'Simpsons' GPS leads writer astray

PEABODY, Mass., Aug. 17 (UPI) -- A writer for "The Simpsons" said a satellite navigator outfitted with Homer Simpson's voice took him and his wife on an accidental trip to a Massachusetts city.

Mike Reiss, 50, said he and his wife, Denise, were staying with friends in Wenham, Mass., and wanted to visit the Peabody Essex Museum, but the global positioning system instead directed them in Homer Simpson's voice to the City of Peabody, a little more than 2 miles off course, The Gloucester (Mass.) Times reported Tuesday.

"We came via a GPS mistake," Reiss said. "I have a Homer Simpson global positioning system. It speaks in the voice of Homer Simpson."

He said the device was a gift "from the show" to celebrate his years as a writer for the animated Fox sitcom.

Reiss said the accidental side-trip worked out when he and his wife were treated to a tour of the city by Bill Power, chairman of the Historical Commission and the Historic Society as well as a self-described television expert.

"I like it," Reiss said of Peabody. "It reminds me of my hometown with a lot more history ... I'm sure it'll make its appearance somewhere. Nothing is wasted."