When a passing Simpsons reference left his mum utterly confused, Yianni Agisilaou realised that he and his friends peppered their conversations with quotes and references from the long-running TV series.
From that realisation came Yianni's new solo show, The Simpsons Taught Me Everything I Know, in which the Aussie comedian brain-dumps observations, facts and more from the animated series, along with choice clips and spot-on character impressions, revealing life lessons, predictions and useful advice.
"The Simpsons got big by being one of the first (but not THE first) show to break the sitcom mould of 'Nice characters, lesson learned at end of episode'," says Yianni, who is now based in the UK, of the show’s phenomenal global success.
In excess of 600 episodes have been produced since the half-hour 'toon first appeared in 1989 (following on from crudely drawn short sketches in The Tracey Ullman Show). In that time, Bart, Homer, Marge, Lisa and their supporting cast of colourful (though mostly yellow, let’s be honest) characters have met numerous world leaders, countless celeb's and even God, averted and caused disasters, loved and lost.
Yianni initially describes himself as "an enthusiast" and reckons he's seen some episodes "at least 30 times," though confesses he's no completest.
"I have a deep knowledge of the ‘classic’ episodes (Seasons 3-9) but there are swathes of the later seasons that I haven’t seen. I find it difficult to watch some of the episodes from the middle seasons, as it feels like watching a boxer who’s past their prime."
While the core of Yianni's audiences have been hardened Simpons buffs, those unaware of Spingfield's residents have still found much to enjoy.
"People who really know nothing about The Simpsons and perhaps came along because their partner, son or daughter love it have told me after ‘I really enjoyed that show’," he says.
As to what The Simpsons have actually taught him, Yianni has a long list which includes such advice / nonsense as: "... that ‘KWYJIBO’ is not an acceptable word in Scrabble; that sometimes you need to throw out the sandwich; that 'I Am The Lizard Queen!'; that in America first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women. And finally, how to draw dignity."
Yianni Agisilaou brings his The Simpsons Taught Me Everything I Know show to The Glee Club, Birmingham on Friday 20 October.
When a passing Simpsons reference left his mum utterly confused, Yianni Agisilaou realised that he and his friends peppered their conversations with quotes and references from the long-running TV series.
From that realisation came Yianni's new solo show, The Simpsons Taught Me Everything I Know, in which the Aussie comedian brain-dumps observations, facts and more from the animated series, along with choice clips and spot-on character impressions, revealing life lessons, predictions and useful advice.
"The Simpsons got big by being one of the first (but not THE first) show to break the sitcom mould of 'Nice characters, lesson learned at end of episode'," says Yianni, who is now based in the UK, of the show’s phenomenal global success.
In excess of 600 episodes have been produced since the half-hour 'toon first appeared in 1989 (following on from crudely drawn short sketches in The Tracey Ullman Show). In that time, Bart, Homer, Marge, Lisa and their supporting cast of colourful (though mostly yellow, let’s be honest) characters have met numerous world leaders, countless celeb's and even God, averted and caused disasters, loved and lost.
Yianni initially describes himself as "an enthusiast" and reckons he's seen some episodes "at least 30 times," though confesses he's no completest.
"I have a deep knowledge of the ‘classic’ episodes (Seasons 3-9) but there are swathes of the later seasons that I haven’t seen. I find it difficult to watch some of the episodes from the middle seasons, as it feels like watching a boxer who’s past their prime."
While the core of Yianni's audiences have been hardened Simpons buffs, those unaware of Spingfield's residents have still found much to enjoy.
"People who really know nothing about The Simpsons and perhaps came along because their partner, son or daughter love it have told me after ‘I really enjoyed that show’," he says.
As to what The Simpsons have actually taught him, Yianni has a long list which includes such advice / nonsense as: "... that ‘KWYJIBO’ is not an acceptable word in Scrabble; that sometimes you need to throw out the sandwich; that 'I Am The Lizard Queen!'; that in America first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women. And finally, how to draw dignity."
Yianni Agisilaou brings his The Simpsons Taught Me Everything I Know show to The Glee Club, Birmingham on Friday 20 October.
Tickets are available here: glee.co.uk/performer/yianni-agisilaou