Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein: The Set ListRemember yesterday, when Cindy Adams claimed that Jerry Springer the Opera had defiled the “holy temple” of Carnegie Hall? That the performance was “despicable, debasing, disgusting, degrading, dehumanizing, revolting,” etc? Well, we only wish she had been at Carnegie Hall last night. The downtown comedy club Comix set up a musical revue there, with proceeds to benefit the Writers Guild, starring Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane and MadTV star Alex Borstein. It was riotous. Janeane Garofalo did some stand-up to introduce the pair (while also introducing the theory that if pristine screen goddess Natalie Portman were to ever defecate, the result would be rushed to Magnolia Bakery to make delightful “confections”), and then MacFarlane and Borstein took the stage to sing a song for every letter of the alphabet. They described the lineup as akin to “listening to a retard’s iPod.” Below, we have their set list. Remember, MacFarlane and Borstein voice many of the characters on Family Guy, and MacFarlane’s actual everyday voice is that of Brian, the alcoholic dog. Anyway, for diehard fans, here’s what you missed:
A. The theme from Animal House
B. “But I’m Yours,” from Family Guy
C. “Call Me” by Blondie, as sung by Borstein’s MadTV character Ms. Swan
D. “Don’t Stop Believin’”
E. “Edelweiss” [Ed: This is where it all began to go downhill.] Borstein interrupted MacFarlane to say that, as a Jew, she didn’t like how this song glorified the Austrians’ role in WWII. MacFarlane considered this, and then replied, “Carnegie Hall is not the place to bring your fucking Hebrew baggage.”
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Patti Smith Rocks Carnegie Hall, Tibet
Death loomed large at the Philip Glass–curated benefit concert for Tibet House U.S. Monday night at Carnegie Hall, when a parade of legendary talents — among them Lou Reed, Patti Smith, and Michael Stipe — performed numbers in honor of deceased friends. And as if that weren’t depressing enough, when the thrilling succession of reimagined hits and covers stopped, we suddenly realized that all our idols onstage talking about death will die, too. Oh, God.
There were chanting monks, a beautiful, minimalist set from Sigur Rós, and Ben Harper. Debbie Harry happily danced to an acoustic version of “Heart of Glass.” And then came Lou Reed, the first to sing about getting old. Ray Davies harkened back to the Kinks’ glory days, getting the crowd to sing along with “Lola,” “Sunday Afternoon,” and “Dedicated Follower of Fashion.” He admitted to being foggy about why, exactly, he was there: “This is a great event. I’m not sure of all the details, but the spirit moved me.” And then he, too, got wistful about age. “Being in a band at this point in my life is a separation anxiety of the worst sort,” he said. “We never know when we’ll meet again.”
