Lisa and her Saxophone

By Sam Goodykoontz

helps her throughout the series is one of the most meaningful aspects of the show for me.

THE LONGEST-RUNNING animated tv show of all time, The Simpsons has often been criticized for collapsing in on itself and becoming an exaggerated version of what it used to be, with its characters lacking any complexity or nuance, in order to easily make more seasons. Even one of the most interestingly written characters, Lisa, has been critiqued for changing from a brainy and determined, yet fun-loving kid to a conceited liberal narcissist. Yet one thing has always stayed the same about Lisa Simpson: her love for her saxophone. Beginning way back in Season

1 with the episode “Moaning Lisa,” her passion for her saxophone and how it

The episode “Moaning Lisa” details Lisa going through a common experience: feeling so small in a big, scary world, and thus feeling like nothing truly has meaning. After delivering one of the show’s most underrated lines, “Lisa refuses to play dodgeball because she is sad,” the episode leads to Lisa running into Bleeding Gums Murphy, a jazz musician who teaches her to express her pain and passion through her saxophone. Earlier in the episode, she was criticized by her music teacher for freestyling and playing what she felt instead of playing what she was told to play. With Bleeding Gums Murphy, she can play whatever is on her mind. Yet this expression is not a messy freefor-all, as before Bleeding Gums and Lisa jam together, he tests her musical ability and she succeeds. This whole scene is what turns Lisa from a regular saxophone player to an artist. An artist, in my definition, is a talented individual who expresses their feeling through their craft, and uses it as a way to connect with the rest of the world. At the end of the episode Lisa feels less alone and feels more support from her family. She eventually learns not to let limitations define her, as many artists do. In the episode “Separate Vocations,” Lisa learns that her chances of becoming a professional musician are made thin due to the fact that she has inherited stubby fingers. Due to this, she begins to lose her passion for music and school conduct, which later leads her to steal the teachers’ edition of all of the textbooks as an act of rebellion, exposing the ignorance of the faculty. Bart, her brother, takes the blame once the books are found, explaining to Lisa that he doesn’t want her to wreck her life and that she has the potential to do whatever she wishes with music, no matter what others say. As an act of thanks, she plays saxophone for him as entertainment while he serves his detention. Not only does this represent bravery and not letting obstacles stop you, it also represents a part of artistry I find most people don’t recognize: trib - uting your craft to those who you care for and have helped you along the way, giving back to the community.

Bleeding Gums Murphy’s time comes to an end though in “Round Springfield” when he is suddenly hospitalized, dying soon after. This devastates Lisa for a long time, yet when she worries about how he will be remembered, she takes it upon herself to show everyone his magic. At her school band performance, she improvises a saxophone solo to everyone’s surprise, referencing when Bleeding Gums taught her to play from her soul and not what was written on sheet music. She goes on a mission to get his only released album to play on a jazz station, which she accomplishes through her passion for her mentor. Even though she is not technically creating something, she still acts like an artist in a sense by demonstrating her passion to others and honoring those who helped and inspired her.

Continuing with the theme of tributes, it is revealed in the episode “Lisa’s Sax” how she had started playing in the first place. Homer bought the sax - ophone after he and Marge discovered that she is gifted, and they needed to find a way to encourage her. They did so by purchasing her a saxophone, after her immediate interest. In the present, she gets a new sax after her old one gets demolished, and after reading the personalized engraving from her dad, she plays a lower-key rendition of “Baker’s Street,” in which a compilation of Lisa Simpson’s best saxophone moments is shown, including the ones I mentioned along with a scene where Lisa plays for her dad while he’s in a coma. This scene taught me that making art can help you discover who you are as a person, and to always be grateful every step of the way.

Lisa’s passion for her saxophone has overall taught me that being yourself can help you connect with others more than being what someone else wants you to be, that expressing oneself is worth it despite hardships in the process, to be grateful for everyone that helps you during your life and to help them as well, and to never give up.