Tonight’s “couch gag” for The Simpsons was directed and storyboarded by infamous British graffiti artist Banksy, known for expressing anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian messages in often subversive and intriguing ways.

Why would 20th Century Fox willingly approve such an opening?

According to media scholar and author of Watching With The Simpsons: Television, Parody, And Intertextuality, Jonathan Gray, they didn’t get the chance. On Twitter, he notes:

@Memles @annehelen FOX don’t get to sign off on The Simpsons: no notes policy in the contract. They may’ve seen it, but had no choice in it

October 11, 2010 12:33 AM via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@jonathanagray

Jonathan Gray

Apparently the times FOX has tried to intervene, “it’s backfired badly on them.” In a later tweet:

@jmittell Doubt they could think much of it — it’s only the Burbank animators who tend to see things in sequence, not single frames

October 11, 2010 12:35 AM via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@jonathanagray

Jonathan Gray

Whatever the case, there was likely a moment of self-awareness for all those involved in this cycle of cultural production: distributor, producers, and viewer alike. But as Banksy once said, “We can’t do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime we should all go shopping to console ourselves.”

We now return to our normal programming…

[via @davechensky]

• The Street Art Beat: Traditions of Hong Kong Graffiti
• The Street Art Beat: An Introduction to Tokyo