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"How I Spent My Strummer Vacation"
The Simpsons episode
	Promotional artwork for the episode featuring Homer next to Keith Richards and Mick Jagger.
Episode no.	293
Prod. code	DABF22
Orig. airdate	November 10, 2002
Show runner(s)	Mike Scully
Written by	Mike Scully
Directed by	Mike B. Anderson
Couch gag	The living room is in an ocean. Homer is on water skis, with the others on him, as he ski-jumps over sharks; everybody lands on the couch, but Homer’s legs are in the mouth of the sharks.
Guest star(s)	Elvis Costello, Mick Jagger, Lenny Kravitz, Tom Petty, Keith Richards, and Brian Setzer as themselves
Season 14
	November 3, 2002 – May 18, 2003
	"Treehouse of Horror XIII"; "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation"; "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade"; "Large Marge"; "Helter Shelter"; "The Great Louse Detective"; "Special Edna"; "The Dad Who Knew Too Little"; "Strong Arms of the Ma"; "Pray Anything"; "Barting Over"; "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can"; "A Star Is Born Again"; "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington"; "C.E. D'oh"; "'Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky"; "Three Gays of the Condo"; "Dude, Where's My Ranch?"; "Old Yeller Belly"; "Brake My Wife, Please"; "The Bart of War"; "Moe Baby Blues";
	List of all The Simpsons episodes
Seasons
	1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12; 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 19 · 20 · 21

"How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" is the second episode of The Simpsons' fourteenth season. The episode was first broadcast on November 10, 2002. It was intended to be the season premiere, but "Treehouse of Horror XIII" was moved ahead for Halloween. This episode was heavily promoted due to its list of high-profile guest stars, and is the last episode written by Mike Scully. This episode is also the last to be produced in traditional cel animation. 3 weeks later, Helter Shelter became the last traditional cel animated episode to air.^[2]

[edit] Plot

Promotional image for the episode

On a visit to Moe's, Homer has no money to pay for his beer and Moe will not give him any freebies. As a result, he goes around town doing alternate things to feel drunk, such as breathing thin air on top of a mountain, licking toads and giving blood. Moe feels guilty about earlier and gives Homer a free beer, but Homer is already heavily intoxicated. Moe, Lenny and Carl put Homer in a taxi to Homer's home. He is secretly being videotaped on a reality show called Taxicab Conversations, and what he says on tape are some unpleasant things about Marge and the kids, as well as his dream of being a rock star. His family is not impressed with him, but soon realise that they do somewhat burden him. To make up for this, the family takes Homer to a Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp, run by the Rolling Stones. At the camp, Homer and a bunch of other Springfield citizens learn about rock music, with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Elvis Costello, Lenny Kravitz, Tom Petty, and Brian Setzer (all of whom lend their own voices). Homer likes the camp very much and goes wild. He learns different "rock 'n' roll" techniques, like Mick's walk, and basic things like playing a flaming guitar with his teeth over his head. Finally, the wannabe-rockstars have a mock rock concert, with Homer as the lead guitarist and singer. Homer, really into the rock fantasy, even jumps into the crowd, except that the crowd only contains the six musicians, who nearly get flattened by Homer's mass.

The thread shed.

However, it does not last long as the camp was actually a one-week only camp. Homer's dream is shattered and he does not want to leave. That is, until Mick Jagger offers Homer a chance to perform at a benefit gig, the "Concert for Planet Hollywood". Homer, excited to no end, gets passes for his friends so they can see him at the concert. But, Homer is shocked when he is asked to perform the duties of a roadie. When he goes on stage to test the microphone, seeing his family and friends out there rooting for him, he sings a rock song and steals the show. This angers the rock stars, who attempt to run Homer off the stage with a big mobile fire-breathing devil's head. The devil's head goes out of control and plows into the audience.

The performers, feeling sorry about their actions, offer Homer an opportunity to perform at another benefit concert (for the victims of the recently messed-up gig), but he declines and prefers to perform at home instead. However, at the end of the episode he replaces his car with the big devil's head (given to him by the band) using it to take Bart and Lisa to school, much to the fascination of the kids there. Principal Skinner then tells Homer that he is not supposed to stop his car in the school bus zone. In retaliation, Homer activates the devil's fire breath, burning off Skinner's clothes, much to the delight of the kids.^[1]

[edit] Cultural references

The title of the episode, How I Spent My Strummer Vacation, is a reference to the singer of The Clash, Joe Strummer and the act of strumming the guitar. The couch gag is a visual pun of the slang term, jump the shark, which describes when a TV show has reached its creative peak and is slowly declining in quality or does something gimmicky in an attempt to lure audiences in, but ends up shunning them (including, but not limited to: having frequent guest stars, changing characters' personalities, creating wackier, more implausible plots, adding Ted McGinley or a Ted McGinley-esque actor to the cast, losing a favorite character to death, or airing "very special" episodes where the plots focus on serious social issues). The cab videotaping Homer is a parody of Taxicab Confessions. In addition, when camp is over, Mick Jagger tells Homer to cheer up, "it's only rock and roll camp", and Homer responds, "but I like it." This is in reference to the Rolling Stones song "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I like It)". The songs include "Rip This Joint", "Start Me Up", "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)", and "She's So Cold", all by the Rolling Stones, "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz, "Pump It Up" by Elvis Costello and "The Last DJ" by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers.