Episode: Season 13, "Homer the Moe" Another musical bust. The "Shiny Happy People" singers appeared on The Simpsons in season 13 (that was 2001), just as their career was really hitting its slump. The band requested that former drummer Bill Berry not be animated for the appearance, so the likeness of a session drummer was used - making us wonder how amicable Berry's departure really was (Berry had quit the band and become a farmer). Seems there might have been some hard feelings lingering, as the band was never the same as a three-piece. This is another stale guest appearance in an otherwise stellar episode. After Moe's club is rebranded "M" by a design consultant, and becomes too high end, Homer opens a bar in his garage - and manages to have R.E.M. play. Any band could have been inserted into the episode and it wouldn't have mattered, in fact almost any rock act would have made more sense, as R.E.M. were anything but a beer-friendly band. The end of the episode has the band sitting down with the Simpson family for Thanksgiving dinner, featuring a Tofurkey (a missed opportunity to bring back the "You don't win friends with salad" song).
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
