Ian Maxtone-Graham - Early Years

Early Years

Ian is the son of noted maritime historian John Maxtone-Graham. He attended Brown University. An enthusiastic swimmer, his first job after college was as a diver with an underwater research team. After struggling to establish a career in journalism, he penned material for the television show Not Necessarily the News and the magazines National Lampoon and Army Man. His work in Army Man, an offbeat magazine published by future Simpsons colleague George Meyer, brought him to the attention of Jack Handey, who suggested he work for Saturday Night Live.

While working for Saturday Night Live, Maxtone-Graham co-wrote "The Chanukah Song" with Adam Sandler and, according to the DVD commentary for the SNL clip show "The Best of Alec Baldwin, also wrote the infamous "Canteen Boy" sketch in which Canteen Boy is sexually molested by his scoutmaster, Mr. Armstrong (played by episode host Alec Baldwin).