Seth MacFarlane is no stranger to controversy – take a number! Quick: the scene cuts to Peter Griffin serving insults at a deli counter while hungry patrons grab a number and wait for a bad joke to be served. Then Peter gorges himself on deli meat – or slices a finger – or his hand – on the deli slicer! Does he do his “ooow, ooow” routine? Does Brian save the day?
Seth MacFarlane’s Controversies Chronicled
Okay, so there have been a few. By a few, we actually mean dozens. MacFarlane is known to poke fun at, well, pretty much everything. Nothing is off-limits when it comes to Family Guy, especially with the likes of Peter, Brian, and Stewie. Peter shoots his mouth off, quite crassly and without thinking. Baby Stewie, who is a plotter, dishes up some of the best insults, while dog Brian tries to pander to the norm.
Seth MacFarlane’s show’s biggest controversies have generally resulted from jokes. These jokes are usually insulting, and MacFarlane is an equal opportunity offender. Here is a shortened list of his biggest faux pas:
Parents Television Council issues
Federal Communications Commission
Racist, Sexist, Ageist complaints
Anti-religious sentiments
Insensitivity towards transgendered people
Muslim controversy
Russian controversy
Rape joke and sexual violence controversy
Date rape controversy
Sarah Palin’s son Trig controversy
Terri Schiavo controversy
Boston Marathon controversy
These are only a few plumes of the flock of birds that MacFarlane has ruffled. He generally likes to make light of most everything, including the network that Family Guy is on: Fox.
Seth MacFarlane: The Composer
Besides being a writer, a producer, an animator, and an actor, Seth is a musician. He writes songs – occasionally parodies – and also is a musical composition arranger. He has nine studio albums to date. His most recent album, ‘Lush Life: The Lost Sinatra Arrangements, ’ pays homage to Frank Sinatra. MacFarlane and Joel McNeely, the composer for The Orville and American Dad!, worked together to bring this to life.
With the permission of Tina Sinatra, Frank’s daughter, Seth was granted access to the entire set of musical archives from the Sinatra family estate. There had been a large number of songs and some recordings that were not fully produced. With an orchestra, McNeely and MacFarlane were able to breathe life into this lost collection. Being a fan of swing, Seth performed the vocals on these songs.
Seth MacFarlane Looks Back
So, how does Seth feel now about his off-color jokes? He thinks about it a lot, actually. Although he wants to stay true to his comic roots – and sees humor in most everything, saying in part:
I have to figure out a way to maintain what the show is, and maintain the thing that people love. But at the same time, recognize that, like, all right, I am analyzing it now in a different way than I did when I was younger.
What about Family Guy’s legacy? Seth admits that this question very often makes him lose sleep. He stated:
When I started the show – this is the conversation that, like, tortures me at night! – when I started the show, my attitude was, it doesn’t matter, none of it matters. It’s like, ‘It’s funny? Let’s do it.’
Whatever Seth MacFarlane’s legacy will be, it will be with Family Guy, his other shows, and movies. They’ll be kept in good company with this amazing tribute to Sinatra. You might call him a lot of things, like irreverent and sometimes tactless, but calling him talented is absolutely irrefutable. The showrunner does a great job on this album and has been keeping viewers laughing for a long time.
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