The book zips from anecdote to anecdote so quickly that its almost possible to miss how they all connect to each other - but they actually do more than just connect, they feed off of and into each other.

It may be a bit cliché, but reading the book was like listening to an exciting conversation from an old friend. Reiss and Klickstein clearly have a knack for making their readers feel comfortable, even when the occasional joke earns a cringe and a head shake (it is comedy, after all, right?)

I truly enjoyed this book, and as someone who wouldn't consider himself a lifelong Simpsons fan by any stretch, it was quite impressive that I was drawn in so quickly and my attention held from first page to the last. If you're a big fan of the Simpsons, I imagine you'll love this, and if you're a more casual viewer like me, but a lover of well-told behind-the-scenes stories about show business, this is right up your alley too.


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Springfield Confidential Jokes Secrets and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons Mike Reiss Mathew Klickstein Judd Apatow Books Reviews

It stands to reason a book authored by a long-time multiple-award-winning writer for “The Simpsons” would be funny and unpredictable like the TV show. “Springfield Confidential” by Mike Reiss with Matthew Klickstein delivers all you want. And then some.

He answers questions from viewers — like “Where is Springfield?”

There is insider stuff like the show was almost canceled before it got on. And that power plant mogul Burns’ assistant Smithers was African-American but changed after they saw the show in color and decided having a prominent black character kiss up to his cruel, white boss was wrong.

There is celebrity gossip “I’ve heard that Bruce Willis is so monstrous that one of his directors, a cancer survivor, said, ‘I’d go through another round of chemo rather than work with Bruce again.'”

Insider stuff Some think “The Simpsons” never won an Emmy. “That’s because our awards aren’t handed out at the boring televised ceremony. Our awards are handed out at the super-boring un-televised ceremony, the Creative Arts Awards.”

On his colleague Nancy Cartwright playing male characters Bart, Nelson and Ralph “Not since Lassie had a TV actor played a classic character of the opposite sex.”

There’s even stuff about Tom Cruise which I won’t mention because Cruise sues.

The book is sprinkled with interludes like this “True Fact” There is a Macon, Ga., resident named Homer Simpson who works in a nuclear power plant. Says Reiss, “Poor guy. Having to live in Macon, Georgia.”

In the chapter titled “Gay for Pay” Reiss admits his favorite project was not “The Simpsons” or “The Critic” but a web series called “Queer Duck” (He can’t even fly straight.) It was enormously popular, Britain’s Channel 4 viewers named it one of the 100 greatest cartoons of all time. Notes Reiss, “Now, mind you. England is the world’s only exclusively gay country. Britain’s an island — it’s like a big gay cruise that doesn’t go anywhere.”

He writes about the art of comedy — “k” words are funnier. But there are exceptions. “My cousin Kenny was killed by the Ku Klux Klan,” for instance. And he recommends some great comedy flicks you may have missed. And some books about being funny.

Reiss finally answers the burning question of why “The Simpsons is so successful. “… the valuable input of network executives. We don’t have any.”

The book is written with the same comic timing and cleverness that Reiss brings to everything he does. My regret is that it is not twice as long.
I wish that Reiss spent more time writing about The Simpsons and not attempting to be so glib. There are some great nuggets about the show, but far too often he goes off on tangents such as The Critic or his speaking and other writing engagements. It reads more like an autobiography at times with lame jokes and ultimately fails to deliver on much of the promise that the book's title implies. If he had stuck with the book's premise, I would have liked it much more.
I randomly heard Mike Reiss discuss this book on a local radio morning show and between the thoughts of getting a deep inside look at what exactly goes into The Simpsons and Reiss' hilarious interview on the radio, I bought this book the second I got home from work that day.

It did NOT disappoint.

I very much liken it to the book and subsequent movie "A Futile & Stupid Gesture" which took an inside look at former Harvard Lampoon writer (much like Mike Reiss himself) and National Lampoon writer Doug Kenney. We get a great look at how our favorite TV show started, the problems the show endured, the success of the legendary show, and amazing factoids and laughs along the way.

This book is a true inside look of the Simpsons and exactly what goes into making it the 30 year old power house that is still going strong. For example ONE episode takes 9 months to create. There was animosity early on between show creator Matt Groening and Sam Simon which led to the latter leaving the show. We also find out how many of the characters were named, why they're yellow, and how the staff handles criticisms of the show.

This book was a two sitting read for me as Springfield Confidential is simply one of those books where you say "OK, one more chapter" at 930pm and you're finally putting the book down for the night at 1am and 9 chapters later.
I love reading. I love laughing. It's rare when I get the chance to do both at the same time. And I don't mean an under-my-breath-snicker sort of laugh, I mean a true, thank-goodness-I-wasn't-drinking-something kind of laugh. Luckily for me, I had that experience several times while reading SPRINGFIELD CONFIDENTIAL, this awesome book by Mike Reiss with Mathew Klickstein.

I haven't watched The Simpsons religiously in decades, and haven't even really watched it casually in a very long time, but I was amazed at how many episodes and characters I remembered. What I loved most about the book were the bits I didn't remember because, well, I couldn't have remembered them because I never experienced them. I'm referring specifically to Reiss's anecdotes from working on The Simpsons and his other creative works, like The Critic. The book zips from anecdote to anecdote so quickly that its almost possible to miss how they all connect to each other - but they actually do more than just connect, they feed off of and into each other.

It may be a bit cliché, but reading the book was like listening to an exciting conversation from an old friend. Reiss and Klickstein clearly have a knack for making their readers feel comfortable, even when the occasional joke earns a cringe and a head shake (it is comedy, after all, right?)

I truly enjoyed this book, and as someone who wouldn't consider himself a lifelong Simpsons fan by any stretch, it was quite impressive that I was drawn in so quickly and my attention held from first page to the last. If you're a big fan of the Simpsons, I imagine you'll love this, and if you're a more casual viewer like me, but a lover of well-told behind-the-scenes stories about show business, this is right up your alley too.