How did you become the go-to guy whenever there was a Krusty the Clown episode?
Krusty is Matt Groening’s creation, but I love Krusty. Matt and I both come from Oregon; I actually know what clown he was basing Krusty on. Krusty is a complete perversion of this really rather wholesome guy. And he is my favorite Simpsons character — he’s tremendously tormented but at the same time he’s at peace with some of the worst sides of himself. For several seasons I’d animate at least one Krusty scene. I had my hand in as a consultant. I was part of the process on every episode. But I’d actually request to animate Krusty’s scenes because he cracked me up. Like the Halloween episode where Bart can control everything happening in Springfield and he makes Krusty work nonstop, without sleep — and Krusty says, “All thanks to one little boy WHO WON’T LET ME STOP!” Sideshow Bob is another one; I can’t analyze it any more than to say these two characters are hilarious. Was working on your own project again, “The Iron Giant,” like working on “Family Dog”? Even though on “The Iron Gi
