Today we celebrate three Detroit expatriate artists' birthdays, all now California transplants (the poor bastards 🤬🤬🤬🤬)…
The first has been making you laugh for over 40 years and you've probably never seen his face nor are familiar with his name. He was born in Detroit and raised in Farmington Hills. A Harvard graduate, he wrote for National Lampoon, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and It's Garry Shandling's Show! to name a few before moving on to writing for and eventually showrunning a little cartoon you might have heard of…The Simpsons. Co-creator of the cult animated series, The Critic, Emmy award-winning Mr Al Jean, thanks for all the laughs while pitching 'em a little higher than most! Happy Birthday, Al!
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Here's another clown born in Detroit…what…wait a minute…oh, he really is a clown! He is Detroit-born but was raised Los Angeles' South Central. After some run-ins with the law, then doing five years in jail, he realized this was not the way forward. He then turned what was essentially a side-gig into a source of hope and happiness for himself and those around him while originating his own wild-style dance freestyle, Clowning, which evolved into Krumping! Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for Mr Thomas Johnson AKA Tommy The Clown!
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Lastly, his is a face that, unlike our first two honorees, I know you've seen; next to the dictionary entry for "ubiquitious" is his picture! After the legendary James Brown he is the hardest working man in showbusiness! You've even heard his voice in animated series and videogames. No, I'm not listing all of his film, TV and voice credits! I'd be here all day! He's J Jonah Jameson, he's the loathsome Vernon Schillinger, he's the fed-up piano bar owner, he's William Frawley, he's Dr Emil Skoda, he's the professor from hell Terence Fletcher! He's the 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 Yellow M&M, for Fauchard's sake! It's a good thing it's always a pleasure seeing him, otherwise, y'know…he'd be a Kardashian or Donald Trump or some other equally unavoidable nuisance. Born in Grosse Pointe [^1], Today is actor Jonathan Kimble Simmons' (better known as J K Simmons) birthday! Most warm birthday wishes, Mr Simmons!
Gentlemen, Happiest Birthday Wishes from (if I may) all of us here at !detroit@midwest.social
[^1]: Go on, Señor or Señora Pedantic. Yank my chain about Grosse Pointe != Detroit. Go on.