ABSTRACT
The Simpsons is well-known for its use of celebrities. Kelsey Grammer, Larry King, Danny deVito, Dustin Hoffman, Britney Spears, Ringo Starr, Aerosmith, Tito Puente and Rupert Murdoch are only some of the famous personalities to have featured in the cartoon series since its inception.1 The appearance of Frank Gehry on season 16, episode 4, however, was a noteworthy moment for architects, rarely acclaimed as popular icons. Gehry provided a voice-over for his character. The episode – entitled ‘The seven-beer snitch’ – begins with Marge and family visiting neighbouring Shelbyville. They are ridiculed as hick residents of Springfield (a town notable only as a site of a nuclear power plant), lacking in culture. An infuriated Marge responds by sending an invitation to Gehry, who accepts a $30 million commission to design a concert hall. Gehry provides sketches and models of an unorthodox and complex design of jagged, interlocking walls. When the town leader calls the vote: ‘All in favour of a $30 million “screw you” to Shelbyville?’ the response is unanimously in favour.2
