Aerosmith became the first band to guest on The Simpsons when “Flaming Moe’s” aired on Fox in the United States on November 21, 1991. The third season’s tenth episode cast the musicians as themselves and put “Walk This Way” on the stage of Moe’s Tavern.
Their arrival was part of a story about success built on a stolen idea. Homer invents a cocktail, Moe takes credit for it, and the renamed Flaming Moe turns a struggling bar into a fashionable destination. Aerosmith become customers as the business takes off. For Homer, watching his bartender prosper means watching someone else enjoy the rewards of his invention.
Episode writer Robert Cohen wanted a band that made sense in that setting. In MEL’s oral history, he recalled pushing for Aerosmith because he loved the group and thought they suited the joke. “You had to believe that they’d be playing at Moe’s,” he said. The choice gave the story recognizable rock stars who could also participate in the absurdity of the bar’s transformation.
The dialogue session brought Aerosmith together with Hank Azaria, the voice of Moe, in Boston. Azaria recorded alongside the musicians and helped them with their lines, as the band recalled in its 2019 retrospective. The location also suited producers Al Jean and Mike Reiss: Jean recalled in the episode’s DVD commentary that they were returning to Boston for their tenth college reunion and arranged to direct the band there.
Reiss remembered a session stretching to six or seven hours, with conversation sharing the time with recording. “That was my favorite day in show business,” he said in the commentary excerpted by MEL, recalling how much he enjoyed spending the day with the musicians.
Aerosmith also had a say in how their animated selves behaved. In the original script, Moe tried to entice them to perform by offering free beer. The band asked the writers to change that joke, and free pickled eggs became the inducement instead. That was the bargain behind their performance: a famous rock band agreeing to play a neighborhood bar for free bar snacks.
The musical contribution extended beyond the tavern scene. “Young Lust,” from Pump, plays over the closing credits. Jean explained in the DVD commentary that Aerosmith recorded a shortened version specifically for the episode.
