Matt Groening: Difference between revisions

Groening grew up in Portland, and attended Ainsworth Elementary School<ref>{{cite web |first=Charlotte|last=Middlehurst |url=http://www.timeoutshanghai.com/features/Books__Film-Book_features/5644/Matt-Groening-interview.html |title=Matt Groening interview |work=Time Out Shanghai |date=March 12, 2012 |accessdate=January 8, 2016}}</ref> and [[Lincoln High School (Portland, Oregon)|Lincoln High School]].<ref name=officialsite>{{cite web |url=http://www.thesimpsons.com/actors/index.htm |title=Matt Groening Creator and Executive Producer [Bio] |website=thesimpsons.com |accessdate=March 4, 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310215122/http://www.thesimpsons.com/actors/index.htm |archivedate=March 10, 2007}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2016}}<ref>{{cite news |first=Joseph|last=Rose |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/2012/05/the_simpsons_map_of_portland_w.html |title='The Simpsons' map of Portland (What other proof do you need that they're Oregonians?) |work=[[The Oregonian]] |date=May 4, 2012 |accessdate=January 8, 2016 |quote=Lincoln High School, Southwest 18th Avenue just south of Salmon Street. Groening drew and signed a sidewalk portrait of Bart Simpson in wet concrete outside his alma mater. “Class of 1972” appears next to Bart as he strikes his classic “Don’t have a cow, man!” pose.}}</ref> From 1972<ref name="tcj">{{Harvnb|Groth|1991}}.</ref> to 1977, Groening attended [[The Evergreen State College]] in [[Olympia, Washington]],<ref name="evergreen">{{cite web |url=http://www.evergreen.edu/alumni/writersproject/mattgroening.htm |title=Matt Groening at Evergreen |accessdate=August 30, 2007 |work=The Evergreen State College |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926234731/http://www.evergreen.edu/alumni/writersproject/mattgroening.htm |archivedate=September 26, 2007 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> a liberal arts school that he described as "a hippie college, with no grades or required classes, that drew every weirdo in the Northwest."<ref name="laweekly">{{Harvnb|Lloyd|1999}}.</ref> He served as the editor of the campus newspaper, ''The Cooper Point Journal'', for which he also wrote articles and drew cartoons.<ref name=tcj/> He befriended fellow cartoonist [[Lynda Barry]] after discovering that she had written a fan letter to [[Joseph Heller]], one of Groening's favorite authors, and had received a reply.<ref name="cartoon">{{Comic strip reference |cartoonist=Groening, Matt |strip=[[Life in Hell]] |date=January 14, 2000 |syndicate=Acme Features Syndicate |panel=5–6}}</ref> Groening has credited Barry with being "probably [his] biggest inspiration."<ref name="motherjones">{{cite web |title=Matt Groening |work=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] |url=http://www.motherjones.com/media/1999/03/matt-groening |last=Doherty |first=Brian |date=March–April 1999 |accessdate=January 14, 2007}}</ref> He first became interested in cartoons after watching the Disney animated film ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'',<ref>{{cite video |people=Groening, Matt; Mirkin, David; Scully, Mike; Anderson, Bob |date=2005 |title=The Simpsons The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Two Dozen & One Greyhounds" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> and he has also cited ''[[Peanuts]]'' and its creator [[Charles M. Schulz]] as inspirations.<ref>{{cite book |author=Groening, Matt |chapter=Foreword |title=The Complete Peanuts Volume 3 (1955–56) |year=2005 |publisher=Fantagraphics Books}}</ref>

''Life in Hell'' caught the eye of Hollywood writer-producer and [[Gracie Films]] founder [[James L. Brooks]], who had been shown the strip by fellow producer [[Polly Platt]].<ref name="ortved p71"/><ref name="script">{{cite web|title=Keep 'em Laughing |date=October 1999 |last=Kim |first=John W. |work=Scr(i)pt |url=http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/groening99d.html |accessdate=January 14, 2007 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070526133854/http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/groening99d.html |archivedate=May 26, 2007 |df= }}</ref> In 1985, Brooks contacted Groening with the proposition of working in animation on an undefined future project,<ref name="prodigy"/> which would turn out to be developing a series of short animated skits, called "bumpers," for the Fox variety show ''The Tracey Ullman Show''. Originally, Brooks wanted Groening to adapt his ''Life in Hell'' characters for the show. Groening feared that he would have to give up his ownership rights, and that the show would fail and would take down his comic strip with it.<ref name="americasfirstfamily" /> Groening conceived of the idea for The Simpsons in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office and hurriedly sketched out his version of a [[dysfunctional family]]: [[Homer Simpson|Homer]], the overweight father; [[Marge Simpson|Marge]], the slim mother; [[Bart Simpson|Bart]], the bratty oldest child; [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]], the intelligent middle child; and [[Maggie Simpson|Maggie]], the baby.<ref name="americasfirstfamily"/><ref name=nytimes>{{Harvnb|Scott|2001}}.</ref><ref>{{cite video |people=Rose, Charlie (Host, Executive producer) |date=July 30, 2007 |title=Charlie Rose:A Conversation About The Simpsons Movie |url=http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/8620 |medium=Television production |publisher=Charlie Rose, Inc. |accessdate=July 31, 2007 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201065956/http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/8620 |archivedate=December 1, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Groening famously named the main Simpson characters after members of his own family: his parents, Homer and Margaret (Marge or Marjorie in full), and his younger sisters, Lisa and Margaret (Maggie). Claiming that it was a bit too obvious to name a character after himself, he chose the name "Bart," an anagram of brat.<ref name="americasfirstfamily">{{cite video |people=BBC |date=2000 |title=The Simpsons: America's First Family (6 minute edit for the season 1 DVD) |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250735/ |format=DVD |location=UK |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref><ref name="radiotimes">{{cite web |last=Duncan |first=Andrew |title=Matt Groening |work=[[Radio Times]] |url=http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/groening99c.html |date=September 18–24, 1999 |accessdate=September 19, 2007 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20010209125833/http://snpp.com/other/interviews/groening99c.html |archivedate=February 9, 2001 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> However, he stresses that aside from some of the sibling rivalry, his family is nothing like the Simpsons.{{sfn|Turner|2004}} Groening also has an older brother and sister, Mark and Patty, and in a 1995 interview Groening divulged that Mark "is the actual inspiration for Bart."<ref name="flux"/>

Since no new ''Futurama'' projects were in production, the movie ''Into the Wild Green Yonder'' was designed to stand as the ''Futurama'' series finale. However, Groening had expressed a desire to continue the ''Futurama'' franchise in some form, including as a theatrical film.<ref name="Wired1">{{cite web |url=https://www.wired.com/underwire/2008/11/futuramas-anima/ |title=''Futurama'' Animators Roll 20-Sided Die With ''Bender's Game'' |author=Wortham, Jenna |date=November 4, 2008 |publisher=Wired.com |accessdate=February 28, 2009}}</ref> In an interview with CNN, Groening said that "we have a great relationship with Comedy Central and we would love to do more episodes for them, but I don't know... We're having discussions and there is some enthusiasm but I can't tell if it's just me".<ref name="CNN">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/26/matt.groening.futurama/index.html |title=Matt Groening looks to the future |author=Leopold, Todd |date=February 26, 2009 |publisher=CNN.com |accessdate=March 17, 2009}}</ref> Comedy Central commissioned an additional 26 new episodes, and began airing them in 2010. The show continued in to 2013,<ref>{{Cite news |title=It's official: 'Futurama' is reborn! |url=http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/06/09/its-official-futurama-returns/ |work=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=June 9, 2009 |accessdate=June 9, 2009 |author=Ausiello, Michael |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106081908/http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/06/09/its-official-futurama-returns/ |archivedate=January 6, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/03/24/futurama-renewed/ |title='Futurama' renewed for two more years! |work=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |accessdate=August 2, 2011 |author=Hibberd, James |date=March 24, 2011}}</ref> before Comedy Central announced in April 2013 that they would not be renewing it beyond its seventh season. The final episode aired on September 4, 2013.<ref>{{cite web |last=Marechal |first=AJ |title=Toon comedy has logged seasons on Fox, Comedy Central since 1999 |url=https://variety.com/2013/tv/news/futurama-cancelled-by-comedy-central-1200406963/ |work=Variety |accessdate=April 22, 2013}}</ref>

In 1994, Groening formed [[Bongo Comics Group|Bongo Comics]] (named after the character Bongo from ''Life in Hell''<ref name="royale3">{{Harvnb|Groening|2001c |p=128}}.</ref>) with Steve Vance, Cindy Vance and [[Bill Morrison (comics)|Bill Morrison]], which publishes comic books based on ''The Simpsons'' and ''Futurama'' (including ''Futurama Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis'', a crossover between the two), as well as a few original titles. According to Groening, the goal with Bongo is to "[try] to bring humor into the fairly grim comic book market."<ref name="flux" /> He also formed [[Zongo Comics]] in 1995, an [[imprint (trade name)|imprint]] of Bongo that published comics for more mature readers,<ref name="flux"/> which included three issues of [[Mary Fleener]]'s ''Fleener''<ref name="fleener">[http://www.maryfleener.com/covers/comic_covers.html Mary Fleener ~ Comic Book Covers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519052739/http://www.maryfleener.com/covers/comic_covers.html |date=May 19, 2011 }} URL accessed on September 19, 2007.</ref> and seven issues of his close friend [[Gary Panter]]'s ''Jimbo'' comics.<ref name="zograf">{{cite web |title=Meet The End of The Century With... Gary Panter |url=http://www.aleksandarzograf.com/writes/writes_Gary_Panter_interviewed.html |last=Zograf |first=Aleksandar |accessdate=September 4, 2007}}</ref>

|newspaper=New York Times |date=December 27, 1998 |quote=I'm an agnostic |accessdate=September 19, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="agnostic">{{cite web |title=Yes, There Is A Hell |last=Allen |first=Norm |work=[[Free Inquiry]] |url=http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/sidelines_19_3.html |accessdate=February 26, 2007 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918064557/http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/sidelines_19_3.html |archivedate=September 18, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> and a [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]]<ref name="imdb.com">{{cite web |title='The Simpsons: The Movie' Taking Shape |url=http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2004-10-04 |accessdate=March 16, 2008}}</ref> and has often made campaign contributions to [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] candidates.<ref name="newsmeat">{{cite web |title=Matt Groening's Federal Campaign Contribution Report |work=Newsmeat.com |url=http://www.newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Matt_Groening.php |accessdate=July 22, 2007 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828094626/http://newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Matt_Groening.php |archivedate=August 28, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> His first cousin, [[Laurie Monnes Anderson]], is a member of the [[Oregon State Senate]] representing eastern [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah County]].<ref name=mortenson>{{cite news |title=Lawmaker feels void after mother's death |date=November 19, 2004 |work=[[The Oregonian]] |last=Mortenson |first=Eric}}</ref>

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060427061953/http://www.snpp.com/guides/meta.html#groening Incomplete list of Matt Groening appearances on ''The Simpsons''] at [[The Simpsons Archive]]