[HN Gopher] Norm Macdonald has died
___________________________________________________________________
Norm Macdonald has died
Author : coloneltcb
Score : 572 points
Date : 2021-09-14 18:27 UTC (4 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (deadline.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (deadline.com)
| isk517 wrote:
| Terrible news. One of my favorite Norm Macdonald moments was when
| he purposely bombed during the Bob Saget Comedy Central Roast
| purely to make Bob and the other comedians laugh.
| xyzzy_plugh wrote:
| His roast is still the only memorable part of that entire
| special.
|
| Norm really was for the birds.
| happyrock wrote:
| That Linsdey Lohan can't swim a lick, but she sure knows
| every dive in town!
| tzs wrote:
| Gilbert Gottfried's segment from that roast was pretty
| memorable [1]
|
| [1] https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2x1bwa
| reginold wrote:
| Oo would love to see this if you have a link handy
| [deleted]
| eganist wrote:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-9wo_apQ1s
|
| Looking for HD but this one actually has video; the others I
| found didn't.
| standardUser wrote:
| "Norm Macdonald's Legendary Bob Saget Roast"
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QfsXUPghXk
| mioasndo wrote:
| :(
| cableshaft wrote:
| It was all Ralph Abernathy's fault!
|
| (Listening to his 2017 Netflix special right now in memoriam).
| redsummer wrote:
| Stalin was worse
| PedroBatista wrote:
| Boy I don't know who this Cancer guy is but he seems like a real
| jerk!
| [deleted]
| baby wrote:
| Wow. Well, I didn't know, that sucks...
| leesec wrote:
| The funniest man ever. RIP
| yeezyseezy wrote:
| Agree with this and the following FTA: 'Norm was a pure comic.
| He once wrote that 'a joke should catch someone by surprise, it
| should never pander.' He certainly never pandered. Norm will be
| missed terribly."'
| junon wrote:
| Meh. I disagree. He frequently made below the belt jokes about
| the appearance or attributes of others, particularly women and
| gays. He was pretty funny otherwise though.
|
| Fully realizing this will be downvoted, but RIP anyway.
| vernie wrote:
| So brave, thank you for your service.
| [deleted]
| mrmuagi wrote:
| You know what they say... speak ill of the dead!
| _red wrote:
| Wow.
|
| In recent years lots of his comedy centered on his fears of death
| and related religious musings...
|
| The fact that he had been struggling with cancer really puts this
| in a different perspective.
|
| RIP Norm. You were funny!
| mixmastamyk wrote:
| That sucks. Loved him on SNL... don't remember anyone else who's
| resulting laughs seemed so inadvertent or by chance, like he was
| ill-prepared or crazy, or both. :-D
|
| I really enjoyed his Netflix talk show a few years ago as well,
| especially because it was (seemed to be?) such a mess. Also
| introduced me to a great country artist in the last show, and I
| don't even like country:
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Joe_Shaver
| CydeWeys wrote:
| > don't remember anyone else who's resulting laughs seemed so
| inadvertent or by chance, like he was ill-prepared or crazy, or
| both
|
| None of it was by accident: He was really good at comedy and
| was getting exactly the laughs when/where he expected them.
| Coming off as ill-prepared was a shtick.
| 35fbe7d3d5b9 wrote:
| Bill Burr and Bert Kreischer have a podcast. Once, Norm came
| up[1]. What they said is something I've heard from pretty
| much any interview about him: Norm is the quintessential
| comedian's comedian. He's up there trying to do what _he_
| thinks is funny, audience be damned.
|
| [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVgX0AP3Gz4
| warent wrote:
| Shocking and sad news. I always enjoy Norm and watch his work
| every other month at the least. The world has lost some light.
|
| His ability to tell a whole absurd story that sounds like it's
| building into a huge climax and fizzles into an anti-joke is
| legendary.
| bitwize wrote:
| Norm MacDonald was pretty much the gold standard for comedy for
| me. Unlike my other comedic hero, Dana Carvey, he wasn't good at
| impressions -- his Bob Dole was pretty much just Norm speaking as
| if his pronouns were Bob Dole/Bob Dole -- but he could take
| literally anything and make it funny. Even if a joke failed to
| land, he would just "do the Norm thing" for a couple seconds and
| everybody would laugh. The Norm thing is like the Christopher
| Walken thing -- it's a person's ineffable talent of being that
| person.
|
| To this day I still speak of my "inner Norm MacDonald voice",
| which kicks in when I observe something hilariously absurd. Like
| when Jeff Bezos launched his evocatively-shaped rocket, what
| Dennis Miller called the "Pynchonesque cock rants" practically
| write themselves -- in Norm's voice in my head.
| SKCarr wrote:
| He was the best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNsXU2myCI8
| fredros wrote:
| As a French man, I discovered him a couple of weeks ago and binge
| watched his material on YouTube.
|
| One of the bests.
| unemphysbro wrote:
| His sports posting was great, wish he was a commentator.
|
| RIP
| amerine wrote:
| One of my all time favorite comedians. A pretty sucky part about
| getting older is losing the people who provided you a bunch of
| joy.
| gbjw wrote:
| Gutted. He was a comedic genius, and extremely well-read. Rest in
| peace, Norm.
| slg wrote:
| "If you die, the cancer also dies at exactly the same time. That
| to me isn't losing a battle, it is a draw."
|
| He was one of the funniest people ever and there is probably no
| one who was a more entertaining talk show guest. I can spend
| hours just watching whatever comes up after plugging "Norm
| Macdonald talk show" into Youtube.
| aidenn0 wrote:
| Yeah, TFA even uses the phrase "battle with cancer" and that's
| where my mind went...
| greydius wrote:
| I wonder if he ever heard of Henrietta Lacks.
| rolleiflex wrote:
| I'm not sure what survives to this day in that case is more
| Henrietta or more cancer. To this day the genome is becoming
| less and less human.
|
| So perhaps a draw still in the long term since eventually the
| corruption could terminate itself.
| awb wrote:
| FYI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrietta_Lacks
| seumars wrote:
| "Who writes these?!"
|
| RIP Norm.
| techbio wrote:
| That is a University of Science worthy medical fact.
| qart wrote:
| Downvoters didn't probably realize the phrase was from his
| joke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh3TI3iMb1E
| robotresearcher wrote:
| https://www.tus.ac.jp/en/
| okareaman wrote:
| From this I can infer you know the dog house joke
| bee_rider wrote:
| Is that actually a quote of his?
| superduperuser wrote:
| Yes it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMRd-n_s4c8
|
| From his special: Me Doing Standup
| bee_rider wrote:
| Thanks.
|
| Interesting in context -- wonder if he knew at the time, it
| would be right at the limit of the time-window described in
| the article I guess.
| rOOb85 wrote:
| In the TMZ article it mentions a 9 year battle with
| cancer.
| npkarnik wrote:
| Yea definitely, it's a bit in his standup
| [deleted]
| karaterobot wrote:
| The first chunk off his 2011 special is all about his own
| mortality. Given that the article says he'd been living with
| cancer for about 9 years, you now have to wonder whether this was
| just before, or just after he was diagnosed. I know it takes time
| to work on material, so likely the former. Still, kind of spooky
| listening to it right now.
| N_A_T_E wrote:
| Damn I was just looking at tickets yesterday
| https://www.ticketweb.com/event/new-york-comedy-festival-pre...
| acheron wrote:
| Probably my favorite comedian. No wonder we hadn't seen much of
| him for awhile, e.g. when Conan O'Brien's show was ending.
| qweqwweqwe-90i wrote:
| This guy was so funny :(
| Saint_Genet wrote:
| My favorite joke of his:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJN9mBRX3uo
| caslon wrote:
| His book has an even longer, more beautiful version of that
| joke. I highly recommend checking it out, he spends something
| like a chapter on the joke. It's executed like serious Russian
| literature, and makes how much he was butchering it on Conan
| even _better_ when rewatching.
| kgwxd wrote:
| Someone posted a quote from his book on Reddit, I didn't know
| he had one so I went to go buy it, it sold out while it was
| in my cart. Now there's just a "collectible" version for
| $550. People are awful.
| caslon wrote:
| While I'm sure there are digital editions for sale and
| probably a few physical copies at your local library, if
| it's being gouged, the guy's already dead, and his book is
| not one of the few hundreds of books on the internet to
| have gone uncopied. It's truly wherever you can find books.
| trts wrote:
| He did the narration on the audiobook version. It's an
| excellent listen.
| conradfr wrote:
| Always great on Conan.
|
| https://youtu.be/L7K-kaelQEs
| ceocoder wrote:
| I haven't clicked on it yet - I want to guess that this is the
| joke about Moth. Let's see if I got it.
|
| [edit: yep it is :) - a virtual hug to you friend ]
| hn_throwaway_99 wrote:
| To me I was never a huge Norm Macdonald fan, but that clip just
| shows how great of a comedian he was. I mean, the joke itself
| isn't anything special, but his delivery is _so_ good that he
| has you just waiting with anxious anticipation throughout the
| whole thing that when he got to the punchline I really lol 'ed.
| Mad respect.
| jimbokun wrote:
| I kept thinking about clues to figure out the punchline:
|
| podiatrist, going to be something about feet... psychiatrist
| vs podiatrist, some kind of pun incoming...
|
| ...then you both want to strangle him and fall on the floor
| laughing simultaneously.
| crdrost wrote:
| Yeah, it is tempting to think Norm is very dim-witted given
| his deliberate choice of slower tempo and buildup, but you
| see things like his Larry-King-interviews-Larry-King skit
| https://youtu.be/7A6ba43XuOg?t=122 and like he immediately
| cracks a situational joke without missing a beat and actual-
| Larry-King catches it immediately and falls over laughing,
| and only _then_ do I process it and start laughing myself.
| k0stas wrote:
| I'm partial to this story:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELoXiuDA_sQ
| lherron wrote:
| Try this one.
|
| https://youtu.be/NMRd-n_s4c8
| piker wrote:
| Mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcUKMO27yKY
| gbjw wrote:
| Also mine. Here is the video of it (his mannerisms only
| add to the aesthetic):
| https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5vaqxy
| awb wrote:
| On the nose given the news, thanks for sharing
| unclebucknasty wrote:
| The joke wasn't his originally, but in that clip he'd actually
| evolved it on the fly, making it much funnier.
|
| You might appreciate the backstory:
|
| https://youtu.be/_oZkmob99FQ?t=100
| vlunkr wrote:
| Beat me to it :) I love how the joke is really unimportant,
| it's all the delivery. He makes it seem effortless or even
| unintentional.
| brightball wrote:
| Love it. Reminds me of a great comedian that died in the early
| 90's, Lewis Grizzard. The punch lines didn't have to be funny
| because he was such a great storyteller.
| ajakate wrote:
| His interview on Conan with Courtney Thorne-Smith is one my
| favorite videos:
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F6dXcW-_Fc
| jkestner wrote:
| Yes! The unusual relentlessness and Conan's breakdown is why
| that's my top Norm memory. Just mean from most people, but that
| impish grin lets him get away a perfect stream of ad-libbed
| insults.
|
| Saw him twice in standup. Second time he was completely
| committed to a theme of being a born-again Christian and it was
| hilariously puzzling.
| cordaciu wrote:
| My favorite was the basket for Conan
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uarJj-K4XH4&ab_channel=THEVI...
| OneEyedRobot wrote:
| Wow, that's a bummer.
|
| It's a pity he didn't have Dick Shawn's timing.
| rmason wrote:
| The greatest tribute to Norm McDonald is that other famous comics
| regard him as their favorite.
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwkpcQGPgMs
| ThePadawan wrote:
| Ah, fucking hell.
| GhostOfLelandJr wrote:
| RIP to one of the greats
| LAC-Tech wrote:
| RIP Norm. Best delivery in the business, hands down.
| sandebert wrote:
| Sad news indeed. In case somebody missed it, and is in the mood
| for some Norm, why not check out S09E02 of Comedians in Cars
| Getting Coffee, where he's interviewed by Jerry Seinfeld.
| bzudo wrote:
| Damn. Always enjoyed his work. I especially like this moment from
| Conan. Seeing him in the zone.
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F6dXcW-_Fc
| NorSoulx wrote:
| He was a comedic genius and one of a kind.
|
| I've been a fan since 1995 and have spent countless hours on
| YouTube watching Norm Macdonald clips from SNL and various talk
| shows.
|
| There are so many great clips, here is one of my favorites:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uarJj-K4XH4
| typon wrote:
| He was one of those comedians that wasn't affected by the whole
| "wokeism" movement, because he existed outside this PC vs. non-PC
| humour hierarchy. The reason he could do that is that he was
| genuinely funny, wasn't trying to "sell" an ideology, and didn't
| particularly care about other people's opinion of him. Oh and he
| wasn't someone who would "punch down" as an alternative for being
| funny.
| bitwize wrote:
| Norm was actually somewhat conservative, though he played his
| politics close to the vest -- except for when he weaponized his
| conservatism to shock people and get laughs, for example, when
| he appeared on The View and the ladies were praising Bill
| Clinton, he cut in with "Didn't he kill a guy?" in reference to
| the Vince Foster conspiracy theory.
| bee_rider wrote:
| He definitely changed his more outrageous jokes to switch away
| from punching down so much, and to making fun of this out of
| touch dummy character that he was playing. Keeping up with the
| times made him better.
| ultramundane828 wrote:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXdtafGdIVM
|
| Bit starting at :43 (Germany) will easily go down as one of the
| greatest stand-up bits ever written and performed. And he was the
| perfect guy to do it.
| jldl805 wrote:
| "I don't know if you guys are history buffs or not..."
| logicalmonster wrote:
| Norm wasn't normal. That's why I loved him.
|
| I miss him already.
| staunch wrote:
| Wow. Norm Macdonald is my favorite comedian of all time and stand
| up comedy is one of my favorite things about humanity. I was just
| watching some clips of his on the "I'm not Norm" YouTube channel
| while eating lunch right before I read this. I had no idea he had
| cancer, although in retrospect I can see the signs...
|
| Damn, what a massive shock. He was an absolute legend and will
| never be forgotten. RIP.
|
| His appearance on Letterman's last show is one of the greatest
| stand up sets of all time and now I'll consider it his farewell.
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFjEvl43zYY
|
| A more recent appearance where he was great, just talking, was on
| David Spade's show. His quick comeback on the Paul Newman line is
| a great example of why he was so amazing:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbanVqLk1lQ
| Ronsenshi wrote:
| Ooof, one more death that hit me hard this year. Norm's humor was
| not for everybody, but I loved how weird, absurd and off-putting
| it could be.
| HeyLaughingBoy wrote:
| I'm going to miss Pigeon.
| mhh__ wrote:
| So he nearly died on 9/11, I think he would've liked it if he
| did.
|
| He is probably the only North American comedian I really, really
| like, I am genuinely sad.
|
| Edit: I initially said American, but obviously norm is from
| Canada, but the statement is still true of North America so I'll
| go with that as Canada doesn't have the same gravitas...
| tompazourek wrote:
| Do you also really, really like some comedians outside of North
| America? Can you recommend someone?
| mhh__ wrote:
| I am British, so mostly British comedians. This isn't a
| given, but American comedy relative to our palette can seem
| very fake - although some quintessential "British" acts don't
| do it for me whatsoever, e.g. I don't find the IT Crowd
| funny, I don't find Mitchell and Webb particularly funny
| either.
|
| My absolute all-time most bestest favourite comedian is Chris
| Morris (Brass Eye, Jam, Four Lions) - who is a genius whose
| work is still blisteringly modern today even though most of
| it was recorded 25 years ago now. The way he uses neologisms
| is pure trip-fuel too if you enjoy banned substances.
|
| https://youtu.be/r3BO6GP9NMY, a little sample.
|
| https://youtu.be/0lhJ3YJkfcg longer but more insane sample
|
| He's not really a standup though. I think Norm was probably
| my favourite long-form standup all things considered, and it
| feels slightly weird comparing him to a British one because
| although he definitely reminded me of the subversiveness of
| comedy this side of the pond, he was still very much an
| American comic. Comedians over here are typically much more
| personal if they do "bits" (i.e. expertly performed but often
| true stories), or just pure one-liner merchants. Similarly,
| "improv" has always seemed very alien to me.
|
| If I had to pick one pure standup it would have to be Frankie
| Boyle just by the volume of laughs I've got out of him.
|
| If you want endless hours of fun British comedy (mostly
| improvised, I'm a hypocrite), listen to a little of the old
| Gervais, Pilkington, and Merchant radio shows from back in
| the day.
| tompazourek wrote:
| Thanks for this write up. I actually haven't heard of Chris
| Morris and Frankie Boyle yet. I'll have to check them out.
| OneEyedRobot wrote:
| >This isn't a given, but American comedy relative to our
| palette can seem very fake
|
| I get it.
|
| Benny Hill: real
|
| Doug Stanhope: fake
| mhh__ wrote:
| I love Doug Stanhope. Jimmy Fallon however...
| xyzzy_plugh wrote:
| Norm was Canadian.
| mhh__ wrote:
| Fixed
| privatdozent wrote:
| Who ever thought Artie would outlive Norm. RIP to a giant
| soneca wrote:
| A great video essay about Norm Macdonald from great YouTuber
| nerdwriter:
|
| https://youtu.be/EbthMC6spAE
| rainworld wrote:
| Not just jokes
| https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_RHERXXIAIFAAi?format=png
| big_curses wrote:
| Unfortunately, if this is serious, it just makes me lose
| respect for him. The Enlightenment was the greatest period of
| human history ever with regards to philosophical and
| intellectual progress since ancient Greece.
| stareatgoats wrote:
| You would never know if it was serious is not. It could have
| been more of a comment really.
| gbjw wrote:
| I think it was serious. Norm was very well-read and his
| favourite literature was deeply religious and suspicious of
| modernity (Twain, Tolstoy, Proust).
| jimbokun wrote:
| Damn.
| warent wrote:
| yeah, not many people know he was a devout Christian, overall a
| man of depth and complexity
| mixmastamyk wrote:
| Weird. Am a big fan, but can't imagine anyone dissing the
| Enlightenment. Maybe a bit crazy after all?
| mhh__ wrote:
| Norm's non-comedy persona (I suspect even when not
| "performing" he was still performing, at least to himself)
| was probably not immune to pretense.
|
| I can see the point he is trying to make, although I think
| it's nonsense
| gbjw wrote:
| Hardly nonsense and a view espoused by several other
| cultural commentators and authors (e.g., Ross Douthat,
| Dostoyevsky, Simone Weil, to name a few).
| mhh__ wrote:
| All I can say is that hankering for moral bedrock by
| looking back to a surely contrived ideal of Christianity
| seems trite and somewhat vindictive to me. To use one of
| my favourite Norm-isms, I don't own a doghouse: am I
| lying to myself?
|
| To what truth does he refer to? You don't get to pick and
| choose which bits you like and which you don't, when
| making this kind of argument.
| bitwize wrote:
| There was a comedian on Last Comic Standing on which Norm was
| a judge who was making jokes at the expense of his Christian
| family. Something like "Your favorite book is the Bible,
| mine's Harry Potter. Big deal."
|
| Norm had a _scathing_ criticism, and it was the most serious
| I 'd ever seen Norm. He said something like: "It's not funny
| to use Harry Potter to make fun of Christians. J.K. Rowling
| is a Christian, and she said if you understand the Gospels,
| you'll know how the Harry Potter series will end."
|
| Now there was a bit on Seinfeld about how someone had
| converted to Judaism simply to gain the right to tell Jewish
| jokes. And Jerry was talking to his therapist about this and
| the therapist said, "So, this offends you as a Jewish
| person?" And Jerry replied, "No, it offends me as a
| _comedian_. "
|
| Despite his faith, one inferred from his LCS critique that
| the Harry Potter joke offended him not as a Christian, but as
| a comedian. _That 's_ how professional a comic he was.
| LAC-Tech wrote:
| Well that and edgy atheism was extremely played out even by
| that point.
|
| Same way he refused to do any Trump jokes. Norm didn't want
| applause, he wanted laughter.
| yeezyseezy wrote:
| He was so well read, but played the "dumb guy" so well:
| https://youtu.be/ob3yBb2E-uM
| sophacles wrote:
| I'd argue that it should be:
|
| He was so well-read that he played the "dumb guy" well.
| jdlyga wrote:
| I didn't even know he was sick!
| throwawayboise wrote:
| Just like Norm to make that line the literal truth for his
| fans.
|
| RIP.
| stareatgoats wrote:
| Figured something was wrong since he stopped tweeting in July.
|
| I'll just drop this here, his last standup on Letterman - which
| (at the end) reveals that he was not "just" the wittiest, most
| fearless funnyman ever. RIP Norm.
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFjEvl43zYY
| flas9sd wrote:
| puts the germany piece I only knew to date isolated into
| perspective, that was also a goodbye to letterman and kind of
| broke the 4th wall, thanks
| scop wrote:
| I literally gasped when I heard this. There is something uniquely
| sad when one's favorite _comedian_ passes away.
|
| There were many things that made him special, but one thing
| stands out right now:
|
| I don't think I've ever seen a comedian pursue Truth so
| rigorously. So much of his comedy was him shining a light on a
| given topic and giving 100% unflinching attention toward it, even
| if everyone else wanted to ignore it or "move on". This often
| made the "joke" the audience, in that we found ourselves laughing
| when we thought we shouldn't be. But why shouldn't we be
| laughing? Why shouldn't we be discussing this? Wait, why is this
| uncomfortable in the first place? Have I thought about this
| enough?
| okareaman wrote:
| I had the same reaction. So many comics are fast with a joke
| but Norm was the master at drawing out a joke out and exploring
| the Truth as you say.
| mindfulplay wrote:
| Norm MacDonald and Patrice O'Neal's comedy should be studied by
| every comedian as they pursued comedy and nothing else. No
| social saintness or political hackery.
|
| If there were a Michelin star, we just lost two three star
| Michelins in about a decade... There aren't many (perhaps even
| any) left to fill this void.
| prudhvis wrote:
| Thank you for mentioning Patrice O'Neal and Norm MacDonald in
| the same breath. We really lost comedy greats that cannot be
| filled by anyone anytime soon.
| clemailacct1 wrote:
| Yes! I'm beyond thrilled to see someone mention Patrice here.
| He is, by far, the most cerebral comedians of all time.
| pixxel wrote:
| Doug Stanhope and Dave Chappell will tell you the truth.
| [deleted]
| 74d-fe6-2c6 wrote:
| it's always sad to hear that somebody died of cancer. seriously.
|
| but what I always found odd was that a lot of comdedians who I
| consider very funny - openly consider him to be the most funny
| guy every while to me he didn't seem funny at all. he had
| something striking and charismatic about him - I give him that.
| but I can't remember having seen any sketch or interview with him
| where I found him funny. often watchworthy and interesting - but
| never funny.
| aidenn0 wrote:
| 61 years old is a ripe old age for an SNL comedian.
|
| [edit]
|
| Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8h-xeuC1L0
| AdmiralAsshat wrote:
| Yeah but he didn't OD on anything.
| chrisco255 wrote:
| Gonna miss this old chunk of coal.
| bmitc wrote:
| I'm gutted on hearing this. I've been on one of my regular Norm
| YouTube binges, and was watching a ton of them just last night.
| His dedication to comedy was legendary, and his complexity was
| intriguing.
|
| Norm's fake late gift to Conan for The Tonight Show, given after
| Conan was leaving, is a great example of his sort of expectation-
| bending humor.
|
| https://youtu.be/uarJj-K4XH4
|
| His appearances on The View are legendary examples of his ability
| to be uncontrolled and play the dumbest guy in the room at the
| same time while actually being the sharpest. His intentional
| subversion played off as uninformed is a seemingly one of a kind
| talent. There are videos of interviews where he describes some of
| the background to things he did on the show.
|
| https://youtu.be/a4ageUPHgno
|
| https://youtu.be/Z3PP_SWHUQQ
|
| "Not everything has a point" just gets me. It's amazing how the
| hosts just want to jump from talking point to talking point and
| just refuse to let the guest actually talk, which Norm really
| plays off of.
|
| And lastly, the moth joke remains a shining example of his anti-
| jokes.
|
| https://youtu.be/jJN9mBRX3uo
|
| His monologues at roasts, awards shows, and the correspondents
| dinner were examples of not being afraid of anything.
| trts wrote:
| This is a great summary of what made him stand so far apart
| from other comedians and entertainers. He was fundamentalist in
| his dedication to the art of comedy. He could easily tell a
| clean dirty-joke or a dirty clean one and he never pandered to
| the audience.
|
| The other part about Norm that I'm not sure everyone knew was
| how compassionate and well read he was. This came out on his
| podcast frequently. Not only could he deliver a multi-layered
| joke on the fly but could casually pull references to art &
| literature.
|
| I always appreciated his reverence toward his guests. Even
| during Jim Carrey's infamous and awkward flame-out on his show,
| he was never fazed or allowed it to affect his conduct towards
| his guests. Unless he had extra special reverence for them, in
| which case he might give them a harder time.
|
| He's the only celebrity loss I can remember being brought to
| tears over. An absolute legend.
| PennRobotics wrote:
| > the dumbest guy in the room at the same time while actually
| being the sharpest
|
| He would've won top prize on Millionaire but backed off before
| answering the last question from nerves.
|
| https://millionaire.fandom.com/wiki/Norm_MacDonald
|
| What a legend
| bmitc wrote:
| Yea, Regis really flustered him on that question and made him
| second guess himself even though he had the right answer.
|
| What's extra funny about that is that one of his The View
| appearances (linked above) was the day of or soon before his
| Millionaire appearance. One of the hosts said something along
| the lines of "you think he's dumb here, just wait until his
| appearance on Millionaire", and of course they all cackle at
| that. Then he goes and gives a great performance.
| brightball wrote:
| Awful. Always loved his comedy. The movie he made years ago,
| Dirty Work, is heavily underappreciated.
|
| RIP Norm.
| bennesvig wrote:
| Norm's musings on death from his 2011 special:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrFU5wyd_C0
| nefitty wrote:
| One of the funniest people to ever live, RIP.
| legerdemain wrote:
| Is this some kind of Norm MacDonald joke?
| reginold wrote:
| The Grey Man
| colpabar wrote:
| reminds me of that tragedy
| caslon wrote:
| I didn't even know he was sick!
| scop wrote:
| the one with the buildings?
| RattleyCooper wrote:
| Ffs 2 of my all time favorite comedians gone in less than a
| couple months..
| wernst wrote:
| Trevor Moore?
| LAC-Tech wrote:
| Yeah I was shocked by that too. Had been enjoying the WKUK
| mini reunion.
| RattleyCooper wrote:
| Yeah
| marnett wrote:
| I am an avid lover of comedy, and Norm Macdonald was by far my
| favorite comedian. I am younger, and the first live show of his I
| was going to attend at the San Jose Improv was cancelled because
| of COVID last year. I am gutted.
|
| Norm really embodied what comedy is truly about. No one likes the
| smartest guy in the room. Nothing is off limits. Always speak
| Truth to Power. His style and ability to write jokes, as opposed
| to the popular story telling methods of today, is still one of a
| kind. I loved hearing his "meta musings" about comedy and joke
| writing, where he said the "perfect joke" is one where the set up
| and punchline are the same. (https://youtu.be/9GKKnlsZvQA?t=231)
|
| My all time favorite performance of any comedian will always be
| Norm's white house correspondence dinner performance during the
| Clinton administration. His ability to understand his audience,
| and write and perform real jokes (unlike the pandering we see in
| the decades since) is truly the mark of a master. The truest of
| comedians play the role of the philosopher and jester: through
| their performances we ought to recognize the things we refuse to
| see in ourselves and our societies. Norm has a library of
| noteworthy clips, but this will always be my top. This is art. I
| implore you to watch.
|
| RIP Norm. You old chunk of coal.
|
| https://youtu.be/3U7AZIdalzM
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