IGNFF: Whose idea was it for the Hope-Crosby parody?
MACFARLANE: That was mine. I loved those movies. I've always loved Bob Hope, I loved Bing Crosby. My cultural tastes are a bit dated. That song that they sang is obviously "Road to Morocco" from the 1941 movie. We did a couple of those, and those were fun shows to do.
IGNFF: Was that the "European Road Show"?
MACFARLANE: Right.
IGNFF: Was that at one time called "Road to Baghdad"?
MACFARLANE: The original was called Road to Morocco, and that was Hope and Crosby. That was like their second road movie, I believe.
IGNFF: What was the original episode title?
MACFARLANE: The original episode title was "Road to Rhode Island."
IGNFF: The one you did in season three?
MACFARLANE: That was "Road to Europe."
IGNFF: Someone had mentioned that the original title for that was "Road to Baghdad."
MACFARLANE: Oh really? That sounds like an Internet rumor.
IGNFF: Maybe because of the Arab aspects to it.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, because they spend all that time in the Middle East.
IGNFF: That could be the direct-to-video thing &#Array; an expansion of a big "Road to" movie.
MACFARLANE: We've kind of given that some thought, if we were to do something like that. That would probably be the direction we'd take.
IGNFF: I'm still waiting for that Stewie action figure, though.
MACFARLANE: Hopefully at some point.
IGNFF: All these people out there having to console themselves with Barry Ween merchandise. Was that a controversy that ever got back to you, because I know Judd Winick mentions it all the time...
MACFARLANE: What was it specifically?
IGNFF: That it's amazing how similar Stewie looks to Winick's Barry Ween character &#Array; he's a genius and a child as well, with a football-shaped head.
MACFARLANE: I don't even know what ...
IGNFF: Basically a chunky version of Stewie is what it looks like &#Array; the same football shaped head, a couple of hairs on top...
MACFARLANE: Really? I haven't even heard of those things.
IGNFF: Yeah, you can check it out on the Net. So yeah, he's been going around conventions saying, "Yes, it's rather ironic that this character appears after my Barry Ween character."
MACFARLANE: Barry Ween?
IGNFF: Yes, W-E-E-N.
MACFARLANE: Oh, so he thinks we ripped off Stewie.
IGNFF: He's been very subtle about saying it, but it's the impression I get...
MACFARLANE: There was another guy, who did like an underground comic strip, that he claimed ...
IGNFF: I think it's the same guy. It's Judd Winick, who was on The Real World.
MACFARLANE: It's that guy?!
IGNFF: Yes.
MACFARLANE: Really? Wow. Does Puck have any problems with Brian?
IGNFF: You know, at this point, he probably does.
MACFARLANE: Oh for god's sake. That's hilarious. I think this is a different guy, but there was another cartoonist who had a problem with &#Array; I think it was... the character, I believe, was Jimmy Corrigan, Boy Genius. It was this comic strip about the smartest kid in the world. He claimed that the Stewie design was possibly &#Array; I'll put this delicately &#Array; influenced by his own design. And I saw a copy of the strip, and it's amazing. It was so similar. He had like the same shape head, he had like the same hairs on top. I had never seen it before, but it was actually pretty shocking. I can see how he would reach that conclusion. But yeah, I didn't know about the Judd &#Array; Winnipeg?
IGNFF: Winick.
MACFARLANE: That's the first I've heard of that.
IGNFF: I caught one of his lectures a few months back, and it was quite interesting to hear his description of it.
MACFARLANE: Tell him to be quiet.
IGNFF: I'll just buy him a DVD set.
MACFARLANE: Tell him to move on with his life &#Array; the show's off the air.
IGNFF: Yeah, where's The Barry Ween Show, Judd?
MACFARLANE: Oh boy.
IGNFF: So what was your transition like out of The Family Guy? For a major part of your life and career to end like that ...
MACFARLANE: Ironically, it was the first vacation I'd had in about four years, so it was kind of nice to be able to just kind of sit back and not have to work 100 hours a week for a while. But, you know, I've moved on to other projects. I have about three other projects that I'm working on at the moment. It was sad, and the only reason it wasn't completely devastating is they are animated characters and they can always return somewhere down the line. Nobody's going to get nailed, they're not going to age. It's perfect cryogenic suspension.
IGNFF: And no matter what, the show ran longer than Capital Critters.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, that was the other thing &#Array; three years was not as long as we'd like, but it's just long enough to give it some legitimacy. You know, when you say it ran for three years, it's a respectable run. It's not great, but we didn't get canceled after the first season.
IGNFF: And it's made it out on DVD, it still has a loyal following...
MACFARLANE: Yeah, yeah. Especially with the response the disc has gotten. Ironically, the reviews of the DVD have been better than the reviews of the series. How that's possible, I have no idea. I don't quite get that one.
IGNFF: Well now it's a nostalgia kick...
MACFARLANE: I guess it is.
IGNFF: What was your consulting position on The Pitts?
MACFARLANE: That was created by Mike Scully, who ran The Simpsons for a number of years. I was, and am actually, still under contract with Fox &#Array; so while I was in development, they were looking for other things that they maybe needed to put more people on. I had known Mike Scully in passing, and I just didn't know him all that well and I was kind of anxious. I had really liked the pilot, and I said, "If there is any room on The Pitts, it would be cool to go over there." It was truly just a fantastic experience. It's no wonder that The Simpsons is as funny as it is, with that guy at the helm. He is truly one of the funniest guys I've ever met in my life. That was a consulting job, it was like one day a week, but it was really great fun. Actually did a few voiceovers on The Pitts as well, which was just kind of amusing.
IGNFF: And you've also done some live action?
MACFARLANE: Yeah, I did a little bit of live action. I did a Gilmore Girls. Odd things here and there. I did a Will & Grace voiceover that wound up on the editing floor, but I did that. Then I did a Crank Yankers.
IGNFF: Is it something that you would like to pursue more, as far as on-camera acting?
MACFARLANE: Yeah. I haven't really had time to take that end of things seriously, but I've thought about it. I'm meeting with my theatrical agents for the first time since I've been with the agency that I'm with, just to talk about it, because Family Guy &#Array; I received an Emmy for Stewie, so I figure, "Well, you know, what the hell." Take a crack at some more of this kind of stuff.
IGNFF: When are we going to see you on Broadway?
MACFARLANE: When they bring back Rodgers and Hammerstein.
IGNFF: You need to be the man who brings back Rodgers and Hammerstein.
MACFARLANE: I know, I know &#Array; we'll see. One of the projects I'm working on is a musical project. There'll be plenty of tunes.
IGNFF: Television, film, animation?
MACFARLANE: Film animation. That's about all I can tell you at the moment. That's all I'm at liberty to tell you ... I mentioned it to somebody else and I got in trouble for it.
IGNFF: I guess at this point, the big Barbara Walters question &#Array; would you say that you're content with where your career has gone?
MACFARLANE: Yeah. Particularly now, with the sort of vindication of this release doing so well. Yeah, it would have been nice to have done more. It's so damn difficult to get a show on the air in the first place, and this was my first attempt ever, and they bought it. So I'm not complaining.
IGNFF: You almost sound like a con man, "And they bought it &#Array; suckers!"
MACFARLANE: Right... "They went for it! The boneheads!"
IGNFF: They'll rue the day.
MACFARLANE: I was drunk the whole time, the idiots!
IGNFF: And they paid you for it!
MACFARLANE: Yup.