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John Ortved

John Ortved, formerly of Vanity Fair, discusses his new book, The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History (Greystone, 2009), an oral history of the Fox sitcom that’s in its 21st season; also discussed is the influence of The Simpsons on comedy and more, the people behind the show, Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Sam Simon, and more.


The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History by John Ortved. (Greystone, 2009) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Simpsons [1]

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

In its 21st season, The Simpsons remains a vital part of television and invariably popular culture. Now, a new book gives us a look behind the scenes of the long running animated sitcom that since its debut in 1989 has affected our language, politics, and more. The book is called The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History. Its author, John Ortved joins me now. He grew up in Canada, and is a former editorial associate at Vanity Fair, where this book grew out of a piece he wrote there. His work has also appeared in publications such as New York, Vice, and the New York Observer. His website is www.artisdumb.org [2]. The book is published by Greystone. Its foreword is written by Douglas Coupland. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, John Ortved; Good morning, Mr. Ortved.