Simpsons and TRP- a slitely curmudgeon take

[The Great Quail]

Bandwraith laments,

> Come to think about it, I'm mildly annoyed that
> Pynchon is doing the Simpsons thing- of course I'll watch, but it's
> one more example of a "hero" selling out.

Well, first of all, your "hero" sold out the very first time he took a
paycheck for writing, no? He is a professional writer -- one can assume
there's a certain degree of reasonable compromise even in that position,
whether writing a piece for a magazine or publishing a novel through a major
publishing company. (I'm just saying this, for the sake of purity.... I for
one believe that if an artist can make a living through their art, great! It
is a noble goal.)

Secondly, I hardly think being on the Simpsons is "selling out." While it is
now common knowledge that the show is past its prime, it is still one of the
most satirical, meaningful, and subversive things on television. And it pays
its literary respects as well -- hell, one episode mentions "Gravity's
Rainbow." (Indeed, the hits on the Pynchon site I run spiked for a few days
after that.) 

Personally, I am psyched that he's doing it -- I could think of no better
public forum to first hear the voice of P!

--Quail