Why Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane Hates Voicing Quagmire
It doesn't take more than one watch of a "Family Guy" episode to realize that the first half of its title is not meant to be taken seriously. And the poster child of the show's knack for the nasty is none other than Glenn Quagmire (voiced by Seth MacFarlane). For a series with a reputation for raunchiness like "Family Guy," with the series having even been sued at one point for its offensive nature, Quagmire somehow manages to make the show around him look like "Teletubbies."
First appearing in the pilot episode of the long-running adult animated series, Quagmire is one of Peter Griffin's (voiced by MacFarlane) best friends who is probably best summed up by series creator Seth MacFarlane himself, who described the character to Access Hollywood as " ... a 50's radio guy on Coke." With his enormous chin and memorable "Giggity, giggity" catchphrase, Quagmire brings chaos to the city of Quahog with his hypersexual tendencies — which has led to some of the show's most jaw-droopingly unrestrained moments.
And yet, the character remains an undeniable trademark for the show; chances are you've been amused by at least one of his supremely messed-up jokes. But if you think voicing such an outlandish character is a dream job, Seth MacFarlane has something you should know.
Quagmire's voice puts MacFarlane's out of commision
Seth MacFarlane is no stranger to voice acting. Not only has he provided voices in such shows and movies such as "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," "Johnny Bravo," and "Sing" (via IMDb), but he also provides a good bulk of the main characters of his own animated shows such as "American Dad!" and "Family Guy." Among these characters on the latter show, Glenn Quagmire is perhaps the most eccentric — which is putting things mildly. And creating such an extreme vocal performance takes its toll.
On a Reddit AMA featuring MacFarlane, Redditor u/xThatTedGuy asked the show creator, "Which character on Family Guy was your favorite to voice for? Least favorite? Was voicing any of them difficult?" MacFarlane responds with the family dog Brian bring his favorite to perform, but as for his least favorite, he commented, "Quagmire is the hardest because my voice is pretty much thrashed by the end of the session." Voice acting can be strenuous on the vocal cords for even mild-sounding characters and Quagmire's distinct tone and energy has done just that to MacFarlane's. Trying to imagine how MacFarlane hasn't lost his voice entirely after voicing the character for nearly 25 years is something beyond us.
Nevertheless, we're thankful it hasn't, as it's impossible to imagine anyone else spewing out "Giggity, gigity" — a catchphrase developed between MacFarlane and a standup comic friend who would impersonate Jerry Lewis (via GQ) — than MacFarlane.