105: John Swartzwelder

105: John Swartzwelder

From 500 Open Tabs by Kaveh Taherian & Hannah Hillam

February 18, 2026 · 1h 17m · Season 3 · Episode 105

About this episode

The episode features Kaveh Mohebbi discussing the myth of John Swartzwelder, a key writer for The Simpsons, alongside a listener's story about the first gas balloon flight.

This week we're joined by special guest Kaveh Mohebbi of the Cinema Rex podcast as he tells us about the myth surrounding John Swartzwelder, the most prolific writer in the history of The Simpsons whose voice helped shape the show and who may or may not actually exist. A listener mail tells us the insane story of the first gas balloon flight. Episode Tabs: John Swartzwelder, Sage of “The Simpsons” https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/john-swartzwelder-sage-of-the-simpsons Listener Tabs: The First Gas Balloon Flight https://www.bbml.org.uk/the-first-gas-balloon-flight/ Email your closed tab submissions to:  500opentabs@gmail.com Support us on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/500OpenTabs 500 Open Tabs Wiki:  https://500-open-tabs.fandom.com/wiki/500_Open_Tabs_Wiki 500 Open Roads (Google Maps episode guide):  https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tg9g2HcUaFAzXGbw7 Continue the conversation by joining us on Discord!  https://discord.gg/8px5RJHk7a Get 40% off an annual subscription to Nebula by going to  nebula.tv/500opentabs See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at…

People in this episode

Hosts: Kaveh Taherian, Hannah Hillam

Guest: Kaveh Mohebbi

Topics covered

  • John Swartzwelder
  • The Simpsons
  • gas balloon flight
  • myth
  • comedy
  • history

Keywords

  • John Swartzwelder
  • The Simpsons
  • Kaveh Mohebbi
  • gas balloon flight
  • myth
  • comedy
  • history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Simpsons

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