It’s quite possible that no talk show host has nearly as much fun doing their job as Graham Norton. The only people having more fun are the audience. On a recent segment of BBC's The Graham Norton Show, the host had both 80’s pop queen Cyndi Lauper and Family Guy creator and man of many voices, Seth Macfarlane as guests. So there’s really only one thing to do, have the characters from Family Guy sing selections from Cyndi Lauper’s Greatest Hits.
In the clip above we get to enjoy Stewie Griffin’s stirring rendition of "Time After Time". Followed by "True Colors" as performed by Peter. As with all great performances you have to leave the audience wanting more, so we don’t get a chance to hear Quagmire perform "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" (although we expect the lyrical changes would not have been acceptable for TV).
MacFarlane seems a little hesitant to get started. Being put on the spot for something a little out of the norm is standard operating procedure for Norton, and it’s obvious by some comments made that this was not discussed beforehand. Once he gets the first tune under his belt, however, the second comes easier, much like normal karaoke at your local bar. Cyndi Lauper is also there to offer some pro tips and while she seems slightly embarrassed on MacFarlane’s behalf, she also enjoys the covers as much as the rest of the crowd.
Seth MacFarlane is a huge music fan, of that there is no doubt, although he tends to prefer pop standards to 80’s rock & roll. In 2011 he released Music Is Better Than Words a collection of lesser known classic pop tunes (and it’s actually really good). Fans of Family Guy know that music is often a part of that show, including a recurring homage to the classic Bing Crosby and Bob Hope Road to movies starring Brian the Dog and Stewie. While MacFarlane’s Oscar hosting gig left many a little cold, the guy could sing and you could tell he was enjoying himself. Watch for yourself:
There’s actually already one Family Guy album, Family Guy: Live in Vegas, so an 80’s cover album sung by the cast wouldn’t be too much of a stretch. What other songs would you like to hear MacFarlane sing as a Family Guy character? We think Brian could just rock some classic hair band tunes.
