in which wil has a weird (and awesome) day

“wilw: I think I may die from too much fun today. I’m working on Naruto this morning, then Family Guy this afternoon.”

This morning, I finished my arc on Naruto. I can’t say anything specific (I actually shouldn’t have said I was working on it at all until it aired. Oops.) but my shows will start airing in about a month, and I can tell some behind the scenes stuff then.

After I finished recording, I had about 2 hours before I was scheduled to work on Family Guy, so on the way I stopped at this pizza place I’ve always wanted to eat at in Burbank called Dino’s. Oh my god. I had this pizza called the caponata: roasted eggplant, green olives, garlic, onions, tomatoes, capers and fresh basil. OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM.

While I was there, I read an actual newspaper, which was a rather exciting and retro experience. I used to read the Los Angeles Times and the Daily News every day, and the New York Times on Sundays, and today was the first time I’ve held a newspaper in my hands that wasn’t The Onion in over a year.

After lunch, I drove down to Hollywood for Family Guy. On my way down Highland, I saw at least a dozen different street corner prophets, hollering at traffic about one thing or another. In the median at Highland and Melrose, I saw legendary Hollywood crazy person Melrose Larry Green. He had a political sign, but he was waving it around so much, I couldn’t read it. Dang.

I record Family Guy (and Cavalcade) in an office building down on Wilshire near LACMA. It’s a really cool place, where the Evil Monkey tells people to recycle, a Family Guy pinball machine is available on free play, and a ping pong table takes up much of the waiting area near the recording booths. There were two people playing when I got there, and after I read my sides (holy shit is it a funny scene) I looked up to see Seth Green playing.

I sort of knew Seth when we were much younger, because he was one of those guys I’d run into at auditions all the time. He was a little nerdy, and always really nice and unassuming, with a great sense of humor. I remember once, back in 1998 or 1999, I said to him, “You know, Seth, you’re a little nerdy, and you’re also nice and unassuming, with a great sense of humor. You should do a TV show where you satirize movies and popular culture with animated action figures.”*

I wasn’t sure if he’d remember me since it had been so long, but it turns out that he did, and after talking to him for a few minutes I was really happy to see that he’s the same exceedingly nice and easygoing guy I sort knew all those years ago. Before I left, we played some ping pong, and discussed the awesomeness of being on Team I Have An Awesome Beard. He recently moved to team I Don’t Have A Beard Because It Was Too Itchy, but the bond between bearded and formerly-bearded brothers was still strong. And awesome.**

When I recorded my lines, Seth MacFarlane directed me. My scene was with Peter Griffin, and I am as proud of myself as I’ve ever been that I didn’t lose my shit when Seth read me into my first line in Peter’s voice. I also told him that I’m still laughing about Surfin’ Bird, and nearly convinced him that members of The Trashmen were all deadbeat dads to the same former groupie, so the increased sales on iTunes was finally feeding her numerous bastard children. (This was way, way funnier than it seems now. Making outrageous shit up like that and committing to it completely is one of my favorite ways to amuse myself.)

On my way home, I hoped to complete my strange trip into Hollywood with an Angelyne sighting, but I got to see a hobo getting all Office Space on his shopping cart instead, while a bunch of other hoboes watched . . . and guarded theirs.

There was no traffic on the freeway, and I got home in 27 minutes.

I think it’s safe to say I had a very weird day.

*This never actually happened.

**Awesome.

43 thoughts on “in which wil has a weird (and awesome) day”

  1. I’m jealous you had a far better day than I did. It started with me getting a phone call 5 minutes after I got to work because my son was sick. So I had to cram a 10 hour work day into 2 hours, and now I can’t get to sleep and I need to get to work early tomorrow to finish everything up before my deadline at 2pm. I’d so trade my day for yours.
    ~~TARA~~

  3. Awesome news. Was this for the TNG episode or something new?
    I tried to ask my wife if she had heard, but since we saw the episode together, she already knew that the bird is the word.

  5. I LOVE Seth McFarland he is incredibly funny and has a fabulous singing voice, If I were the breeding type I’d want to have his children. 😉
    When are you on? I want to make sure I clear my appt schedule to watch.
    Epic Day dude!

  10. I think the pizza at Dino’s may be in the top five pizzas I’ve ever had.
    . . . and I eat a lot of pizza.

  12. When I read your tweet earlier, I just knew you were in Burbank!
    I’ve lived here a few years and have always wondered about that place, but have never gone. I’ll have to go now 🙂

  14. Awesome! I had bad pepperoni pizza in Alameda today and we picked apart the NYC mural as we ate. What is California’s problem with meatballs on pizza? It is my favorite topping and I have yet to find a place that offers it. Screw this, I am moving back to Jersey.

  15. Do you know when the Family Guy episode will air?
    Also, curse you for putting Surfin’ Bird back in my head!
    / have you heard?

  17. Too!
    Much!
    Awesome!
    Head hurt!
    :o)
    Seriously, what a neato day. Me? Well I was home sick watching Deadwood and G4. Hey, somebody’s gotta do it.

  20. 1) I’m pretty sure that “Om Nom Nomming” a pizza with capers means you are now a fallen vegitarian.
    2) Thank you for at last acknowledging the brotherhood of the beard.
    3) Have some yummy bacon!

  21. That is cool and like the others i can’t wait to see your work in family guy. wounder what episode it will be??… hope you have another good day tomorrow.

  22. That is cool and like the others i can’t wait to see your work in family guy. wounder what episode it will be??… hope you have another good day tomorrow.

  23. The fact that you rated your pizza-eating, newspaper-reading, prophet-seeing, lack of Angelyne seeing as interesting as working on FG is why I keep coming back.
    All that happened to me today was that I changed a diaper and ate a good sandwhich. Which makes me awesome!

  28. A) I live in Burbank and don’t know Dino’s but must (apparently) check it out.
    2) Jewish holidays rule. No traffic, yay!
    D) I, too, would have seth macfarlane’s babies. Take a number, I know….

  29. ‘He recently moved to team I Don’t Have A Beard Because It Was Too Itchy, but the bond between bearded and formerly-bearded brothers was still strong.”
    I recently made that move also. It will come back but did it for Katie for our anniversary. (she liked it till someone commented I looked like a hippie, check my flickr)
    Gonna keep it trimmed until we go back to GA for the holidays, then back in full effect. (Hockey Playoff beard!)
    So awesome about Family Guy. Can’t wait to see it.

  30. Go Team I H Double-A B! (I recently rejoined after a short stint of Team Lazy Unemployed Stubble), and congratulations on having the manatees pick the idea ball with your name on it!
    – Lex

  31. You know, sometimes I just get too jealous of your life. Then I sort of edge on over to being happy that a really cool guy gets to do a lot of fun stuff.
    Then I just think to myself – who do I have to do to get to do Family Guy the next time I’m in LA?

  32. Awesome. I love how you neatly tied up the tweets I’ve been getting. Do you know how strange it is getting tweets about Seth Green, pizza, a newspaper, and Naruto, all in the same day? Thanks for making it all make sense (sort of).
    Weird days are awesome. I’d rather have a weird day than a normal day any time. But I’m weird like that. Can’t wait to see the Family Guy episode — will you let us know when it airs? Cuz that’d be pretty friggin’ sweet.
    Happy Friday!

  33. “A little nerdy, nice and unassuming, with a great sense of humor.”
    Dude. You just described my dream man. And, uh, that kinda explains my (not so)secret(anymore) crush on Seth Green. I gotta remember to watch Robot Chicken. I don’t even know when it’s on.

  35. Seth Green is awesome, last year my son’s high school band was doing a performance in California and a bunch of them were somewhere and ran into him. He was awesome to them, taking pictures and just talking with them for a while.

  37. Dear Mr. Seth MacFarlane:
    Wil Wheaton speaks for me regarding Surfin’ Bird. Bow bow oom mow mow.
    Love,
    Mary Sue
    Geez, all I did last night was skip around downtown Portland arm-in-arm with a priest wearing his collar singing songs from the Sound of Music.
    I love love love the fact that my last sentence is 100% true.

  38. Zomg the Surfin’ Bird episode was by far my favorite. Seth MacFarlane is a genius and I want to have like 10,000 of his babies! You get 200 awesome points for liking it too, Wil 😉

  40. What a totally cool awesome day! Funny about Seth Green and you going to the same auditions… I saw one of those old episodes of Tales From the Darkside: Monster In My Closet (Roon?) and realized, Holy shit batman, that’s Seth Green amd let out a rather homeresque DOE!

    Can’t wait to eee, errr ah, hear youon Famiy Guy.

    Oh by the by, you are that nice dude type too. I think I had more to day, but my four year old came in with a miniscule cat scratch. Apparently he was trying to give Senor Meow too much love. Eeeegah, are all four year boys that rough? Must go.
    JustDosh

  41. GADS sorry for the double post, but holy crap at the type-0’s.
    **Can’t wait to *see* you (not eeee) you on.**
    **I think I had more to say.**
    sorry… again… gheesh

  42. Dude, that’s amazing! I’m just a huge fan of the whole cast/crew at Family Guy and am über impressed that you got to go play with them for a day. I look forward to the airing, and don’t need to know when it’ll be because I’ll see it.

  43. Well I’m gonna be in Burbank for the first time in November. As a pizza addict, I guess I’m gonna have to look up and visit Dino’s.
    Should I tell them you sent me? Do you think you’ll get something out of it? What about me?
    *smiles*

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