Mike Reiss did not earn his job as a writer and producer of ‘The Simpsons’ by making clean jokes. On Monday night, he showed that he is not afraid to make fun of George Bush, Jews, or sufferers of Tourette’s syndrome.

‘Tourette’s – it’s a funny, funny disease,’ Reiss said.

Reiss was brought to campus by University Union Speakers. Though his appearance was delayed when the event’s venue was switched from Goldstein Auditorium to Watson Theater, Reiss still drew a large and eager crowd.

‘It’s always been my dream to come speak at Syracuse,’ he said. ‘Now that that dream has come true, I have to say … Shit! I mean, of all the dreams I’ve had, why is this the one that gets to come true?’

Reiss’ raunchy sense of humor, punctuated with F-bombs and jokes not suitable for polite company, was well-received by the audience. Picking up on that, Reiss joked that ‘you guys are sick.’

The comedian’s career in laughs began at Harvard University, where he wrote for the Harvard Lampoon. Reiss was then picked up by the National Lampoon, and went on to write jokes for the movie ‘Airplane 2.’ Afterward he was selected to write for the first full season of ‘The Simpsons,’ where he’s been ever since.

Reiss has also written for Johnny Carson, ‘ALF’ and ‘The PJ’s,’ and was the co-creator of the twice-cancelled cartoon ‘The Critic.’ He also has a more recent artistic venture, into literature.

‘In my free time, I write children’s books. This is strange for me, because I hate children,’ he said.

‘It’s good to know that even when you’re in a successful business, you can still try other projects,’ said EJ Argenio, a junior communications and rhetorical studies major.

Though Reiss promised he was not there to do comedy but only to speak about it, his speech was two parts ‘Simpsons’ background stories and one part hilariously offensive side comments. Reiss’ targets ranged from George Bush (‘He’s Satan with a learning disorder’) to radio DJ Rick Dees (‘Rick Dees really is a moron’). Even Oprah Winfrey, who Reiss said was the worst ‘Simpsons’ guest star ever, took a licking.

‘Oprah Winfrey has the biggest fucking head I’ve ever seen in my life,’ Reiss said. ‘She could play herself at Disney World.’

‘I thought he was a little edgy in person, which is always good,’ Argenio said, ‘but he offended all sides, and wasn’t afraid to offend anyone. He wasn’t sticking towards one side.’

When one particular off-color joke drew a chorus of ‘Oooo’ from the audience, Reiss unapologetically pointed out, ‘come on, you had Snoop Dogg here last night.’

Reiss himself was brought by UU Speakers because the group wanted to end the year’s events with a lighter, more fun personality, as opposed to recent speakers Soledad O’Brien and Wes Craven, according to rising co-director Clarence Cross.

‘Simpsons’ fans in the audience asked several in-depth questions about Reiss’s favorite quotes and characters from the show, and also questioned some of the show’s recent moves.

‘It’s nice to hear one of the writers on the ‘Simpsons’ actually criticize the newer seasons of ‘The Simpsons,” said Mike Kulec, senior television, radio and film major.

As for the future of ‘The Simpsons,’ Reiss indicated that a movie was in the works, but that unlike the recent ‘Scooby Doo’ flicks, ‘we thought maybe we should have a script first.’ And while Reiss admitted that the show has always had detractors, he said that the show’s staff has every intention of reaching its 20th season.

‘I don’t think we’re going anywhere. Our ratings are still good, we still win awards,’ he said. ‘Sometimes I think we’ll just go and go.’

Published on May 3, 2005 at 12:00 pm