If apocalyptic calamity ever hits Springfield, Homer Simpson will be in good, soulful hands. Singer-songwriter Tom Waits will lend his distinctive voice to The Simpsons‘ upcoming Season 24, playing himself as someone who helps introduce Homer to a community of survivalists, executive producer Al Jean tells TVLine exclusively. “We did a lot of research into the ‘prepper’ phenomenon, where people are convinced that some horrible catastrophe – like an electromagnetic pulse – is going to occur, and that people will have to survive without the grid,” he says. So naturally, “Homer becomes a prepper.” Jean says that the Grammy-winning Waits won’t sing in the episode, titled “Homer Goes to Prep School,” but fans will recognize the singer’s trademark growl “in a second.” Waits is the latest addition to the sitcom’s long list of Season 24 guest voices, which includes Justin Bieber, Edward Norton, Fred Armisen, Zoey Deschanel, Benedict Cumberbatch and Patton Oswalt. Waits’ episode is slated to air sometime in December. The Simpsons returns to Fox on Sunday, Sept. 30.

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Every time I see the title of this thread I find myself thinking "how long has he been waiting?" then I realize that Waits is his last name.