10 Greatest Musician Cameos On The Simpsons

Season nine’s “Trash Of The Titans” is a particularly star studded episode, with Steve Martin nicely downplaying his part as longtime sanitation commissioner Ray Patterson. When the buttoned down bureaucrat makes an enemy of Homer Simpson, this leads to the latter running against Patterson for the position and winning, thanks to his strategy of crazy promises.

Homer’s campaign trail sees him stage invade a U2 show mid-song. When he starts to talk about the importance of sanitation, this piques the interest of the environmentally conscious Bono, to the chagrin of the rest of the band.

U2 specifically requested to appear on the show, and they’re all more than willing to make themselves look daft. Bono is the speech making blowhard; the rest of the band make plans to sneak off for a beer without inviting The Edge; we later learn that Adam Clayton has a beloved spoon collection, presently standing at nine (eight once Bono snatches and hurls away his latest acquisition).

By this point in The Simpsons’ run, an appearance was the stuff of bucket lists for rock stars, and if you’re U2, all you’ve got to do is ask and it will be delivered.