My sons think I’m a family guy because I watch Family Guy with them. And I get the jokes that they don’t. I’m usually the only one laughing. That’s another way that I like to bond with my sons. Watching Family Guy with them, in addition to professional wrestling. Let’s see, how many Family Guy shows have I watched with them on TV? Well, exactly one! Today! My son downloaded one on his X-Box 360 Elite last night and we watched it together today.
The plot was vaguely familiar. I predicted to my sons what would happen next. They asked me how I knew. I explained that I once saw a Woody Allen movie named Play It Again, Sam! that had a very similar plot. They told me the name of the episode was Play It Again, Brian. The shows often allude to the 1970s and 1980s, which I happen to remember vividly. So, I’m able to explain many scenes from the show to them.
It seems that I’m the perfect age, and probably about the same age as the Family Guy writers, to understand all of the allusions from the 1970s and 1980s. We usually watch clips together of Family Guy on YouTube.com and I explain the allusions to them. They were amazed, in a good way, that I know what the show was referring to.
One time Peter was doing a rap parody singing, “I’m M.C. Escher. Going up the stairs. Going down the stairs.” I laughed so hard when I saw this scene. My sons thought it was funny to see an older man singing rap, but when I explained to them who M.C. Escher was and his famous painting of the monks that are going up and down the stairs simultaneously in an optical illusion, my sons laughed all over again. This was my golden opportunity to introduce them to M.C. Escher.
Another time, I was listening to the soundtrack to The Music Man. They laughed when they heard the song Shi-Poo-Pi. They said it was the stupidest song they had ever heard. Okay, it probably is pretty stupid, but I like it anyway. About two months later, they told me to watch a scene from Family Guy on YouTube.com. The Family Guy parodied the song Shi-Poo-Pi on the show. We all had a good laugh together. There are countless other episodes that have brought us closer and made me look like a genius in their eyes. I guess Family Guy makes me realize that I really am a family guy.
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