While The Simpsons' iconic father, Homer Simpson, has gone on to become a household name, associated with dim-witted yet lovable buffoonery, John Swartzwelder would write him as a "big talking dog."
Swartzwelder spoke to The New Yorker in a rare interview that shed some light on the history behind his iconic role as a writer on the show from Seasons 1 to 15. When asked about a comment once made by showrunner Mike Reiss that claimed Swartzwelder wrote Homer as a big talking dog, he elaborated on the remark. "Yes, he is a big talking dog," Swartzwelder said. "One moment he's the saddest man in the world, because he's just lost his job, or dropped his sandwich, or accidentally killed his family. Then, the next moment, he's the happiest man in the world, because he's just found a penny—maybe under one of his dead family members. He's not actually a dog, of course—he's smarter than that—but if you write him as a dog you'll never go wrong."
Although his statement implies the character has a somewhat short-term memory, it also emphasizes the joy he finds in the small things. Of course, the writer also highlighted that the character was more complex than that, with many standout episodes such as Season 6, Episode 13 "And Maggie Makes Three," showing a deeper side to his devotion to his family.
The comedy writer has been long known as reclusive, with very little being shared by him despite his history on the show as one of the writers with the most credited episodes. Swartzwelder eventually went on to write his drafts from home, and he never appeared on any of the DVD commentaries to elaborate on the events in Springfield.
He left the show 18 years ago, and the show has changed a lot in his absence. Even so, his sense of humor was well known, to the point that the term "Swartzweldian" started to circulate as a point of comparison to his particular style. However, when asked about his feelings on the term, Swartzwelder said, "I guess I understand what they're driving at, and it all sounds very complimentary, and I thank everybody for that, but I can't help thinking 'Swartzweldian' is about the most awkward-sounding word in the English language. I mean, I thought 'Oakleyesque' and 'Vittiriffic' [after Simpsons writers Bill Oakley and Jon Vitti] were bad, but 'Swartzweldian'!"
The Simpsons stars the voices of Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Harry Shearer, Julie Kavner, Yeardley Smith and Hank Azaria. New episodes air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
Source: The New Yorker