Happy Birthday to Michael McDonald, the man with a voice so smooth it sounds like it was dipped in velvet and bourbon. While he’s a legend for his work with The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan, he’s solidified his legacy by constantly popping up in movies and TV shows to make fun of himself.
@erinandthewildfire Feeling sentimental… see y’all on @HBO I guess #goodbyetiktok #byetiktok #michaelmcdonald #impressions #hbo #yachtrock #doobiebrothers #takingittothestreets #erinandthewildfire For the record our original music is available on all streaming platforms. We love you @Michael Mcdonald
♬ original sound - Erin & The Wildfire
He knows people like to do impressions of him and make jokes...but instead of getting offended, he often leans into it. In honor of the Yacht Rock King’s birthday, here are 5 times Michael McDonald proved he is the ultimate good sport:
The 40-Year-Old Virgin: Who can forget the scene where Paul Rudd is managing the electronics store and begs his coworkers to stop playing the “Michael McDonald DVD” on loop? He screams, “If I hear ‘Yah Mo B There’ one more time, I’m going to burn this place to the ground.” McDonald later said he found the scene hilarious and was honored to be the punchline.
Jimmy Fallon’s “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”: Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon have a recurring sketch where they dress up as Michael McDonald and sing back-and-forth in his signature deep, silky voice. The best part? The real Michael McDonald actually showed up to join them, singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” with so much soul it sounded like a lost track from the Doobie Brothers.
30 Rock’s “Kidney Now!”: In one of the show’s best episodes, McDonald joined a “We Are the World” style charity supergroup — but instead of saving the world, they were trying to get a kidney for Jack Donaghy’s dad. Seeing a legend like McDonald belting out lines like “Milton Greene, Milton Greene...he needs a kidney” with 100% sincerity was pure comedy gold.
Family Guy: The writers at Family Guy have always been obsessed with McDonald’s voice, but this bit took that to the next level. In the scene, the characters need to communicate with a whale, so they bring in the only man for the job: Michael McDonald. He calls out soulful deep notes that the pod perfectly understand, proving his voice is officially a force of nature.
The SCTV “Hallucination”: In the early 80s, the sketch show SCTV aired a bit where Rick Moranis plays Michael McDonald, frantically sprinting between recording studios to sing backing vocals on everyone’s songs. The real Michael McDonald later said he was watching TV in his hotel room after a show, “very stoned” when the sketch came on. For a solid minute, he didn’t realize it was a joke and thought he was watching a documentary about himself, leading to a brief moment of stoned panic. He later called it “hilarious self-awareness.”
Happy Birthday Mike - thanks for the hits, and for the laughs!
