his monologues, he called God “a ridiculous superstition, invented by frightened cavemen” and
referred to marriage as “a stagnant cauldron of fermented resentments, scared and judgmental
conformity, exaggerated concern for the children... and the secret dredging-up of erotic images from
past lovers in a desperate and heartbreaking attempt to make spousal sex even possible.”
The secret to creativity: be a taker?
Not so fast. Meyer may harbor a cynical sense of humor, deep-seated suspicion about time-
honored traditions, and a few past indiscretions, but in a Hollywood universe dominated by takers, he
has spent much of his career in giver style. It started early in life: growing up, he was an Eagle Scout
and an altar boy. At Harvard, Meyer majored in biochemistry and was accepted to medical school,
but decided not to attend. He was turned off by the hypercompetitive premed students he met in
college, who would regularly “sabotage each other’s experiments—so lame.” After being elected
president of the Lampoon, when peers attempted to depose him, Owen notes that “Meyer not only
survived that coup but also, characteristically, became a close friend of his principal rival.” After
graduating and failing at the dog track, Meyer worked in a cancer research lab and as a substitute
teacher. When I asked Meyer what drew him to comedy, he said, “I love to make people laugh,
entertain people, and try to make the world a little better.”
Meyer has used his comedic talent to promote social and environmental responsibility. In 1992,
an early Simpsons episode that Meyer wrote, “Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington,” was nominated for an
Environmental Media Award, granted to the best episodic comedy on television with a pro-
environmental message. During his tenure, The Simpsons won six of these awards. In 1995, The
Simpsons won a Genesis Award from the Humane Society for raising public awareness of animal
issues. Meyer is a vegetarian who practices yoga, and in 2005 he cowrote Earth to America, a TBS
special that utilized comedy as a vehicle for raising awareness about global warming and related
environmental issues. He has done extensive work for Conservation International, producing
humorous PowerPoint lectures to promote biodiversity. In 2007, when scientists discovered a new
species of moss frogs in Sri Lanka, they named it after Meyer’s daughter, honoring his contributions to
the Global Amphibian Assessment to protect frogs.
Even more impressive than Meyer’s work on behalf of the planet is how he works with other
people. His big break came when he was working on the Letterman movie script in 1988. To provide
some variety in his workday, he wrote and self-published a humor magazine called Army Man.
“There were very few publications that were just trying to be funny,” Meyer told humorist Eric
Spitznagel, “so I tried to make something that had no agenda other than to make you laugh.” The first
issue of Army Man was only eight pages long. Meyer typed it himself, arranged it on his bed, and
started making photocopies. Then he gave away his best comedy, sending copies to about two
hundred friends for free.
Readers found Army Man hilarious and started passing it along to their friends. The magazine
quickly attracted a cult following, and it made Rolling Stone magazine’s Hot List of the year’s best in
entertainment. Soon, Meyer’s friends began sending him submissions to feature in future issues. By
the second issue, there was enough demand for Meyer to circulate about a thousand copies. He shut it
down after the third issue, in part because he couldn’t publish all of his friends’ submissions but
couldn’t bear to turn them down.
The first issue of Army Man debuted when The Simpsons was getting off the ground, and it made
its way into the hands of executive producer Sam Simon, who was just about to recruit a writing team.
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(Michael S)
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