A Lot Of Our Writers,

Sometimes People Try To Read Into My Strip And Find Out What My State Of Mind Is. And I Can Say If I'm In A Good Mood, Generally The Comic Strip Starts Out In A Good Mood, But The Punchline Is Very Negative And Sour.

I've Been Deadline-driven For My Whole Grown-up Life, And That Hasn't Gone Away. It Is Nice To Be Able To Reflect About The Big Picture, About What Kind Of Stories You Want To Tell, And How To Take Advantage Of Success.

The Amazing Thing About Freak Out! Was That There Was Nothing Quite Like It In Rock 'n Roll At The Time. It Was Really Simultaneously Crude And Ugly, And Incredibly Sophisticated. The Beatles Were Funny, But There Was Nothing With The Kind Of Sneer That You Could Feel In The Music Of Frank Zappa.

'the Simpsons' From The Very Beginning Was Based On Our Memories Of Brash '60s Sitcoms - You Had A Main Title Theme That Was Bombastic And Grabbed Your Attention - And When You Look At Tv Shows Of The 1970s And '80s, Things Got Very Mild And Toned Down And... Obsequious.

If At First You Don't Succeed - Give It Up. It Isn't Worth The Pain.