You’ll Have to Speak Up: I’m Wearing a Towel
Finding Meaning In Absurdist Humor
I grew up watching the Simpsons religiously: every Sunday with rapt attention, and even on weeknights in syndication. I took my communion in Buzz Cola and pink-frosted doughnuts. Much like the titular family, I grew up eating from TV trays in front of the almighty boob tube, basking in the soft radiation of its warm, glowing, warming glow.
Suffice it to say: I like the Simpsons. My brain is a tangled lump of Simpsons quotes and trivia. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’ve ever had an original thought or if my brain just recycles lines and themes from old Simpsons episodes.
I also like to think critically about the media I consume, and that is what convinced me to write this piece. I like to find meaning in even the most absurd nuggets of humor.
One of my favorite lines to over-analyze in the Simpsons comes from the season 5 episode “Bart Gets Famous”. In the 1993 episode, Bart goes missing from a school field trip to a box factory and subsequently becomes a flash-in-the-pan television star. It’s peak entertainment.
When Bart’s absence becomes known, Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel must call his parents. Marge runs to the phone in a towel, but they hang up before she can answer. Homer, at work at the nuclear power plant, also runs to the phone wearing a towel. He answers the call and says the line in question: “you’ll have to speak up: I’m wearing a towel.”
I love this line. On the surface, it’s just absurd. His towel is around his waist. Logically, there’s no reason Mrs. Krabappel should have to speak up. It’s not like his towel is wrapped around his head to dry his hair — he doesn’t have any hair.
But wait: Marge has a lot of hair and Homer is an idiot. Just imagine all the times he’s tried talking to her while her hair is wrapped up in a towel to dry after a shower. She’s probably said “you’ll have to speak up: I’m wearing a towel” countless times, trying to drill it into Homer’s abnormally thick skull that she can’t hear him through the towel.
Homer, being the idiot he is, may have internalized that message. If someone is wearing a towel, they can’t hear well and you’ll have to speak up. It’s kinda sweet in a weird, dumb way.
Of course, it’s equally possible that it’s just a silly, absurd line. I like to think, though, that Homer just thinks he can’t hear while wearing a towel.
