Living For Lunch with Alan Siegel

The Distraction: A Defector Podcast

Defector Media

Sports, Society & Culture

4.7 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 12 June 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Ringer staff writer Alan Siegel drops by to talk about his new book, Stupid TV, Be More Funny: How the Golden Era of The Simpsons Changed Television-and America-Forever. He reveals perhaps too much information about Operation Dizzy Fox, Los Angeles’ lost utopian monorail future, and exactly how gross the Simpsons Writers’ Room (like, the physical room) actually was. And then of course, they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners.

Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0!

Stuff We Talked About

The reality of the LA Protests
Behind the scenes of The Simpsons

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Credits

- Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

- Producer: Brandon Grugle

- Editor: Mischa Stanton

- Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts

- Subscribe to Defector!

About The Show

The Distraction is Defector's flagship podcast about sports (and movies, and art, and sandwiches, and certain coastal states) from longtime writers Drew Magary and David Roth. Every week, Drew and Roth tackle subjects, both serious and impossibly stupid, with a parade of guests from around the world of sports and media joining in the fun! Roth and Drew also field Funbag questions from Defector readers, answer listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0	We're back, for back. It's a distraction. I'm Drew. That's Roth. I do Roth. I'm good, man. How are you? You all right? I'm attending a book reading tonight, like a culture person. Oh, wow. So you're going to, like, going to the library and someone's going to read you a story? No, I'm going to a bookstore where Megan Greenwell is reading.
0:22.3	Megan Greenwell? The polarizing former editor-in-chief of Deadspin.com? Yeah. If she wrote a book, nice try. If she wrote a book, I think I'd know about it.
0:31.9	By the way, yeah, by the way, I was mentioned in the Atlantic. There were some Atlantic art. I didn't even read all of it, but my mom sent me like the screen grab.
0:39.9	And I was noted as the anti-Trump writer, Drew McGarry, which is like the anti-Trump writer.
0:46.8	Yeah, the only one.
0:48.7	The only right.
0:48.7	The central voice.
0:50.0	We're basically the only people who do write against Trump now.
0:53.0	Now everyone else is like, you know what, let's have Tom Cotton piss everybody off by running something for us.
0:58.9	That's right.
0:59.4	Well, that's speech, Drew.
1:01.2	That's the marketplace of ideas.
1:02.9	Let's get to this week's guest.
1:04.5	It's senior writer at The Ringer, Alan Siegel.
1:07.6	Alan's got a new book out as well titled Stupid TV, Be More Funny,
1:12.5	How the Golden Era of the Simpsons Change Television and America Forever.
1:17.3	Now, if you're like me, that title alone sells the book.
1:21.5	But we're going to ask Alan about the book.
1:25.1	Also, if you're like me, you've already read the book.
1:28.2	And so I can say, you should buy it.
1:30.5	It's good.
1:31.2	Yeah, yeah.
	...

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